The XX1332 is the most common of the XX1330 series tubes
manufactured by Philips (now Photonis).
The XX1330 series is characterised by the very large 50mm input and 40mm output
windows, which offer significant optical advantages in certain situations.
Arguably the best intensifier tube currently available for security, wildlife
and astronomy, possessing high gain, high sensitivity, and amazing
resolution. They provide operation in near total darkness, often requiring
no artificial illumination. In security applications this is a major
advantage, since the use of any form of illumination can give away the presence
of the equipment.
We have many years experience with image intensifiers and
other optical equipment. We recognise that for some applications, only the
highest image quality will do. We give our tubes a "grade" to
help identify the quality. Grade "A" is the best quality we
offer, and represents a tube with minimal defects likely to be suitable for
scientific and professional applications. Grade "C" is the
lowest quality we offer, suitable for less demanding applications and
"recreational" pursuits. The lower grade tubes usually have
small "burns" or other image artifacts which "spoil the
view" to some extent. However, it is worth noting that even a grade
"C" XX1332 will significantly out-perform the cheap Russian tubes
found in products offered by many High Street photographic stores.
We have supplied XX1332 tubes to professional and amateur
astronomers all over the world. Many of the worlds leading meteor
observation groups use XX1332's supplied by us.
We have housings, lenses and adaptors available for these
tubes. With the addition of a suitable lens mount, the flat 50mm input
window is compatible with most 35mm SLR camera lenses, which will often fill the
entire field. Spectacular results are obtained using a "fish
eye" lens! Please check our other auctions or contact us with any
questions: esales@abex.co.uk
Visit our intensified camera
pages to see what you can do with an XX1332!
Tube
Testing
The most common form of degradation seen in used
intensifier tubes is known as a "burn". A burn
will appear as a dark spot which is sometimes small, sometimes
quite large, but usually indicates permanent damage to the
photocathode. Ex-military tubes are often damaged in this
way by munitions flashes or rangefinders. These burns are
visible only when the tube is operating, but rarely, a burn may
be visible on the phosphor screen. This would also be apparent
with the power turned off.
We take great care over testing image intensifiers. The
XX1332 offers spectacular performance as you will see here.
These are real night-time images captured by digital camera from a
scope which uses the XX1332. However, it is very difficult
to see if the tube has any blemishes because the contrast in the
image hides them.
To see just how good (or bad!) the tube is, we need to use a different
test method.
Click on this image for a high resolution version.
We have determined that the best way to reveal image
defects is to use uniform, low-level illumination.
Any burns are immediately visible, and may be easily captured
on camera. Here is an example of a tube with several burns
right in the centre. Click on the image for a high
resolution version. As was mentioned above, these burns definitely
spoil the view, but the rest of the image would be completely
normal and so the tube is certainly not "useless".
This particular tube would receive a grade "C".
The spots are dark, indicating a "deep" burn, and they
are right in the centre where it matters the most. If the same
spots were right at the edge of the image, this tube could be
given a grade
"B".
This is what Photonis say about the
XX1330:
The XX1330
family IITs have the largest format of the standard PHOTONIS tubes, with
a 50 mm diameter input-window and 40 mm output-screen. This unequalled
configuration provides:
maximum photon collection
very high resolution
unequalled comfort of use, through large-diameter eyepieces.
The XX2050 family IITs are the 25 mm inverter
IITs based on the US military specification Mil-I-49040. These IITs are in use in most of the American-made vehicle scopes, such
as the AN/PVS-4, AN/TVS-5 and AN/VVS series. Their small format and
simple optical design mean lesser performance than the XX1330s, but at a lower cost.
XX1332 Summary
Specifications:
2nd Generation Tube
High Gain: >30,000 lm/lm (60,000 lm/lm typical)
High Resolution: >18 lp/mm, typical 30 lp/mm
(equivalent >2 megapixels)
Spectral response: <450nM to >850nM
(very useful IR sensitivity)
Equivalent background illumination: 0.2ulx
Built-in Power Supply: 6V d.c. Operation
(reverse polarity protected)
Power consumption: 50mA maximum @ 6.5V
Large Input Window: 50mm useful diameter
Large Output Window: 40mm diameter
Mass: 850g
Overall dimensions: 102mm x 93mm x 66mm
(see outline drawing below)
