Today in the shop (more lasers in the shop)

[reible]

The laser is optional on this item. It can be turned on or left off, it is only used to give you an idea of where it is pointed. At 12" away the spot where it is working is a 1" diameter. At 24" the spot is 2", like wise at 36" the spot is 3". You can do the rest of the figuring if you want but that is how this one works.

So what is it?

It has a nonslip grip.
Uses a 9V battery, and has low battery indicator.
It turns itself off after 20 seconds.
Response time is about 1 second.
Above freezing it is accurate with in +/- 2% or +/- 3.6 degrees F.
Below freezing it is accurate with in +/- 3% or +/- 5.4 degrees F.
The display will read either Celsius or Fahrenheit with back lighting.
It has last temperature recall.

Now you can pretty much guess that I have an Infrared Thermometer with laser targeting.

I've wanted one of these for year. I just didn't want to spend the amount they wanted for one. In the last couple of years the prices have dropped with more cheap models flooding the market. Most that I looked at the Distance to spot size was in the at 8" the spot was 1". I was looking for one with at least a 12" spot of 1". This one does that.

Just a couple of years ago you could spend $50 for one of these, I actually had one in my cart and then thought do I really need to spend this on this tool... I put it back. Then I saw them at $30, again I was almost ready to buy but held back. Then I saw them for $15, that is more to my liking but I still held back.

Out at the Rural King I came upon one for an after rebate price of $8.79. My wait is over.

So now when I feel like measuring the temperature of my shopsmith I can tell just how hot or cold it is. Want to check if I'm still alive, open mouth and measure. BTW it says about 96 degrees so I think I'm safely say I'm still kicking.

I know you want pictures, well maybe later.

Ed

[ERLover]

I know you want pictures, well maybe later.
TEASE

[BuckeyeDennis]

I've used IR thermometers for a few years to check the temperature of motors and heatsinks and such. They work great when the target is reasonably close to a "black body". Which means the target would get good and hot if left out in the summer sun.

Specular/shiny targets (think mirrors), not so good. But you can stick a piece of black electrical tape or the like to reflective objects, and then the IR thermometer can read the temperature of that spot just fine.

[reible]

Back when I last worked with this sort of thing the camera cost as much as or more then most peoples homes. You had to use liquid nitrogen, so it wasn't so portable but it was great fun having the nitrogen to play with. We used it for testing on 4ESS switching system circuit packs and frames. Natural convection cooling yet then.

I managed to get some extra bonus points by coming up with a way of using a mirror to get a look at some places the camera had problems seeing. Regular mirrors have the glass then the reflective surface, the glass was a problem. I went to our thin film lab and had them plate some glass with the mirror surface on the front. A simple calibration and away the testing went. Our team of PhD researchers had been stumped.

We also had to deal with reflective surfaces, had some special paint that they liked to use but it wasn't easy to get off afterwards. We then came up with using gaffers tape, a local theater group enthusiast came up with that.

Oh the good old days working at Bell Labs.

Ed

I've used IR thermometers for a few years to check the temperature of motors and heatsinks and such. They work great when the target is reasonably close to a "black body". Which means the target would get good and hot if left out in the summer sun.

Specular/shiny targets (think mirrors), not so good. But you can stick a piece of black electrical tape or the like to reflective objects, and then the IR thermometer can read the temperature of that spot just fine.

[reible]

Pictures without comments.

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Ed

[Beave2012]

Oooo new toy

[rpd]

I have had one for a few years now. I think it was around $35 on sale.
Don't use it that often but it does come in handy in the winter to tell if wood is "warm" enough for glueing, ie above 55F.