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Did you try using the FLIR mount before you fabricated your own mount?
Not the mount they specifically sell for it, which is just a ball "RAM" ball style mount. Two problems present with that style; lack of stable surface to screw the base of the mount to behind the grill and second, those mounts may work ok with a vehicle that has really soft cushy suspension, but our truck don't. I use those style mount when I installed Motorola Remote Radio Heads. Just not really a stable platform IMO. With the mount I fabricated, once it is aligned and locked down with the bolts, the camera is not going to change its alignment. As, a side note, I definitely wanted the protection that a behind the grill install inherently provides protection against theft and rock/debris hits. The space behind the grill is tight, but with the camera's narrow field of view of 24 degrees, mounting the camera with a slight rearward offset really "hides" the camera.
This is a great thread and I appreciate you taking the time to write it up. Maybe if it gets wider adoption the price will come down. Sure would be great with a heads up display.
I also have to think this will be part of the safety array in future autonomous vehicles.
Thank you. If anyone is contemplating a similar project, I'd be happy to share tips or tricks that originally took me some time to figure out. Several models of the "high end" luxury cars- like Cadillac currently use this technology. Maybe not the FLIR product but some adaptation of it. For me FLIR is the industry leader so there is peace of mind with that. I did have to sign a document that I was not going to mount the camera a missile.
This was how I did a rough mount mock-ups and alignments. It worked great as I only had to adjust the horizontal or left/right about 2 degrees to the right for final alignment. The cardboard represents max distance to the cooling coils. The surrounding mess represents several other projects- re-build a backhoe loader, rebuild my sandrail motor and trying to fully move out of calif.
wonder how it works in heavy/whiteout snow conditions when you are trying to get down the highway and people are stopped in front of you on the road.
Not that well. Thermal imagery is based on temperature difference and a reasonable clear view. I encountered heavy mist kicked up by big rig truck and light rain and the system was not "seeing" the heat front the truck tires and brakes.
That does look pretty slick. I can certainly see the benefit for spotting deer at night. I think I'd find it to be a distraction, with all the other screens in the truck.
Really, once the "wow" factor diminished it was not distracting. The NAV-TV FLIR-XW interface gives a tone when it detects a potential target. There is also a yellow lined box imposed around the possible threat.
I have a few FLIR products and used them both in the military and LE. I know various fire departments have FLIR units that work well in no visibility/smoke filled areas. Just wondering if the higher tech has trickled down to these smaller units yet.
Thank you. If anyone is contemplating a similar project, I'd be happy to share tips or tricks that originally took me some time to figure out. Several models of the "high end" luxury cars- like Cadillac currently use this technology. Maybe not the FLIR product but some adaptation of it. For me FLIR is the industry leader so there is peace of mind with that. I did have to sign a document that I was not going to mount the camera a missile.
This was how I did a rough mount mock-ups and alignments. It worked great as I only had to adjust the horizontal or left/right about 2 degrees to the right for final alignment. The cardboard represents max distance to the cooling coils. The surrounding mess represents several other projects- re-build a backhoe loader, rebuild my sandrail motor and trying to fully move out of calif.
Forgot to include the photograph of my dash. This was the only modification to my truck- it was painful to drill a hole in the trim for the combo alert indicator light / mute button.
Forgot to include the photograph of my dash. This was the only modification to my truck- it was painful to drill a hole in the trim for the combo alert indicator light / mute button.
i dont think i could settle with that button, I would be online looking for something that matches the truck, but thats just me
. I did after 51 years and its the best thing I ever did.
