I'm wondering if anybody could help me out here. I recently acquired an old US Army infrared sniperscope, manufacture date 1951. It's a neat collectible piece, and I'm working on restoring it to working order.
The image tube that converts infrared to visible light runs on 20,000 volts. I've determined that the power supply is not putting out any power.
To achieve this voltage from a 6-volt battery, a vibrator relay pulses at 115hz. That is then fed into a step-up transformer, and then, in the original, would be half-wave rectified by vacuum tube and I assume filtered with a capacitor before being sent to the tube.
Problem is, somewhere along the line somebody replaced the original circuitry with a single device. It's a potted plastic box that is marked "RCC 212-136 7208". It has 4 connections: INPUT, which appears to connect to one side of the transformer secondary, leaving the other wire disconnected; REF, which is connected to ground; FOCUS, which is not connected; and the HV output. Whatever this device is, it isn't working. I find it odd that it's connected to only one side of the transformer secondary, this shouldn't work at all. But apparently it was working the last time it was used.
My goal is to eventually restore it to original condition, but for now, I'd just like to have it working.
So, what do you think this device could be? By the focus wire, I'm guessing it had something to do with a CRT or iconoscope tube. It definitely looks newer than the 50s, I'd believe 70s or later.
The transformer itself is odd, too. It's original, and it's all potted. Its inputs are 6v, gnd, and two wires from the vibrator relay. I really wish I had the original manual, which would have included schematics. But apparently it's pretty rare.
Interior of the power pack. At left is the transformer. The can at upper right is the vibrator, the plastic tube at lower right contains the HV output.
The RCC device.
So, any ideas?
The image tube that converts infrared to visible light runs on 20,000 volts. I've determined that the power supply is not putting out any power.
To achieve this voltage from a 6-volt battery, a vibrator relay pulses at 115hz. That is then fed into a step-up transformer, and then, in the original, would be half-wave rectified by vacuum tube and I assume filtered with a capacitor before being sent to the tube.
Problem is, somewhere along the line somebody replaced the original circuitry with a single device. It's a potted plastic box that is marked "RCC 212-136 7208". It has 4 connections: INPUT, which appears to connect to one side of the transformer secondary, leaving the other wire disconnected; REF, which is connected to ground; FOCUS, which is not connected; and the HV output. Whatever this device is, it isn't working. I find it odd that it's connected to only one side of the transformer secondary, this shouldn't work at all. But apparently it was working the last time it was used.
My goal is to eventually restore it to original condition, but for now, I'd just like to have it working.
So, what do you think this device could be? By the focus wire, I'm guessing it had something to do with a CRT or iconoscope tube. It definitely looks newer than the 50s, I'd believe 70s or later.
The transformer itself is odd, too. It's original, and it's all potted. Its inputs are 6v, gnd, and two wires from the vibrator relay. I really wish I had the original manual, which would have included schematics. But apparently it's pretty rare.
Interior of the power pack. At left is the transformer. The can at upper right is the vibrator, the plastic tube at lower right contains the HV output.
The RCC device.
So, any ideas?