Thread: Burnt out Gen1 NV

Quick question - if a Gen1 NV system is exposed to direct strong light and burnt out, what do you see? Black, random patterns, universal bright colour?

Black spots from what I’ve been told

After some digging found this. Doesn't look like they go totally black though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pByw-k4Isfg

Anyone on here have experience working on NV? I'm poking around one that has a totally dark intensifier. I suspect it's actually just a broken wire somewhere, but haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet.

Depends on what the light was - but like suspended dark smoke clouds/blobs; - size depends on the light, can be in areas, but often its the centre as they where looking at it!
If it won’t light up - could be the power supply

Originally Posted by faregame

Depends on what the light was - but like suspended dark smoke clouds/blobs; - size depends on the light, can be in areas, but often its the centre as they where looking at it!
If it won’t light up - could be the power supply

IR Illuminator and reticle have power, but haven't managed to get the intensifier out of the housing to see if power's getting all the way to it - wiring at the power supply end is glued in so can't check power on that end easily. Intensifier is totally black - no sign of power in it at all, so I'm leaning towards it just not having power, but since damage shows as black spots, maybe if the entire tube was exposed to bright light, it might show as totally black.... until I can figure out how to get the reticle housing out I won't be able to get at the intensifier.

Model is an old Yukon NVRS Gen 1, so more just a fun project than anything else.

yup, i do NV repairs

Originally Posted by gonetropo

yup, i do NV repairs

Let's know the answer though once you've sussed it (<:

Originally Posted by gonetropo

yup, i do NV repairs

PM inbound

Totally black and if Gen1 you should have a hum from the intensifier tube when running. light exposure damage usually causes the tube picture to dim down to the extent you see nothing but black, though if you look at a house light bulb you should see something even if tube is black as unit will try to make some sort of picture. Many tubes once in black out are buggered you can try repotting them, may be an interesting exercise with a gen1 but I wouldn't bother. Gen1 tube life is around 250hrs use time. I had a Gen3 pvs-7 tube here a while ago that some guy had got from ebay, it had light exposure damage and when you looked at the image while looking at a blank wall you could see that the unit had been left on probably on a bench and you could see the inside of the bunker and out over what looked like a river or similar. All black picture and tube running can be tube vacuum separation though that usually starts at one edge and works its way across the picture, another stuffed tube. Have had a few guys with Gen2 and Gen3 tubes that have just gone black, no life at all, only way to fix the unit is put in a new tube in most cases. I was the importer for a company for many years who extended their warranty`s from 1 year standard to a 7 year warranty but the tubes were and still are only covered for one year. Under our commerce laws that could cause a few issues.
In all reality Gen1 units are use and throw away. Gen2 and Gen3 tube craps out , put a new one in. These are Military equipment remember.