MX-11769

MX-11769 image intensifier with the characteristic "pigtail"

MX-11769 is a specification for image intensifier tubes for the U.S. military.

The designation is often used to refer to the format of the tube specified inside of the specification, as all iterations of the specification reuse the same format to facilitate backwards compatibility.

The format is a modified version of the MX-10160 format, with the key difference being a ribbon cable (often called pigtail) leading from contacts in the side of the image intensifier tube to a small electronic circuit, which can be plugged into compatible housings to allow manual gain adjustment, usually in the form of an potentiometer on the exterior of the housing. Usually the resistance of that potentiometer is around 180KΩ, where higher resitance leads to a higher gain.

Its possible to convert any MX11769 to MX-10160 format by desoldering the ribbon cable and replacing it with a resistor. The recommended type of resistor is a 0805 SMD resistor, with a value of 150-180KΩ depending on the desired gain.

On newer tubes from L3Harris the ribbon cable is connected to the image intensifier using a plug instead of soldered pins. When removing the cable the tube will operate at full gain, making the image intensifiers quickly convertible to and from MX-10160 format without the use of any tools.

Devices

The table below lists all devices using MX-11769 image intensifier tubes for which a page exists on this wiki.

	Manufacturer	Housing Type
AN/PVS-14	L3Harris Elbit Systems Of America Carson Industries Inc.	Monocular
Simrad GN-1	Simrad	Bi-ocular