PIXL-NVG (DIY Digital Night Vision Monocular)

Have you ever wanted a night vision monocular, but are borderline broke? Have you ever wanted to make your own, but only have a Walmart dashcam and a nerdy passion combined with too much free time? Well, you've come to the right place! Here, I've compiled a step-by-step guide on how to make a digital night vision monocular using only parts and tools that you may find around the house, which allows for what I believe is the cheapest method of constructing a digital night vision monocular, all without the need for any circuitry or soldering.

ANYONE IS WELCOME TO MAKE A MODEL USING THIS SAME CONCEPT!

I heavily encourage anyone to experiment on this concept with different parts or materials! There is plenty of room for improvement on this project, and I designed this to be merely a proof of concept to show that it can be done. Be creative!

Here are the main supplies you will need for construction:

DASHCAM ($25)

For this project, all of the parts I made are designed to fit onto the Onn 2.4" Dashcam. This wide-angle dashcam offers a better field of view compared to the typical monoculars you may find, which makes it ideal for airsofting or inside use

PHONE VR HEADSET (~$2-14)

I had a VRBOX lying around, so for this project, I took out the lenses to make the eyepiece. There are definitely cheaper and more affordable options for this part, but this is just what I had on hand

Note: Google Cardboard lenses are about a fraction of the price and would work just as well, but an adapter would have to be made for them to fit

INFRARED FLASHLIGHT ($20)

Because this is a digital night vision monocular, it requires external illumination. This flashlight is probably the most bang for your buck and has good illumination coverage

3D PRINTER

I used the Ender Creality 3 with a 0.4mm nozzle for this project, but any printer should do

BATTERY PACK (~$15)

The dashcam has to be powered externally, so a battery pack is required. Any battery pack with a USB 2.0 port should do.

TACTICAL HELMET (~$20)

Everything in this project will be mounted onto a tactical helmet. Any helmet works as long as it has a night vision mount on the front, but I recommend a low-cut MICH helmet.

You'll need some tools and other smaller supplies to construct the NVG, but most of them should be easy to find around the house. Here's a list of the tools and other parts you'd need

1. Bolts
2. Nuts
3. Foam
4. USB to USB-C Cable
5. Screwdriver
6. Acrylic glue
7. Hot glue
8. Sandpaper
9. Tape
10. Microfiber cloth
11. Zip ties

throughout the steps, I will refer to the side with the buttons and display as the back end, and the side with the objective lens as the front end. The side of the dashcam with the mounting location is the top.

Certain steps are visualized in the corresponding images above.

For this step, you will need:

1. Screwdriver (small phillips & flathead)

To prepare the dashcam, the IR filter will need to be removed from the lens, which will allow the camera to pick up infrared light. Additionally, the ring surrounding the front of the lens (located on the front end of the camera) will need to be removed to allow the focus to be adjusted later on.

STEPS:

1) First, remove the 4 screws around the sides of the dashcam

2) Once you have removed the screws, get a small flathead screwdriver, and gently pry the back end from the front end of the dashcam. Remove the screen from the back end by gently wiggling it free.

3) Remove the screen from the PCB by pulling down on the black tabs and removing the ribbon cable.

4) Remove the 2 screws holding the PCB in place, then gently pry up from under the PCB to dislodge it from the body.

5) Once you have the PCB removed, gently unscrew the lens. Once the lens is removed, make sure the sensor is covered to prevent it from getting dirty.

6) There will be a small square of pink-red glass on the back of the lens. This is the Infrared light filter. To remove it, get a small flathead, and pry up from under it to remove it. Don't worry if it shatters, that happens most of the time. If it does, scrape the rest of the filter off with the flathead and collect the shards to throw them away. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BREATHE THEM IN!

7) Replace the lens by screwing it back in.

8) Now, direct your attention to the front shell of the dashcam. You will see 3 screws holding the front ring in place. Remove the 3 screws, and then remove the front ring. (If you cannot remove all of the screws, just brute force the ring off of the front shell. I can confirm, it works just as well) Set the ring aside for later.

9) Place the PCB back into the front shell. It will require some force to get it back into place. Replace the 2 screws on the PCB to hold it in place.

11) Replace the screen by inserting the ribbon cable then pushing the black tabs down. Wipe it clean of any fingerprints or dust that may have accumulated using a microfiber cloth.

12) Place the screen into the back of the dashcam, seating it between the rectangle of small black tabs. This step is slightly tricky since the screen may fall out if not done properly.

13) Once this is done, close the front and back together. Make sure the ribbon cables are fully inside and do not get pinched between the front and back end.

14) Replace the 4 screws around the dashcam.

Certain steps are visualized in the corresponding images above.

For this step, you will need:

1. 3D Printer
2. Lens
3. Acrylic glue
4. Hot glue
5. Foam
6. Sandpaper
7. Tape

Start by downloading and printing the STL files I have linked (EyepieceProto2 and EyecupProto). I printed them both with a .4mm nozzle at .2mm resolution and 100% infill for strength, but the infill and resolution can both be tweaked if desired. EyepieceProto2 is the adapter that allows the lens to adapt to the screen, and Eyecup Proto is the eyecup for the lens.

STEPS:

1) Once EyepieceProto2 is printed, sand down the side that connects to the screen, and the side that will connect to the lens. This gives the glue a stronger bond.

2) Glue EyepieceProto2 to the display with hot glue, ensuring it is in the correct orientation

3) Glue the lens onto the adapter using hot glue and/or acrylic glue. If you used acrylic glue, wait 30 minutes to an hour for it to cure

4) Sand down the outer rim of plastic surrounding the lens. Be careful not to scuff the lens in the process. Additionally, sand down the small end of EyecupProto (the side that will be glued to the lens)

5) Glue EyecupProto to the lens using acrylic glue. I recommend applying hot glue all around the connection to keep everything in place.

6) Cut a small strip of foam approximately 7 inches long measuring 0.5 inch by 0.5 inch. Then cut out a second strip with the same dimensions but 2.5 inches long.

7) Using hot glue, glue the 7 inch strip all around the edge of EyecupProto. Cut off any excess as needed and make sure everything is flush.

8) Glue the 2.5 inch strip along the RIGHT side of EyecupProto, on top of the previous layer of foam. This prevents light leak and overall makes the eyepiece more comfortable

9) Use electrical tape to cover all of the areas with hot glue.

Certain steps are visualized in the corresponding images above.

For this step, you will need:

1. 3D Printer
2. Sandpaper
3. Bolts (2 M6 bolts at 30mm, 1 M6 bolt at 20mm)
4. Nuts (2x M6 nuts)
5. Screwdriver or Hex Key

Download and print all of the parts linked. I printed them all at 100% infill with .2mm resolution and a .4mm nozzle, but any of the settings can be adjusted as desired. I recommend keeping the infill the same, though, since it is best if the mount and arm are solid. (CREDIT FOR THE HELMET MOUNT GOES TO "LINCOLNS" ON THINGIVERSE)

STEPS:

1) Familiarize yourself with the orientation of all of the parts and how they will go together. Then, begin sanding down all of the parts so that they can all fit together while still having a degree of resistance when adjusting them. Keep in mind, a firm adjustment arm is better than one that is floppy and doesn't stay in place! (Take it from me, I made this mistake and had to re-do the entire mount).

2) Once the parts are sanded, connect HelmetMount and MountArm1 together, making sure the holes are aligned, using a 30mm M6 bolt with a nut on it. To correctly do this step, you will need to very slowly screw it in to thread the plastic. This may take some trial and error.

3) Connect MountArm2 to MountArm1, using a 30mm M6 bolt WITHOUT a nut on it. Repeat the same process as the last step.

4) Connect MountingPieceNVG to MountArm2 using a 20mm M6 bolt WITH a nut on it, making sure it is in the correct orientation.

5) Mount the arm onto the helmet

Certain steps are visualized in the corresponding images above

For this step, you will need:

1. IR Flashlight
2. 3D Printer
3. Bolts (4x M4 bolts @ 25mm)
4. Sandpaper

Download and print the flashlight mount linked. I printed this one at a lower infill (~20%), allowing a degree of flexibility which makes the grip more effective.

STEPS:

1) Sand down the part that will slide into the helmet rail. Make sure you sand it down to where it's not too loose but not too firm. This will take a lot of trial and error.

2) Using the four 25mm M4 bolts, screw the parts together WITHOUT the flashlight inside. This threads the plastic which makes the later steps easier.

3) Put the flashlight in the mount and screw the parts together. There will be a lot of cracking and or/splitting around the bolts, but it should still work fine. (This is an error in my design that I need to fix)

4) Slide the mount into the rail of the helmet.

For this step, you will need:

1. Battery Pack
2. Zip ties
3. Velcro strips (if you have them, if not that's fine)
4. USB to USB-C Cable
5. Tape

STEPS:

1) Place 2 zip ties around the battery pack. Make sure they are tight, but not too tight to where you cannot fit another zip tie under them.

2) Cover the zip ties with electrical tape on the side that will be contacting the helmet

3) Insert a zip tie/velcro strip underneath the zip tie on the battery. Snake one end of the zip tie through the small hole in the helmet rail then close off the zip tie. Repeat for the other side

4) Connect the USB to USB-C cable to the battery pack. If desired, place velcro strips around the cable to stick it to the helmet for a slicker look.

For this step, you will need:

1. The front ring from step 1
2. Hot glue

Mount the monocular onto the arm and plug it in. Put on the helmet and make sure everything is lined up properly. (quick tip, if you get a pop-up on the screen that says NO SD, hit the "M" button on the side twice and it will go away)

STEPS:

1) With the front ring off from step 1, carefully twist to the lens to focus until you get good, crisp image clarity.

2) Using hot glue, glue the front ring back onto the dashcam.

...And you're done!

Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of the PIXL-NVG1!

Of course, though, what would a DIY night vision project be without some action shots? After all, my engineering teacher is kinda grading this, so I might as well throw in some cool photos! Feel free to check out the photos linked above.

(all firearms portrayed in the photos are toys and purely for cinematic effect)

Regardless of whether you went through with making this or not, thank you for checking out my little passion project, and if anyone would like to make any improvements on this whatsoever, I absolutely encourage it 1000000%. Be creative!