The ole lady dropped our new to us Anvis-9 and the PAS/shelf is kaput. Happened when she was deploying them from stowed they popped out of the Anvis mount. I'm trying to do a DIY repair but can't figure out how to remove the monoculars, etc. to swap in a new PAS. It appears I need to remove the IP knobs to slide the screws out but I don't see any clips/rings/retainers holding them on. Don't want to damage any parts I might need for the swap.

Not going to piss away any more money on this thing unless I can do it myself. I've already been quoted minimum $700 to repair and I'm not spending $700 when odds are high the same thing will happen again. If it's ITAR sensitive info (which I find hard to believe) then please IM me.

Other option is to junk it and get a Mod-3 or RNVG with anvis option. Lessons learned. #1 Always always always lanyard your stuff. #2 be more careful with Anvis ball detent/plunger goggles #3 Anvis-6/9s are not a good option for ground users. I'm sure the same or worse damage would happen if you smacked them against a wall, car door frame, etc.

Help would be sincerely appreciated

Did you at least beat your woman so she learned her lesson?

Don’t let this valuable teaching moment go to waste.

It's been a long time since I took one apart.  I remember little hex nuts at the end of the IPD screws though.  Nylocks maybe?

The only ones there are the purge screws. I took the outside ones off to see and nada so I’m sure the inside ones are the same.

Thanks guys. I have some thinking to do.

At this point I’ll probably epoxy the shit out of it and see how long that’ll last for. The plan was buying this Anvis-9, swapping the tubes out with the Omni III/IVs that came in the used Sentinel I bought, then selling the Anvis-9.

This obviously changes things lol. I’d take a good hit for the busted PAS. Reusing it I’m limited to Anvis housings and that’s a short ass list. At least the 10160s give me more options. I’m still holding out I’ll finger out how to swap the PAS and find one on fleabay.

Perfect example of “win some lose some”.

Which mount was being used? Just curious to watch out for this in the future. I've seen older SAMs a bit looser as compared to the Wilcox and Wilcox-clones. Never used an old ITT military aviation mount myself.

You were right. I couldn't tell that there was a cover on the bottom of the goggle under the ball detent. Popped that off and yup there are two tiny ass lock nuts. Huge ass thank you to txdx for sending me a pic!

The GSGM. The release button is pretty stiff on mine. I think the Mrs thinks she pressed it in all the way when she didn’t and when bringing it down they popped out. I was running the SAM with it because it’s smoother and doesn’t have as much play but I was switching shit all around.

I got a set of anvis 6’s that are the same way. Does the RNVG housing accept the anvis 6 lenses also! Will-1 mine weren’t cracked as bad as yours. So I just made a up armor shield and epoxied it on.

@Gmc454
No, the RNVGs as of now don’t take Anvis but UNV posted something here about having some sets made to take the objectives. No ball detent though which is a bummer. I hope this will become an option just like the Mod-3 & Sentinel.

What did you use for your up armor, epoxy, and how’s it holding up?

Will-1 I used a thin sheet of stainless steel and I  bent it into a Chanel iron shape. I cut out the center and epoxied them on. I had to take the ball detent mount off the goggle’s shelf to epoxy it to the shelf. There my back up goggles but I use them quite often. Been using them like that for four years or so.I keep saying I’m going to have them fixed but I don’t see no need to since they are working great for now.

I would up armor it and epoxy it with some matting material for strength, but that will impact resale, so might not be an option. Scour ebay and check for sold listings and see if anyone has that shelf to swap out. Try Ed Wilcox or Tom Lyons (outer edge optics - not sure if he is still in business).

You will be stripping all the parts and desoldering 4 wires. You will need a steady hand, but it isnt a difficult repair.

I saw a pad on eBay not long ago.  It was only a couple hundred bucks.  But that could be a couple hundred towards a stronger housing.

Always lanyard with anvis.  They are so Dang fragile

Thanks Augee ??

Should've updated this post sooner. I decided to epoxy it myself using JB weld 6min set time (2-part in the single syringe w/ 2 dispensers) grey color. Went back together as good as it could with the amount of breakage I had in the shelf. It was broke as hell. I had to take the ball detent off because there was a hairline break underneath it all the way from front to back.

After 5 days, it's holding up well, and almost as good as when I bought it. I say almost as good because when adjusting the repaired side monocular inward, it self tilts about halfway in. You can still adjust the tilt and it works 100% but that's a side affect from being repaired.

For new people coming into night vision, I'd treat the Anvis 6/9 similar to a PVS-14. What I mean by that, is that you need to plan/budget/factor what else you need/what your next step is going to be. The Anvis may hold up for years or you could break it right away and need repairs/replacement like me. The -14, you may love it and run the monocular for years or you may want to upgrade to duals/binos.

Back to topic, after thinking through all of the options and Augee's advice (spot on) I'm at a crossroads. I listed the -9s as-is before I "fixed" them but received no offers worth accepting. Almost sold them but buyer backed out so no longer selling them. Even after repairing them, I don't expect to get any offers I'd accept. I don't "need" the money and would rather sit on or keep them at this point. Plus, I really like these goggles even with their shortcomings. Especially the mid 17oz weight.

I see 4 options:

#1. Keep using them since they work and deal with issues if/when they happen

#2. Up armor the PAS

#3. Swap into RNVG, BNVD, Sentinel, Mod-3, etc

#4. Swap in new shelf/PAS and sell it

I'm most likely going to do #1.

If #2 up armoring these allows them to take a drop like other goggles, I'd pay for the upgrade immediately but I'm skeptical. I'd love to see a Anvis up armor test. In a single video with no edits, drop an up armored set on the ground, and show the results. No baby drops. Helmet height like how it'd happen.

If #3, I've become a big fan of anvis glass. Will standby to see when & how much the anvis RNVGs will be. Otherwise that leaves the Sentinel but I already have one. I'm not sold on the Mod-3, I already have dual -14s I can split up.

#4 Depends on #3. Sell the Anvis and upgrade from dual -14s into a bino housing or keep dual -14s, sell the -14s & bridge mount and upgrade the -9 to a better bino housing.

If you're looking at buying an Anvis 6/9, this is a situation you may find yourself in. Maybe my misfortunate helps some people out. Here's some pics of how the repair came out. Used a dremel to even out the epoxy. I really didn't care about matching the color at this point. I used a black sharpie to cover the grey.

I’ll post here as well.

I think an RNVG housing is the best choice.

At the price point of RNVGs I think an ANVIS version would sell like hot cakes. Turn flimsily goggles into a hardened system, what’s not to like?

Also, I’ve owned “armored” ANVIS and don’t really believe it’s worth the time and effort.

That’s how I’m seeing it too. Thanks for the info on your experience with the armored anvis’.

Despite their shortcomings in the ruggedness department, there’s just something extremely likeable about ANVIS goggles. It’s a mixture of things I suppose, price point relative to optical performance, insaley light weight, and ball-detent is cool and a good mounting system.

Most definitely. My break was pretty extreme for an Anvis from what I’ve been told and I was still able to DIY fix them with $8.00 of epoxy. If this was my only set of goggles that’s all I’d do just fix it like I did and worry about swapping housings when/if I broke them again. But this gives me a reason to look into what else to do. Sorry honey, looks like I have to buy a new housing, lol

I would probably toss a strap on both pods just in case is breaks again. I would also keep an eye out for a used Anvis bridge under $350-400. I have seen them sell pretty low and you just need one without electronics.

If you had to spend any more than 400, that is likely wasted $ and would be better spent upgrading to an RNVG or smimilar.

Glad you see you got it working again.

theres one on ebay right now that the priced dropped from 350 to 300.

but if it were me, I would probably just use them epoxied back together until I could afford a new housing. Though I probably would have epoxied on a thing piece of aluminum as a reinforcement overtop the repair. Some time with a dremel and file set would produce good results, and it could be anodized for looks

ANVIS RNVGs would be awesome.

@chosos @SGT-Fish

That’s a good idea to strap the pods. I’ve had a perfectly sized piece of aluminum angle sitting at the ready. Just need to mic it all out and cut. I’ve been running them for most the week and using it as I would normally not babying them. No issues so far. I saw that on eBay but will hold out longer. If I see a complete assembly for the right price I may snag it.

We keep bumping the -9 on stuff (unavoidable when using NVDs) so made my own up armor over the weekend to give it more life. Was debating on sending it for up armor but I'd rather put the $$ towards a different housing when the time comes.

This is definitely a DIY-able project. I did the front only and will probably do the rear next weekend or following. I didn't use anything special to make it - scrap aluminum angle, digital calipers, hack saw, dremel, file, sand paper, and JB weld 2 part epoxy. Since I had the tools, I'm all in at $9.00 which was just the epoxy, lol.

Not the prettiest/coolest but will do the job. It's not like I'm hurting resale since the PAS is already messed up. Only added 1.2 oz

This thread needs more pictures of people using the bird. :D

..!..

Edit: How sturdy is it now? Is it still breakable in any easy way?

Lol!

It’s quit a bit better I’m not as worried about cracking the PAS with hard bumps against a wall, vehicle ceiling, etc. if it fell again and landed on the ball detent interface it could still break it since that part can’t get reinforced. That, or if it landed on a monocular then there’s that.

IMO the RNVGs would be perfect if they:

1. Ditched the onboard illuminator (its retarded)

2. IP adjustment is great but the jack screw setup seems kinda meh. I’d like to see something that really locks the pods in place once adjusted. It’s not like you’re adjusting them all the time.

I’d buy it in a heart beat. I considered doing the epoxy fill but me and the Mrs switch between goggles often (plus whenever I introduce a newbie) so I need to keep adjustment.

I’m glad I didn’t sell them & decided to fix them because I’ve really come to like these a lot. It’s mainly the lightness but of course the glass and ball detent.

After watching Jamey Caldwell’s video on counterweights I decided to try it with the -9. It’s perfectly fine just using the battery pack. I can leave the chin strap off as long as my neck is erect, otherwise need to hook it up. With the chinstrap and a snug headband it’s good to go.

I love the weight of mine and the epoxy idea is really interesting.

I bet it would remove wobble in the pods. One of my IP adjustment screws seems to be fairly loose on my set.

I used the rubber band trick someone (I think great308) mentioned to me and it works good. I used a larger UV stable band around both monocular rear lock rings. It keeps them from being wobbly.