Thermal image acquisition error after ~3 hours on Qwiic-connected development sensor (P/N: 14844)

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Dear Sparkfun Team,

We are evaluating a development sensor (P/N: 14844) and encountered an issue during use. We would appreciate your insights on possible root causes and whether this may be a defect.

Setup / Configuration:

Host: M5StickC Plus2
Interface: Qwiic (I2C, 3.3V)
Application: Temperature distribution measurement of components

Observed Behavior:

I2C communication is functional:
Device address is recognized
EEPROM readout is successful
However, an error occurs when attempting to acquire a thermal image
No visible physical damage on the device

Usage Conditions:

First-time use (not previously used)
Operated for approximately 3 hours before the issue appeared
No firmware update on the sensor itself (only MCU-side programming)
Standard Qwiic connection (3.3V), no known overvoltage or overcurrent condition

Questions:

  1. What could cause a situation where I2C communication (including EEPROM access) works, but thermal image acquisition fails?
  2. Is it possible that only the sensing/imaging function has failed while the digital interface remains operational?
  3. Could this be related to initialization sequence, timing, or software handling rather than hardware damage?
  4. Are there known failure modes for this type of sensor after several hours of operation?
  5. Is recovery possible (e.g., reset, reinitialization), or is this likely a permanent failure?
    Based on this behavior, would this be considered an early-life failure / initial defect?

Any guidance or similar experiences would be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

T4914446

2

Did restarting change behavior at all?

There is a known, uncommon defect on some of the PIR sensors where the solder points (generally backside) short on one another due to the sensor’s dimensions and the amount used to hold them in the PTH holes/board effectively - usually a quick inspection and touch up with a soldering iron can fix it; this user Issue regarding Sparkfun MLX90640 110 Degree Sensor / I2c doesn't detect sensor had a more serious case where they implemented a spacer under the sensor on the front side and re-soldered the rear successfully

If you can take a look at your unit’s soldering and feel free to modify it if you see something wonky; if that’s not an option for ya let me know

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