DytSpectrumOwl Looks to Bring Thermal Analysis to Your Desk — at a Considerable Discount
Early bird pricing starting at just $699 makes the DytSpectrumOwl a cheap alternative to the FLIR ETS320 — if the company can deliver.
Thermal imaging specialist Shenzhen Dianyang has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the DytSpectrumOwl, a desktop thermal camera designed specifically for circuit board inspection — and it's looking to considerably undercut the competition on price.
"Each high-temperature point on the circuit board may affect other devices or product performance," company chair James Zhang explains of the problem the DytSpectrumOwl is aiming to solve with its thermal sensor and smart motorized stand. "The thermal analyzer can solve the high temperature and temperature change for R&D, production."
DytSpectrumOwl's positioning the device as the "world's first desktop thermal analyzer," though, falls a little flat in the face of rival devices like the FLIR ETS320 — a gadget with near-identical promise and boasting a built-in display for ease of use. It is, however, $2,499 — nearly twice that $1,359 DytSpectrumOwl is projecting for retail availability of its own alternative — and lacks the official focus adjustment functionality of the DytSpectrumOwl.
The sensor in DytSpectrumOwl's captures a 260×200 resolution for 52,000 individual measurement points — a noticeable step down from the ETS320's 320×240 76,800-point sensor. Thermal data is saved in radiometric JPEG files or, optionally, as CSVs, while 25 frame-per-second video files can be saved in MP4 format — albeit with the temperature data updated only 20 times per second. The bundled software includes a range of analysis modes, including a neat 3D visualization which adjusts not only color but height as temperatures increase.
While primarily designed for desktop use via the bundled stand, the sensor can also be detached for mobile use: Just connect the sensor to an Android smartphone via a USB cable and it can be used handheld, with a sensing range up to two meters (around six and a half feet) — though, the company warns, the claimed ±3 degree accuracy is reduced compared to close-up measurements.
The company is now funding production of the analyzer on Kickstarter, with physical rewards starting at $699 for launch-day backers — a major discount compared to the FLIR ETS320's retail price, but with the usual crowdfunding caveats of unproven technology from a relatively unknown company and no guarantees it will hit its planned May 2022 delivery date.