FLIR ETS320 - Thermal Imaging Camera Solution - Targeted for PCB's and Electronic Devices in The lab

We use this camera for evaluating thermal effects on PCB boards. We have been impressed with the camera performance, the features/analysis tools are easy to use, and the image resolution is good for a camera in this price range. The field of view is fine for our needs. However, the connection to the stand and height adjustment are surprisingly bad. There is a significant amount of left and right play in the camera position due to the cheap plastic bracket and the height adjustment is so flimsy that the strain from the USB cable can pull the camera downwards if you don't take measures to relieve it. Definitely a drawback, but overall a good product.

I do small batches of circuit board assemblies and a lot of prototype/troubleshooting work. This is a great little addition to the bench. As Adam Wood pointed out in his excellent review, this is a bit near sighted, but overall an excellent tool. I do like the static safe work surface as well. I do wonder if there are some assembly quality problems as my unit had a loose screen (it's double stick taped on) and the post on which the imaging head rides was loose as well. 20 seconds with a screwdriver and it was ready to go, but I'd expect more for a tool of this price in terms of QC.The performance is very nice, getting clear ideas of hot spots on board/components. It is nicer than my hand held imager as it doesn't require a hand! The big clicky capture button also makes it easy to know that I've captured an image (as well as the screen animation). The interface is about as friendly as you find in lab tools, but this one doesn't really have that many adjustments to make.The integrated battery is also nice and lets me quickly move to another bench without untangling the power supply. For the price ($2500 at this writing) this is a very worthwhile tool if you do a lot of PCB work. Even more so if you're a one person shop and haven't yet grown your third arm!

We deployed this for use in our Mechanical/Computer engineering makerspace/lab. It's been useful for a variety of student troubleshooting applications as they complete their maker projects, including heat sync and pcb reassembly of cellphones, laptops, etc. The ability to hone in on problem areas is complimented by an onboard battery that allows for all day use in the learning space without being tethered to a power outlet This has helped our students really get a better understanding of the inner workings of their components and finding places where improved soldering is needed, or kapton tape, or any number of other solutions. I highly recommend this device to anyone involved with PCB work, including cell phone or laptop repair.

I'm really hoping to put together a video for you, but there are some nice ones on YouTube for the ETS320. In the meantime, I wanted to get my thoughts out to you. After using it for a couple of weeks, I do like it (and like it better than when I first got it), but it does have some potentially important shortcomings. Please feel free to leave a comment with any questions because I know that I won't cover everything about this unit.Here's the short of it:You can tell from the photos that this is a niche product, but the short focal length and lack of focus adjustment leads to a fairly small imaging area on a board (40 x 55 mm), meaning that a lot of CCAs can't be imaged as a whole...or even nearly as a whole. You can get focused images of leads on components, which is awesome, but the small imaging area and lack of MMX (visual/IR image blending) does make it more difficult to tell where you are looking on a board and less useful to me overall. It's capabilities make it a valuable tool for the niche user checking out CCAs, but it's limitations make it less likely to be the only thermal imager that you'll want in the lab.The slightly longer summary:The resolution of the ETS320 is currently quite good for the price, FLIR Tools+ may be the best that I've used (and their free software is excellent for the casual user), the spot size of 0.17 mm is excellent for most electronic components, and the static-safe workspace (once you hook up a ground strap) and hands-free operation are very handy. The lack of a visual sensor and MMX image blending, while understandable at these focal lengths, is disappointing. The inability to manually focus the image is a big problem, IMO, even at this price because the fixed focal length and field of view limit you to about 40 x 55 mm as an image size...so large circuit card assemblies (CCAs) are going to be out of focus if you want to see all of them...assuming that you can raise the camera up on the stand high enough to see them. FLIR really should have included a manual focus capability. It would have been nice to be able to angle the display to avoid glare, as well as accommodate users of different heights. The control panel with buttons is usable and not bad, but the button that takes image snapshots works about 50% of the time on mine (I have to push it just right to get it to take an image). If you only have computers running Mac OS, you probably want to pass on this model unless you're willing to get Windows because Tools+ is Windows only and the free Mac version won't recognize the ETS320. You can still post-process the images on Mac OS, but you can view any of the images real-time on your Mac.The details:I've been in search of a good overall "low cost" thermal imaging system for circuit card assemblies for about two years. I'm most familiar with using higher end FLIR cameras in the $15k+ range on electronics, but those are usually overkill for checking out prototype CCAs. I bought a Seek Thermal Compact Imager in early 2015 and loved it for hobby use, but never gave much thought to using such a system for real work until I bought a FLIR ONE Thermal Imager. FLIR's free post-processing software is really quite useful (and the Tools+ version included with the ETS320 is even better) and got me thinking that these imagers are potentially a real alternative. I also got a Seek Reveal, FLIR C2 Compact Thermal Imaging System, FLIR DM284 Imaging Multimeter with IGM, and Fluke FLK-TIS20.If you're in the market to drop (currently) about $2500, you almost surely have already read the specs on FLIR's website. To expand a bit on those, what the ETS320 gives you is hand-free operation, a static-safe (if you ground it) work top, a spot size of 0.17 mm, and pretty good resolution at 320 x 240. What you don't get is a visual sensor for the blended MSX image, and you are fairly limited by the ~70mm focal length and field of view because it lets you image an area of about 40 x 55 mm. The camera doesn't really lend itself to being taken off of the mounting stand because of the fixed-angle display, so you're also pretty much limited to imaging horizontal boards. For a number of you, a hand-held unit would be a better choice because it allows you to image things at any angle.The "near-sighted" remark that I made in the title refers to that last part. It images pretty well when you are close to the CCA, but if you have a CCA larger than about 40 x 55 mm, then you can't image the whole thing while still being in focus. The lack of adjustable focus is a big drawback, IMO, and the primary reason that I don't "love" this. If this allowed you to adjust the focus and move it up higher on the mounting stand, then you could focus on much larger portions of CCAs. Sure, the spot size would be larger, but you could check out hot spots, potential shorts, and unintended design aspects on entire CCAs in one image. As an example, I once caught a design flaw in a CCA that was meant to have two identical circuits on the same card because it was obvious that the heat loads were not symmetric as intended. With the ETS320, that would have been possible but less obvious because I would have had to scan across the CCA in multiple images and then stitch them together to catch that flaw.I've been impressed by FLIR's free software for quite a while, and the included non-free Tools+ adds in some very valuable functionality like the ability to record and real-time plot temperatures as a function of time. A drawback to Tools+ (for me) is that it only works on Windows, and a drawback to the ETS320 is that the Mac software won't recognize it. Outside of the added functionality, you can download FLIR's software for free from their website (or Apple App Store for Macs) to check it out.Pros:(*) Good resolution for the price, at least in mid-2017(*) Excellent spot size at the focal length of ~70 mm(*) Battery-equipped so that you don't have to have it plugged in all of the time(*) Related to the above, the built-in display for real-time imaging without a computer(*) On-board memory that can store many images(*) Static-safe work space when attached to a grounding strap(*) Adjustable camera height to accommodate assemblies of different heights(*) Tools+ included, which adds valuable functionality above their already excellent free software(*) Battery is charged via the micro USB input, either with the included charger or by any powered USB portCons:(*) No built-in focus adjustment (you can adjust the focus by revolving the frame around the lens, and their are 3D printed tool designs available for download, but that can affect the calibration)(*) Limited viewing area when in focus (only 40 x 55 mm)(*) Mounting approach for the camera on the vertical stand relies on friction from bolts that you tighten down, resulting in the camera moving a bit (at least on me) every time that I push a button on the control panel(*) Plastic exterior and display panel potentially make this not ideal for professional lab use, where things aren't always treated with kid glovesConsiderations:(*) No visual sensor for blended visual/IR images (FLIR's MMX technology, but some Fluke units can do it, too)(*) Tools+ is Windows only, and software available for Mac OS will not recognize this camera, so image post-processing is possible but real-time access is not(*) Built-in display angle is not adjustable

Background: Used to do IR research in the late 90s. Tools like this are amazing to me-- in the 90s a 512x512 sensor cost 70k-100k. Here, you're getting a 320x240 for, 5% of that? progress is amazing.I've been working on a difficult 3d printer-- and been using this imager for thermal validation because I'm not a fan of fires. It also allowed me to quickly determine which MOSFET on my board had failed. I have other imagers, a Flir One and a Fluke hand tool, but they proved inaccurate- what you're paying for with this imager is a clear image.My only complaint thus far would be the nut that secures the main body of the imager to the stand. The nut damages the gorgeous finish on the mount. I know its a small complaint, and this is lab equipment, but still.