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HF IR sensor

scratchedup

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Aug 13, 2012
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Fayetteville, GA
Just bought this...for $25 its a game changer...it is very cool.

L1120703.jpg
 
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oldtools

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Sep 15, 2008
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Got one too. I don't have a Fluke to compare to so I don't know how accurate it is.
 

ndoran

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Jun 23, 2011
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496
i have basically the same product with the Mastercraft label on it. Mine goes from -20c to 315c or for those who use heathen units -4F to 600F. the accuracy depend on where you are in the range.
 

JASTECH

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Oct 21, 2009
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Gering, NE
Ice can be colder then 32°F depending on what temp it's froze down to and the particles in the ice. Pure water does not freeze, once impurities are allowed in, this "dirty" water will now freeze.

Thanks, JASTECH & Son
 

Shadowdog500

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Dec 7, 2009
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Down the shore
Ice can be colder then 32°F depending on what temp it's froze down to and the particles in the ice. Pure water does not freeze, once impurities are allowed in, this "dirty" water will now freeze.

Thanks, JASTECH & Son

Pure water (with no contaminants) turns to ice around -40.
 

O_M_Jeep

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South central Wyoming
~~~rolls eyes~~~ the point is, when calibrating a pulp thermometer, ice water is 32 degrees. If you really want to be pedantic we can be, and we can discuss isothermal variables in the container causing differences in temperatures too, or perhaps the ice was made in a non-calibrated freezer in the southern hemishpere, and of course the ice in space ie; comets and extraplanetary bodies are different still. So, how do you think all that applies to the f**king HF IR thermometer?
 
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Joe Mamma

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May 31, 2009
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339
I've been told and noticed that the color or reflectivity (I think I just made that word up) can affect the reading. So if you check something that is shiny silver, white, black, etc., that can make a difference in the reading.

Joe Mamma
 

Gone

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Aug 23, 2012
Messages
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Don't forget changes in atmospheric pressure due to elevation.

But seriously, one of the more accurate ways would be to take an ice cube and set it outside of the freezer. Then measure the surface of the cube after it starts to melt. The ice/water mixture will be close to 32*F. This assumes the ice is reasonably pure.
 

KinzeMech

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Jul 15, 2012
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Ice is always 32 degrees

Not quite. At standard atmospheric pressure, icewater is always 32 degrees. ice can be colder than 32, and water can be warmer than 32, but icewater will not warm up or cool down from 32 until it is first all frozen, or all thawed.

Introduction of soluble substances (e.g. salt) in the water can change this.
 

oldtools

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I believe the freezing point of water is also pressure dependence. I have a high temperature black marker I use on reflective surface to minimize error.
 
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KinzeMech

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I believe the freezing point of water is also pressure dependence. .

That is correct. A thermodynamics textbook will have a table in it that charts freezing and boiling points relative to pressure. Google would probably turn something up as well.
 

ATC

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May 12, 2012
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VA
can someone give me an example of using this tool to work on a car where +/- 5 or 10 degrees makes any difference what-so-ever ??

5° or 10°? No, I can't think of anywhere on an engine that that would make a big difference. 30 or 40...maybe
 

AZ_Catskinner

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Jan 29, 2011
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Morenci, AZ
I've got both this one and a Fluke - the difference in readings between the two is negligible. The HF does have a wider cone angle, so it doesn't have quite the pinpointing ability.
 

marcusicp

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NC
can someone give me an example of using this tool to work on a car where +/- 5 or 10 degrees makes any difference what-so-ever ??

When checking the inlet and outlet temps on a heater core it could matter.
 

KinzeMech

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It's been my experience with these, if they are off, they are usually off consistently.

I.E. Your inlet and outlet temperatures, if inaccurate, will be off by the same amount, so if you are calculating difference between the two, it probably doesn't matter.
 

CJKaz

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PA
I've been told and noticed that the color or reflectivity (I think I just made that word up) can affect the reading. So if you check something that is shiny silver, white, black, etc., that can make a difference in the reading.

Joe Mamma

Emissivity:

http://www.raytek.com/Raytek/en-r0/IREducation/Emissivity.htm

Ice water is commonly used to calibrate instruments in industry. For an infrared gun without emissivity adjustment, and lacking a NIST traceable black body emitter, target your wrist, close enough.

If you're concerned about the surface finish, spray it with flat black paint.
 

ndoran

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Jun 23, 2011
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Stainless and copper are fine examples don't trust them.

reflectivity is a word already used by engineers on a daily basis. What you are talking about is emissivity: the relative ability of a material to emit infra red radiation. It is the ratio of energy radiated by a particular material to energy radiated by a black body at the same temperature. An ideal black body has an emissivity of 1, the more reflctive a material is the lower its emissivity, the duller and blacker it is the higher emissivity.

Reflectivity is the fraction of incident electromagnetic power that is reflected at an interface. A surface has both emissivity and reflectivity but an IR Thermometer reading is responding to the amount of intr red radiation leaving the surface so emissivity is what you are interested in. Hope that helps.
 
OP
S

scratchedup

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Aug 13, 2012
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Fayetteville, GA
...... What is the vise for?

Vise.....well this is The Garage Journal not The Cooking Journal so...

The vice is on a red table for my shop and it has been very useful...something kinda cool I built as a quickie winter project. It is high, light and is on locking casters.
 

Lightfoot

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Dec 6, 2010
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430
I got one as a gift for Father's day. I use it to check temps on a griddle for outdoor cooking. Helps to know how hot the griddle is before putting the food on. Outdoor temperature, wind conditions, cloudiness and so forth can affect the surface temps by quite a bit, so it's pretty handy. I've had it since June, works great!
 

crewchief888

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Dec 3, 2009
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NW indiana
5° or 10°? No, I can't think of anywhere on an engine that that would make a big difference. 30 or 40...maybe

The HF does have a wider cone angle, so it doesn't have quite the pinpointing ability.

i've had hyd temp on const eq running right on the edge of overheating, and going into shutdown.
the 10* difference between the temp gun/ sender was reading, and what the computer was reading made the difference.
just repairing some f'd up wiring (multiple wirig repairs withona 6 inches of the sensor, changed the feedback voltage to the computer) brought the temp the computer was reading down to what the sensor was reading.

another field tech has the hf model, we compared it to my raytec. they were within 2 or 3 degrees,
but his had to be closer to the sensor to read a "correct" temp due to the cone angle on of lazer.

on that particular job, the HF model wouldnt have been able to get close enough to pinpoint a spot on the sensor, due to the muffler @ 400* and a wiring harness in the way.

:beer:
 
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