cj7hawk

Sounds like you got a good tube then Sometimes, passive is better than active if there's mist or rain around. Otherwise you just tend to see the rain and your range is reduced. I switch between the two when I'm spotting. You may have trouble taking a photo when it's that dark. The camera can get an image OK, but usually it's dark enough that it can't focus on anything, so the pics always seem to be blurry. manual focus is a must, as is a tripod and sometimes a slightly longer exposure. David

Yes, though why waste all that power on the chip and everything else? Just pull the laser out and run it straight across a 1.5v battery.. Or you can get a constant current driver from a LED and use that. But it's going to be way too narrow and probably too low power to be of any real use. There are some cheap options... http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.31592 - $3.46 http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.ir%20torch http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2047 http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12625 These would all give exceptional illumination - Though that said, have you been able to try your scope out in really dark circumstances yet? I'm curious as to how it performs - David.

1 mW is WAY too bright for a NV scope on a dark night, though it should be possible to turn it down to the point that even a red laser wouldn't spook anything and would be invisible unless it was pointed directly at you. I don't think it would be difficult - what is difficult is importing the aiming mechanisms... They are usually attached to lasers of around 5mW, though I did link to one earlier that claimed <1mW. As for illumination? Lasers are great for several hundred meters... I tried a Gen1 laser with my PVS-4 a few months back ( Another forum member came by for a visit ) and it made a HUGE difference. Like a spotlight right out to 250m ( the longest distance we could test over ). However they are very narrow. A few weeks back, I was just using 2 x LEDs... 400mW total. Wide angle ( 40 degrees ). They were great. Good illumination out past 50m - perhaps out past 100m. I didn't walk it out but they saw eyeshine a , long long way away. Well over 100m. Probably around 200m and that was just 2 of them on 2xAA batteries. These LEDs are dirt cheap ( I have a bundle I've been taking off old broken IR cameras ) Anyway, you can buy IR lasers in Melbourne from memory. Up to several watts. Not so useful for the spotters, but might be exceptional for my next project. David.

I'm not really sure what you're trying to create here ? Do you mean as a source of a targetting laser? There are some awkward laws regarding lasers ever since people started shining them at planes. Besides, you can buy <1mw lasers quite cheaply, so it shouldn't be an issue. I put a reflect scope in front of my Gen2 NV kit last night and took a photo - It works pretty well - It's just a matter of getting the NV scope within the reflex scope's optical axis... At least partially. David

This morning my wife looks down at my trousers beside the bed on the floor and fixes me with a stare that could bore a hole through steel plate at 50m. Then she points to them and asks "How did they get there?" OK, I know everyone's first instinct is to tell them it's none of their business, but she's been good to me and it would be wrong to disrespect her. I nod politely, walk over to the draws next to the bed to let her know I understand and hold my hand out. She picks them up and hands them to me. I immediately roll them into a ball and toss them back on the floor, lodging them exactly where they were before. "That's how they got there," I say. Then she hits me... I don't get it? She asks me a question, I answer it honestly and now she's all mad at me... A bloke can't win can he? David.

Heh, but some "ing" stuff I'll gladly do... Like Shooting, Camping, Building, etc. Anyway, here's some teaser shots... Remember, these are just images during creation of a prototype. I spoke to Richard today about some of the ideas and he's got a good idea of everything needed right to the end You can't see the precision with which he's made everything in these photo's, but you can get an idea of how thoroughly he's thought it out ( yes, I did some of the original design, but even then Richard had a lot of input at that point... ). Examples are the separate switchbox from the battery box. That allows the unit to be sealed and weather resistant. It also means you can slip some clean silica gel ( Those little packets you get with some stuff ) into the top partition and keep it from fogging up without needing nitrogen. Then the mods to the end caps are Richard's idea - and they work really well... I had no trouble firing the tube up with earth running through the tube into the ground ring. I messed up the eyepiece, though it still works - so Richard's going to fix that ( needs to be 5mm shorter ). Also, you can see how it's C-mount - The lens or lens adapter will just screw straight into the front. David. p.s. That "Zoomed" shot - Super Zoom Mode... That "free" telescope I mentioned will screw into the back of the scope to allow zoom mode without sacrificing intensification.

Ok, I'll play it down then... I'll just all what came in the mail. First, it's plain as Optic says.. Plain means unpainted. Second, it's not finished. OK. Now.. It's precise. And it fits together so easily that it's purely an "Assembly" job. That said, it's not certain that there won't be any changes... Already, I am lining them up to see if Optic can make them. There are some serious simplifications that can be achieved here. Don't worry too much, Optic, they are simple changes. I'll draw them up tomorrow and email them. Unfortunately, I don't have the electronics for this here - So I'll get another set on Monday Morning. The parts are almost generic though, so it will be possible to make your own from stuff you buy locally. Then I can send it back to be with Optic again by the weekend. And I have an idea about the ground contact I'll try this weekend. Anyway, I have to assemble it to functional, so I can check the focal distances, etc. Low key enough? That said, Optic's work on this is incredible... Very nice... I don't think anyone will be disappointed. David

The wife just called to tell me something that sounds interesting has arrived... Could be some pics to follow tonight. ??? David

Well another day, waiting for the scope... It feels like Christmas again Crossing my fingers that the mailman will come today. There's be pics to follow, of course... But from all descriptions, Optic's done a fantastic job on this. It's been bright of late. These scopes work beautifully on moonlight nights too. I know it's bright without them, but they are really good at peering into the shadows on a night like the ones we've had. But I can see the moon slowly getting smaller each night again, so the dark nights will be soon to follow.. Maybe in a week or so. David

Heh, you will get a shock out the country... Where it's REALLY dark... They will struggle when it's like that, but should still give a useable image if your lens is fast enough. Also, if you've been driving for a while, stop somewhere safe, turn the lights off, get out and have a look under your car with the NV Maybe in the engine bay too! David.

Canon Powershot A590... Good camera. 8mp, 4xZoom. Something small enough that I can stuff it in my pocket in a hurry, but powerful enough that I can take long exposures, manually focus or whatever. Good for taking shots through my NV gear too! Has a 640x480 res 30fps movie mode that's quite useful too. David

That's not a bad picture at all... In fact, it's pretty good. If it gets really dark, then taking a picture can be a little difficult due to light levels and camera settings, though the image through the viewfinder is usually still quite viewable. I'd be interested to know how it goes when it gets really dark though And congratulations on a successful project David.

Yes, a mag lens will make a difference. So long as the "brightness" in the tube scales, you will keep on seeing well into the dark. It's primarily the detail you need. Eventually the image in the tube gets dark if it's dark enough, but it's still a lot brighter than adapter eyesight... And you can see static objects too. When it's really dark the tube looks kind of like "twilight" but it's still bring enough to see stuff. If you need good vision out to past 100m and it's starlight only, you can always use an IR torch to provide a little more light... I use just 2 x LEDs and they go out past 50m. You could wire up 4 x LEDs as extra illumination if you needed to with this project. That would be nearly a watt and would let you see detail out quite some way... What speed was the lens? Hmm F2. Should be OK. Especially with any moon, let alone full moon. David.

Hmmm. This is actually the "worst case" scenario... To get a tube that underperforms. Though I haven't encountered on yet, it is possible. What were you using to view the viewfinder? Did you have a magnifying lens? Another think to watch out for is stray light. Light can often get in through all kinds of places and mess up the contrast. When using a cardboard tube, wrap the whole think with at least 2 layers of black duct tape - that will keep all of the light out. Also, make sure the aperture is fully open. If you're using a 50mm F2 lens, I take it that it's a manual camera lens? What you need to do check that the iris is fully open. Some lenses need to be attached to the camera to do this. I know ALL of my lenses do. About 7 of them. I wedge a matchstick into the iris lever slot to hold it fully open... Otherwise it looks like you describe. David.

OK, so it's been two quiet days in the shed... Just you, some PVC and an image tube... I'm waiting to hear news of another successful project here How is it coming along? David.

Most of the time, it's not desirable to have such a fast lens for photography work - so it's quite difficult to find in the way of camera lenses with a longer focal size. Video lenses go down to about F1.4. Night vision dedicated lenses go to F1.1 ( or sometimes even F1.0 or F0.95 ) But for a project like this, anything F2.0 or under is OK. My son was holding a F1.4 lens based tube on the weekend and spotted a fox with enough detail to see it's markings. That fox had been annoying my neighbors for months, but someone put a hole in it's backside a long time ago so it was smart enough to avoid humans. Well fed too. Conditions were no moon and overcast... It was really dark! David

Quite inventive. Anyway, Lens: Ebay Lens Camera: Ebay Camera. Then you just need a high resolution display... Perhaps a nice 14" flat panel monitor These are two components of my next project too - An IR adapter for Day Scopes so that you can shoot at night with IR light... David.

Reflex sight. About $25... I've ordered one to see how difficult it is to modify for night vision. That was a cool project you linked through to though - David.

Standard postage from the UK, by Royal Mail - 12.92 pounds. I still have the box from the last one they sent me - but it took a month or longer to get here... I think some of yours arrived the same week if I recall. I think the seller is genuine... I've watched them long enough to have some confidence in what they are doing. And I know of a couple of cases where they replaced tubes too. That said, I do have a problematic tube myself ( one of mine ) which I had to take apart and fix, but in fairness, it was working when it got here... Luck of the draw eh? If you can see it with your eye, then a camera will be able to see it. If you have focus issues, then wind out the focus a bit - that helps the camera focus. The tube has a much higher resolution than your camera display though. Sometimes this is worthwhile to do some video photography or similar though. ( Then it's known as an "Intensified Camera" )... You can also fit a very small CCD camera in behind the lens too, but would need to use a good low-light lens assembly... Probably cost about $50 all up for the parts - let me know if you want to try that and I'll send you some part numbers. But don't underestimate the quality of the tube to your eye through a good eyepiece. When set up correctly, your tube should appear almost "optical" in quality. Almost like there was a piece of green glass in the front lens. David.

Awesome! Two working projects ! Don't forget to show it around and tell people you made it And I'm really happy to help too - Australians have been too long without decent Night Vision gear - something shooters in the US and even the UK take for granted. We might not have convenient access to Gen2 or Gen3 gear, but these scopes at least match what high-end scopes can do even if they are big and heavy. The housings that Optic is making should be pretty neat too! It will be the first time anyone has made them mountable as a rehoused tube that I've heard of ( and a LOT of people have asked me about that in the past too ! ) David.

Hmm. I wonder if there's a glitch in the regulator. Does your tube say P8079 or P8079HP? 10v is a little high - but it sounds like electrical contacts were the issue. At least it worked The wires shouldn't matter too much - these things draw about 35ma - not a lot. Perhaps a bad battery box? Anyway, glad it's all working ! It won't be long before you finish it then, given how far along you were - David.

I'd advise against it - There's around 50,000 volts floating around at the back-end of the tube. It probably ( I only say probably ) won't kill you, but it will hurt. The pic's quite good actually. That looks like a dark night, no moon, looking through the trees. Taking a photo like you mentioned it harder than it sounds. Regards David

OK, the suspense is building now... Paul? Did you manage that second test? Good electrical contact is very important. BTW, Worm, that looks pretty good. Did you get any pics through the lens yet? The easiest way is to just hold the digital camera up to the back of it and take a shot. If it has trouble focussing, then you might need to wind the back lens out a bit, though usually it's just a matter of not zooming the camera and taking a picture David

OK, I checked what thread should be used on the mount. 1/4"-20tpi (threads per inch) Whitworth such as is used in photography, though apparently UNC is fine Regards David

When there's no glow anymore, it's pretty safe to turn on the lights again. But it's easier to have a lens-cap handy and you can drill a small-hole in the lens-cap ( say about 1 to 1.5mm ) to let a little light in for testing in well-lit areas ( though be careful using in daylight ). David