pyrometer

[TwoSeven]

I'm looking for a good but cheap pyrometer (hand held surface scan type). Needs to be celcius and farenbuggery capable and have a range of 0-2000C.

There are lots of them avail. overseas, but just wondering if they are sold here in NZ.

[bugjuice]

just get pryocam to lick it..

[Waylander]

just get pryocam to lick it..

Damn ya beat me too it. Was trying to think of something clever to say...

[Firefight]

are you talking about a gauge for measuring exhast temps ? like on line haul trucks ?


F/F

[TwoSeven]

pretty much - just need a lazer temp gun for reading surface temps.

[gav]

I think BNT sell them, maybe $150 ish? You just looking at borrowing one or wanting to buy one?
Great for parties, checking out "hot" chicks.....

[Motu]

CDL were in trying to sell me one on friday,but I got a Raytec,one of the handiest tools I've ever bought - I often take it on rides just to see how things are going with the bike.Some tricks needed for acuracy,but super cool tool.

[Lou Girardin]

Try Jaycar Electronics.

[Bartman10]

I'm looking for a good but cheap pyrometer (hand held surface scan type). Needs to be celcius and farenbuggery capable and have a range of 0-2000C.

There are lots of them avail. overseas, but just wondering if they are sold here in NZ.

27, You won't find anything that covers that whole range in one instrument, for a couple of reasons.

1./ Pyroelectric detectors are used for 'low' temperature insruments. These instruments are reasonbly broad band about 8-14 micrometer IR wavelength. The dynamic range isn't that good how ever and you'll find that their accuracy will drop significantly with increasing themperature. A typical cheap thermometer maxes out at about 600 degrees C

2./A second class of pyroelectric detector is used for 'medium' temperature IR thermometers with an operating wavelength of about 3.9 micrometers. These instruments are not sensitive enough to cover low temperatures (ie up to about 400 degrees) but are most suitable up to about 1000 degrees. These instruments vary in price but a half decent industrial thermometer will cost 6 to 8 grand.

3/. The third class of detector is a slicon based detector. These are very linear detectors but only suited to high temperature applications, greater than about 600 degrees C. We find that the silicon detectors are the most robust and need the least frequent calibration. The advantage of silicon detectors it that they are DC devices. The pyroelectric detectors need signal modulation.

4/. The fourth class of detector is a InGaAs detector. These can be designed to take 150-2000 degrees but the instruments are ususally slightly more complicated. The accruacy at the high and low end won't be great because of the massive dynamic range. The best range is from the zinc point to the silver point (419 - 961 degrees C). The typical operating wavelenth is about 1.6 micrometers.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember however with these instruments is that it's not the instrument that causes the greatest error. IT'S THE USER. Reflection and emissivity error are by far the most significant. Your measurments will be useless unless you take significant precuations against these errors. Ask youself these questions.
1. Is there any object that is hotter than what you're measuring within direct line of sight of the object? (This includes the sun, hot exhausts, people standing near by if your measurements are near zero deg C etc)
2. Do you know the surface emissivity? Can you use a simple method to enhance the surface emissivity? ie construct a cavity using blind bolt holes or use some high temperature black paint.
3. How acruately do you need to know the temperature?
4. What's the risk if you get it wrong?

Raytec are probably your best bet for low temperature kit. They are distributed in NZ by a company called ECE fast. Minolta/Land are by far you best bet for high temperature kit. They are distributed in New Zealand by Intech instruments. You'll find both of thes company's on the web. Otherwise try tech rentals if you only need kit for a short period of time.

As we say in the measurement bussiness "you can have it cheap, good or fast choose any two" IR measurements are fast by nature so that leaves you with cheap or good. Your choice.

Any further questions? Don't hesitate to ask or check us out on the web www.irl.cri.nz/msl

[James Deuce]

27, You won't find anything that covers that whole range in one instrument, for a couple of reasons.

1./ Pyroelectric detectors are used for 'low' temperature insruments. These instruments are reasonbly broad band about 8-14 micrometer IR wavelength. The dynamic range isn't that good how ever and you'll find that their accuracy will drop significantly with increasing themperature. A typical cheap thermometer maxes out at about 600 degrees C

2./A second class of pyroelectric detector is used for 'medium' temperature IR thermometers with an operating wavelength of about 3.9 micrometers. These instruments are not sensitive enough to cover low temperatures (ie up to about 400 degrees) but are most suitable up to about 1000 degrees. These instruments vary in price but a half decent industrial thermometer will cost 6 to 8 grand.

3/. The third class of detector is a slicon based detector. These are very linear detectors but only suited to high temperature applications, greater than about 600 degrees C. We find that the silicon detectors are the most robust and need the least frequent calibration. The advantage of silicon detectors it that they are DC devices. The pyroelectric detectors need signal modulation.

4/. The fourth class of detector is a InGaAs detector. These can be designed to take 150-2000 degrees but the instruments are ususally slightly more complicated. The accruacy at the high and low end won't be great because of the massive dynamic range. The best range is from the zinc point to the silver point (419 - 961 degrees C). The typical operating wavelenth is about 1.6 micrometers.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember however with these instruments is that it's not the instrument that causes the greatest error. IT'S THE USER. Reflection and emissivity error are by far the most significant. Your measurments will be useless unless you take significant precuations against these errors. Ask youself these questions.
1. Is there any object that is hotter than what you're measuring within direct line of sight of the object? (This includes the sun, hot exhausts, people standing near by if your measurements are near zero deg C etc)
2. Do you know the surface emissivity? Can you use a simple method to enhance the surface emissivity? ie construct a cavity using blind bolt holes or use some high temperature black paint.
3. How acruately do you need to know the temperature?
4. What's the risk if you get it wrong?

Raytec are probably your best bet for low temperature kit. They are distributed in NZ by a company called ECE fast. Minolta/Land are by far you best bet for high temperature kit. They are distributed in New Zealand by Intech instruments. You'll find both of thes company's on the web. Otherwise try tech rentals if you only need kit for a short period of time.

As we say in the measurement bussiness "you can have it cheap, good or fast choose any two" IR measurements are fast by nature so that leaves you with cheap or good. Your choice.

Any further questions? Don't hesitate to ask or check us out on the web www.irl.cri.nz/msl

- Aha! It's a magic wand!

[ManDownUnder]

just get pryocam to lick it..

best find out what "it" is first...

"that bit throbbing away down there... hmmm "schlurrp* 35 degrees... better let it warm up a bit"

MDU

[TwoSeven]

Thanks for that bartman - I actually want it for measuring the cooling system in my computer (I'm rebuilding my watercooling system). But I figured at the same time it would be usefull to use for the bikes as well. I'm currently using a probe that has to be placed and its fookn annoying.

I'd found a unit overseas that had a nice range on it, but forgot about the range accuracy part. Not really fussed with the numbers it puts out, so long as its consistant as i'll mainly be measuring change in temps.

I was wondering why some units were el-cheapo and some were blindingly expensive.

[Ixion]

I'm looking for a good but cheap pyrometer (hand held surface scan type). Needs to be celcius and farenbuggery capable and have a range of 0-2000C.

There are lots of them avail. overseas, but just wondering if they are sold here in NZ.

I actually want it for measuring the cooling system in my computer (I'm rebuilding my watercooling system).

Your computer is water cooled ?? (Yeah, I know they can be, used to work on one once. Poxy heat of stut, but it aint common outside mainframe land)

And it runs at 2000 deg C? That's farking hot - somewhere before there isn't lotsa stuff going to melt ? Assuming the CPU is happy at those temps ?

[pyrocam]

best find out what "it" is first...

"that bit throbbing away down there... hmmm "schlurrp* 35 degrees... better let it warm up a bit"

MDU

thats what I do on my bike.
works a charm

but bugjuice.
you spelt my name wrong (actually I do it all the time)

But Im not going to come over on any whim, I charge $45 an hour for my services

[Bartman10]

I was wondering why some units were el-cheapo and some were blindingly expensive.

It like that with any optical gear, including cameras, pyrometers, eye glases and telescopes. Bad optics are cheap to produce, they are made in moulds or castings and suffer from many inperfections such as impurites and air bubles in the glass or plastic. Good optics are individually ground and polished from very pure and expensive materials. This is time very consuming and expensive. The lenses in good thermometers are also anti-reflection coated and have quality optical filters that don't change their properties with humidity or temperature.

In terms of image quality optics are more important than resolution in many cases. It's the old saying, garbage in (to the pyroelectric detector in this case)... garbage out...