Topdon TC001 infrared USB-C camera - is it any good?

[@thegrimreaper7777]

07:50 dual light, I believe you can drag and resize the phone camera image to get it to match the thermal image, then use the transparency slider to fade between the two to show better where hidden heat sources are when they are not obvious in the visible spectrum

[@Kie-7077]

"and if you are using Fahrenheit that will be a different number", ROFL, revenge!! All the times I had to use a calc to convert F to C.

[@LarsKlintTech]

😏

[@duncb2087]

Great video Lars, taking the viewer on a mini journey of discovery is an enjoyable format. This is a much more accessible device than many of the $2k+ devices out there. Would be interesting to see exactly how accurate it is out of the box, and if the calibration needs adjusting over time. I watched all the way through, but some constructive criticism: given the nature of most KZbin viewers; the edit could be condensed to around 10 mins. Love your work, keep them coming! :)

[@LarsKlintTech]

I usually take you along for the ride, breaking down any barriers of how things work or how you can do it too. It seems very accurate out of the box. I haven't found any discrepancies when comparing to known temperatures. Thanks Dunc for the feedback too. I create the videos the way the story unfolds. I am not really worried about other YT videos or formats. I tell the story the way I find it 😊

[@jamaiscontente]

Nice helpful video. I am looking at this camera module and its seemingly compatible alternatives (HT 203U, Infiray P2 Pro). All say the 3m max range yet looking at your video it shows thermal pickup of the car port/outbuilding. Wondering if it would figure a boiling kettle or known temp (anything measured with another device) and understand if its saying 3m due to measuring being accurate vs wider range and off the mark reading (ie showing 70C for boiling water from metal kettle vs expected 98C)? I think its the right first thermal camera for me but want to play around with external building heat measurements such as twin wall flue for a log burner. Might be interesting to see if you loaded the HT 203U software from google play if it picked up your TC001 as I think it might do that.

[@covelus]

Nice video! I am trying to make something measuring at longer distances, have you tried this cam to measure something at, let's say, 100 m. away?

[@LarsKlintTech]

Thanks for watching. I haven't gone that far away. Considering it is only 256x192 pixels resolution, the further away you go, the less accurate it will be. I would say up to 10 meters is reasonably accurate, but I wouldn't go any further away than that.

[@Jakeisks]

TS001

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@Jakeisks thanks Mike. For clarification, this is the TS001 long range device that has since been launched. www.topdon.us/products/ts001

[@Stephen-Jones]

Come on admit it, first thing you tried it on was llamas and other people 😂 (loved the "post credit" scene)

[@LarsKlintTech]

It was. In fact I immediately took a photo of myself 😂 And the cat 🐈

[@Jakeisks]

eons ago when I was a kid, remember cheesy ads in (I guess) Mad Magazine about x-ray glasses...

[@speedlever]

I have the TC001 and find it to be a great value for a thermal camera attached to my phone. FYI, there’s also a TC002 for iPhones. They are not interchangeable . I find the TC001 to work best for me in the inverted position with the thermal camera on top of the phone which moves it out of the way of my hands. IMO, the TC001 outperforms the Flir one pro which only offers a thermal resolution of 160x120 with a frame rate under 9 Hz and a sensitivity of 70mK. Compare that to the TC001 with a thermal resolution of 256x192, a 25 Hz frame rate, and 40 mK sensitivity. In addition, the Flir has an internal battery which has had many failure reports and no support from Flir.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Thanks for the insight 😊 I am not familiar with the Flir, so this is useful.

[@speedlever]

@@LarsKlintTech The Flir one pro has a nice feature where it can overlay a real image with the thermal image. But imo the overall performance of the TC001 and the fact the TC001 uses the phone battery for power makes the TopDon a preferred choice. There’s also a Seek Compact Pro which offers a thermal resolution of 320x240 but the frame rate is also under 9 Hz and sensitivity is reported as under 70 mK. I don’t know the actual number. The Seek also uses the phone battery for power. I think the frame rate on the Flir and Seek are restricted by government regulations because they are USA made. The TopDon and Infiray are Chinese products. The cost difference is significant too.

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@speedlever The TopDon device can overlay a real image as well. You can set how transparent you want it too.

[@speedlever]

@@LarsKlintTech I can’t remember if I’ve played with that or not. There can be a bit of a parallel problem though. The Flir has both a thermal camera and a regular camera in the same module so there is minimal parallel issues, iirc.

[@KeranMcKenzie]

Hmm interesting- wonder how it compares to the FLIR thermal camera for mobiles ~$500/600 - as you say a bit $$ for a couple of small use cases. Fascinating to see though - esp the house use case :)

[@LarsKlintTech]

I'm not sure how it compares tbh. This one seems to work well for what I need, and perhaps they are trying to break through the market with slightly cheaper products?

[@Patriarchtech]

Great video Lars, this is an interesting Device, I have been looking for this feature for a ton of applications. I don't have any Llamas unfortunately. I wonder though if a DOOGEE S98 Pro at 527 AussieD or 50.000yen would be better value. You can find other utillity phones (Ulefone among others)(Håndværkertelefoner) with the feature built in. Since this is not for iOS anyway and you are in the market this might be the road to venture down. (You would possibly lose the Windows option(but not necessarily)

[@LarsKlintTech]

I don't have much to compare it to I'm afraid. I'm not sure I'd use it enough to have it built into my phone, and putting that much more functionality into an already small device would possibly compromise other features? There _is_ and iOS version now apparently. I just updated the description with a discount code too.

[@walker1054]

When you were trsting the dual image thing wasn't it telling you to allign the camera image with the ir image so both merge with each other? It was saying to move and zoom the camera. Basically doing what flir does but with the phone camera instead of 2 cameras on the ir unit.

[@LarsKlintTech]

No, it is just saying I can place the normal camera image where I want it on top of the IR image.

[@JOZZIE52]

I love videos on these things, may not be your regular content, but most people that like the regular content will like things like this. How well does it go with animals bunkering down? I've been wanting to get one to try and find animals that have beeded down, but not sure if they have the capability. Thermal monoculars exist, but I don't need the distance and they are very pricy

[@LarsKlintTech]

Thanks for the feedback 😊 I do like doing these slight off the track content and videos too. I am not sure tbh. It should work if there is any heat signature visible of the animal. The camera just captures the infrared wavelength visible to it.

[@samuelsieglin545]

Recently bought one, intending to use it with USB C on a convertible with Microsoft software. Unfortunately, the TC001 software tool seems to be full of Spy- or Malware (V 2.0 from the official website). Firefox already stops the download due to malware recognition within the .zip file. I still tried to force the download and unzip the file, but then Microsoft Defender also detects malware in the .exe file. What's going on there?

[@LarsKlintTech]

Wow, I had no idea 😬 I am not sure. I haven't used the device with a PC, so I haven't come across that problem. Sounds pretty bad though.

[@samuelsieglin545]

@@LarsKlintTech, I reached out to the customer support - let's see what their feedback will be. Pretty cool hardware for my purpose, though: You can even see the wood of a half-timbered inside (!) wall although it's under a thick layer of clay plaster.

[@LarsKlintTech]

@samuelsieglin545 Cool. Let me know what they say (if anything). Yes, it's freaking xray!!

[@AuslandLiving]

Cool, this be great to monitor the 18650 power banks too. Did you try to flip the phone landscape to see if it works that way too?

[@LarsKlintTech]

It only works in portrait mode, which is kinda okay, as the resolution is almost square anyway 😂

[@Jakeisks]

Sounds like a great idea (one of probably a billion), if the batteries are all in a row you could see perfectly. Will aim it at my battery charger.

[@Droneshare]

why would you get a topdon when it costs the same as a fluke?

[@LarsKlintTech]

In Australia the Fluke is about twice as expensive as the Topdon.

[@Jakeisks]

BWAAAHAHAHAAA!!! and if you believe that...

[@a9503128]

Wouldn’t be connecting a device from an unknown manufacturer and using their software and allowing it permissions to all photos(likely the reason Apple said no). For your network rack, $9 Shelly DS18B20 Temperature Probe and a Raspberry Pi

[@LarsKlintTech]

Yeah, that is a fair position. Considering it needs to store photos and videos to work, it isn't unreasonable to request it. At least I am not on Tik Tok.... I do have temp sensors in many places, but being able to accurately pinpoint where the warm spots are, is super valuable. I haven't heard of the DS18B20 though, so will check it out. Thanks!

[@69JONESYrugby]

F

[@LarsKlintTech]

G

[@amoryblaine1102]

Have u compared the reading qith another device?? Is ir accurate??

[@LarsKlintTech]

I compared it to the Kaiweets KTI W01, and both seem reasonably accurate, but I don't have specific calibration equipment to test it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bn_RgKdpjqtkhNk