So here are the first 8 frames of the camera facing down but not to scale range (value) wise, but so that the data is somewhat visible.
Frame 1 (ID 4) seems like it has the patent pixels and what seems to be dead pixels, and what seems to be the horizontal banding. I wonder if this data is added somehow to the capture data or it just identifies the non responsive pixels (kind of like a slope value)
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117242;image)
Frame 2 (ID 9) is a bit bizarre, because it shows a nice gradient, like if during boot the chip shows that the memory is writable and is just to make sure it can be read. It's pretty smooth with no dead pixels (other than pixel 10) and maybe some others that I can't see. the original range goes from [2000 to 16383] (both included) it didn't translate well to 8 bits. Maybe that's the actual sensor range for raw data, not sure. Also it might be the firmware that outputs the gradient, doesn't have to do anything with the sensor for all we know.
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117244;image)
Frame 3 (ID 8 ) looks like a factory calibration data, or maybe it's a boot time real calibration image. Since I had the camera facing down it looks (almost) exactly like Frame 7 and 8 (first real cal, and first image since i had the camera facing down)
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117246;image)
Frame 4 (ID 7) looks like the patent pixels and some minor adjustments, little threshold and all the data is on they high 15,000 range, but I scaled it to make it visible.
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117248;image)
Frame 5 (ID 10) is similar to Frame 1, but at a lower range (in the hundreds), also I don't know what the upper right corner is doing being all darkish.
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117250;image)
Frame 6 (ID 5), patent pixels and horizontal banding, but only for the left half of the image like it's supposed to be stretched, funny thing is that the 1st patent pixels is at half of what it should be but the 2nd one is 15 pixels further so, maybe it just represents the pattern to be adjusted by. Also note that no really dead pixels so the sensor's memory (if it does have that) or the firmware is the one producing that.
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117252;image)
Frame 7 (ID 1), 1st calibration frame with the shutter blocking the sensor.
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117254;image)
Frame 8 (ID 3), first display frame, shutter open but camera facing down.
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117256;image)
Edit, forgot to add the pre-cal frame:
Frame 11 (ID 6), first pre-cal frame, since it's facing down it looks the same as the cal ones and the visible ones)
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/yet-another-cheap-thermal-imager-incoming/?action=dlattach;attach=117260;image)