For those who thought I was a bit mad when it came to thermal cameras and collecting them..... you now have your proof that I am certifiable
I saw a complete IRISYS IRI 1011 thermal camera set on ebay for £109 delivered. I thought about it for a while and then I bought it
Why a
...... well those who know the IRISYS IRI 1011 will understand. This camera was impressive when released in that it offered thermal imaging to the masses at a relatively affordable price. It is a marker in thermal camera development for this reason alone. The image quality is, however, somewhat wanting in detail !
The IRI 1011 was a product of the affordable thermal imaging sensor project by IRISYS. They wanted to produce a thermal sensor that was both affordable, and exempt from the, at the time, very restrictive regulations on thermal camera technology. In order to keep costs low, a low resolution sensor based on Pyrometer technology was used. This technology requires the use of a mechanical chopper wheel, much like the BST technology of the time.
Now the killer specification of the sensor ........ It is a 16 x 16 array of pyrometer pixels ! Yes 256 pixels for a camera
How on earth could such a low resolution sensor array be viable you may ask. Well the solution is interpolation. IRISYS use clever interpolation to make an image up to 96 x 96 pixels from the 16 x 16 pixel source. Whilst such high levels of interpolation may seem crazy, it does actually work, to a fashion.
If the sensor specification sounds a little familiar then you are right, it is also the specification of the FLUKE VT02 sensor array. The reason ? Simple, the VT02 and VT04 are IRISYS designs and IRISYS was bought by Fluke. The VT series use a sensor of the same technology as the IRI 1011. Code name Redeye.
The IRI 1011 is an interesting camera that uses an HP PDA for the image processing. It can also operate with a PALM and a PC with the software provided. The images produced are very simple compared to more modern thermal camera offerings. I have always wanted one of these to play with, but for some reason they still command a high price on the used market. When compared to say a SEEK or FLIR F1G2, they are poor value for money.
On this occasion the price was just low enough for a full kit to tempt me, and I bit
The unit is in very nice condition and comes with all of its original accessories. The price may still sound high for such low resolution imaging but think about the VT02, it is little better. The high quality Germanium lens used in the IRI 1011 is also worth the price alone. No Chalcogenide glass here
The supplied software also provides PC monitoring of an areas temperature using the IRI 1011. More capable than the usual single pixel non contact Pyrometers available.
For me, it is just a bit of fun to play with, but I suspect these cameras have provided good service to many who could not afford an industrial thermal camera in the late 1990's.
Fraser