How many cables exit from the viewfinder? 4? I mean not all the cable, just the output one, they should be ground, 5V the video IN and the high pulse. The high pulse is useless, you should seal it with insulating tape.
So after powering tge viewer you touch the 2 remaining cabe with aafpiece of...
" After about 30 minutes I found a lead that made a red indicator light go on. Does this mean I'm getting video or something else?"
By lead you mean maybe a LED light? Like this
I think the red LED means "power on" (I don't understand what lead means i nthis contest you mean a path. way? An LED...
After powering up the finder you touch the remaning cable (2) (4 cable-2 (ground and +12volt) with a metal screw driver, if you see some tv statics this means you found the video cable
Ok first danger doc (the first link) "there is 2 type of viewfinder 1 with the power cable in the viewer 2nd the type that recive energy from the main circuit bord of the camera" if you're viewer is the second type you threw money in the fire the viewfinder shoukd work at dc 5-12 volt/100 mA and...
There are other options like using cheap actioncam with incorporated screen 70+-€ or attaching an lcd screen to a low lux
Buy an old camera, the immage is good and you can find them for 15€ try hard and one more thing can you send me some pics abou you're project if you are constructing it...
Now let's talk about those viewfinder, i ripped off mine from my old dad's camera an old sony, I have to say: the viewfinder is an awesome thing, It's a cathode ray tube of the dimension of a glue stick and the quality of the immage is amazing
Ok I'm trying to build the same thing in the same way I guess; there is a youtuber that build one of this monocular sorry for the nazi grammar I'm not english, the video is the first of two It is in Italian, if you want I can translate it but I raccomand you to watc you don't have to understand...