My night vision goggles

[Jem45472]

So this is the shit I do when I'm bored.
Made myself 2 pairs of nv goggles. As you can see, they are not finished yet but work incredibly well.


This is my first 3d version which is great because you keep your depth perception. Can't really show you a video of this one because you'd only be getting a partial view. I need to build a second refined version of these down the road when I get some free time.






And here is my unfinished non 3d version. Obviously i need to finish wiring these and get rid of all the tape holding them together lol. These are great, image is crystal clear with about an 85 degree field of view. Much better than any binocular on the market.




Check out the quick test video I made.

 

[NY Leatherneck]

That's definitely cool.

 

[hooked]

AWESOME!!!
Mind sharing the build list and how you did it?

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Looks comfy

 

[Magnus]

Definitely share the build list! Also nice jerk off station, the lamp really sets the mood.

 

[Jem45472]

Ok, since I didn't save anything I'll have to make multiple posts. This is for the non 3d version, it's pretty easy and cheap, and works extremely well.

First buy an ir torch. This makes it easy, you can mount ir led's in goggles also, but we'll get to that later.

www.amazon.com/dp/B01EX46D72/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bZ8EAbS72ZFP9

 

[Jem45472]

Next,the goggles.these are made for drone flying and saved a whole lot of work. They are on Amazon, but you can save a lot of money buying from banggood out of china.

Eachine EV800 5 Inches 800x480 FPV Goggles 5.8G 40CH Raceband Auto-Searching Build In Battery Sale - Banggood Mobile

 

[Jem45472]

The camera I used, also ordered from banggood.
Eachine C800T 1/2.7 CCD 800TVL 2.5mm 150 Degree Camera with OSD DC5V-15V NTSC PAL For RC Drone Sale - Banggood Mobile



This lens is a wide angle, kind of gives a fish eye look, and would also need the ir filter removed. I didn't like it, so installed a varifocal lens with no ir filter.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01M...focal+lens&dpPl=1&dpID=41zk5KCcpaL&ref=plSrch

 

[Jem45472]

So those are the parts. $125 and while I have not used most of the nv products you can buy, I am pretty confident none of them at any price range will give you a as good an image or such a large field of view. The camera linked, along with the varifocal lens is probably equivalent to gen1 nv. Most situations you can see in dark very well without it illumination. Of course in really dark situations you need the ir light.

 

[NYGuns]

Thanks for sharing, I think I need to do this

 

[Jem45472]

Thanks for sharing, I think I need to do this

A few more things I need to post, but im at work and need to get a little work done anyways lol.

 

[Jem45472]

This camera on Amazon would probably work equally as well and also comes with the right lens.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016B5204Q/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_5?smid=A2CFBHRVXJYYJI&psc=1

 

[Jem45472]

I bought this battery compartment and mounted on top of goggles to power the camera. This makes the goggles heavy, but is only for testing purposes. Once everything's working you won't need this because you will tap power from the internal battery on the goggles.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00V...42-980703b470ed&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65



Pretty self explanatory, positive and negative to the camera, and you also need to piggyback a ground going to the auxiliary cable input ground on the goggles.

 

[Jem45472]

This is the circuit board in the goggles. When everything is working correctly this is where we tap power and ground to run the camera. It's the black and red wires. Where they have the yellow and white is to hook up a dvr, that's a different project if you want to record everything you see. The power off this board is I believe 3.5 volts. The cameras have a range of 5-12 volts, but I believe I heard they will run fine off the 3.5.

 

[Jem45472]

And finally, I lost the wiring schematic I had , but they have led calculators, there is enough internal power to run 2 of these led's. Can mount them right into the front of goggles and will probably be enough to view about 20 feet or so. Need to see farther than that, use your torch.

Super-bright 5mm IR LED

 

[Jem45472]

Forgot to add, these split in half if you don't want to wear as goggles.

 

[Robin]

Pretty dog gone cool!!!!!
Robin

 

[Jackalope]

Actually, you'd be better off picking up a pair of Spynet kids night vision goggles, as they would have similar performance. You can get working units for around $50 on eBay: SpyNet Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles Binoculars Jakks Pacific | eBay

They are definitely first generation level night vision, but they actually work well for the money. You can't compare them to a PVS-14 NVD, but they cost about $2000 less too. Tasco makes a first generation monocular that runs about $100, and they work okay too.

 

[Jem45472]

Actually, you'd be better off picking up a pair of Spynet kids night vision goggles, as they would have similar performance. You can get working units for around $50 on eBay: SpyNet Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles Binoculars Jakks Pacific | eBay

They are definitely first generation level night vision, but they actually work well for the money. You can't compare them to a PVS-14 NVD, but they cost about $2000 less too. Tasco makes a first generation monocular that runs about $100, and they work okay too.

I've seen them, not the same.


And when I made a comparison to gen1, that was in the ability to see without an ir source. Digital nv such as this has a very sharp image compared to gen1, and the other benefit to these is the very large field of view.

 

[HEX]

Actually, you'd be better off picking up a pair of Spynet kids night vision goggles, as they would have similar performance. You can get working units for around $50 on eBay: SpyNet Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles Binoculars Jakks Pacific | eBay
They are definitely first generation level night vision, but they actually work well for the money. You can't compare them to a PVS-14 NVD, but they cost about $2000 less too. Tasco makes a first generation monocular that runs about $100, and they work okay too.

I highly disagree. A friend of mine bought a set of those and, while they are an interesting toy , the field of vision is so extremely tiny that you cant even maneuver around in the dark with them even a little bit. All you have is an extremely small square of and no depth perception.

Also , I've seen versions of this kind of project for as low as $50, and still a hundred times better than that toy.
This for example.
Jem's version is using better materials/parts then that example and will get surely better results.
I'm pretty impressed actually and really like the design choices made (like the removable monitor from the goggles).

Night vision has always been something far out of my price range. I've experienced very high quality NV gear in the past, and it is amazing, but nothing I could ever nearly afford. Even this is out of my price range as the moment *sigh*, but it's a real cool project. Thanks for posting it.

 

[Jackalope]

Well basic night vision is better than nothing. I have a couple sets of the Spynet NVD's which are for loaning out. I've found them to be adequate; better than nothing, which is why I mentioned them. For folks that are cash strapped, it's an alternative to cobbling something together. I have used them to maneuver with on trails and they do work. However, they will not tolerate moisture, and they do eat batteries. I'd rate them a little down from first generation Russian night vision gear. I'm not sure if the ITAR regulations apply to them either; I doubt it since they're considered to be a toy.

 

[Deplorable Me]

Gaining an understanding of the inner workings of a device is half the battle of of an evil genius, funding is the other half.

 

[Jem45472]

Well basic night vision is better than nothing. I have a couple sets of the Spynet NVD's which are for loaning out. I've found them to be adequate; better than nothing, which is why I mentioned them. For folks that are cash strapped, it's an alternative to cobbling something together. I have used them to maneuver with on trails and they do work. However, they will not tolerate moisture, and they do eat batteries. I'd rate them a little down from first generation Russian night vision gear. I'm not sure if the ITAR regulations apply to them either; I doubt it since they're considered to be a toy.

I don't disagree, for $50 the spynet actually works, but the camera, and screen resolution is very low. Also like hex mentioned field of view is also very small. Neat toy on the cheap that actually works, but these are in a different league for not much more money. In fact probably nothing even close to it on the market without spending huge money.

 

[Jem45472]

Gaining an understanding of the inner workings of a device is half the battle of of an evil genius, funding is the other half.

Isn't that the truth. I actually wanted to market and sell the 3d version, unfortunately it takes $$$ to make $$$, and that is something that is always in short supply at my house.

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

I'm intrigued.

I missed this thread when it was first posted



Any updates?? @Jem45472

 

[Jem45472]

I'm intrigued.

I missed this thread when it was first posted



Any updates?? @Jem45472

Never did get around to permanently mounting the LEDs into the headset, or really using them in the woods like I wanted. Since I bought the cabin I have been busy and not much time for playing around. They do work great though, with a very large field of view.