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this post was submitted on 16 May 2024
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The !electronics@discuss.tchncs.de community would be a better fit for this post IMO
That said this looks interesting, and seems really competitively priced when compared to other similar thermal cameras like the Flir One Gen 3. This measures a very wide temperature range too, from -20°C to 400°C within ±2°C, whereas the Gen 3 tops out at 120°C.
The 80x62 resolution is OK for this application IMO, the Gen 3 is similar at 80x60.
I wouldn't go recommending one of these to a "casual" user though, it's very much a development product. Non-casual users could probably 3d print a case and get on just fine with the demo apps IMO, and for those users this would probably worth its weight in gold, given how expensive thermal imaging usually is.
Given how closely its priced to radar presence sensors like the Aqara FP2, and the inclusion of I2C for comms, I think this is going to have some appeal to DIY home automation enthusiasts too, especially if it gets supported by open source projects like ESPHome
Technical docs: https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/Thermal_Camera_HAT
Edit: I should also mention that there are much cheaper options on sites like AliExpress if you just want something cheap to use via usb-c - the advantages this sensor has are heavily dev focused IMO and might not make sense for most users (e.g. documentation, i2c comms, product integration support)
I’d rather have this than yet another post about Twitter or elon’s shenanigans. I almost unsubscribe from this community daily because of that shit
Agreed. And the electronics community suggested above has 2 posts in the last six months. So not really a better place to post imho.
Yepp I agree lol, coverage about him/his companies gets old really fast...
Even worse when its stuff like laying off the one of his companies' most profitable business units over a childish disagreement 🤦♂️ just to reverse the decision after reporters start spamming his antics everywhere, leading to more spam.
Feel like he likes to see his name in the news or something, very tiring IMO
Yeah, that combination of his own self-importance, and his fanbase's seeming need to slobber all over his knob seems to result in a never-ending circlejerk about such a trash person. Him and that rapist Taint.
Curious, what role would this play in home automation?
IMO more accurate presence detection. Common sensors like PIR and cheaper doppler radar types can detect when there's motion, but not if a user is present but not moving in the detection area (e.g. sleeping or sitting). There's also open source projects that can track bluetooth wearables & phones to know who specifically is in a room, but these aren't able to detect people with no devices, say guests and kids.
The preferred approach at the moment is a combination of sensors to cover motion and person detection separately, which comes at a cost, both on your pocket and the time needed to get it working suitably for your needs, or maybe one of the more expensive radar sensors like the FP2 that can detect where in a space is occupied with higher accuracy than more affordable alternatives
The thermal cam is roughly in the same price range as the FP2 - however since it has I2C, something cheap like an ESP8266 can be used to turn it into a WiFi based presence detection sensor. Something like an ESP32 could be used to turn it into a presence detector and wearable tracker, negating the need for another separate sensor entirely.
Something like this would probably be quite close to plug and play for someone DIY focused, and wouldn't have the same problem as radar being able to see through walls to different areas, although this is somewhat solved by surrounding the rear of the sensor in foil with caveats.
I'm interested in how it performs outdoors in rain though, a lot of existing affordable sensors (except PIR) struggle a little in wet conditions, with doppler based ones not detecting anything
Very interesting stuff, thank you for sharing!!
Tbh, it's going to be a lot cheaper and easier to use computer vision with regular 20$ webcams.
The only advantage I can see is for the elderly as a warning system, since certain changes in body temp are a precursor to health problems.
This is an awesome product outside of home automation though.
I've had a hobby project on the back burner for quite a while using some esp8266s and thermal cameras for presence detection. Got one working pretty well in a small room.
Ahhh ok cool thanks
Are there any of the AliExpress models you'd recommend? I'm just looking for one to spot heat leaks in my house, but last time I browsed, they all looked too cheap to actually work.
if you live near a home depot you can rent one. if you're patient you can just use a normal digital thermometer and take a ton of readings. or see where the smoke from a match blows.
Checkout SEEK thermal.
Seeing as how it's a dead community, no, it really wouldn't be a better fit.