Why I finally gave in and bought a thermal camera

I spent years relying on the old 'touch and guess' method for finding hot spots in electronics. Then I picked up a used Flir for $180 off a guy who upgrades his tools every year. First job I used it on showed a failing VRM on a gaming PC that I would have never caught with my fingers. Has anyone else made the switch to thermal for diagnostics or am I late to the party?

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the_alex2mo ago

Did you ever try using it for spotting cold drafts around window frames or insulation gaps in your house? I grabbed a cheap phone attachment one winter and found my back door was leaking cold air like crazy the rubber seal looked fine but the thermal showed a clear stripe where it wasn't seating right. It's been way more useful for home stuff than I expected, way more than just finding hot parts on circuit boards.

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