Summary of DIY-Thermocam – an open-source, do-it-yourself thermographic camera
This project introduces the DIY-Thermocam, an open-source, portable thermal imaging platform designed for private individuals, schools, and companies. It supports applications like building insulation analysis, electrical inspections, and drone mounting. The device uses FLIR Lepton sensors (2.x and 3.x) with a simple through-hole PCB design requiring basic soldering tools. A self-assembly kit is available from GroupGets, and the project includes open-source software, calibration tools, and detailed documentation.
Parts used in the DIY-Thermocam:
- FLIR Lepton2.x sensor
- FLIR Lepton3.x sensor
- MLX90614 external spot sensor
- Soldering iron
- Solder tin
- Nippers
- Screwdriver
- Bolts and nuts
- PCB board
- Video out module
The aim of this project is to give private persons, educational institutes and companies access to a portable, affordable and customizable thermal imaging plattform.
There are various applications like finding heat leaks in the insulation of buildings, the analysis of electrical or mechanical components, the detection of persons / animals or even mounting it on a drone, together with the additional video out module.
Constructed as a self-assembly solution, the DIY-Thermocam allows you to take advantage of the versatile possibilities of thermal imaging and to save money at one go.
Everything, from software to hardware, is completely open-source! This allows everyone to modify or extend the functionalities of the device to their own needs!
GroupGets does now offer a complete self-assembly kit, so you don’t have to worry about buying all the parts on your own.
A scientific paper is also available, giving an overview about the whole project and its capabilities.
Update: haraldg has written a nice set of tools for post-processing the thermal raw data files. Check it out here. He also published a short article about manual calibration here.
HOW TO MAKE IT
You can make your own DIY-Thermocam V2 at home easily. For the tools, you only need a simple soldering iron, some solder tin, a nippers and a screwdriver. The design of the PCB is very basic: No SMD components, only big through-hole parts and modules. The enclosure can be assembled easily only with bolts & nuts, no glue required.
An illustrated assembly guide will lead you through the process of constructing the device, step-by-step. You should have soldered at least one small project before, but with that experience you should be fine.
The DIY-Thermocam works with the FLIR Lepton2.x (80 x 60) and the FLIR Lepton3.x (160 x 120) LWIR sensor, including the radiometric versions (Lepton2.5 only at the moment). The hardware revision is detected automatically by the firmware on startup and you can change the sensor just with your fingers.
The Lepton2.0 and Lepton3.0 sensors do not have in an internal calibration. An external spot sensor, the MLX90614 is used to generate a transfer function for raw values to absolute temperatures conversion. When using a radiometric Lepton (Lepton2.5 only at the moment), the spot sensor is not required.
The firmware update guide helps you to update your device to the newest firmware. In order to understand to various device functionalities, have a look at the manual.
For going deeper, the structure of the raw data files is explained here, and the open USB serial protocol here.
Read more: DIY-Thermocam – an open-source, do-it-yourself thermographic camera
- What are the primary applications of the DIY-Thermocam?
The device is used for finding heat leaks in building insulation, analyzing electrical or mechanical components, detecting persons or animals, and mounting on drones. - How can I make my own DIY-Thermocam V2 at home?
You need a simple soldering iron, solder tin, nippers, and a screwdriver to assemble the through-hole parts and enclosure using bolts and nuts. - Which FLIR sensors does the DIY-Thermocam support?
It works with FLIR Lepton2.x and Lepton3.x LWIR sensors, including radiometric versions like the Lepton2.5. - Does the device require an external sensor for all models?
An external MLX90614 spot sensor is required for Lepton2.0 and Lepton3.0 sensors lacking internal calibration, but not for radiometric Lepton2.5 models. - Can users modify the device functionalities?
Yes, because everything from software to hardware is completely open-source, allowing users to modify or extend functionalities. - Is there a way to post-process thermal raw data files?
Yes, haraldg has written a set of tools specifically for post-processing thermal raw data files. - How is the hardware revision detected by the firmware?
The hardware revision is detected automatically by the firmware upon startup. - Where can I find information about the raw data file structure?
The structure of the raw data files is explained in the provided documentation links within the article.
