Using a 3D printer, Arduino and off the shelf parts, the Ruiz Brothers at Adafruit show us how to build a thermographic camera with a classic snapper body.

There’s no denying thermal imaging cameras are fun. Seeing the world in a completely different light with funky colors depicting surface temperatures is utterly transfixing.

Sadly the sophisticated gizmos with the capability to thermally image their surroundings are typically the reserve of building technicians, search and rescue operators and the military. You could buy your own, but prohibitive pricing makes this an option solely for those with money to burn (which we imagine would look cool through a thermal imaging camera).

However, all is not lost! There’s nothing stopping you from building your own, and with easy to source components that are relatively simple to cobble together to boot.

Prolific tinkerers, makers and writers of generally neat DIY projects, the Ruiz Brothers have detailed just that in a recent post over at Adafruit. Check out the full build in the video below.

DIY Thermal Imaging Camera

For this project, the Ruiz Brothers use an Adafruit AMG8833 Grid-EYE Breakout, which features a Panasonic infra red sensor array that returns 64 individual temperature readings (from 0 – 80 degrees Celsius).

Hooked up to small FeatherWing TFT display with accompanying HUZZAH32 board, the result is a decent enough image that’ll certainly show you if you’re looking at something hot or cold. It gives us a bit of a Windows Media Player visualizer vibe.

Keeping all the bits and boards hidden and tidy is a 3D printed housing inspired by the Diana box camera. They list an Ultimaker 3 in the tools list, but looking at the parts to be printed they shouldn’t pose any issue for your typical FDM 3D printer. You can find the files for printing over on Thingiverse or, if you want to modify the design, the Fusion360 files on the project’s 3D printing page.

For the full step by step instructions, check out the full guide over at Adafruit.