[Damien] wanted to build a thermal camera. He was dismayed about how much a microbolometer costs so he salvaged one from a dead FLIR he picked up on eBay for 75 pounds. That’s about $100, and less than half what a new sensor costs. He selected one that didn’t turn on, which he hoped meant the Lepton 3 160×120 pixel microbolometer would not be the reason the camera failed.
Once it arrived, he pulled the pricey module, connected it to a breakout board and a Raspberry Pi. His gamble paid off; it worked fine. That wasn’t the end of the project, though. He went on to make a portable, self-contained camera with a rechargeable battery and an LCD screen.
The ESP32 software is sophisticated, using code ported from Linux and FreeRTOS. Topped off with a 3D printed case, [Damien] wound up with a great looking camera that is highly personal.
We saw another good-looking thermal camera that used an older sensor in one of our 2017 competitions. Once you’ve tired of looking at your soldering iron, you can always examine yourself for injuries.
Filed under: digital cameras hacks
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