What do you want to see discussed here ?

[tomasis]

Ok, thanks Fraser and ArsenioDev.  I'll try to be better about contributing.

I wish I had known about this forum when I started.  My travails with the Lepton are documented on the hackaday.io website (https://hackaday.io/project/159615-lepton-35-thermal-imaging-camera) and my most developed design, the tCam-Mini, is documented on github (https://github.com/danjulio/lepton/tree/master/ESP32).  I have been working with the folks at GroupGets who build and sell it for me (also, I've always been hesitant about appearing like I'm only interested in promoting my board for people to buy here.  I make a few bucks on each sale but I'm definitely not getting rich with these boards.  It's just a way to make them available to people without the pain of building them myself).  However at the risk of self-promoting, tCam-Mini would be a way to use up your Lepton 3 and 3.5's from your old Flir dongles, Fraser :-)

I am actually a bit excited about the Tiny1C.  It's fun to be free of the 9FPS limitation and it seems to generate nice images.  But it's also interesting to be a Westerner who is finding the "shoe on the other foot" regarding having to translate documentation and grok some design philosophy that isn't necessarily rooted in western ways of doing things.  Plus being told by one of their engineers that I wasn't ready for some technical information yet (I guess based on my questions to him I have more basic functionality to learn before I'm allowed the keys to accurate radiometric data).

I accept that old expensive cameras can be bad idea to make projects of.

Though small projects are very interesting especially with cheap parts like Lepton and Tiny1C. I looked at GroupGets a while for my first therm camera but gave up due lack of 25hz or price then I did go for a cheap Uni-T camera.

I think it is great to source Chinese parts and start projects like Arduino, Raspberry or small boards here. I have some ideas how implement thermal camera as part of the smart home like security camera or to trigger a function based on reading of thermal image, for example.

I have not found Tiny1C for sale so far.

[globoy]

I have not found Tiny1C for sale so far.

I had to reach out to them directly and if I create a "product" (e.g. maker level sales) I figure I'll have to be the one buying and stocking it (and deal with export regulations).

It does appear that Infiray is a "Marketplace" distributor at Digi-Key and have their MINI256 and MINI384 cameras there.

[IR_Geek]

Don't give up Fraser!  I could mostly care less on most of the small commercial uncooled cores flooding the market.  Really interesting but realistically most of them are 'sufficient' for most applications as long as they put a decent optic on them.    Assuming equal cores, then it's all about the aperture ... I can catch more raindrops in a bucket then I can with a shot glass.

While I don't post as much as I would like, I still enjoy reading through the discussions and contributing when I can.  Usually by the time I get to read the forum, there has already been a good bit of back and forth with helpful info already provided.   Usually just interject if something needs clarifying or explained in my own southern mountain boy way.

[IR_Geek]

To clarify and expand... I don't hate uncooled, just the same question of 'what is cheapest' with most asking not even considering the optic at all.      To me that is like asking for the most aerodynamic car without asking about the engine.    A total lack of pulling down a book or data mining tons of good (free) papers before taking the easy out.   A library card can go a long way ... wait, do those even exist anymore   

As for what to see discussed:   Really enjoy the history of IR companies and the tear down of all the cameras.  Mostly the cooled systems, but the shear magnitude of the uncooled used in all the hand held fire fighting equipment is staggering.   The design choices forced by the harsh environments are very interesting.   The 'discovery' of what core is inside.