Yet another cheap thermal imager incoming.. Seek Thermal

[waldo]

Apple currently refuses connections to Bluetooth devices that lack their authentication chip.  But when Bluetooth low energy came out, Apple decided not to restrict access to BLE devices, so there may be hope for them yet.

[IanB]

Apple currently refuses connections to Bluetooth devices that lack their authentication chip.

What does this mean? I have been able to pair a generic Bluetooth keyboard with my iDevices and it works fine.

[miguelvp]

I think the restriction is that iOS requires Bluetooth LE (low energy)
Also it has had problems on one of the recent updates, but I don't think they will change the compatibility.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Apple currently refuses connections to Bluetooth devices that lack their authentication chip.

What does this mean? I have been able to pair a generic Bluetooth keyboard with my iDevices and it works fine.

I believe keyboards are about the only generic, non Apple-taxed thing they will pair with.

[iRad]

Apple currently refuses connections to Bluetooth devices that lack their authentication chip.

What does that have to do with the Seek Thermal camera for iOS? It is not a Blue Tooth device. AND, it evidently has the authentication chip.

[NsyncSys]

Hey folks.  I got my camera a couple of weeks ago - I was order # 1100 or so.
I was looking for answers to some of the very issues you folks are discussing - glad I found you!
My major complaints that I hope Seek addresses are mostly software, but here they are:

1 - Thermal gradient issue
2 - inability to turn off auto-scaling in the thermal mapping - moving the camera can result in a wild shifting of colors.
3 - Poor display definition - with a built in visible light camera it would be easy to boost the apparent definition.  For example perform edge detection on the visible light and apply as an alpha channel to the IR display.
4 - Poor display contrast - this is seriously easy stuff to bump the contrast so details can be distinguished.
5 - Software does not remember user settings - it asks every single time to associate the camera with the software.
6 - Inability to use for advertised abilities such as stud finding.  Mine will not even pick up the thermal gradients where I *know* the wires run warm, nor the embedded hot water pipes in the foundation that I can feel with bare feet.  The demo pic of footprints in the carpet or bare floor are myth as far as I can tell.  I can see where the cat has been snoozing on the couch.  I'm quite sure addressing issues 2-5 would help here.

PS: Thanks for the software - I'll be rigging a cable this weekend to play.
Jon

[mikeselectricstuff]

3 - Poor display definition - with a built in visible light camera it would be easy to boost the apparent definition.  For example perform edge detection on the visible light
and apply as an alpha channel to the IR display.

Flir have a patent on that. there is also the issue of different positions and fields of view of cams on different phones. maybe someone will write an app for it though

4 - Poor display contrast - this is seriously easy stuff to bump the contrast so details can be distinguished.

I suspect this is a deliberate tactic to hide noise.

[eneuro]

Apple is probably the most proprietary-centric consumer product manufacturer out there.

Anyway, may be better if Seek Thermal will leave them alone with their greatness if they do not want to be involved in similar lawsuits and release PC version with drivers for Linux, Window$, etc  for price <$100
Apple and GTAT: What went wrong - update

"GTAT is prohibited from modifying any equipment, specifications, manufacturing process or materials without Apple’s prior consent. Apple can modify any of these terms at any time and GTAT must immediately implement Apple’s modifications."

Apple? No thanks 

[marshallh]

order # 30xx received!

[datsthat]

I found this vid comparing Seek with Therm-app.  sorry if this is a not so smart question to ask as I don't have much thermal background (or anything else )  With future software revisions, does anybody think its posbile for seek to look similar to therm app? 

http://youtu.be/5FvVJE-qLhw

[marshallh]

Not a chance... Seek sensor is so small it can't resolve finer details, even though its resolution is much great than the FLIR one.
Therm-app has a much bigger sensor, hence the expense. Opgal have no doubt ported their existing proven processing code isntead of having to write new code from the ground up like Seek.

[mikeselectricstuff]

I found this vid comparing Seek with Therm-app.  sorry if this is a not so smart question to ask as I don't have much thermal background (or anything else )  With future software revisions, does anybody think its posbile for seek to look similar to therm app? 

http://youtu.be/5FvVJE-qLhw

Ther therm-app lens alone probably costs more than the Seek

[efahrenholz]

My camera finally arrived today. I definitely am plagued by the gradient issue as everyone else is. I noticed something interesting though, it seems to be thermally related. Cold out of the box it had no gradient. As it warmed up, a gradient began to show itself, so I placed the imager in the freezer. Gradient went down, even the noise level decreased as expected.

How about this, is it possible the gradient we see is coming from side radiation of the lens housing? Maybe it is picking it up off the PCB? I also wanted to point out the gradient appears from the side where the housing is thinnest...strange thermal characteristic?

[datsthat]

gradient on mine is always hotter bottom right hand

[mikeselectricstuff]

An update, I've just discovered that if I use the direct url for the Thermal App I can install it from New Zealand, even though a search on Google Play won't show it.

Direct url :https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tyriansystems.SeekThermal&hl=en&rdid=com.tyriansystems.SeekThermal

Didn't work for me - after the "please login to download" prompt I get "Page not found"

[waldo]

Didn't work for me - after the "please login to download" prompt I get "Page not found"

Does APK Downloader help in those situations?
http://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/

[Fraser]

@Mike, URL works OK from my Moto G but no camera found for download. Not sure if you need the Seek plugged in to install ?  My Seek has just arrived at its USA destinatiom so hopefully not long until I can test it. 

[efahrenholz]

Here's a thermie of my cat. Really shows the detail the camera can achieve.

[Hyperion]

I used the site discussed below to get the apk and then used ApkInstall app to install it (not apkInstall which is a different one) or you can side-install with the other methods.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2636539

OF course there is some question about the security of using a site that downloads an apk for you: in theory they could add something malicious to it, but I haven't found any cases of this by googling this specific site, and my downloaded apk seems to be fine. Also it seemed that at first the download would not work but eventually it does if you retry enough: either site problems or you need to wait for the site to cache it on their end before it will process the link correctly.

(Trying to make a "fake" USA based account or modifying your preferences / clearing caches to try and trick Play Store into working in your country is a WASTE OF TIME and the new Google Play Store versions have defeated all the old "tricks" you will read about in blogs/forums and see in youtube videos).

[Hyperion]

@Mike, URL works OK from my Moto G but no camera found for download. Not sure if you need the Seek plugged in to install ?  My Seek has just arrived at its USA destinatiom so hopefully not long until I can test it.

The box packaging says to install the app before connecting the camera. (The camera app will auto-launch on most phones when it's plugged in). If the Play Store says it's not available it's because you are outside USA/Canada and/or your device is not compatible with the software.

[Marco]

Flir have a patent on that.

There's a patent on round corners (and weels for that matter). If you worry about patents this incredibly weak then you can forget about producing anything ever. A moment of careful consideration will tell you that the military significance of sensor fusion means this kind of very basic stuff is too well travelled for patents to be relevant.

[mikeselectricstuff]

@Mike, URL works OK from my Moto G but no camera found for download. Not sure if you need the Seek plugged in to install ?  My Seek has just arrived at its USA destinatiom so hopefully not long until I can test it.

No - the app can be installed, and run in demo mode without the camera, at least when installing from a .apk file

[amyk]

Here's a thermie of my cat. Really shows the detail the camera can achieve.

That doesn't look quite right unless it's an inverted palette... the eyes should be much hotter:

http://traveldave.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/thermalcat2_sm.jpg
https://athermallife.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/cat.jpg
http://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/2014/01/07/7d42182c-8533-11e3-bc97-14feb5ca9861/208f1d19dc978f193aaa148996f169d7/flirone.jpg

[Hyperion]

Here's a thermie of my cat. Really shows the detail the camera can achieve.

That doesn't look quite right unless it's an inverted palette... the eyes should be much hotter:

http://traveldave.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/thermalcat2_sm.jpg
https://athermallife.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/cat.jpg
http://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/2014/01/07/7d42182c-8533-11e3-bc97-14feb5ca9861/208f1d19dc978f193aaa148996f169d7/flirone.jpg

That is the "Black" pallet. Which is the inverse of "White".

In "black" hottest objects are darkest, so the cat looks as expected. I still think "Tyrian" is my favorite.

[jaybeez]

Hi Everybody,
I've been following the discussion here for several weeks. All of you are great. I heard about the Seek on the night vision forum I frequent, but discussion and interest there seems to have fizzled out.

efahrenholz,
those cat photos look excellent. did you wait until just after a shutter event to take the snap shot? there is very little noise in your photo, compared to others I have seen. maybe an option to force a shutter event when taking a snapshot would be a good improvement to the app?