Another AJ Dual project, DIY Night Vision for $200.

[AJ Dual]

Yay... another "AJ Dual Project" that'll possibly have some of you spending yet more money on the net, when your wallets haven't cooled from the RV85 launcher... 

There's a large stash of 1980's Gen I photomultiplier tubes being sold in the UK right now for around $130 shipped to the US.

If you know anything about NVD's Gen 1 sounds like it's crap, but these are very, very, very good Gen 1 tubes. They are high resolution, and can have as much as 100,000x gain to them, which is better than many Gen 3 devices. (Although admittedly, they have protection circuits and all sorts of other features, and will be 1/4 the size/weight of course...) And properly assembled these tubes can perform better than many commercial market Gen 2 or Russian/Chinese imported devices.

This is a device 'worth having' when most of the NV out there that's 'worth having' is $1800 and up... http://www.tnvc.com/shop/category/night-vision-monoculars/

They can be used as a spotter scope, or adapted to SLR's/DSLR's with the right stuff.  After the tube, you need some wire, a 4 AA battery holder that runs in series producing 6V, and some sort of "fast" low f-stop lens, ideally below f1.8, which some of you photo buffs may have on hand already, and with the proper adapter ring, you can just take it off and put it back on your camera when you need it. Otherwise, there's several f1.4 video and CCTV lenses on fleabay that are suitable. Some folks have even mounted them with Aimpoints/EOTechs, and others have grafted them onto externally adjustable military scope mounts, inserted a glass reticle for crosshairs and put them on rifles.

http://www.anchorsupplies.com/night_vision.htm They'll rape you on shipping, more than the tube actually, and http://www.starlightnv.co.uk/buy_scopes_online.html is 85GBP shipped flat rate. (1/2 way down, the "High Resolution Gen1 listing)

I found an actual eyepiece for the tube here: on eBay Australia. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mil-Spec-Lens-VARO-Night-Vision-Eyepiece-Device-/140670704739?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c0a09c63#ht_2175wt_932 I got the last one, sorry... but there's probably more out there.

You can do this as fancy or as crudely as you want. Mount it all in some ABS drain pipe, or machine a completed housing for it if you've got the skills.

General overview of building one yourself: http://www.anchorsupplies.com/firstgenintensifiers.pdf

Data sheets for the tubes: http://general.blackice.com.au/pics/newpics/P8079HP/

More info on a build: http://www.hvlabs.com/nightvis.html

[brimic]

Very interesting.
I just need to find an angle to sell this one to the minister of finance.

[AJ Dual]

Very interesting.
I just need to find an angle to sell this one to the minister of finance.

Just went through that last night...

"What are you looking at on eBay? " 

"Oh nothing, this is just a military surplus eyepiece that fits a night-vision tube."

"On eBay?"

"Yeah, all sorts of stuff is on eBay..."

"Are there only so many left?"     

"Yes, there's only two left. Oh, but I probably don't want it. I need to go to this other place in England and buy a night vision tube. This just happens to actually be a perfect fit for it. Some batteries and wire, and you've got a night vision scope for a few hundred bucks, instead of paying two thousand or more. I was just looking at what some other people online were doing."

"(sigh), Just go get all the stuff you need before it's gone." 

 


But if you do go through with it, don't worry about buying the "correct" eyepiece. People have used all sorts of stuff, plastic jewelers loupes etc. that just cost a few dollars.

[French G.]

I used to want NVGs. Now I just want an IR scope, patiently waiting for them to be less than 10K.

[Physics]

Thanks for the heads up... thinking about it.  :)

[AJ Dual]

My only regret is I didn't buy two of each, could have made binoculars with them.

[cordex]

I used to want NVGs. Now I just want an IR scope, patiently waiting for them to be less than 10K.

Decent ones are between $2k and $4k now:
http://www.flir.com/cvs/americas/en/personalvision/view/?id=44756
http://www.flir.com/cvs/americas/en/personalvision/view/?id=42274

[Harold Tuttle]

digital video cameras are very sensitive to IR light

IR flood lamps can light your yard with 900nm that most people are incapable of seeing

[dogmush]

digital video cameras are very sensitive to IR light

IR flood lamps can light your yard with 900nm that most people are incapable of seeing

Really?

(Tries to remember where the ATN IR illuminator and digital P&S are)

[Lee]

Very interesting.
I just need to find an angle to sell this one to the minister of finance.

As they say, "it's better to ask for forgiveness, than permission"

I can come up with some reasonable explanation next month.

[Lee]

Dumb question (off to a rough start perhaps)
How do I print this file.  I've never had a problem printing other PDF's.
General overview of building one yourself: http://www.anchorsupplies.com/firstgenintensifiers.pdf

[Harold Tuttle]

http://www.iluminarinc.com/Ir_illuminators_products.html

[AJ Dual]

The objective lens is here. Unfortunately the eyepiece and the tube itself are on slow boats from Australia and England respectively. 

[AJ Dual]

The tube, and the surplus eyepiece that fits it came. Registered mail, international shipments. The mail clerk looked at me like a terrorist or something, because I had oddly shaped packages from both Israel and the UK.

Customs seems to have thought so as well, as both were opened, and re-taped.



Now I just need 4 AA batteries, some wire, a switch, a battery box, and some way to put the C-mount CCTV lens on the front of the tube.

[Lee]

So does it work?