Infrared Thermometer (Radiometer)

[yachtsmanbill]

Ok

[Avenger]

WOW you can learn a lot on a boating forum. Reading this thread makes me pull out the manual for my MX4 and holy temperature gradients Batman it does all that neat stuff.

But mine didn't come with any of the accessories, so I've got to go find them. Can I use any "K" thermocouple? Because I have one from a multimeter that may fit.

[SportFishCruising]

The MX4 was made by Raytek, Raytek was bought out by FLUKE.
Type K Probes are listed on their website, the one I have is currently listed at $120.
http://www.flukeonlinestore.com/874610.html

A thermocouple outputs a standard milliamp signal, unique to its type (Type K or J; selectable on the MX4) so perhaps the unit you have for your multimeter will work if you have a common connection. The connection port on your MX4 is in its handle, next to the power input & RS232 ports under the rubber cover. You must also setup the DIP-Switch Settings located in the battery compartment and select whether using a Thermistor or Thermocouple AND the thermocouple type K or J.
The MX4 is currently called the FLUKE 574 and is listed at $1,240;
The MX2 is currently called the FLUKE 572 and is listed at $815.
How much did you pay for yours?
PS: I do not work for or represent FLUKE.

[Avenger]

Once I started looking I found the connector in the handle, The thermocouple I have is from an OTC meter and it looks like the connection is the same so maybe I'll give it a try.

I paid about that, but I bought it 10 yrs ago. I'm sure like everything else electronic they're cheaper now.

Thanks for your help.

[Passages]

I have a FLIR IR Camera/Scanner. Comes in color or grey tone thermography and provides temp readout as well. Amazing what these will do. It has a chip where you can record temp varations over time then do a data dump via USB port to your PC.

I use it for Energy Assessments, leak detection and building envelope evaluations. My son uses it to go looking for creatures at night in the back yard and driving his sister nuts by scanning her and declaring that it sees through clothes. (which it kind of does as some parts of you body are naturally "hotter". )

[Avenger]

They had one of the FLIR systems set up at the boat show a couple of years ago. I heard they had to stop fiddling around with it because it was revealing way too much personal information.

Sounds like a neat toy if you've got extra $$$.

[SportFishCruising]

Through-out the 1900's, infrared thermal imagers were called scanners because it had a single element detector that mechanically scanned the field-of-view by a rotating prism for the horizontal scan and an ocillating mirror for the verticle scan producing a 20Hz image. During 2000, the single detector and mechanical scanning was replaced by a matrix of detectors, no more scanning, it simple stares out through its optical path allowing the detectors to dwell for a longer period of time on a single spot with a 30 Hz update, 2X interlaced for 60Hz presentation of a thermal image. 164 densities of grey or 256 colors where each density or color represents a temperature change.

IR Cameras only sees the immediate surface temperature, <1 micron depth, and even materials that are transparent to our sight remain opaque for infrared, including clear glass & plastics. So when looking at someone that is clothed, you see variations of their body heat as it transfers through layers of clothing, sometimes giving the impression that it sees through. Same thing with heatloss surveys of a building, you can see the wall studs of an exterior wall from the inside because the studs create thermal bridging that appears colder than the surrounding insulation; areas of missing or dropped insulation shows as voids.

For your HATT, IR Cameras can be used to find delamination in fiberglass, electrical overloads and faulty connections, exhaust temperatures, blockages in piping, insulation anomolies and a whole lot more.

In 20 years of doing trade shows with these cameras, I was always careful not to embarass any of the ladies attending (even though it is not looking through clothing) but I can understand how a crude operator could get into trouble at such an event. I have a very solid unit with good image resolution, sensitivity of 0.1 deg, measure any point in the picture with 2% accuracy, digital capture and software for analysis and printing out reports and it is only $4,500 US funds with 2 year warranty. When I started in this business in the 80's, the similiar package at that time was $85,000.

Here is a thermal picture from the interior of my front door, the darker area at the top right and the blue colors shows cold air infiltration and in the centre of the door is clear glass (note: you see the temperature of the glass, you do not see through it).

[yachtsmanbill]

IT SURE WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE AN I.R. THERMOMETER TO READ STUFF ON THE BOAT. GUESS I'LL HAFTA BUY ONE AND WRITE OFF THE REST. ws

[SportFishCruising]

I'm sorry Bill, I owe you a public apology for not getting the IR Thermometer to you. I was tempted and eventual gave in to an offer of purchase and sold it locally here for $500cdn. I got paid for it after realizing you wanted it and should have refused, but I didn't. I reneged on my post #10 and feel badly for it.

[Passages]

Bill,

No worries - for simple spot checks of engine functions, you can go with a simple non-contact IR thermometer. I picked one up on e-Bay for $40.