power supply/transformer for russian night vision goggles 0h 1x20

Thread Starter

voidstudiosireland

Joined Aug 25, 2021
7
I have a pair of night vision goggles. All parts check out fine, except for the power transformer capsule.
Input voltage is 3v. I'm unsure about the output, though It's somewhere between 18kv and 22kv.
I highly doubt i'll find a new part for it, so i'm wondering about creating one myself and 3d printing a housing for it.
The only similar thing I can find is 400kv or so on wish and amazon. I'm looking for considerably less current than that though.
I'm no circuit designer, but I certainly understand the concepts, individual components, and can physically assemble them, just looking for a point in the right direction. I'm looking to possibly test at the lower end of the spectrum, and increase if necessary, so as not to blow out the amplifiers.
 

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Bordodynov

Joined May 20, 2015
3,177
I have encountered Russian night vision devices. I also modeled a circuit of one of them. The circuit I investigated used a small-sized transformer with very specific parameters. It was a transformer with an output voltage of 300 V. Also the transformer resonance frequency (~ 15 - 20 kHz) was specified for it. This resonates the inductance and capacitance of the winding. I think there were 3 windings. The output voltage from the transformer was fed to a voltage multiplier consisting of diodes and capacitors. In my case there were two such converters (and two transformers).
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764

Thread Starter

voidstudiosireland

Joined Aug 25, 2021
7
I have encountered Russian night vision devices. I also modeled a circuit of one of them. The circuit I investigated used a small-sized transformer with very specific parameters. It was a transformer with an output voltage of 300 V. Also the transformer resonance frequency (~ 15 - 20 kHz) was specified for it. This resonates the inductance and capacitance of the winding. I think there were 3 windings. The output voltage from the transformer was fed to a voltage multiplier consisting of diodes and capacitors. In my case there were two such converters (and two transformers).
I only have one on this 1st gen model. The IR illuminator runs off of a passthrough 3v.
The amplifiers split from the transformer cylinder. Interesting you had only 300v. Perhaps i should start lower than the kv range.
 

DickCappels

Joined Aug 21, 2008
10,153
That high voltage, what is it for?
The night vision goggles use Vacuum image intensifier tubes. One end of the tube is coated with an alkali that emits electrons when exposed to light from a scene which is focussed on the input of the tube. The stream of electrons are accelerated by a high positive voltage (just like a photomultiplier tube) and focused on an output glass screen. Inside the screen is a phosphor coating (usually green for efficiency) and the image is viewed from the other side of the screen.
 

Thread Starter

voidstudiosireland

Joined Aug 25, 2021
7
That high voltage, what is it for?
I'm going off of a similar model that seems to use the same cathode amplifiers.
I'm not 100 percent on the voltage because there isn't a lot of info, and I can't test the old part obviously.
I'm not sure why I wasn't able to find those transformers you posted, possibly using a wrong search term. I was checking electronics supply sites as well.
 

jiggermole

Joined Jul 29, 2016
161
I'm not sure why I wasn't able to find those transformers you posted, possibly using a wrong search term. I was checking electronics supply sites as well.
amazon's search isn't the most helpful. No surprise people have issues trying to find stuff on there.
 

Thread Starter

voidstudiosireland

Joined Aug 25, 2021
7
On any of these "arc generator" transformers... There are two wire outputs. The transformer on the googles has one output split to the two tube amplifiers. What would the best way to hook this up be? The ground for each eyepiece is through the frame they mount to. Should I run one wire to the frame and the other split to the eyepieces? Or just leave the existing ground connection from the battery unit and only run one of the output wires from the transformer?
 

jiggermole

Joined Jul 29, 2016
161
I'm not very familiar with the setup but It kind of sounds like the existing transformer from the battery unit is using the frame of the transformer as one lead. Like a microwave transformer. So I would say, based on very little information and guesswork, is that one lead from the arc generators will connect to wherever the old transformer was mounted to and the other will split to the amplifiers like the old one was. Again best guess.
 

Thread Starter

voidstudiosireland

Joined Aug 25, 2021
7
I was thinking the same, was just going to solder one lead to the metal sheathing and split the other. The current transformer in photo above is housed in a metal sheath.

The positive wire of the battery housing is the only wire coming from the housing.

It is wired to the transformer. The IR illuminator is ganged to that wire and the negative is soldered to the sheathe.
The other end of the transformer has one socket that the output wires are split from. There is no negative output.
 

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Thread Starter

voidstudiosireland

Joined Aug 25, 2021
7
Not yet, I have to get the parts to build a new power supply. Are yours not working at all?
When I first got mine, there was a simple wire problem.
Do yours power on at all?
Does the infrared light power on?
 

Bordodynov

Joined May 20, 2015
3,177
A couple of months ago a buddy of mine was trying to fix an ancient night scope. The voltage converter was made on a blocking generator. The Russian germanium transistor P217 had failed. We couldn't find it.
 
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