First Time Use of the, FLIR/Inframetrics (ThermaCAM SC1000, PM350, 250, 150)

This is an overview of the first time use of the Thermacam.  Please review the operating instructions for your specific camera.

1. Remove the camera from it's case and install the lens by aligning the dot on the lens lug with the white dot on the camera body.  Insert and turn the lens clockwise to align the white dots on the lens & body.
2. Remove the viewfinder from the case and align the marks on the viewfinder power connector cable and plug it in.  Align the viewfinder slide bracket with the slide track and press the button on the slide bracket and adjust the viewfinder to your comfort.  Please note that the viewfinder must be plugged in before you turn on your camera or the viewfinder will not display a color video display.
3. Next open the hinged door on the rear of the camera and insert the flash card in to the PCMCIA slot.  Make sure that the connector end of the flash card are facing forward and that the label is facing the left and then press firmly in to place.  Then close the door on the back of the camera.
4. Remove one of the batteries from the case and align the battery with the guides on the rear of the camera.  Slide the battery in and up to click it into place. Please make sure that your batteries are fully charged.
5. Next press in on the green button on the power slide switch and slide the switch from off to on.  It will take approx 3 to 5 minutes before the camera is functional.  The cooler inside the camera must cool down the Infrared detector before you can use the camera.
6. Once the camera is operational aim the camera at a object that has some thermal contrast and press the "Auto Span" key on the left side of the camera.  The Auto Span key will set the minimum and maximum viewable temperatures for you.  You will most likely need to adjust the center switch (see 8) and span switch (see 9) manually to get the optimal thermal viewing window.
7. While aiming the camera at your target focus the camera using your left hand on the lens body by rotating the lens back and forth till the image comes into clear view.
8. To manually adjust the "Center" rocker switch place your right hand fingers on the rocker switch marked "- Center +" and press on either end of the switch to adjust the center point of the span that you are viewing.  A low center temperature will display colder targets and a high center will display hotter targets.  Pressing the Center rocker switch once will increment the center point by a single unit, and holding the rocker down will scroll through the units till the desired temperature is viewed.
9. The span controls the width of the current temperature (min to max) range that is displayed in the viewfinder.  The viewfinder will display the span limits on the span/palette bar.  To manually adjust the "Span" rocker switch place your right hand fingers on the rocker switch marked "- Span +" and press on either end of the switch to adjust the width of the current temperature range that  you are viewing.   Pressing the Span rocker switch once will increment the span by a single unit, and holding the rocker down will scroll through the units till the desired span is viewed.
10. One method to measure the temperature of an object is with the Spot Mode.  Assuming that the correct parameters have been set with regards to emissivity, distance to target, ambient environment etc (See Setup Key #11).  The thermographer press the "Mode" button and scrolls to the Spot mode. On the SC1000, PM350 & 250 the Cursor keys <> move the crosshairs left and right or up and down. move the crosshairs over the target to measure the temperature of and read the measurement in the temperature box on the camera display.  On the PM150 the spot is fixed in the center of the camera so that you must move the camera around to move the crosshairs.  The size of the spot/crosshairs (in pixels) is defined by the configuration menu #3 under setup.  Please note that you have 1x1, 3x3, or 5x5 pixels spot size adjustments but you must truly understand the what the FOV, IFOV and the MFOV is and know what your distance to target to get a accurate measurement.
11. Setup Key, to accurately measure the temperature of an object you must set the correct parameters  in the configuration menus.  By pressing the "Setup Key" you can scroll through the menus and select and change the parameters with the cursor keys.  For each measurement you must make sure that the parameters are set correctly in configuration menu 1 screen and that you have the correct emissivity set. (see Emissivity Key # 12)
12. Emissivity Key, to adjust the emissivity value for the target that you are trying to measure pressing on the + side of the rocker switch will increment the emissivity in steps of 0.01 and pressing on the - side will decrees the increments by 0.01.
13. To Freeze or Store an image use the two position slide switch and pushbutton behind the hand strap with your right thumb. To Freeze the image move the slide switch to "F" and press the push button.  To Un-freeze the image press the button again.  To Store an image move the slide switch to "S" and press the pushbutton once and the image is frozen, by pressing the push button again the image will be stored to the flash card.
14. To turn off the camera press in on the green button on the power slide switch and slide the switch from on to off.  If you move the slid switch to Playback you can use the camera recall and analyze stored images.  Or you can place the camera in Standby mode that keeps the cooler functioning but turns off the camera electronics to conserve power.