Testing NODs and Light Sources

[Ben]

These guys took a Gen2 monocular and put it through various light exposure tests, to include direct sunlight and lasers. Some interesting results to show the tubes are tougher than one might think. As a Gen3 tube owner, I am super, super paranoid about even accidently looking at the moon, let alone daylight, but it appears NODs can be pretty tough, and self-correcting.

The blackbox was something interesting that I'd never heard of. After they got some spots from light exposure, they popped a fresh battery in the tube, turned it on, and put it in a Pelican case overnight. The next day the blems were gone.

They're saying that if they get enough likes on this video, they're gonna do a Photonis or Gen3 on the next test (which they expect not to be as robust as the Gen2).

https://youtu.be/20DzW3rntEw

[Ben]

Couple of interesting side notes as I investigated this channel.

They are a European company, but (according to the comments section) are able to acquire US Gen3 up to 1500FOM, even with ITAR rules.

The Europeans are coming out with some stuff that's getting close to ours (Harder digital company), apparently available to their civilians at price just a bit higher than ours. In the video below, the Harder optics 2050FOM are pretty on par with US Gen3 1500FOM.

https://youtu.be/6dTxg7nZTKI

[dogmush]

I don't have near as much cash tied up in my tube as you do in your pair, but I just run it with "reasonable" care.  I am certainly not paranoid about looking at lights, although I try to limit exposure.  I will routinely have folks a couple bays over at a night shoot running white lights and I've swept the stars an moon plenty while looking around.  With the .mil gear I've used I've looked directly at things like vessel lights and aircraft strobes and never had a problem, along with folks popping parachute flares off while I was under NODS.  Of course with Uncle Sam's tubes I just order a new one if I burn it out.

They are reasonably robust though as far as using them around lights, as long as you don't stare directly into lights for a while. 

[Ben]

I mean, I don't run in circles screaming if the moon comes into view. I often get the moon when panning around stargazing. I just don't stare at it. I can't remember what light source I hit one time, not for all that long, that left artifacts in my view. Turning the NODs off and back on didn't clear it, but leaving them off for a while did.

I have really good autogating on mine, but from reading, the more the autogating has to kick in and the more bright stuff you look at, the faster the life expectancy goes down. I don't know if that's a large or small number. I have done a couple of stupid things, like walk back into the house with the NODs still on, and not realize it for a minute or two. No apparent harm done. This video actually just left me feeling more comfortable about not freaking from doing dumbass stuff.

[dogmush]

Does your mount turn them off when you flip it up?  Or were you walking around a lit house with the goggles down?   


I guess one of the cool things about being poor and running a single PVS-14 is my off eye notices brightness in a hurry, and I flip the mount up.

[Ben]

Does your mount turn them off when you flip it up?  Or were you walking around a lit house with the goggles down?   


I guess one of the cool things about being poor and running a single PVS-14 is my off eye notices brightness in a hurry, and I flip the mount up.

It's a Wilcox mount, but it doesn't turn them off. I don't know if that's the mount or the goggles, but it's one bummer about the setup - I have to be extra cautious about turning off the knob, or at least the remote batteries.

[RocketMan]

This thread reminds me about how sensitive the old vidicon video camera tubes were back in the day.  Accidentally point them at a studio light or the sun and those tubes were permanently damaged.  We had to be extremely careful with those cameras.