MX-10160
MX10160 is the designation for a specification for image intensifier tubes for the United States 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. Tubes of this format are required to be image inverting.
Other names commonly used to refer to the format are:
- Small Anvis (because it was developed for AN/AVS-6 binoculars)
- 18 mm (because of the diameter of the core)
- 37 mm (because of the diameter of the tube)
This format, together with the sibling MX11769 format, are the most common formats both in military and civilian applications as of today.
Iterations
MX10160
The original MX10160/AVS-6 specification was introduced in 1989 in the MIL-I-49428 specification. [1]
It consists of many specifications that designated image intensifier tubes have to meet as well as how those specifications should be tested.
The specification was cancelled in 1997 in favor of later iterations.
Key Specifications
Below is an incomplete list of key specifications that the image intensifiers have to meet.
- 18mm microchannel wafer
- minimum useful photocathode and phosphor screen diameter of 17.5 mm
- maximum weight of 85 grams
- phosphor screen type P-20
- image inversion
- resistance to shocks of at least 75 G's
- equivalent background input of 2.5 * 10-11 lumens/cm2
- maximum luminance gain
- between 20.000 and 35.000 at 2 x 10-6 footcandles
- between 3.500 and 10.500 at 2 x 10-4 footcandles
- minimum signal-to-noise ratio of 16.2
- minimum resolution of 36 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm)
- minimum high light resolution of 5 lp/mm (at 20 footcandles)
- modular transfer function at 8 x 10-4 footcandle:
- 83% MTF at 2.5 lp/mm
- 58% MTF at 7.5 lp/mm
- 28% MTF at 15.0 lp/mm
- 8% MTF at 25.0 lp/mm
- mean time to failure of minimum 7500 hours (minimum 1500 hours under accelerated conditions[2])
Some further specifications include:
- stability and uniformity of output brightness
- ion barrier film quality
- photocathode sensitivity
- burn-in / environmental stress screening
- vibration
- resonance search / resonance dwell / cycling
- temperature ranges / temperature cycling
- compatibility with the ANVIS monocular assembly
- reverse polarity protection
- resistance to bright lights
- allowable dark & bright spots
- veil glare
- image alignment
- electromagnetic interference
- assembly quality
- chicken wire
MX10160A
MX10160B
MX10160C
MX10160GS
MX10160WG
MX10160FG
- ↑ http://everyspec.com/MIL-SPECS/MIL-SPECS-MIL-I/MIL-I-49428_53852/
- ↑ Accelerated conditions differ only in shorter on-off cycles and more frequent temporary increases in input illumination.
