Anyone here use a thermal imaging camera for inspecting electrical panels, etc.?
The one we have in our tool selection is about 10 years old, the battery doesn't hold a charge, and the software has been lost (I tried to find a downloadable version but it is no longer supported).
I have a job coming up which requires the use of a thermal imaging camera. This is a yearly inspection of numerous isolation panels in critical areas of a hospital. Besides the camera being capable to effectively and reliably do the work I need to be able to download and store results for future reference. I think I might be able to convince the money guys to go as high as $1500 to $2000 (Canadian funds). Any suggestions? Thank-you.

I have a Dewalt but I don't save the info and I don't have a window computer so I can't easily try it. http://www.dewalt.com/products/powe...12v-max-imaging-thermometer-kit/dct416s1 .

pm me if you want to play with it.

twh,

Offer is greatly appreciated.


I have a Flir Thermal Imaging Thermometer for my personal use. Bought it at Canadian Tire when it went on sale (that is a story in itself); http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/flir-imaging-infrared-thermometer-0574634p.html

I've been reading online about what specs an electrician might be most concerned and found the following list :

- Resolution 320x240 minimum
- Sensitivity 50mK or greater
- Temp Range min. 150 degrees Celcius (302 Fahrenheit)
- Camera Settings adjustable vs factory set with no adjustment
- Display refresh rate 9Hz vs 60Hz
- VLCM (visible light camera mode)
- Laser pointer
- Flash/LED illumination
- PiP
- Interchangeable Lenses (not likely needed for my purpose)
- Manual Focushttps
- Bluetooth/WiFi (not necessary for my purpose)
- Voice Annotation (not necessary for my purpose)
- Software

Information found here:
https://www.irinfo.org/04-01-2014-warner/

Two thumbs up for the tech support guys at FLIR. As I expected a new thermal imaging camera was not in the cards. So I took a closer look at our old camera and decided to see if I could make it useful again. First, I needed to see if there was a software upgrade. I contacted FLIR via email and they got back to me right away with links to downloads for their free version of FLIR Tools. They sent a link to a firmware update, as well. Once I got the software working with our WIndows 7 laptop I ordered two new batteries from an online source. The batteries arrived yesterday. So it looks like I'll be using this old camera.

I have a FLIR i7 (US$2000) and FLIR C2 (US$500) at work I routinely use for electrical survey work and non-contact tightness testing; the i7 has a higher resolution and higher temp range, but the C2 has plenty of range for electrical work and the integrated optical camera & algorithm that melds the IR and optical photos makes it so much easier to identify what you're taking pictures. I end up using the C2 way more than the i7.