PSA: I dropped $300 on a thermal camera for my bench work

I got tired of guessing with my finger on hot spots and voltage drops. The camera is a Seek Compact Pro, and it connects right to my phone. Last week, a laptop came in with a random shutdown issue. The usual checks showed nothing, but the thermal scan lit up a tiny voltage regulator on the board that was hitting 95 degrees Celsius before it died. I never would have found that without the camera. It saved me hours of probing and a likely board swap guess. The cost hurt at first, but it paid for itself on that one job. Has anyone else found a good use for thermal imaging on regular bench repairs, or is it overkill for most daily stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_butler831mo ago

What about checking for bad caps?

oscar_ellis1mo ago

Hell yeah, that's a killer find.

oliviat171mo ago

Actually, that model has some known transmission issues in my experience. Oscar_ellis, you might want to check the service records real close. Just something to watch out for before you get too excited.