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Simple night vision build By @terry1001

I would focus it first out of the unit on something about 2-3m away and then try it. If it's not good then you will have to keep removing it. making a small adjustment and the retry. It can be tedious but normally it's sorted within a short time. When you fit the tube over the scope try and make sure it goes on in the same place each time.
 
Cheers Terry
Just now need something suitable to go over the scope and tube to house the board....unless I use pipe and tape the scope and use screws to position.
 
markh29lpool said:
Cheers Terry
Just now need something suitable to go over the scope and tube to house the board....unless I use pipe and tape the scope and use screws to position.
Click to expand...
How did you get on with this project mate ?
 
Very well, I bought a 007 during and I've decided I prefer looking into rather than at so ii will sell the build... If it doesn't I will keep it as a good backup
 
AGF17 said:
Original post by @terry1001
As stated by @terry1001 some of these links are redundant ( I have tried all )

But similar items are available at similar prices.
There are often posts in which people say that they are never going to be able to build their own night vision units. In fact almost anyone can do this and I've done a video showing a build for which the only tools required were a hacksaw and a file and it could be achieved without even these.
I apologise for the video in advance, I wanted to show how to do the build without skipping over it too quickly but it runs to nearly 20 minutes and my understanding of editing (and making) videos for Youtube is almost non-existent. Hopefully some people will find it useful, I'm happy to answer questions about it either on here on via Youtube.
Anyway you can find it here
and here is a list of parts:
Parts list
E700 camera http://www.sure24.co.uk/kpc-e700pub...oard-lens-1-3-700-tvl-30mm-sq-12v-dc-internal £68.34
Reversing monitor http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-800-480...6?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item5b05b64e8c £16.99
12 volt battery http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-6800m...rElectronics_Batteries_SM&hash=item3cdc7c7b7c £26.65
2 way power splitter http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CCTV-Came...t=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item231f421d6c £1.99
BNC to phono adapter http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-BNC-M...268375604?pt=UK_CCTV&var=&hash=item27e0640434 £1.69
Floplast straight coupler http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-solvent-weld-40mm-straight-coupling-black-pack-of-5/76761 £3.99 for 5
Floplast access plug http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-solvent-weld-40mm-access-plug-black-pack-of-5/65881 £3.99 for 5
Figure 8 clamp http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Figure-of...Hunting_ShootingSports_ET&hash=item462058f55e £4.89
Weaver base scope mount for monitor http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-4mm-1-...Hunting_ShootingSports_ET&hash=item27e41d3714 5.99
IR torch with mount http://www.airgunforum.co.uk/forums/showthread.php/177909-Infra-red-and-visible-red-torches-for-sale £38


The ebay links are to show the type and cost of those parts and you can probably substitute similar items if you can find them at a lower price. As far as I know these are all from UK suppliers so delivery times shouldn't be excessive.
The basic idea is to show how simple it can be, obviously it's possible to make cosmetic improvements and to spend more or less on parts. It's worth noting that cheap cameras are often of unknown quality and frequently give poor performance, if you have to remove the ir filter yourself there is also a fair chance that you will cause some damage or even ruin it.
Click to expand...
47
 
AGF17 said:
Original post by @macdoog

Im very keen to give it a go but will the end result be better than an NS50?
Click to expand...
I built my own rig ages ago and never used my NS200 again after that, mine uses a usb camera which plugs into an old phone for the monitor,,no additional battery pack needed,
 
For anyone thinking of building their own heads up nv unit I found and bought this . It,s supposed to be as good as the KPC unit. I used it last night . It was good for close range but not so for longer range , that is , above 30 yards . I guess i have to try re-focusing the lens. At the moment it,s focused at around 4 feet . What would be the best distance to focus the lens ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165069445444?itmmeta=01HPGZHN8S3N6HNSS3WKVK5NNE&hash=item
 
BloBack said:
For anyone thinking of building their own heads up nv unit I found and bought this . It,s supposed to be as good as the KPC unit. I used it last night . It was good for close range but not so for longer range , that is , above 30 yards . I guess i have to try re-focusing the lens. At the moment it,s focused at around 4 feet . What would be the best distance to focus the lens ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165069445444?itmmeta=01HPGZHN8S3N6HNSS3WKVK5NNE&hash=item
Click to expand...
The camera and that lens is supposed to be used in a rear add-on where the camera is mounted behind the rifle scope roughly where your eye would be when mounting the rifle. The lens is then focussed on the scope reticle
If you want to use the camera as a long range NV spotter, you'll need a much longer focal length lens - probably around 50mm

Cheers

Bruce
 
When used as a rear add on Bruce is correct. It does depend on how your scope eyepiece is adjusted for your sight but I found that a distance of aro7nd 40mm between the rear scope glass and the front of the camera lens is about right and will allow you to focus sharply on the reticle image.
If you want a spotter the camera will of course work but you’ll need more magnification and a 50mm lens will give about 4x which is enough for most airgun use. One of the best lens options is an old SLR camera lens as these do not have ir cut coatings and a M42 thread lens and adapter works well.
 
This camera is being used on a heads up rear add on . My original Terry build is being used by my mate when we go ratting . That has the KPC camera and is still going strong after years of use. To get the 40mm distance i will have to modify the current Floplast coupler. That shouldn,t be a problem.
 
BloBack said:
This camera is being used on a heads up rear add on . My original Terry build is being used by my mate when we go ratting . That has the KPC camera and is still going strong after years of use. To get the 40mm distance i will have to modify the current Floplast coupler. That shouldn,t be a problem.
Click to expand...
What are the dimensions of this camera? The E700 was brilliant because it fit nicely in the Floplast fitting and could be done without using any special tools, most are larger unfortunately.
 
BloBack said:
They are slightly larger . I had to bore out the Floplast to 41.8 mm to get a nice push fit.
Click to expand...
That's not too bad. It would clean up quickly on a lathe etc or I suppose you could file out just for the corners.
 
AGF17 said:
Original post by @terry1001
As stated by @terry1001 some of these links are redundant ( I have tried all )

But similar items are available at similar prices.
There are often posts in which people say that they are never going to be able to build their own night vision units. In fact almost anyone can do this and I've done a video showing a build for which the only tools required were a hacksaw and a file and it could be achieved without even these.
I apologise for the video in advance, I wanted to show how to do the build without skipping over it too quickly but it runs to nearly 20 minutes and my understanding of editing (and making) videos for Youtube is almost non-existent. Hopefully some people will find it useful, I'm happy to answer questions about it either on here on via Youtube.
Anyway you can find it here
and here is a list of parts:
Parts list
E700 camera http://www.sure24.co.uk/kpc-e700pub...oard-lens-1-3-700-tvl-30mm-sq-12v-dc-internal £68.34
Reversing monitor http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-800-480...6?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item5b05b64e8c £16.99
12 volt battery http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-6800m...rElectronics_Batteries_SM&hash=item3cdc7c7b7c £26.65
2 way power splitter http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CCTV-Came...t=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item231f421d6c £1.99
BNC to phono adapter http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-BNC-M...268375604?pt=UK_CCTV&var=&hash=item27e0640434 £1.69
Floplast straight coupler http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-solvent-weld-40mm-straight-coupling-black-pack-of-5/76761 £3.99 for 5
Floplast access plug http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-solvent-weld-40mm-access-plug-black-pack-of-5/65881 £3.99 for 5
Figure 8 clamp http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Figure-of...Hunting_ShootingSports_ET&hash=item462058f55e £4.89
Weaver base scope mount for monitor http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-4mm-1-...Hunting_ShootingSports_ET&hash=item27e41d3714 5.99
IR torch with mount http://www.airgunforum.co.uk/forums/showthread.php/177909-Infra-red-and-visible-red-torches-for-sale £38


The ebay links are to show the type and cost of those parts and you can probably substitute similar items if you can find them at a lower price. As far as I know these are all from UK suppliers so delivery times shouldn't be excessive.
The basic idea is to show how simple it can be, obviously it's possible to make cosmetic improvements and to spend more or less on parts. It's worth noting that cheap cameras are often of unknown quality and frequently give poor performance, if you have to remove the ir filter yourself there is also a fair chance that you will cause some damage or even ruin it.
Click to expand...
Great video. Might give that a go 😂
 
Who's building his own night vision in 2025? This thread is kinda obsolete now. There are many products available for every budget and they're (almost?) all better than the DIY solutions. Besides, the famous e700 camera isn't available anymore.
I did love to tinker with DIY nightvision and the information Terry (amongst others) shared was priceless. It's just that this thread's lost It's value in my opinion. Unsticky?
 
I gained lots of useful info when building my early night vision add on kits for myself and friends. Lots of e700 cameras and alternatives were sold many of which will be still sat in night vision kitbags, like mine. I believe many would benefit from tinkering with their own version and gain great satisfaction.
 
Roy75 said:
I gained lots of useful info when building my early night vision add on kits for myself and friends. Lots of e700 cameras and alternatives were sold many of which will be still sat in night vision kitbags, like mine. I believe many would benefit from tinkering with their own version and gain great satisfaction.
Click to expand...
totally agree with you I felt so much satisfaction researching, ordering all the bits, putting them together it was exciting . I felt I was a genius and how amazing it was to be able to see right across fields in the pitch black. Still have all my builds and bits just incase I ever want to use them again ☺️
 
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