Simple night vision build By @terry1001

[Rain]

See? Everyone's getting nostalgic I dumped most parts (had a box full of lcd screens, connectors, cables, lenses, ir leds etc.. Took the DIY route and in the end spent more money than buying a Photon or Nitesite. The point I tried to make; DIY night vision is not worth it anymore as a €70 Aliexpress/Ebay scope add-on gives you a better image and is a lot more user friendly (runs on 1 18650 for example and has included laser IR).

 

[TimD81]

See? Everyone's getting nostalgic I dumped most parts (had a box full of lcd screens, connectors, cables, lenses, ir leds etc.. Took the DIY route and in the end spent more money than buying a Photon or Nitesite. The point I tried to make; DIY night vision is not worth it anymore as a €70 Aliexpress/Ebay scope add-on gives you a better image and is a lot more user friendly (runs on 1 18650 for example and has included laser IR).

hmmmm I dont know about better image the e700pub camera on ags and hawke scopes gave me an excellent image with a t20 black sun ir,

 

[TimD81]

a quick very old clip No animal was hurt it was just viewed, at a rough guess distance circa 30-40 yards

 

[billy.whizz]

I remember my night vision set up , inspired by @terry1001, i still have some of the plumbing fittings left that i bought from screwfix, you could only get 6 or so in a bag. ive just been trying to find the wiring pic that terry sent me. happy days.

 

[Bighit]

I have a very low light camera that I was going to get fitted into my NT300 that was better than the one fitted in it . It will still show colour long after the e700 has gone black and white. Can't remember the brand of camera now.

 

[terry1001]

This type of device is preferred by quite a few people as the screen display is kinder on the eyes than the near eye displays and it allows you to shoot from the most convenient position rather than having to adapt to an add on which pushed your head position way back on the stock. Of course you don't get built in rangefinders, ballistic compensation etc but that is of questionable benefit in many scenarios. There's a lot of satisfaction in building your own kit and sourcing parts. I still use the unit I built years ago, I have tried a few commercial products and not found one that I would change to but each to their own, there's plenty of choice.

 

[TimD81]

what were the near eye units called ? vfg900 or something ??? I always planned on getting a little hawkeye dvr to put in a build to record but never got round to it, all these parts are obsolete now

 

[Bighit]

what were the near eye units called ? vfg900 or something ??? I always planned on getting a little hawkeye dvr to put in a build to record but never got round to it, all these parts are obsolete now

This one ?



I managed to rip the ribbon cable off mine on the NT300 and Ash sold me the last one he had

[Hot Item] View Finder (VF-2C)

Model NO.: VF-2C Resolution: 640*480: Virtual Screen Size: 68 Inch Color: Black: Compatible With All Kinds of Cameras Trademark: blank Origin: China HS Code: 8528591000

www.made-in-china.com

 

[TimD81]

This one ?



I managed to rip the ribbon cable off mine on the NT300 and Ash sold me the last one he had




View attachment 806916

[Hot Item] View Finder (VF-2C)

Model NO.: VF-2C Resolution: 640*480: Virtual Screen Size: 68 Inch Color: Black: Compatible With All Kinds of Cameras Trademark: blank Origin: China HS Code: 8528591000

www.made-in-china.com

yes thats the ones , think thats what they used in the vulpine builds too

 

[Bighit]

yes thats the ones , think thats what they used in the vulpine builds too

I know Marky used the as my NT300 has one that has been cut down and some others used them on their own DIY units . I was lucky Ash still had one as i could not even get one from China at the time.

 

[terry1001]

There was a lot of fun to be had with experimenting with various components. Camcorder eyepieces were a good starting point for a near eye display although quite low resolution. At that time there wasn't the availabilty of Chinese components as we have now and what was available wasn't cheap and it was generally the case that if you went back and bought a second item a month later it turned out to be completely different.
The first NV unit I put together was a Yukon monocular behind a scope acting as a rear add on and while it worked, up to a point, it was then I found out that a bright image in one eye soon led to headaches and disorientation, something that still affects me. Others used camcorders as add ons, the Sony nightshot ones were reasonable with ir, but they were bulky and usually wouldn'y fit over the comb but they could record as well. I've seen, and tried, so many different methods for putting an aiming point on target and most have some merit including a system that used a scope mounted camera plus a head mounted (spotter) camera where you could switch between the two which I thought was quite good. If you were making the unit yourself you could configure it to suit you and as it was used in the dark it really didn't matter too much what it looked like.
Of course you'd also need an illuminator and since you couldn't buy one for next to nothing on ebay ar aliexpress I started to build my own. Several others were using the T20 torch where you rotated the head to focus but there was a lot of slop in the mechanism which meant that the light beam would move around as you focussed so I went with torches where the head slid in/out to focus and although they were slightly more difficult to modify I much preferred the end result. Once the Chinese started to produce ir torches the price dropped as they used poorer quality electronics and most people prefeered to buy cheap rather than something built around the best LEDs etc.
As with most hobbies people make buying decisions based on gimmicks and less than independent reviews and the manufacturers realise this and produce refular 'improved' versions to tempt upgrading which seems to be a very profitable marketing strategy.

 

[Ratman72]

Hello, The Chap who started all the DIY night vision joined the forum but i do not see him on here much, Is he ok ( sorry forgot name )

 

[terry1001]

Ken Hawker was one of the pioneers, he was posting at the same time I was but about slightly different ptojects but I've heard nothing of him for ages, maybe someone knows. Another who joined more recently from the night vision forum was Bruce, posting here as mealiejimmie but he was banned after a hunting post I believe.
For anyone interested there would probably be old posts on the night vision forum UK regarding add ons and torches.

 

[Ratman72]

Ken Hawker was one of the pioneers, he was posting at the same time I was but about slightly different ptojects but I've heard nothing of him for ages, maybe someone knows. Another who joined more recently from the night vision forum was Bruce, posting here as mealiejimmie but he was banned after a hunting post I believe.
For anyone interested there would probably be old posts on the night vision forum UK regarding add ons and torches.

Hello, That right Terry Ken Hawker, I believed he joined the AGF but not seen any posts for some time ?

 

[terry1001]

Hello, That right Terry Ken Hawker, I believed he joined the AGF but not seen any posts for some time ?

I believe he wasn't very well and had quite a long break from posting but did return for a few posts. No idea how he is or who might know him.