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Posted: 7/7/2015 9:20:16 PM EDT
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So I've come across threads where people have DIY NV projects, can anyone point me towards a thread or group that do the same with thermals? I know all the EMX's that the DOD got rid of a while back had to go SOMEwhere. The cores aren't supported by the company any longer, but there's got to be SOMEbody that can get/use a little bit older technology into our not so rich hands! It wasn't THAT long ago that this stuff was pretty high up on the food chain, sure there's clearer stuff out there now days, but for those of us that just wanna tell a pig from a dog and a man from a cow or find a sounder, these are sweet. At one point I went through everything with a known good cable and knew what cameras worked, what monitors worked, I know I have a couple working and a couple for parts, but the ones that weren't working are likely a bad connection or something small to a knowledgeable electronically educated and motivated person.
I've got a few of the 2 piece units, I was planning on a DIY 1 piece housing because the comm cord seemed to always be our failure point. I haven't totally lost interest in the project, but either way I go, I'd like to at lease start the conversation with the right people. Here's a couple pics, view them and lets get this conversation started! 
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160x120? They'd need to be very inexpensive to justify when you can pick up a 320 thermal camera off eBay out of a Cadillac DeVille for around $500 and it is flat out simple to wire into an RCA cord and plug into a $50 or less LCD screen.
Here's one I used and put into an old Brinkman spotlight housing. 
Wired a 4" LCD to the back of it. It's not a 2014 OLED-screened thermal, but it can tell a pig from a cow at 200 yards. I had to figure out how to adjust the focus, but once I did, it works pretty damn well for a project I have about $600 into. Not quite plug and play, but easy enough for me to figure out. On this one, it is powered by 4 18650 rechargeable batteries running through a voltage reducer, and can be plugged into a 12 volt cigarette plug, and can use the onboard LCD or a bigger 7 or 8" LCD that is mounted in a hunting buggie. I have plans to put another one into a GOLIGHT remote spotlight housing to make a red-neck version of the $7,000 ATAC. |
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That's definitely a cool project, although I'm still learning how all the numbers correlate. The EMX ones have throw lever mounts and adjustable reticle. I'll try to get some iphone video of the EMX, it's pretty clear.
The idea I have is to take a D size mag lite body, mount the monitor inside that and attach that to the camera housing with the comm cable being housed inside the housing. I should just do it. I've got mechanical/fabricating ability and connections, but all of the electronic stuff is pretty beyond me. I've been focusing on learning NV stuff lately, but in doing so being out in the field, definitely shows where thermals shine. |
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Quoted:
That's definitely a cool project, although I'm still learning how all the numbers correlate. The Caddy thermal cameras are 320x240 and they use a chopper wheel like this to adjust the BST thermal camera constantly. If you zoom in on the picture on that listing, you can see the hurricane-shaped pattern on the wheel. I believe your EMX has a microbolometer which is the newer technology. I'm not quite sure how the BST thermal differs from the microbolometer, but am pretty sure no one makes the BST thermals anymore, at least for the hunting crowd. Here is a good write up on BST vs. microbolometers. The EMX's 160x120 microbolometer produces an image with 19,200 pixels. A 320x240 produces 76,800, and a 640x480 produces 307,200. Equate the 160 to a 1950's CRT TV using bunny ears and the 640 to 720p LCD HD TVs (not quite, but close enough for discussion purposes). The Caddy thermal doesn't have reticles or any mount, but they are pretty easy to work on, and very easy to wire up to get a very usable signal to a 5" LCD, all of which can be powered by a small battery pack. |
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