M1A2 SEP V2 Gunner Optical Assembly

Need help turning on this gunner optic. Anybody here smart enough to help a homie out? There's a lot of pins and connections on the rear of the circuit board, I'll buy a display if I need to, I'd love to look through this thing. Thanks in advance to anyone involved!

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    lol dude you got scammed hard

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      Scammed? I got it for free from a friend who I do a lot of work for, I just recently figured out what it could be after disassemblying it to confirm what it is after having it for a few months.

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    lemme get this straight.
    you think if you look through that piece while its hooked up to a display you're gonna see what a M2 gunner sees?

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      I dont know if I can or not, Im wondering myself, but I worked on similar optics on LAV25s and ATs, these systems are not complicated at all, but I never came across this one. Im curious myself if I can just plug it in, because in most cases you should be able to to a certain extent. I understand the fire control system is missing as are probably tens of other major components and assemblies needed to run this, but it could be possible.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Post it on the war thunder forums they will be more helpful

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      I was definitely considering it but with how much heat people are getting for petty shit like posting documents idk how I would feel about it. Definitely some smart morons there tho

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Post more angles.
    Are there even any lenses connected to that thing? Generally speaking, cameras sorta need those to work.

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Without a pinout you're probably not going to have much luck. Do you have a schematic or anything?

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      Unfortunately no further info or a schematic. I agree theres probably not much more I can do with it other than replace the electronics for different components that Ill be able to more easily control. The lenses are absolutely beautiful on this thing, I definitely dont want it to go to waste. Unless you know someone who might have access to a schematic for documents on this optical system, but I dont even have a name of it. I just know its 100% german made

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >Russhit glowies are reduced to asking for help on Finnish airsoft forum
    HAHAHAHAHAHA

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      Thankfully Im not a russian subhuman, so youre wrong there. Just trying to familiarize myself with a system I didnt work on

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    those components are basically all passives, any meaningful clues as to functionality would be mounted on the other side. also you're moronic.

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      There are connectors on the rear so we dont know that. For sure many of these cables as well as the xenon pump are hooked up to assemblies I dont currently have. Worst case scenario I get a few of my friends to help create some of the additional PCBs/ electrical components once we figure out more about the optic and how it functions.

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Wash that shit. Do a 1M HCl rinse at minimum, that'll get most of the adhered dust off

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      Will do, the thing is dusty for sure. Ill be cleaning all the prisms and lenses on it today and follow up with reassembly

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      I recommend adding one part HNO3 for every three parts HCL. I find that cleans out all the junk.

  9. 1 year ago
    Optikstard

    Oh yea, its a whole ass assembly. I only showed a picture of the rear PCB on the unit.

  10. 1 year ago
    Optikstard

    More

  11. 1 year ago
    Optikstard

    Underside contains a ruby solid state laser with a xenon pump

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      The Abrams uses German-made lasers?
      What kind of bait is this?

  12. 1 year ago
    Optikstard

    Here is the reticle

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      That is not a Abrams optic. It does not look anything like that.
      and that is not how the reticle works, and it’s color.
      t. Abrams MG

      • 1 year ago
        Optikstard

        Got any pics of what an Abrams optic looks like? Reticle is illuminated, it is injected into the optical stream.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Not going to say anything that you can’t publicly find so google inside of a Abrams and look at the gunner optic mounted and you can tell the difference, the Abrams one is a lot more narrow. Not going to talk more about the reticle, but it should be red.

          • 1 year ago
            Optikstard

            I dont think you understand what an Objective is. The display is a separate piece and located far from this. It is clearly a lens looking out into the outside world. I dont need to google the inside of an abrams to look for something that I know isnt there

          • 1 year ago
            Optikstard

            and yes the reticle is red, it is illuminated like I mentioned previously.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              The GPS reticle is generated from the LRF, and requires voltage, so unless you have both pieces and are providing power to it, again that is not a Abrams optic

              • 1 year ago
                Optikstard

                Then what is this thing? Because very few things use this reticle.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                The markings on the assembly are in German language / abbreviations, there a Kuhnke subassembly mounted on top. Why would it be from an Abrams? And why is there something covered red in your picture…

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                For what it's worth, Hensoldt produces an LRF unit
                https://www.hensoldt.net/fileadmin/HENSOLDT_2019/Products/Optronics/Sensor_Components/0714_SL_0817-9_M1_Abrams_EN_LoRes.pdf

                https://i.imgur.com/dig4dWl.jpg

                Neat, no idea what it's for but very cool. I assume that is a photodiode detector for the laser?

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Datecode from that electronic assembly is 09/ 2012. Did Hensoldt already supply that product back then?

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                Anon, the thing was made 10 years ago…how many tankers you know that are less than 10, that don’t live in Africa

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                Meant for

                That is definitely an abrams optic but probably from before you were born

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                With american date system that could either be 13th of august of ?????? or august 2013
                But I know that reticle has been used on the initial M1 variants

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                It’s German, but manufacturing dates overall rarely preclude a year, so regardless of the American standard or rest of the world standard of time stamping, precluding the day of the month would still read Month/Year. It’s 99 percent likely august of 2013, not doubting if it’s from an Abrams or not, im not knowledgeable enough to make that call. Pic related of common Herst. dat. Formatting for manufactured parts

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                yeah, unless you’re dealing with perishable goods, like food stuffs, where knowing the specific day month and year of packing or expiry is fundamental to quality it would just have the month and year

              • 12 months ago
                Optikstard

                I think youre onto something, the lens matches for sure, size wise its close too. Too bad they gave the external dimensions of the whole box. The unit it self weighs at 3 pounds 14 ounces as it is, so clearly a lot of pounds are still missing. And yes, I believe it is.

              • 1 year ago
                Optikstard

                correct, it is German. Kuhnke piece on top is a solenoid, it moves what seems to be an aperture forward and back a few mm. Reason I think its from an Abrams is cause of the manufacturing dates on it and the reticle. I assume a SEPV2 got updated to the SEPV3 and the optic got changed, so they got rid of the old one (this one). Personally Im unsure if we use german optics but so far it seems like it, unless it somehow made its way from germany to the united states.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                It is a mystery. Do you have afoot without the Fertigungsnummer covered in red?

              • 12 months ago
                Optikstard

                40293058 on the main body, 40371458 and 40371468 on the solid state laser. There was another label on the other side of the housing between the main piece and that.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                The V2 and V3 still use the same optic.

              • 12 months ago
                Optikstard

                Good information to know, I thought it got changed out, or read somewhere that it did. Thank you for the correction.

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                That would be SEPv4
                > The Commander's Primary Sight, also known as the Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer, and Gunner's Primary Sight will be upgraded with third Gen FLIR, an improved laser rangefinder and color cameras.

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                >very few things use this reticle
                LAV A2 had the same reticle

              • 12 months ago
                Anonymous

                >LAV A2 had the same reticle
                Yeah but this is nothing even close to the LAV ITSS assembly
                >t.LAV turret technician.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        That is definitely an abrams optic but probably from before you were born

        • 12 months ago
          Anonymous

          That could be the case, my experience is only from the M1A1SA to V3. But it 100% is not from anything modern version.

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        >Mike golf
        Damn when did you go to the school house? Did you ever meet SFC Zimmerman?

        • 12 months ago
          Anonymous

          If we was in 1CAV, then yes

          • 12 months ago
            Anonymous

            He was
            Short dude, talked really nasally, a dick of a person but encyclopedic knowledge of everything Abrams

            In this video at 09:45
            >Hidden story, this scene was already shot by the camera crew with a trainee holding the round but then Z barges in and demand a reshoot so he could be in the documentary

            • 12 months ago
              Anonymous

              That’s him, he was in 2ABCT with me, he was in a different battalion and I only really worked with them him when our BDE did gunnery.
              I would rather have any NCO talk about tank rounds then some trainee who first interacting with tank round is that “gunnery” they do.

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    >I understand the fire control system is missing as are probably tens of other major components and assemblies
    The whole imaging system is missing. This is just the CRT for the eyepiece display

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      Are you able to tell me a bit more about what is actually happening here on the assembly? Just the functional process starting from light entering the objective lens and other details.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >Just the functional process starting from light entering the objective lens and other details.
        There's no objective lens on the device you have
        The fact it displays a reticle, I'm quite sure it's just the CRT display from a BICU (binocular image control unit)
        https://www.palomardisplays.com/military-armored-vehicle-displays/
        The Thermal imaging is all done through a device called the Thermal Receiver Unit (TRU) where infrared emissions are collected through a periscope and directed to a 2nd generation FLIR sensor, processes and image and sends the output signal to the BICU to be displayed as an image on a screen.
        The BICU also interfaces with the Fire Control Electronics Unit, with the gunner's symbology being generated in the BICU using data from the FCEU. The laser will be used to draw symbology overlayed on the CRT image

  14. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Is there a DIP IC on the other side of that PCB? To me this looks like just '80s tier biasing and decoupling circuitry for an IC. Since it's part of a laser assembly I'd imagine it might be a hybrid A/D circuit for time of flight etc. Nothing particularly advanced in that size with that old construction

  15. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Are there any obvious pathways for optical coupling etc?

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      everything is basically closed off. Except on the bottom where the laser with the pump is located, there is a single window leading out the other direction of where the prisms are oriented, basically it points straight to the front of the optic from underneath it.

    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard
    • 1 year ago
      Optikstard

      Up close

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        Inspectable. Fascinating.

  16. 1 year ago
    Optikstard

    Thats interesting. What youre saying makes sense, but the coatings on it just dont add up to the theory for me. A display shouldnt be using these types of coatings on it. We either use clear glass or slightly coated glass on our displays, this is just way too much coating for it to be something used on the interior. Are we able to find more pictures of the BICU disassembled or components of it?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      It is also not from the BICU either, based on how the reticle is also generated and is more digital in appearance (it does not have any rounded edges it is all squared).

      Then what is this thing? Because very few things use this reticle.

      I have no idea, but I can promise you it is not from a Abrams, there is a chance it could possibly be from a simulator but I am not familiar with how the components look on the inside since they just how to replicate the outside look of it.

  17. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Haha very interesting anonymous. By any chance could you share what city and state jurisdiction you’re posting from? I am a fellow military enthusiast and perhaps we can talk.

    • 12 months ago
      Optikstard

      Hahahaha how about nooooooooo

    • 12 months ago
      Anonymous

      You can get fried by a lethally amplified vest any time you like, tyrant.
      "Suicide by voter"

  18. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Cool thread
    OP what do you want to do with whatever this turns out to be when you got it to work? Is it just for fun?

    • 12 months ago
      Optikstard

      Preferably keep it for myself and make something useful out of it, its just cool shit so Id like to get it working and not let it collect dust. Perhaps if its worth a lot then I would sell it for a fair amount or trade it.

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        >thick, unkown coatings
        Use it for solar astronomy.

  19. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    this is cool af, would love to mount this on a cheap duur rifle just for fun

  20. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    That's a nice ITAR controlled item you have there! Please post more identifying information and we will help you promptly.

    • 12 months ago
      Optikstard

      Lol of course it's ITAR controlled. Good thing it doesn't plan to leave this country's borders so I have nothing to worry about.

      • 12 months ago
        Anonymous

        Information is also covered under ITAR. Posting pictures and information could be considered an illegal export.

        • 12 months ago
          Optikstard

          Good point, and I'm totally aware of it. People break that rule constantly on a daily basis and nothing ever happens. This shit is so vague to begin with that literally nothing important or groundbreaking is being revealed here.

  21. 12 months ago
    Anonymous

    Have you tried it yet? Make sure to put in the crystals.

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