Post #3948010
2026-07-20 02:16 UTC
Okay, *this* is a cool piece of kit! Soviet-era nightvision scope, redistributed via Harbor Freight of all places circa 1997-2000.
It's pretty old tech, but just needed a fresh 9V battery and it seems to be working (tried it in a dark closet, waiting on it to get dark outside to try it there too). It comes with an IR illuminator (not pictured) but sadly the AA batteries in the illuminator exploded so I'll have to do some cleaning and possibly repair there.
I have some other cool hardware from this batch that I'll post in the coming days but this one definitely caught my eye. I don't know much about these other than to have realistic expectations about the image quality and to never use in bright conditions; I'd welcome feedback/insight.
#vintage #vintageElectronics #NightVision #optics
Replies (2)
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@doskel@masto.doskel.net 2026-07-20 02:23
@notthatdelta@furry.engineer oh my god that's both the coolest and funniest thing ever fuck you i want it so bad
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@notthatdelta@furry.engineer 2026-07-20 03:09
Update: it works! ...in a manner of speaking. You have to hold or pulse the button to keep the scene lit, and the FOV is incredibly tight with lots of distortion around the perimeter. Oh, and you have to fiddle with the focus basically continuously. Still pretty freaking cool though. I'm going to see if I can cobble together a tripod mount and hang out on the back patio with it tomorrow. Maybe I'll see some cool nocturnal critters!