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With the rise in the implementation of software technologies in Electric vehicles, the transition towards Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) is changing how electric vehicles are designed. Technologies in software-defined vehicles such as advanced automotive semiconductors, edge artificial intelligence (AI) and centralised computing are becoming key concepts in designing future transportation vehicles.

During electronica India 2026 held at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Renesas Electronics showcased technologies related to SDVs, edge AI, EV charging and intelligent mobility. These technologies highlight the growing role of semiconductor-based computing in designing next-generation vehicles. At the event, Renesas demonstrated its newly designed 3nm multi-domain automotive SoC, the R-Car Gen 5 platform, highlighting features such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), digital cockpit technologies and connected-vehicle solutions providing personalised functions and voice interfaces.

The platform combines high-performance automotive computing with AI capabilities and supports software-defined vehicle architectures. Edge Intelligence was another area of interest, where AI processing is being executed with the help of the vehicle’s sensors and systems instead of depending on cloud interface. Renesas demonstrated applications that support AI vision, autonomous and assisted driving for the driver, and embedded intelligence.

Edge AI can result in faster local responses compared to cloud connectivity and reduce the amount of sensor data that needs to be transmitted to external system. As EV architectures shift towards software-defined systems, the use of advanced automotive system-on-chip (SoC) platforms, edge AI, power semiconductors, and software platform will increasingly play an important role in vehicle computing, charging, connectivity, and smart mobility.

The post Software-Defined Vehicles and Edge AI Reshape Next-Generation EV Architecture appeared first on ELE Times.

SEMICON India 2026, the fifth edition of India’s flagship semiconductor conference, concluded on September 19 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, highlighting the country’s growing capabilities across the global semiconductor value chain. Held from September 17 to 19 under the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem,” the three-day event brought together semiconductor companies, policymakers, investors, academia and start-ups.

The event featured more than 600 exhibitors, including around 300 international participants, with representatives from 52 countries and more than 150 speakers. Six country pavilions representing Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden, along with 12 state pavilions, showcased capabilities across different areas of the semiconductor ecosystem. The event recorded 51,656 registrations and around 40,000 cumulative footfall.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated SEMICON India 2026 highlighting India’s progression from policy discussions and project planning to commercial semiconductor production. During the inauguration, the Prime Minister virtually inaugurated commercial production lines at CDIL Semiconductor in Mohali for discrete semiconductor devices and Suchi Semicon in Surat for semiconductor packaging. The two facilities added to India’s operational commercial semiconductor units under the Semicon 1.0 programme.

As a major outcome of SEMICON India 2026, a total of 56 MoUs, announcements and strategic initiatives were announced across areas including semiconductor design, fabrication, advanced packaging, equipment, materials, power electronics, AI, R&D, startups and talent development.

The post SEMICON India 2026 Concludes at Yashobhoomi, Showcasing India’s Growing Semiconductor Ecosystem appeared first on ELE Times.

Due to massive pool of specialised VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) engineers, large number of Global Capability Centre (GCCs) presence and ongoing government support, India currently accounts for nearly 20% of the world’s semiconductor design workforce. This number highlights the India’s increasing role in global chip design and research. The statement of accounting 20% global workforce in semiconductor design was made by S. Krishnan, the MeitY Secretary on the side-lines of SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi.

The government is prioritising the development of semiconductor design talent, said S. Krishnan. He said an ongoing programme is focused on training around 85,000 semiconductor design engineers, while skill-development efforts are also being expanded across the semiconductor value chain, with a strong focus on supporting semiconductor manufacturing in India.

The semiconductor design workforce will play an important in strengthening India’s position in the global semiconductor ecosystem. According to government data, India holds 7% of the world’s semiconductor-related Global Capability Centres (GCSs) along with Indian engineers continue to contributing to chip design, fabrication, verification and testing activities.

The government is taking action to move beyond design and improve semiconductor ecosystem by covering fabrication, advanced packaging, assembly and testing, semiconductor equipment and materials, research and development (R&D), and talent development. The recent organised event Semicon 2.0 has an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore and is structured around six pillars which include design, machine, materials, advanced packaging, additional fabs, research, and talent.

There are different schemes supported by the government body encouraging semiconductor design which include Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme and the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme. The focus of these programmes is to train around 85,000 semiconductor design engineers. The initiatives are also aimed at strengthening India’s domestic chip-design capabilities and building a stronger semiconductor design ecosystem.

The post India Accounts for 20% of Global Semiconductor Design Workforce, Says MeitY appeared first on ELE Times.

India continues to focus on raising domestic value addition and further deepening domestic manufacturing in electronics industry. Moving beyond large-scale assembly towards deeper manufacturing and stronger local supply chains, S. Krishnan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) made the statement that India is targeting 35-40% domestic value addition in mobile-phone manufacturing, up from the current level of about 22-23%. To achieve this number, different government schemes are giving support such as India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), mobile manufacturing, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) for electronics hardware and the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS).

The Electronics Component and Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) is expected to play a major role by focusing on deep component-level manufacturing rather than basic assembly. Key areas include printed circuit boards, passive components, electrochemical components, subassemblies, camera module, optical transceivers, and critical equipment.

The government aims to wider the development of India’s semiconductor ecosystem by expanding capabilities across components, semiconductor manufacturing and other parts of electronics value chain. ECMS is designed to integrate Indian manufactures with global value chains and ISM supports semiconductor design, fabrication, advanced packaging, equipment and materials.

The 40% target in domestic manufacturing does not means that forty percent of the electronic devices to be made in India. It means if a device is selling in India, then its forty percent value must be manufactured within the country. This target reflect India’s deepen participation in global value chains by moving beyond final assembly, creating a deeper supplier ecosystem, reduce dependence on imported components, and moving towards complete manufacturing location. This will allow Indian factories to source more inputs locally while maintaining competitive cost, quality and scale.

The post India Targets 40% Domestic Value Addition in Electronics Manufacturing appeared first on ELE Times.

On 22 September 2026, North Korea said it had tested a new weapon system that it claimed utilised modern defence technology. State media images seem to indicate that North Korea tested an improved Hwasongpho-11Ma short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a manoeuvrable hypersonic glide vehicle. South Korea’s military identified two missiles fired from the Wonsan area on 20 September, which it said travelled 450 kilometres and 600 kilometres before crashing into the sea.

North Korean reporting gave other performance numbers that could not be checked. A hypersonic glide vehicle is a rocket disseminated missile released from a booster that then glides course toward its target at very high speeds and altitude. Its capability to change course after launch presents a challenge to tracking and destroying it because of the ballistic predictability for defenders.

Latest test indicates progress by Pyongyang in enhancing the lethality and penetrability of its short-range missile arsenal. Such weapons, if employed, are likely meant to saturate regional missile-defence systems through rapid, highly manoeuvrable and possibly erratic flight trajectories. Still, outside analysts are sceptical of North Korea’s claims: briefly achieving hypersonic speed is one thing; sustained hypersonic manoeuvring-especially under realistic operational conditions- is another.

Additional launches will be necessary to determine the missile’s precision, guidance accuracy and ability to defeat existing missile defences. The missile test, however, inevitably heightens South Korea’s, Japan’s and the United States’ urgency to enhance regional tracking and interception capabilities.

The post North Korea Tests New Manoeuvrable Missile System appeared first on ELE Times.

Lockheed Martin won a US Army contract worth up to US$1.2 billion for production of the Increment 2 configuration of the PrSM, or Precision Strike Missile. The contract announced on 21 September 2026 supports the Army’s effort to succeed the legacy Army Tactical Missile System. PrSM is a surface-to-surface precision missile launched from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Its more compact size will enable the two launch pods to carry two PrSM rounds per pod as opposed to one ATACMS missile, which could expand the number of precision weapons available to a firing battery. The missile family is being fielded in subsets (increments) to allow the Army to incrementally add improved systems without replacing the entire missile.

Increment 2 targets increasing the PrSM’s targeting ability, which is necessary to address the US military’s need to engage mobile maritime and land-based threats. This is obviously related to the countries’ operations in the Indo-Pacific, where ground forces are expected to engage enemy ships, air-defence facilities, and command and control facilities at extended distances. Some technical details remain classified.

The award further indicates that the US Army aims to move from limited early production toward establishing a larger manufacturing base. Increased production capacity has become a top priority as recent conflicts have highlighted how rapidly precision-missile stockpiles can be depleted in prolonged campaigns.

The post Lockheed Martin Wins $1.2-Billion US Army PrSM Contract appeared first on ELE Times.

Transistors: 2N2222A. submitted by /u/timofey2585 [link] [comments]

From the research Ive done, they were used as diodes to rectify up to 150 kV with a rating of up to 1A. 24" long by 6" diameter. Thinking of building a base/stand and using LEDs to illuminate them as a lamp/display piece! Used ChatGPT to show what they might look like once finished! submitted by /u/Odd_Performance4703 [link] [comments]

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) use manufacturing processes developed for the semiconductor industry to miniaturize complex optical functionality onto a chip. PICs offer significant advantages over electronic ICs. Since light travels about 3x faster than electricity, PICs can transmit data with much higher throughput. Propagation losses are also typically much smaller compared to resistance losses in electronic ICs...

💛💙 День захисників і захисниць України в ДПМ ім. Бориса Патона kpi пн, 09/28/2026 - 22:03

Команда КПІ пройшла відбір до програми MInT-Ukraine! kpi пн, 09/28/2026 - 18:40

✍️ Дистанційний режим kpi пн, 09/28/2026 - 17:33

Київські політехніки відпрацювали алгоритми дій у надзвичайних ситуаціях KPI4U-2 пн, 09/28/2026 - 17:28

Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — has announced the commercial availability of its new Premium 200mm n-type silicon carbide substrate, expanding its 200mm SiC materials portfolio with a higher-quality starting material designed to improve yield through reduced defects and greater wafer-shape stability...

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF of Freiburg, Germany has developed a broadband distributed amplifier monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) chip suitable for use in data centers, measurement systems and sensors. Modern data centers, high-precision measurement systems and high-resolution radar sensors rely on extremely broadband amplifier chips that feature both low noise and high output power...

📣 Engineering Project Sprint 2026 kpi пн, 09/28/2026 - 17:00

A portable LED stick that turns into a persistence-of-vision (PoV) display. Wren Weichman built it to create visual effects during live performances: you spin it by hand, and a camera with a long exposure captures spectacular images and videos. The result is digitally controlled light painting, with a quality far superior to classic manual tools.

The heart of the project is a strip of addressable RGB LEDs mounted along the stick. The LEDs flash rapidly as the user rotates the instrument. Persistence of vision makes the human eye perceive a solid shape, but to capture the effect you need video recording with a long exposure, about a quarter of a second per frame. This way, each shot collects the complete light trail.

LED control and rotation

A Teensy 4.1 manages the LEDs, maintaining the correct refresh rate. The board is powerful enough to drive hundreds of RGB LEDs without dropping frames. Additionally, an IMU monitors the stick’s rotation speed at all times. Thanks to this data, the Teensy adjusts the timing of color changes and brightness, so the image stays stable even when rotation is not uniform.

The typical rotation speed of a desktop PoV display is about 2,000 RPM. A hand-operated stick never reaches a constant speed, so motion detection is essential. The IMU provides real-time measurements, and the Teensy adapts each frame to the instantaneous speed. This approach eliminates distortions and makes the image readable even with irregular movements.

For communication with a smartphone, the project uses an ESP32. The board lets you set LED animation effects from a dedicated app, without rewiring anything. An ESP32 module with a TFT touch display could make effect selection even more convenient, integrating the control directly on the stick. In any case, the Teensy and ESP32 pair covers both processing and connectivity well.

Power and weight balance

The stick is powered by batteries placed at the ends. This choice is not random: the batteries balance the instrument’s weight, making rotation smoother and less tiring. Moreover, the mass distribution helps maintain a stable trajectory during movement, a crucial factor for the quality of the final image.

The project demonstrates how PoV display principles can be adapted to a portable, hand-operated device. The main challenges are variable speed and motion detection. Wren Weichman overcame them with creative techniques, combining powerful hardware and real-time compensation algorithms.

For those who want to experiment with motion sensors, a 3-axis accelerometer with ADXL345 is an excellent starting point. It offers precise measurements and a simple interface to integrate with microcontrollers. Alternatively, a 3-axis accelerometer in Blebrick format mounts easily on breadboards and rapid prototypes.

The LED PoV stick combines electronics, programming, and performance art. It is not just a gadget: it is a concrete example of how to adapt established technologies to a new context. Speed management via IMU is an excellent educational case, as is the use of a powerful microcontroller like the Teensy 4.1 for LED control.

Furthermore, the project opens the door to numerous variations. You can change the number of LEDs, increase resolution, or add synchronized sound effects. The hardware base is solid and modular, so every maker can customize it without rewriting everything from scratch. The project video documents every step in detail.

In summary, this stick proves that persistence of vision works even without motors and fixed supports. Manual skill becomes part of the artwork, and technology compensates for the imperfections of the gesture. A project worth studying, both for the technical skills and for the visual result.

• Teensy 4.1 for controlling addressable RGB LEDs
• IMU for monitoring rotation speed
• ESP32 for smartphone communication
• Batteries at the ends for power and balance

Source: https://youtu.be/GZVfNMVYYRY?si=8xgRLVamI6LgN70d

The post LED PoV Stick: A Portable Display for Live Performances appeared first on Open Electronics.

Take a baseline device, remove a subsequently added protocol and replace it with a function, and…you end up with a bigger-than-expected revision?

As I alluded to in a blog post a week-and-a-half back, I’m nearing the finish line of my teardown series on TP-Link smart plugs. As I mentioned last month, my basic aspiration with this project is to ascertain to what degree (if any) differences in the company’s various smart plug products’ feature sets, broadly between the Kasa and Tapo product lines as well as between products within a given line, are due to hardware variability versus (or in addition to) software-implemented inconsistency.

As such, today’s entry ended up being a deviation from the to-date norm, therefore a pleasant surprise. But I don’t want to ruin it for all of you via a premature reveal, so I’ll keep my cyber-lip zipped for the moment. Here’s the so-far published dissection list:

• TP-Link’s Kasa HS103: A smart plug with solid network connectivity
• TP-Link’s Kasa EP10: If at first it doesn’t connect, buy, buy again
• TP-Link’s Kasa EP25: Energy monitoring for a hoped-for utility bill nose-dive
• TP-Link’s Tapo P105: A Kasa EP10 clone, or evolutionarily derived?
• TP-Link’s Tapo P125: A smart plug with an Apple HomeKit vibe

Revisiting another last-month comment, again note that hardware changes can be driven not only by evolving feature set requirements but also by phaseout and replacement of building block components inside these devices. To wit, hold that thought.

Unpacking the patient(s)

Today’s dissection victim is TP-Link’s Tapo P115, a two-pack of which set me back $13.77 during a Thanksgiving 2025 Amazon Resale (formerly Warehouse) used-goods promotion.

Like last month’s Tapo P125, it shares a common form factor with the baseline Tapo P105 I took apart in early June.

But as the above “stock” photo highlights, whereas the Tapo P125 had built on the Tapo P105 foundation with added Apple Homekit support, today’s Tapo P115 instead focuses its enhancement energy on energy monitoring and logging specifically. As such, it’s conceptually akin to the prior-gen Kasa EP25, again with energy monitoring, that went “under the knife” back in March.

What, if any, hardware commonality exists between the Kasa EP25 and Tapo P115? As well as, for that matter, between the Tapo P105 and Tapo P115? Let’s find out, as usual starting with some outer box shots, again accompanied by a 0.75′′/19.1 mm diameter U.S. penny for size comparison purposes.

The Amazon Resale-origination identifying sticker added to the bottom panel left unobscured the hardware version, v1.6. TP-Link’s support page indicates that this is the latest-and-greatest revision, with a v1.26 predecessor. Why do I care about such seeming minutia? I’ll remind you of my early-March coverage of the Kasa EP10, wherein I detailed (for the first time, but definitely not the last) version-based functional shortcomings both in an absolute sense and in “smart home”-striving combination with same-name devices containing different-version hardware.

Picking patient

As was the case last month, opening the packaging and perusing the contents revealed evidence of prior-customer access and device removal, leading me to select that same device for analysis (the one on the left, if not already obvious).

Last month’s noted cuteness continues unabated, of course.

And now, finally free from its cardboard captivity, here’s our patient.

Once again, as is the case with the box containing it, the device’s bottom side is the most informative perspective, revealing factoids including the always-helpful FCC ID (2BCGWP110).

Diving inside

Here’s a vendor-supplied conceptual cutaway to whet your appetite for what’s next (regular readers of my teardowns already know how much I love coming across and sharing these).

How closely (or not) does this marketing creation (or abomination?) match what our eyes see when they peruse the actual insides? Let’s find out.

The inside of the back half of the enclosure is, as usual, bland and boring (unless you’re a plastics specialist, I suppose).

The other half, on the other hand…that’s more like it (including an under-penny further peek) for an electrical engineer like you and me.

Much of it is reminiscent of what we’ve seen before. Here’s the top-side view.

Once again, the relay is a Churod A16-V-105DA2F, although in comparison to its Tapo P125 cousin, it’s 90° rotated and downward shifted location-wise on the PCB this time.

Bottom side view next.

Now to the right.

And the left…wait, what’s this?

Silicon and broader software swaps

The Shanghai Belling BL0937 single-phase energy monitoring IC at right is the same as the one previously seen in the Kasa EP25. Below it is yet another five-lead SOT-packaged IC, presumably housing a dual-transistor combo and seen multiple times before, this time labeled as follows:

JWM3J
5G5hG

And in the middle is, once again, a switch alongside an LED. But check out the processor at left! In every other TP-Link smart plug I’ve taken apart so far, it has come from Realtek Semiconductor and is based on an Arm architecture. This time, in contrast, it’s the RISC-V-based Espressif Systems ESP8684.

The very first page of the datasheet clears up another discrepancy I’d noted; seemingly no discrete flash memory device anywhere on the mini-PCB this time. Instead, the documentation tipped me off that there’s “Optional 2 MB or 4 MB flash in the chip’s package”.

All of which leaves me with no shortage of questions, which do not include the contents of the as-usual difficult-to-access PCB underside (as usual, it’s quite bare, as far as I can tell, and FCC certification photos can fill any nagging knowledge gaps for the curious among you out there).

These questions include (but are not limited) to the following:

• Previously, in transitioning from the conventional Tapo HS103 to the energy-monitoring Tapo EP25, TP-Link migrated from a single- to dual-core Realtek Arm-based chip. To what degree, if any, was a similar performance-boost need behind this more significant shift?
• Were, as I alluded to at the beginning, product shortages or more definitive device phaseouts factors in this particular more significant change of supplier and architecture?
• And to what degree, if any, was a desire to shift to a royalty-free, fully open-source processor architecture behind this design decision, keeping in mind the substantial software porting effort that would be required for TP-Link to actualize its aspiration?

I daresay I’m not likely to get any answers from TP-Link if I inquire, so I doubt I’ll even bother. Or from either Espressif Systems or Realtek, for that matter. But I’m guessing at least a one of you out there has a tangible clue as to what’s going on. Tips, either passed on to me anonymously over email or publicly in the comments, are greatly appreciated!

—Brian Dipert is the associate editor, as well as a contributing editor, at EDN.

Related Content

• Tapo or Kasa: Which TP-Link ecosystem best suits ya?
• TP-Link’s Tapo P125: A smart plug with an Apple HomeKit vibe
• TP-Link’s Tapo P105: A Kasa EP10 clone, or evolutionarily derived?
• TP-Link’s Kasa HS103: A smart plug with solid network connectivity
• TP-Link’s Kasa EP25: Energy monitoring for a hoped-for utility bill nose-dive

The post TP-Link’s Tapo P115: Smart plug subtracts Apple, adds energy tracking appeared first on EDN.

OMRON introduces the new S8NR series of IP67 power supplies, designed for direct installation on the machine, including outside the electrical cabinet. Available from 90 W to 600 W at 24 V DC, the range includes 360 W and 600 W models able to integrate up to six individually protected outputs in a single device, cutting components, wiring and design complexity. Paired with it, the new S8R-BB DC Blocking Box brings the same logic to control circuits as well, making it possible to complete both power and safety wiring outside the cabinet.

Simplified installation on the machine

The solution is designed to make systems easier to install, monitor and maintain. The digital display and the LEDs for each output show voltage, current and alarms in real time, while IO-Link communication makes data and configurations accessible remotely.

Predictive maintenance and IO-Link connectivity

The predictive maintenance function also monitors the remaining life of the internal capacitors, helping to schedule servicing before a potential failure. Thanks to Smartclick connectors and the ability to precisely adjust thresholds and output start-up sequences, the S8NR and S8R-BB support a tidier design and shorter installation times.

Range and key features

The S8NR series is available from 90 W to 600 W at 24 V DC. The 360 W and 600 W models can integrate up to six individually protected outputs, with immediate diagnostics via a dedicated display and LEDs. IO-Link connectivity provides remote access to operating data and configurations, while monitoring the condition of the capacitors helps plan maintenance before any downtime.

More information is available on the OMRON website.

The post OMRON S8NR: IP67 power supplies with built-in diagnostics on the machine appeared first on Open Electronics.

Thermal imaging sits at the intersection of science and engineering, where invisible heat patterns are transformed into visible insights. By harnessing the physics of infrared radiation, converting it into electrical signals, and mapping those signals into pixel-based images, engineers unlock a powerful tool for diagnostics, safety, and innovation.

What makes this field exciting is not just the science—it’s the empowerment it offers: the ability to see beyond the visible spectrum, anticipate problems before they surface, and design solutions that protect, heal, and inspire. When pixels, power, and physics converge, they don’t just reveal heat, they reveal possibilities.

Nature’s blueprint for thermal vision

Nature has long demonstrated the power of thermal perception. Pit vipers detect prey through specialized infrared-sensing organs, beetles locate forest fires by sensing thermal radiation, and certain fish use heat gradients to navigate their environments.

These biological systems remind us that thermal vision is not an artificial invention but an evolutionary advantage. By studying and emulating these natural mechanisms, engineers extend human capability, transforming biology lessons into technology that safeguards industries, advances medicine, and expands the boundaries of exploration.

Figure 1 The image visualizes how a pit viper detects prey using its specialized infrared-sensing pit organ, converting heat signatures into directional cues for precise targeting. Source: Author

The physics beyond “heat vision”

To a maker, a thermal imager isn’t magic; it’s a sensor array tuned for long-wave infrared (LWIR) light. The trick lies in the atmospheric window: while Earth’s atmosphere absorbs most infrared radiation, there’s a transparent band between 8 µm and 14 µm where IR passes through cleanly. Thermal imagers exploit this window, giving us a view of heat patterns without interference from the air.

Deeper physics comes from Planck’s Law. Every object emits radiation based on its temperature, and the peak wavelength shifts as that temperature changes. For room-temperature objects, the peak falls right inside the LWIR band—exactly where thermal imagers are most sensitive. That’s why these devices can reveal the invisible glow of everyday objects, translating physics into practical “heat vision”.

Figure 2 Uncooled LWIR OEM thermal camera module with continuous zoom lens delivers a high-performance imaging solution. Source: Teledyne FLIR OEM

Sensor: The microbolometer

At the core of a thermal imager lies the microbolometer. Unlike the CMOS sensor in a visible-light camera, which counts photons through a photovoltaic effect, a microbolometer is built as a grid of tiny resistors. Each resistor changes its electrical resistance when warmed by incoming infrared radiation. By measuring these resistance shifts across the array, the device constructs a thermal image—turning invisible heat into a visible map of temperature differences.

VOx and a-Si represent two different material approaches to building the resistive pixels. Vanadium Oxide (VOx) has become the industry’s benchmark for high-end sensors because it offers higher sensitivity to small temperature changes and better thermal stability over time. Amorphous Silicon (a-Si), while less sensitive, is cheaper to manufacture and often used in cost-conscious designs where performance trade-offs are acceptable.

Another key factor is the thermal time constant—the rate at which each pixel heats up and cools down. Because the sensing elements must physically absorb and release heat, their response is slower than the instantaneous photon counting of a digital camera.

This is why thermal imagers often feel “laggy”: the image refresh is limited by the physics of thermal inertia, not just by electronics. Engineers designing with microbolometers must balance sensitivity, stability, and time constant to match the intended application.

Figure 3 The PICO384S infrared detector utilizes a 384 x 288 pixel microbolometer array to capture high-contrast thermal imagery in zero-light environments for surveillance, industrial monitoring, and predictive maintenance. Source: Lynred USA

The emissivity trap: Radiometer, not thermometer

The “emissivity trap” is the most important gap-learning concept for new users. A thermal camera is not a thermometer; it’s a radiometer, measuring emitted infrared radiation rather than direct temperature.

Emissivity is a material property—ranging from 0 to 1—that describes how efficiently a surface emits IR energy. High-emissivity surfaces like electrical tape (≈ 0.95) give reliable readings, while low-emissivity metals like polished aluminum (≈ 0.05) reflect more than they emit.

The problem: If a maker points a thermal imager at a shiny copper busbar, the sensor may capture a reflection of its own body heat instead of the copper’s true temperature. Without accounting for emissivity, readings can be misleading—sometimes dangerously so. Understanding this distinction is what separates casual “heat vision” from serious engineering measurement.

Key engineering specifications

When engineers compare thermal camera datasheets, three specifications define performance. Noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) expresses sensitivity—the effective signal‑to‑noise ratio of heat. A camera with an NETD of 50 mK can resolve temperature differences as fine as 0.05 °C, making subtle gradients visible.

Instantaneous field of view (IFOV) sets spatial resolution, describing how much area each pixel covers at a given distance. It’s not just pixel count but pixel footprint that determines whether small features can be distinguished.

Finally, non‑uniformity correction (NUC) explains the audible “click” many users notice: a mechanical shutter briefly closes so the sensor can recalibrate against a uniform reference, correcting pixel drift and maintaining image consistency. Together, these specifications shape how accurately and reliably a thermal imager translates invisible radiation into usable engineering data.

The maker angle: Integrating thermal into projects

For makers, the real challenge is not just capturing thermal data but integrating it into projects through communication protocols and processing pipelines. The FLIR Lepton module offers higher resolution and uses a Video over SPI (VoSPI) interface layered on SPI/I²C, making it powerful but slightly more complex to handle.

In contrast, the Melexis MLX90640 provides lower resolution but communicates directly over I²C, which is simpler to implement on hobbyist microcontrollers—ideal for cost‑sensitive builds.

Figure 4 The radiometric-capable LWIR camera Lepton 3.5 integrates into mobile devices as an IR sensor or thermal imager, capturing calibrated temperature data in every pixel. Source: Teledyne FLIR OEM

It’s worth noting about the FLIR Lepton 3.x series at this point that its two primary variants—the Lepton 3.0 and Lepton 3.5—focus their differences entirely on internal capabilities, remaining completely identical on the outside. Both micro-camera modules share the exact same 160×120 resolution and compact physical form factor, meaning the true differentiator is the Lepton 3.5’s advanced radiometry.

While the 3.0 acts purely as a thermal imager to visualize relative heat differences up to 120°C, the 3.5 delivers fully calibrated, pixel-by-pixel temperature readings alongside a significantly expanded dynamic range capable of measuring scenes up to 450°C.

Beyond the sensor choice, makers should pay attention to the communication protocols that move thermal frames from sensor to processor. The FLIR Lepton relies on VoSPI, a packetized stream layered on the SPI bus that demands careful timing and buffer management but rewards with higher‑resolution data throughput.

By contrast, the Melexis MLX90640 uses a straightforward I²C register map, where each pixel’s 14‑bit value can be read directly with simple address calls. For hobbyist platforms, I²C feels friendlier—easy to implement on Arduino or ESP32—while VoSPI requires tighter firmware discipline but scales better for real‑time imaging. Choosing between them is less about raw capability and more about how much protocol complexity a maker is willing to embrace.

Once the sensor delivers raw frames, the next step is data processing. Thermal imagers typically output 14‑bit values per pixel, representing temperature intensity. Makers must map these values into a visual palette—common choices include Ironbow, Rainbow, or grayscale—using libraries like OpenCV or lightweight embedded frameworks.

Even microcontrollers such as the ESP32 or Teensy can handle this task, converting raw thermal data into colorized images or live heat maps. This workflow bridges physics and electronics, turning invisible infrared into accessible, project‑ready visuals.

Engineering wins in the real world

Thermal imagers are more than “heat vision”—they are tools of discovery, precision, and problem‑solving. In real‑world debugging, they deliver engineering wins that save time, prevent failures, and inspire innovation. On a PCB, a thermal camera can expose a hidden latch‑up state or a poorly decoupled regulator by revealing the telltale heat bloom.

In mechanical systems, it can uncover stress points, such as friction heating in a misaligned 3D printer lead screw. Even in fluid dynamics, thermal imaging makes the invisible visible, showing the heat dissipation patterns of a custom liquid‑cooling block.

For the electronics fraternity, the challenge is clear: don’t just admire thermal images—use them. Treat every glowing hotspot as a clue, every gradient as a story, and every frame as a chance to engineer smarter, safer, and more resilient systems.

The call to action is to embrace thermal imaging not as a novelty, but as a core debugging instrument. Push beyond “heat vision” and let physics guide your next breakthrough.

T. K. Hareendran is a self-taught electronics enthusiast with a strong passion for innovative circuit design and hands-on technology. He develops both experimental and practical electronic projects, documenting and sharing his work to support fellow tinkerers and learners. Beyond the workbench, he dedicates time to technical writing and hardware evaluations to contribute meaningfully to the maker community.

Related Content

• Thermal imaging finds faults quickly
• See the details with an HD thermal imager
• Is Thermal Imaging Becoming Mainstream?
• Optical thermal imaging cuts cost in industrial applications
• Meridian Innovation Redefining Low-Cost Thermal Imaging for the AI Era

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