It is best to entrust the repair of the optical sight to a specialist, but if there is none nearby, we take matters into our own hands. In general terms, this article will help you understand the structure of optical sights, learn how to disassemble them and carry out the simplest repair work. Stock up on patience and attentiveness - we are diving into the precise world of optics.
Before we go into the insides of the optical sight, let's figure out its technical structure. The sight consists of the following components:
- Lens. It is a complex system of multiple lenses. One of the key parameters of a lens is aperture ratio, it directly depends on its diameter. The outer lens is coated with an antireflection coating.
- Sighting reticle. Thanks to her, you aim the weapon accurately. The reticle is localized to the focal plane of your scope (eyepiece or objective). The simplest meshes are a half-cross and a cross.
- Wrapping system. Consists of a pair of lenses that flip the image, making the picture "straight".
- Eyepiece. The magnified upright image is fed to the eyepiece, thanks to which the shooter looks at the target. In rifle-type sights, the focal length of the eyepiece is about 50-70 mm. Often the eyepiece is equipped with a rubber eyecup.
- Mechanism for entering horizontal / vertical corrections. Combines two points - aiming and hitting. Correction mechanisms of two types are widespread - tactical drums and permanent correction devices. The drums are equipped with a scale along the axis of which the handwheel rotates. When adjusting the arrows, it focuses on characteristic clicks.
- Illumination of the aiming reticle. Modern scopes are equipped with an LED that illuminates the central part or the entire reticle. Some scopes have a brightness control that allows you to fine-tune the acceptable glow level.
- Housing. Usually the body of your optics is plastic, sometimes it is made of a lightweight and durable alloy. The body connects the components of the sight into an overall structure that is resistant to overloads arising from firing.
Disassembly
Before disassembling the scope, make sure you have the necessary tools and “accessories”. You will need:
- repair kit (set of flat screwdrivers);
- inexpensive transparent sealant (no solvents);
- cotton buds;
- a clean cotton rag;
- jars (for storing small bolts);
- lantern.
As an example, consider the disassembly of the VOMZ-P model. You will be faced with the following configuration:
- lens;
- eyepiece;
- lever;
- screw;
- cap;
- grid;
- angular scale of lateral corrections;
- lens wrapping system;
- setting ring;
- sighting angle scale.
First you have to unscrew the lenses (back / front). The adjusting drums are screwed in until they stop (hour hand), then unscrewed together with the pressure washers. Then, in turn, the push and lock bolts are unscrewed. Half the pipe is unscrewed. The cassette containing the adjustment lens is gently extruded.
The lens is removed from the cassette (try not to touch the glass with your fingers).
The lens-reversing system is localized in the remaining pipe segment. If desired, it is easy to unscrew it - the system is locked with one microbolt.
The structure is assembled in reverse order. Pay attention to the smudged lenses - they should not be touched with fingers. The lenses are wiped with one-way movements (zero pressure).
DIY sight repair - highlights
The time has come to study the fastening of the base units of the optical sight. Please note that this is a fragile device, so you need to disassemble it with utmost care. He starts to mess around after about one and a half thousand shots. To prevent future problems, tighten the mounting screws, watch out for horizontal guidance.
Fixing the lenses
Lenses for hunting weapons have a large diameter designed for shooting at short distances (150-200 meters). Hunting optics have many rubbing surfaces that wear out over time. Backlash, mechanical displacements and optical parallaxes appear.
The lenses are attached with a sealant. Having disassembled the scope according to our instructions, you reach the ring nut holding the crosspiece. Further, the procedure is as follows:
- squeezing out the cassette (do not lose the pressure spring);
- unscrewing the front nut, lens and guide screws (2 pcs.);
- removing the adjustment lenses from the inner cylinder (this must be done carefully, without giving the cylinder a vertical position);
- memorizing the location of the lenses;
- repairs.
If the retaining ring is unscrewed at the trim lens (usually the front one), the thread will have to be lubricated with a sealant. After waiting for drying, assemble the entire structure in the reverse order.
Clamping spring
In the course of repair actions, you will inevitably come across a pressure spring, which you need not only to save, but also to make sure its functionality.
A little advice: you can unscrew the nuts (if no repair kit was found at hand) with sharp-pointed tweezers.
Unscrewed screws and nuts (if they do not twist well) should be placed on a sealant. Now the repaired structure together with the spring must be pushed back into the pipe - this is a rather time-consuming process. One end of the spring should end with teeth, the other should be completely smooth.
If necessary (chipping) the second end of the spring must be sanded. The spring is installed in the central part of the sight - between the holes for the adjustment drums. The pipe is pushed onto the cassette with assembled lenses, while the spring must be held through the holes.
Grease
Not all parts and assemblies of an optical sight need lubrication. And even more precisely - only rings need it. Getting grease onto the lens surface is highly undesirable. For the lubrication procedure you will need:
Backlight repair
The basis of the reticle glow is an LED lamp. It is connected to the battery, but does not receive energy directly, but through the stabilizer. With the check of the stabilizer and you need to start repair activities.
Having disassembled the microscopic power supply, take a closer look at the ballast resistor (capacitor). If the resistor is burnt out, it must be replaced. Sometimes the diodes in the rectifier also burn out - they should also be checked. A third potential problem is low impedance current limiting resistors.
If the LED is of Asian origin, it means that a primitive Chinese capacitor has burned out. Replace it with a new one and live in peace.
A brief overview of the three models of the Lupold optical sight: VX-6, VX-R, Mark 4. Features of care and battery replacement, device and installation. What is the magnification factor for these models?
Eliminating the displacement of the aiming mark
In modern optics, a luminous aiming mark with brightness control is used. The backlight of the stamp should turn off automatically after a certain time. This saves battery power as many shooters forget to disconnect the battery. In general, aiming marks are of the following types:
- stump;
- MilDot;
- PSO-1;
- Crosshair;
The aiming mark tends to shift due to recoil - this should not be allowed. Paradox: the mobility of the aiming mark is encouraged when the rifle is zeroed in. The mark is adjusted by turning the drum (you need to focus on the number of clicks). The offset scale varies depending on the scope model and manufacturer.
Having found a displacement of the mark, it is worth investigating the mount of the sight - did you do everything correctly? Correct mounting is a guarantee of a long service life of your aiming system. It is not worth saving by purchasing cheap mounts - this is self-deception, leading to a loss of accuracy.
Alignment
"Zeroing" the sight (adjustment) is the process of converging the mechanical and optical axes. The need for adjustment arises after purchasing a new sight - the shooter is not yet sure of the correctness of the range set by the correction drums. The adjustment sequence is as follows:
- The vertical correction drum is turned down all the way, and the horizontal drum - all the way to the left.
- Vertical and horizontal drums click ("up" and "right", respectively). In this case, it is necessary to count the number of clicks over the entire range.
It is best to do this in splendid isolation - household members can knock your mental calculations. In addition, a rifle occupying the kitchen table (on a special machine) is not the most positive sight for a wife.
- Suppose you are 300 clicks away from the extreme positions of the drum. Count in half (in this example, 150 clicks). This is the middle of both ranges. The sight is "zeroed" - its optical and mechanical axes are aligned.
Protect your scope from bad weather - heat, humidity, and direct sunlight - to reduce the frequency of repair work. Cover the lenses with caps, avoid mechanical damage and contact with the lenses of harmful substances (lubricants, alcohol solutions). Check the internal mountings periodically (every 1000-1500 shots). Have a good hunting!
It is very difficult to design and arrange lighting in a steam room. After all, high humidity, an abundance of steam and high temperatures are not entirely favorable for the use of electricity. Despite this, fiber-optic illumination has become more and more popular. Its use is relevant not only for a bath, an optical bundle is used even in an apartment and a house. This is due to the fact that such light is much more economical and safer than standard light sources, moreover, it allows you to make decorative illumination of a room. In this article, we will tell you how to make fiber optic lighting with your own hands, providing a system connection diagram, as well as installation instructions.
What does the system consist of?
As a rule, such systems are sold in a set, which already includes everything you need. But in addition to the main components, you can add additional elements that will help create an individual interior. This is, for example, special illumination using LED strip or special lenses or crystals.
Fiber optic lighting includes the following components:
- Projector. From the entire system, only he is connected to electricity. The amount of emitted light depends on what power of the device.
- Fibers. Thanks to these elements, you can also regulate the amount of light that is emitted and distribute it around the entire perimeter of the bath at your discretion. When choosing a harness, it is better to give preference to a glass model, since it can withstand temperature changes more. There are two types of harnesses: side glow (creating light patterns using weaves of fibers) and end glow (creating a starry sky).
- Lenses and lamps. Fiber-optic lighting with the help of such elements acquires a directional glow. After all, it is these lenses and crystals that regulate the diffusion and direction of the light flux.
When choosing a complete set of fiber optic systems, you should pay attention not only to the length and number of fibers, but also to which lamp is used. Halogen and HID lamps require cooling, and since some cooling systems have noisy fans, it can ruin your holiday.
Side glow method
Such lighting can be made by hand, since it does not require complex electronic circuitry. Installation is simple: just place the projector outside the sauna. This is done as follows:
- A projector is installed in the room in front of the sauna. The place where it is mounted must be next to the steam room (have a common wall). If the projector is installed in the same room, it should be away from the heat source.
- If you wish, you can install additional accessories on the device, for example, color wheels.
- According to the diagram, mark the places where the fiber will be placed.
- Installing fiber optic lighting.
- If you wish, you can install color attachments (lenses or crystals). This effect can be connected either automatically or manually.
Important! When installing the fiber, the permissible bending of each fiber must be taken into account. It depends on the diameter. Therefore, the focal length of the products should be more than 85%. All of this is thought through when the system diagram is drawn up.
End Glow Method
It is better to install such light before interior decoration. Beforehand, you should draw up an exact layout of the point elements.
Installation of fiber optic lighting should be done in the following order:
- Cut the harnesses to the required length. And in order to find out the length, you should measure the distance from the projector to all points of light.
- Put the fibers in place, first fix them with tape.
- In order to preserve the pattern and fix the bundles vertically, you need to install dowels in certain places to which the fibers are attached with the assistance of the wire. To attach it was convenient, the dowels should protrude three centimeters outward.
- The surface is sheathed and all unnecessary tape and dowels are removed.
- Then you need to cut the fiber optic bundle. This is done according to the sheathing level. Next, sand the ends of the bundle with fine-grained sanding paper.
- The other ends of the fiber are connected to a connector and connected to the projector.
During installation, it is necessary to carefully monitor the bends of the light guides. Upon completion of the installation, if desired, you can add various lenses and crystals to the system.
This fiber optic lighting connection scheme is also suitable for the washing department. Especially if there is a pool there, then such lighting will look very good at its bottom. In a lounge, living room or bedroom, fiber optic luminaires can be combined with standard luminaires. The atmosphere created in this way will help you to relax.
The times when anyone could make a discovery in science are almost entirely in the past. Everything that an amateur can discover in chemistry, physics, biology has long been known, rewritten and calculated. Astronomy is an exception to this rule. After all, this is the science of space, an indescribably huge space in which it is impossible to study everything, and even not far from the Earth there are still undiscovered objects. However, in order to study astronomy, an expensive optical device is needed. Is a DIY telescope easy or difficult?
Maybe binoculars will help?
It is too early for a novice astronomer who is just beginning to look at the starry sky to make a telescope with his own hands. The circuit may seem too complicated for him. At first, you can do with ordinary binoculars.
This is not such a frivolous device as it might seem, and there are astronomers who continue to use it even after becoming famous: for example, the Japanese astronomer Hyakutake, the discoverer of the comet named after him, became famous precisely for his addiction to powerful binoculars.
For the first steps of a novice astronomer - in order to understand “mine is it, or not mine” - any powerful marine binoculars will do. The bigger, the better. Through binoculars, you can observe the Moon (in rather impressive details), see the disks of nearby planets, such as Venus, Mars or Jupiter, see comets and binary stars.
No, it's a telescope after all!
If you are serious about astronomy and still want to make a telescope with your own hands, the scheme you choose can belong to one of two main categories: refractors (they use only lenses) and reflectors (use lenses and mirrors).
Refractors are recommended for beginners: these are less powerful, but easier to manufacture telescopes. Then, when you gain experience in making refractors, you can try to assemble a reflector - a powerful telescope with your own hands.
What makes a powerful telescope different?
What a stupid question, you ask. Of course - an increase! And you will be wrong. The fact is that not all celestial bodies, in principle, can be increased. For example, you will not enlarge the stars in any way: they are located at a distance of many parsecs, and from that distance they turn practically into points. Nothing close is enough to see the disk of a distant star. Only objects of the solar system can be "enlarged".
And the stars, the telescope, first of all, makes them brighter. And for this its property is responsible for its first most important characteristic - the diameter of the lens. How many times the lens is wider than the pupil of the human eye - all the lights become that many times brighter. If you want to make a powerful telescope with your own hands, you will have to look for, first of all, a very large lens for the objective.
The simplest schematic of a refractor telescope
In its simplest form, a refractor telescope consists of two convex (magnifying) lenses. The first - the large one directed towards the sky - is called the objective, and the second - the small one that the astronomer looks into is called the eyepiece. A homemade telescope with your own hands should be done exactly according to this scheme, if this is your first experience.
The telescope lens should have a power of one diopter and the largest possible diameter. You can find a similar lens, for example, in a glasses making workshop, where glasses for glasses of various shapes are cut out of them. It is better if the lens is biconvex. If you cannot find a biconvex one, you can use a pair of half-diopter plano-convex lenses, located one after the other, bulges in different directions, at a distance of 3 centimeters from each other.
As an eyepiece, any strong magnifying lens is best suited, ideally a magnifier in the eyepiece on the handle, which were produced earlier. An eyepiece from any factory-made optical device (binoculars, geodetic devices) will also do.
To find out what magnification the telescope will give, measure the focal length of the eyepiece in centimeters. Then divide 100 cm (the focal length of a 1 diopter lens, that is, a lens) by this number to get the desired magnification.
Attach the lenses to any sturdy pipe (cardboard coated with glue and painted on the inside with the blackest paint you can find). The eyepiece should be able to slide back and forth within a few centimeters; this is for focusing.
The telescope should be fixed in a wooden tripod of the so-called Dobson's mount. Its drawing can be easily found in any search engine. This is the easiest to manufacture and at the same time reliable telescope mount, almost all homemade telescopes use it.
Remember my post about sniper rifles, which caused a lot of discussion on the Internet, this one How sniper rifles are made. That time, in the showroom of the plant, I noticed optical sights, some of which were of domestic production. I became curious, I found out the name of the company, got contacts and I managed to get into a closed restricted area, where they would not be allowed with a camera, if there was no special permission for this.
Today, especially for the readers of the community, an exclusive report on how scopes are made.
As I said, the enterprise is located in the closed territory of the plant, which used to produce something for the needs of the defense industry in a quiet town near Moscow. Initially, they did not want to let me into the enterprise with a camera, I had to call the director of production of the company (where I was going to report) for help. He settled all the problems, but a security guard was assigned to us, who was supposed to make sure that I did not shoot my nikon into the forbidden zone (there seem to be other industries on the territory of the plant).
Olga and I (thanks to whom I got into production) found the shop for the manufacture of lenses in a state of relocation, because there was a little mess here, but it did not greatly affect the production of lenses. Everything here went on as usual. Lenses are made from such a glass cube in production, I will tell you how this is done later.
I immediately found an invoice for a batch of optical glass blanks from China. They are also called "pressing". Most of the lenses are made from Chinese raw materials. As the production foreman told me, the quality of the Chinese "compacts" left much to be desired, a lot of blanks had to be rejected, but recently partners from the Middle Kingdom began to make high-quality material.
,
I asked why Chinese is preferred when there are domestic raw materials? It turned out that Russian glass is three times more expensive than Chinese glass, and their quality is practically the same. By the way, this is not ordinary glass from which sheets for windows are made, but special, optical, which contains various chemical compounds.
In addition, Russian glass comes in the form of such heavy cubes that need to be cut, cylinders turned from blanks, etc.
And Chinese raw materials come in a form ready for processing. In the photo you can see the entire range. Lenses of all diameters used for the production of optical sights and thermal imagers.
Let's go to the first shop, where lenses are polished.
The equipment is more than forty years old, it was bought from enterprises that went bankrupt in the post-Soviet era. Here it was repaired, modernized, and now it works quite successfully in the same mode.
We take the blank.
and place it on such a substrate.
Such a nozzle with a diamond edge grinds the future lens at the first stage.
The nozzle rotates, turns from side to side, the substrate does not stand still either. The workpiece is watered all this time with emulsol - a special solution with abrasives.
The wizard shows how this process takes place.
After finishing grinding, the workpiece is checked for bulge with a special tool - a spherometer, or that bowl called "lapping tool".
If it does not correspond to the norm, then everything is repeated again.
Grinding attachments for lenses of various diameters.
Who wants some mints?)
The same glass cubes are cut on this machine.
Here is a diamond-coated disc.
Such blanks are obtained that look like pieces of ice. When cutting glass, attention is paid to the bubbles that are sometimes present in those very glass cubes, and they cut out perfectly clean blanks without any inclusions.
But lenses can only be made from such blanks, then we will see how this happens.
Here in the workshop there is a whetstone on which, if necessary, you can grind the workpiece.
Large diameter pressing.
And this is a unique machine, which was miraculously rescued from the enterprise that was closed in the 90s. It can handle lenses with a diameter of 25 cm. Now such machines cannot be found. Of course, there are new foreign counterparts, but they cost an order of magnitude more, under 50 thousand euros. And this one got almost nothing.
In this photo, you can see what the muddy pressing turns into at this stage. This is not yet a finished product, there are still many tests ahead of the lens.
But on this machine, workpieces sawn from a glass cube are processed.
Such washers are firmly glued to both ends of the glass blank with glue. Their diameter corresponds to the diameter of future lenses. After that, the workpiece with washers is fixed in the machine, which processes it. As a result, a cylinder is obtained, which in turn is cut into blanks, glass rounds. And the metal washers come off if you put the workpiece in a special oven.
After grinding, future lenses go here.
They are glued with a special resin to metal blanks. Paint or varnish is applied to one side, and then a resin, which, after hardening, adheres tightly to the lens, Vaseline is applied to the other side and glued to such a hemisphere.
Then take a hemisphere with lenses and turn it into a heated metal blank. There is "pshchsch" and the resin with the lenses is glued to the blank.
All this is immediately placed in a basin of water, the blank is cooled, the resin is firmly seized with it, and the hemisphere smeared with petroleum jelly is easily removed.
This thing is waiting for the next stage of processing.
Here, already polished lenses beat off from another metal blank. This is done carefully so as not to damage the workpiece.
To soften the resin with ready-made lenses, they are heated in an oven.
In the same room, resin residues are manually removed from the lenses.
And there is a visual check of the workpiece. If there is something wrong with it, it will be rejected or returned to the polishing line.
We pass to the next workshop. Of the entire tour of the enterprise, this place impressed me the most. On this table you can see both blanks with glued lenses and nozzles with diamond heads that will polish the lenses.
Pay attention to the surface of some lenses, they are painted over to prevent accidental scratching during transport to this workshop.
These machines are designed for polishing small diameter lenses.
You see this black iron cane - a blank with lenses is attached to it. Bottom is a nozzle with diamond heads.
In the process, a special solution with abrasives is poured from the middle of the nozzle. The polishing process itself lasts from 30 minutes to 4 hours.
And the work of these machines is mesmerizing, it seems that you got into some kind of fabulous workshop.
Another machine for piece goods.
Each tip polishes just one small lens.
And here lenses of large diameters are polished.
The diamond head rotates from side to side, the blank with lenses rotates, the process is moistened with polarite - a polishing suspension that contains abrasives.
These machines were also bought from a bankrupt enterprise. They were produced in 1968, however, they were also modernized to new standards, changed almost all the filling, one might say breathed new life into them.
Then the polished surface is varnished
Why do you ask? And then, that it will soon also be coated with resin and soon the other side will be polished.
As if the flowers opened their petals.
After polishing both sides of the lenses, they take acetone baths to get rid of all contaminants, including varnish or resin, if there are particles left on the product.
And this is the final product, although no, intermediate, the lens has already been polished on both sides, but it is not yet fully finished.
This device checks the compliance of the lens with the thickness standards.
An employee of the company checks the cleanliness of the lens by eye. There should be no scratches or microcracks on it. For such work, you need to have perfect vision, however, work is also not an easy one, vision from constant stress gradually deteriorates.
Let's move on to the next workshop. Here the lens is centered - the geometric axis is aligned with the optical one.
It is also an old machine that was also modernized by connecting it to a computer, practically making it into a CNC machine.
The lens is fixed.
And the excess is grinded from its edges.
Then, as usual, quality control is carried out again, and so on at every stage.
To be continued
