Adan Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 I was tired of dealing with fog all the time, tried different goggles, anti-fog additives and so on, and I wouldn´t ever try mesh goggles so I decided to make my own gear which in principle is an air blowing system that continuously removes the steam produced inside the goggles. I´ve tried it already twice at skirmishes on very hot days and worked perfectly, so good bye fog for me. For this project I took as a support base a tactical helmet and I used a very quiet electrical 5V fan blower, powered by LiPo batteries 7.4 V, 1200 mAh. The fan is connected to an flexible silicone tube followed by a Y connector in which I attached a smaller ID flexible tubes, those are connected directly into the goggles. The fan is powered by the battery but it´s controlled by a power module and a variable resistor to select different fan speeds. The system works quite well even at the lowest speed and the battery lasts between 5 or 6 hours at full speed. I built a box with 0.8 mm aluminium sheets for the battery in case it receives shots and it´s placed it outside the helmet , to protect the fan I hardened the structure with expoxy putty so I´m pretty sure it can withstand shots. The goggles are directly attached to the helmet so it´s easy to put everything on, and allowed me to wear face protection too. So on my tests, the fan is super quiet and zero vibrations I barely notice when is on, there´s a lot of place for improvements but this was the first prototype, I´m currently working on a compact version to be used with caps and smaller goggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuckMySock Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 So, basically a DIY Exfog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiercel Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 That's not a bad idea for a helmet set-up, I become a sweaty manbeast even without a helmet on. My ESS goggles have superb antifog and don't fog up but the problem is sweat dripping down the inside of the lenses, I wonder how this setup would cope with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adan Posted September 22, 2019 Author Share Posted September 22, 2019 Yes you could say that, before making this helmet I checked online and there´s plenty of products from cheap goggles on Amazon, which I wouldn´t trust to work, it comes with a tiny fan powered by AAA batteries, there´s also cyclone mike , Exfog and also the £280 version of the goggles but all powered by AAA batteries. The fan I used is the same used for cyclone mike but cost me way less and I didn´t wanted to rely on AAA batteries, for me LiPo was a must for several hours of use. Another thing this products don´t have is the speed control. In overall it cost me a third of an Exfog and has the features I look for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adan Posted September 22, 2019 Author Share Posted September 22, 2019 2 hours ago, Tiercel said: That's not a bad idea for a helmet set-up, I become a sweaty manbeast even without a helmet on. My ESS goggles have superb antifog and don't fog up but the problem is sweat dripping down the inside of the lenses, I wonder how this setup would cope with that? I sweat a lot too, and I fogged everything I´ve use even with antifog products, ventilated goggles and all the times I accumulate a lot of water on them. When I turned on the fan right from the beggining it blows away all the sweat, and scapes through the small gaps of the goggles so I think it wouldn´t work with completely sealed goggles. It is the first time I can be on a skirmish full time and not having to clean the goggles all the time. Also to prevent my eyes to be dry from the airflow I deflected the tubes to blow directly into the screen, I attach a picture from inside the goggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badgerlicious Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 How much was all the parts for this? The fan systems tend to run at quite a high price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adan Posted September 22, 2019 Author Share Posted September 22, 2019 15 minutes ago, Badgerlicious said: How much was all the parts for this? The fan systems tend to run at quite a high price. If you have a helmet or anything similar and goggles it´s super cheap, I would say less than £60 and you´ll end up with a very reliable fan, reliable battery, nothing will brake dow in a few days besides everything can be easily replaced. I was tempted to buy the £25 fan goggles on Amazon, but the costumer´s feedback is quite bad, I would say they are disposable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporters Rogerborg Posted September 22, 2019 Supporters Share Posted September 22, 2019 Very nicely done. How are you achieving a seal between the fan output and the tubing? Epoxy putty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adan Posted September 22, 2019 Author Share Posted September 22, 2019 4 minutes ago, Rogerborg said: Very nicely done. How are you achieving a seal between the fan output and the tubing? Epoxy putty? Thanks, yes epoxy putty and making sure the tube doesn´t touch the blades I made a cut of the tube on a C shape sort of saying to cover more volume inside the fan, also I got a tube to match with the internal diameter of the fan, I checked this previously on the specifitications so it won´t be lose. I tested using teflon tape, or other types of tape (as used for cyclone mike fan) but this seemed the best option. I attach a picture of a newer version I´m working on, this one will be lighter and fit´s any cap, plus I think I can make it more air efficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporters Rogerborg Posted September 23, 2019 Supporters Share Posted September 23, 2019 [Desire to emulate intensifies] I bought a couple of those fans and various tubing a while back intending to do just this, but then wussed out and went commercial. The shop-bought fan goggles do just about work, but the fans are tiny and this looks like a better solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_stylian_ Posted September 24, 2019 Share Posted September 24, 2019 Good DIY job I use FMA fan goggles, cost about 18 quid. Once you take the foam layer off the edging, work like a treat with a bit of anti fog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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