Cheap-o FLIR Set-Up for Inspire 1 (Experiment. Don't hate, lol).

[vic2rose]

So I've been asked by a number of friends about how to set up a "cheap" FLIR system on an Inspire 1. THIS IS JUST FOR FUN...but it works...

BEFORE I CONTINUE...A DISCLAIMER...
PLEASE understand that you pay for what you get when it comes to FLIR. There is no substitute for a great FLIR cam like the Zenmuse XT of one of the FLIR.Com top end cams. AND... you aren't going to get any real usable "telemetry" off of this setup. This is for guys who want to locate lost animals (like I do about twice a week) or do some basic FLIR scouting. Period. It simply won't do more than the basic image.

Also this isn't a streamlined fix, it's just a patchwork setup...but it works, lol!

Finally, I am using Mac/Apple products. I think an android setup might could be done from phone to tablet via wifi hotspot. The hotspot I am using held signal to about 225 feet AGL nd about 450 feet out, good enough for some local hog hunting.

CHEAP-O FLIR INSPIRE 1 SETUP (OR OTHER DRONE)

Items you need...

1. A rear/pilot cam mount for the Inspire 1
2. Some basic ingenuity to mod the mount, lol
3. A FLIR One Android/iPhone cam (about $100 on eBay)
4. Requisite FLIR software
5. A basic wifi hotspot (like from ATT, etc.)
6. A laptop of some sort (I'm using a MacBook Pro cause that's what I have, lol)
7. Your phone (Android/iPhone)
8.Reflector 2 software for your laptop

Total cost (I had the laptop, iPhone, and hotspot) the laptop and phone (and buying off of eBay) was about $225. If I would've had to buy the hotspot, it would have jumped to about $325, which is probably too much for just an experiment.

So here's a basic rundown. I hope to get some pics up soon. This was just for fun anyway.

1. I modded the mount to take my iPhone with FLIR attached.
2. I set up the Reflector software on my iMac
3. I connected it al through my wifi hotspot from ATT

Once I mirrored my iPhone through the wifi, I could see whatever my iPhone screen saw on the MacBook screen. Lag time was about 1 sec, but I'm not shooting video, I'm hunting feral hogs or lost animals, and all I need is a fair image with a location.

It worked! LOL

NOTE: I have a nice FLIR cam for my Inspire 1 and would not want to use this much. I just wanted to see if I could do it. I bet there are better ways now that I have figured out that it can be done. I am almost positive that an android setup would be much better. It was fun!

Have a nice day.

 

[Droneyboy]

So I've been asked by a number of friends about how to set up a "cheap" FLIR system on an Inspire 1. THIS IS JUST FOR FUN...but it works...

BEFORE I CONTINUE...A DISCLAIMER...
PLEASE understand that you pay for what you get when it comes to FLIR. There is no substitute for a great FLIR cam like the Zenmuse XT of one of the FLIR.Com top end cams. AND... you aren't going to get any real usable "telemetry" off of this setup. This is for guys who want to locate lost animals (like I do about twice a week) or do some basic FLIR scouting. Period. It simply won't do more than the basic image.

Also this isn't a streamlined fix, it's just a patchwork setup...but it works, lol!

Finally, I am using Mac/Apple products. I think an android setup might could be done from phone to tablet via wifi hotspot. The hotspot I am using held signal to about 225 feet AGL nd about 450 feet out, good enough for some local hog hunting.

CHEAP-O FLIR INSPIRE 1 SETUP (OR OTHER DRONE)

Items you need...

1. A rear/pilot cam mount for the Inspire 1
2. Some basic ingenuity to mod the mount, lol
3. A FLIR One Android/iPhone cam (about $100 on eBay)
4. Requisite FLIR software
5. A basic wifi hotspot (like from ATT, etc.)
6. A laptop of some sort (I'm using a MacBook Pro cause that's what I have, lol)
7. Your phone (Android/iPhone)
8.Reflector 2 software for your laptop

Total cost (I had the laptop, iPhone, and hotspot) the laptop and phone (and buying off of eBay) was about $225. If I would've had to buy the hotspot, it would have jumped to about $325, which is probably too much for just an experiment.

So here's a basic rundown. I hope to get some pics up soon. This was just for fun anyway.

1. I modded the mount to take my iPhone with FLIR attached.
2. I set up the Reflector software on my iMac
3. I connected it al through my wifi hotspot from ATT

Once I mirrored my iPhone through the wifi, I could see whatever my iPhone screen saw on the MacBook screen. Lag time was about 1 sec, but I'm not shooting video, I'm hunting feral hogs or lost animals, and all I need is a fair image with a location.

It worked! LOL

NOTE: I have a nice FLIR cam for my Inspire 1 and would not want to use this much. I just wanted to see if I could do it. I bet there are better ways now that I have figured out that it can be done. I am almost positive that an android setup would be much better. It was fun!

Have a nice day.

Very cool............I have been looking for the best (least expensive but usable for roof inspections) FLIR set up for my I2. XT won't work here but there are some outfits out there that will "strap-on" a gimbal w Flir on the rear of the I2(approx 8K for both) and another that has a modded gimbal to work with the I2 mount for about 4100 including the FLIR. Both of these are the FLIR Vue Pro 15mm 30HZ 640 models so are pretty good. That being said....one of our competitors just released an octo with an IR cam for about 4700. But the IR is much less of a camera.
What you did is great....it will give you experience with how IR works......and it doesn't break the bank.........I, on the other hand have nothing yet.

 

[vic2rose]

Man, I understand. Roof inspections would need some image definition, thermographic spread, etc. There is a company here in Texas that will adapt a FLIR Vue, Vue Pro or Vue Pro R to your Inspire unit. I don't now what their cost is, but I would think it would be reasonable compared to the XT models. Their Radiometry enabled Vue models top out at $3K. For roof inspections, a Pro would work just fine. It's $2K. Other than that, man, it's just the zenmuse setup for now. This was more of an experiment, lol.

Here's their link: Drones Plus Dallas | Same-Day Repair

Have a great drone weekend!
K

 

[Blue Shark Ray]

Drones Plus built me a FLIR package for the I2. It ran around 5-6k and I chose the camera specs. It works very well except the only way to change palettes is via bluetooth which means I need to bring the I2 back within BT range to make changes. I went with the cam that provided the radiometric data. If anybody has any questions about the build hollar at me. The attached pic with the road was in almost total darkness and the other shows the heat trail left by a tractor working in a field. Pretty cool.

 

[vic2rose]

Drones Plus built me a FLIR package for the I2. It ran around 5-6k and I chose the camera specs. It works very well except the only way to change palettes is via bluetooth which means I need to bring the I2 back within BT range to make changes. I went with the cam that provided the radiometric data. If anybody has any questions about the build hollar at me. The attached pic with the road was in almost total darkness and the other shows the heat trail left by a tractor working in a field. Pretty cool.

That is awesome! Glad it works for you. They seemed to be legit. I talked to them about a new setup for my I1 (with Radiometry), but right now I have to finish another resto project in order to afford it, lol. Hopefully later in the year.

 

[seanhagerty]

That is awesome! Glad it works for you. They seemed to be legit. I talked to them about a new setup for my I1 (with Radiometry), but right now I have to finish another resto project in order to afford it, lol. Hopefully later in the year.

What kind of price did they quote you?

 

[vic2rose]

$5800 (640x512/30Hz) Vue Pro R. Not actually a bad deal with integration.

 

[cyclops_1]

So I've been asked by a number of friends about how to set up a "cheap" FLIR system on an Inspire 1. THIS IS JUST FOR FUN...but it works...

BEFORE I CONTINUE...A DISCLAIMER...
PLEASE understand that you pay for what you get when it comes to FLIR. There is no substitute for a great FLIR cam like the Zenmuse XT of one of the FLIR.Com top end cams. AND... you aren't going to get any real usable "telemetry" off of this setup. This is for guys who want to locate lost animals (like I do about twice a week) or do some basic FLIR scouting. Period. It simply won't do more than the basic image.

Also this isn't a streamlined fix, it's just a patchwork setup...but it works, lol!

Finally, I am using Mac/Apple products. I think an android setup might could be done from phone to tablet via wifi hotspot. The hotspot I am using held signal to about 225 feet AGL nd about 450 feet out, good enough for some local hog hunting.

CHEAP-O FLIR INSPIRE 1 SETUP (OR OTHER DRONE)

Items you need...

1. A rear/pilot cam mount for the Inspire 1
2. Some basic ingenuity to mod the mount, lol
3. A FLIR One Android/iPhone cam (about $100 on eBay)
4. Requisite FLIR software
5. A basic wifi hotspot (like from ATT, etc.)
6. A laptop of some sort (I'm using a MacBook Pro cause that's what I have, lol)
7. Your phone (Android/iPhone)
8.Reflector 2 software for your laptop

Total cost (I had the laptop, iPhone, and hotspot) the laptop and phone (and buying off of eBay) was about $225. If I would've had to buy the hotspot, it would have jumped to about $325, which is probably too much for just an experiment.

So here's a basic rundown. I hope to get some pics up soon. This was just for fun anyway.

1. I modded the mount to take my iPhone with FLIR attached.
2. I set up the Reflector software on my iMac
3. I connected it al through my wifi hotspot from ATT

Once I mirrored my iPhone through the wifi, I could see whatever my iPhone screen saw on the MacBook screen. Lag time was about 1 sec, but I'm not shooting video, I'm hunting feral hogs or lost animals, and all I need is a fair image with a location.

It worked! LOL

NOTE: I have a nice FLIR cam for my Inspire 1 and would not want to use this much. I just wanted to see if I could do it. I bet there are better ways now that I have figured out that it can be done. I am almost positive that an android setup would be much better. It was fun!

Have a nice day.

Maybe for a it can be done to show that indeed## ... However,,, Nothing in this era ,with the evolved level of FLIR products today, should we be this locked down... I mean they are selling a HDMI module (VUE pro) specifically (in their words,in writing) for FLIR VUE PRO to DJI Lightbridge,
The connection cable does not even exist! They don't sell one... And after all that even if you did use 3rd party cable into TX HDMI... You lose main FPV....cause only 1 HDMI at a time.... Use 2 way hdmi switch!!! After you develop/invent against all odds beating DJI encryption ...

 

[cyclops_1]

That is awesome! Glad it works for you. They seemed to be legit. I talked to them about a new setup for my I1 (with Radiometry), but right now I have to finish another resto project in order to afford it, lol. Hopefully later in the year.

Hi, I'm very keen to support realistically solving this issue for that amount of capital. Any chance you could out line package specifics?

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

Hi, I'm very keen to support realistically solving this issue for that amount of capital. Any chance you could out line package specifics?

PM Sent

 

[vic2rose]

Maybe for a it can be done to show that indeed## ... However,,, Nothing in this era ,with the evolved level of FLIR products today, should we be this locked down... I mean they are selling a HDMI module (VUE pro) specifically (in their words,in writing) for FLIR VUE PRO to DJI Lightbridge,
The connection cable does not even exist! They don't sell one... And after all that even if you did use 3rd party cable into TX HDMI... You lose main FPV....cause only 1 HDMI at a time.... Use 2 way hdmi switch!!! After you develop/invent against all odds beating DJI encryption ...

Dude, READ the disclaimer. I TOLD you that this was a fun experiment. No, it's not very tech forward...but it was a lot of fun to try. There really is no substitute for good equipment. I hold a Thermography Level II cert. I would not use this for any type of client services. It was just a fun exercise in seeing if it could be done. So don't stress it, lol. Have great New Year...and drone on.

Namaste,
Me