Sparkfun FLIR Radiometric Lepton Dev Kit V2

The FLiR Radiometric Lepton Dev Kit V2 is a compact and powerful tool that brings the capability of thermal imaging to your projects. It includes a Lepton® longwave infrared (LWIR) imager and a breakout board, designed for seamless integration with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or any ARM-based development platform. The kit is breadboard-friendly, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers. The Lepton® module offers an 80 × 60 pixel resolution, capturing infrared radiation in the 8 to 14 microns wavelength band, and outputs a clear thermal image.

This kit is perfect for a variety of applications, from simple DIY projects to more advanced systems requiring thermal detection. Use it to monitor temperature changes in electronic components, enhance home automation systems with thermal sensing, or even create night vision capabilities for robotics. The versatility of this kit allows it to adapt to numerous innovative uses.

One of the standout benefits of this kit is its ease of use. The breakout board accepts a 3-5V input and regulates it for the Lepton® module, ensuring compatibility with various power sources. The module requires an SPI port to read images, and an optional I2C port for configuring camera settings, offering flexibility in how you choose to set up your system.

The Lepton® module is incredibly compact, smaller than a 10-cent coin, yet it delivers impressive thermal sensitivity and a wide field of view: 51 degrees horizontally and 63.5 degrees diagonally. This makes it an excellent choice for applications where space is limited but performance cannot be compromised.

When assembling the kit, it's important to handle the Lepton® module with care, as it is sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Utilizing proper grounding techniques, such as wearing a grounding wrist strap, will help prevent any damage during assembly. The kit's design makes it straightforward to connect the module to the breakout board, allowing you to start experimenting with thermal imaging in no time.