FLIR

[slvervper99]

Since Autel scrap the idea of have Flir connected to the XSP's camera, I was thinking of buying the Flir one connect it to my Iphone 6 and jury-rigging it to the drone so I can take night time vids -just a thought though, anyone here bought or have used the Flir one?

 

[Tufargon]

Sounds like a great idea. Not sure if it would be too heavy.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I swear I saw a 3D printed holder for phones with a FLIR cam on it... check Thingverse. It was probably for a DJI but could probably be easily adapted.

 

[slvervper99]

Sounds like a great idea. Not sure if it would be too heavy.

Yeah, flight will definitely be affected, but I'm not really concerned about that, my only concern is that it will probably be shaky since there is no gimbal to keep it steady. It will most likely be mounted on the landing gear so it'll be just facing downwards. When I had my Yuneec Typhoon, I attached a Gro Pro on the tail and the vid was not that great

 

[slvervper99]

I swear I saw a 3D printed holder for phones with a FLIR cam on it... check Thingverse. It was probably for a DJI but could probably be easily adapted.

I looked and maybe I didn't look hard enough but I did not see one. The is a holder for the Samsung 360 though and wonder if it can be adapted to the iphone facing downward
360 camera mount on a DJI Phantom 3 by anatolev

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Maybe talk to these guys and see what they can come up with for the X-Star. This one for the P3 is expensive but hey if it works.

2 Axis Smartphone Gimbal for DJI Phantom 3

Or this one that just mounts solid from what I can tell. Better price also

DJIP3-038 Mobile Device Holder

 

[yrless]

I rented a Flir Duo last year to produce some demonstration stills for an industry group. I simply velcro'd it to my XSP along with a 2S lipo. The output in infrared mode was interesting but underwhelming, i.e. from 150 feet up you could tell who's roof was losing heat but with very poor resolution. You really need to go with a Flir Vue Pro to get any kind of decent video from an airborne platform but of course you're also looking at $2K+ for that privilege

 

[slvervper99]

Maybe talk to these guys and see what they can come up with for the X-Star. This one for the P3 is expensive but hey if it works.

2 Axis Smartphone Gimbal for DJI Phantom 3

Or this one that just mounts solid from what I can tell. Better price also

DJIP3-038 Mobile Device Holder

For $30, I'd say it's probably worth it

 

[slvervper99]

I rented a Flir Duo last year to produce some demonstration stills for an industry group. I simply velcro'd it to my XSP along with a 2S lipo. The output in infrared mode was interesting but underwhelming, i.e. from 150 feet up you could tell who's roof was losing heat but with very poor resolution. You really need to go with a Flir Vue Pro to get any kind of decent video from an airborne platform but of course you're also looking at $2K+ for that privilege

I guess it's better to fly low then

 

[yrless]

For $30, I'd say it's probably worth it

How will you control the gimbal and target the IR camera?

 

[Wildseyed]

I think I'm somewhat of an expert on FLIR cameras (www.movitherm.com), so you can take what I say to the bank.

Most people are underwhelmed when they see outdoor footage through a FLIR. The resolution is not the problem, but rather the dynamic range. That is, the distance between the coldest and hottest things in the image, and all of the values in between. This goes for the Lepton, the Boson, and any other sensor. The reason is because there are optimal parts of the day when conditions are ideal, and most people are not flying at these times.
Just after sunrise, and sunset will produce the best contrast, assuming it's not cloudy. Mid-day, everything outside is going to be basically at ambient, so what you will see are mostly differences in emissivity.

There are always exceptions, and cold weather is one of them. In temperatures below 70°F, warm bodies will show up nicely, assuming you are close enough and they are not wearing heavy jackets. The field of view angle will play a role in determining how many pixels will be thrown across a feature at a given distance. With the Lepton, you can get various lens options. They are not interchangeable, so you have to get multiple cores if you want variety.

As for what could work on the X-Star, there are many options available using sensors from FLIR, and Seek Thermal, and not all of them require a smart phone to tag along for the ride. Think Raspberry PI 3 or Pi Zero.

Here are a few links at GroupGets for ideas. Not all campaigns are active at all times, but the popular ones start up again regularly.

PureThermal 1 - FLIR Lepton Smart I/O Module

PureThermal 2 - FLIR Lepton Smart I/O Module

... and from Seek Thermal

Affordable Infrared Thermal Cameras

I like the idea of using a FLIR Lepton with the PI Zero, because it would be possible to mount the sensor alongside the 4K camera using a USB ribbon cable and a 3D printed holder. You could also use WiFi Broadcast to send the video down to a second device.

 

[arto.inetco]

the seek compact pro appears to have twice the Flir duo resolution (320 vs 160) at half the price...is that correct?

 

[Wildseyed]

That is correct, I think SeekThermal could eat FLIR's lunch in the consumer market, but they really aren't being very aggressive pushing their tech.

 

[slvervper99]

hmmmm, looks like the Seek Thermal compact pro is about $100 more than the Flir One Pro which is $399. Both are in Amazon. The Flir One base model which is the counter part of the Seek Thermal Compact is $190 while the Seek is $227. But it looks like the SEEK have better reviews

 

[Maxheadspace]

I think the FLIR Boson was designed with drones in mind. Small and affordable:

 

[Wildseyed]

Here is a link to FLIR's new Drone Education Lab for Thermal Applications

 

[gustofusion]

I've got nice mounts that are designed for the flir one and work for other similar device types 40 Grams
here Autel X-Star FLIR One Mount - 3D Printed Drone Mods