barrysuperhawk Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Batteries...they suck. They are never bright enough always run low when you need them and are expensive as hell. That said, I have been running a small experement with a Konus M30 Rifle Scope 1-4X 24mm Illuminated. It's a standard-ish 1-4 mildot reticle with a tiny blue illumination dot in the center. The problem is I think it's a hunting scope because on the highest setting the dot is ok indoors, but useless for anything outside until around dusk. This scope takes a standard 2032 3v lithium battery, so I decided to try the Stacker trick. I bought a sheet [under $1 each when you buy the whole sheet] of 2016 3v batteries, and have been doubling them up in the battery compartment. The dot is now eating 6V instead of 3v, but so far it doesen't seem to care. At full intensity, the dot stays above the 2032 level for better than a week [subjective, not measured with anything besides my eyeballs.] The LED has lived through 4 sets of 2 batteries, all to 100% drained. If overall the LED life is shortened from 100000 hours to say 10000, who cares? In a practical sense, I can now use the scope both eyes open outdoors on a sunny day, [like an acog] and it doesent wash out. I have been told but havent tested the rumor that the same trick can be done with a stack of hearing aid batteries on an aimpoint. I have a couple of clones [a Burris speed-dot gets burn your eyes bright with 2 2016's] and a Vortex that takes CR-2's - I wonder how a stack of 675's would fit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esskay Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Interesting... I wonder if anyone has tried doubling batteries in the Burris TAC30 to increase the brightness of the reticle? Side note, I've never felt my Aimpoints were lacking in illumination! If it got any brighter, I'd worry about damaging my retina! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagdrag Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Probably like a lot of LED lighting these are regulated to operate within a certain voltage range. Before anyone else tries you might want to find that voltage range in the specs portion of the user's manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Holman Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 I'd love to see someone try this on a Burris 1-4X XTR. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Years ago I bought one of the aftermarket battery caps for my Aimpoint. It was way to bright using two batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_noel Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Years ago I bought one of the aftermarket battery caps for my Aimpoint. It was way to bright using two batteries. I just tried this today in my Millett DMS-1. It was brighter with 2 2016 batteries, but not so bright as to be "daytime illuminated". A worthy experiment, though. -Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esskay Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) never mind! Edited May 31, 2011 by esskay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrysuperhawk Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) OK, I just tried this with a Burris TAC30. Short answer - it doesn't work. Ok, Please forgive me if my assumptions are wrong, I have been doing that alot lately [being wrong], But did you actually TRY this, or did you look at your battery compartment and decide it wouldn't work? The beauty of this "hack" is that 2016 batteries are exactly half the thickness of a 2032 [both are 20mm diameter, 1.6mm thickness vs 3.2mm thickness]. The first battery makes contact in the normal way, the 2 batteries make contact + to -, then the second battery makes contact in the normal way, and Viola, double voltage. If the design of the battery compartment means the negative contact is full height, use a small dolop of nail polish to keep #1 from making contact on its edge. If you send me a picture of your battery compartment, I will photoshop in where you put the nail polish id I wasn't clear enough. Edited May 31, 2011 by barrysuperhawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esskay Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Ah, I had a brain fart about the half-sized 2016s! OK, scratch my earlier post! I do suspect it might be necessary to put nail polish around the perimeter of battery #1 though, based on the battery compartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan 45 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 The other questions is what will this do to your scopes electronics? Like Barry said, it's effectlively doubling the voltage. An old 6v starter will turn real fast w/ a 12v battery, but it won't last very long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrysuperhawk Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 The other questions is what will this do to your scopes electronics? Like Barry said, it's effectlively doubling the voltage. An old 6v starter will turn real fast w/ a 12v battery, but it won't last very long... That's a valid point, and I agree there is no way to predict how much sooner failure will occur. I humbly submit that electronics fail all of the time even when the user does everything right. By doing this you are accepting that you are shortening the lifespan of the scope in question in return for a brighter dot. Kinda like the open 9mm and 38 super crowd firing what is peilously close to a proof load in order to make major and accepting that their gun will wear out faster. In my case, the dot on the scope was useless in the daytime, even on the highest setting.stacking gives me a dot bright enough to use in the light of day.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STInky Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Anyone tried this on a Leupold MR/T M2 ??? I've looked on the Leupy web site, but can't find the voltage range for the scope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrysuperhawk Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 Anyone tried this on a Leupold MR/T M2 ??? I've looked on the Leupy web site, but can't find the voltage range for the scope. I suspect you won't, so the question would be if you are brave enough to try it and take a chance at having to send your scope back to leoupold and lie about how it got buggered. As a secondary point, I tried this with a Cmore STS and the brightness was a bit more, but it appears the regulation on the Cmore is alot tighter [it's pretty bright already] I wish I could find some 2011 batteries.... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocMcG Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I'd love to see someone try this on a Burris 1-4X XTR. :-) Kevin, It works... I have done it with my XTR. Good to see you this weekend. Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrysuperhawk Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 I'd love to see someone try this on a Burris 1-4X XTR. :-) Kevin, It works... I have done it with my XTR. Good to see you this weekend. Kyle Another user just IM'd me and told me that on the Trijicon 4MOA MRD, stacking 2 2016 batteries is in the manual as an acceptable way to increase brightness... can someone confirm this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim/GA Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Anyone found a "stack" to replace CR-2s? Have a Vortex Strikefire that is actually decent for the money. The dot is just not quite enough in bright light unless I have the doubler screwed into it. That makes close in a bit tough though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Holman Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 It most certainly does not work on a TAC30. Interesting that it works on the XTR.... they obviousy changed the electronics with voltage regulation. That said - if the TAC30 was any brighter, it would start washing out the entire scope tube... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchang0 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 The other questions is what will this do to your scopes electronics? Like Barry said, it's effectlively doubling the voltage. An old 6v starter will turn real fast w/ a 12v battery, but it won't last very long... Doubling the voltage while the impedance stays the same results in double the current through the scope's electronics. That's why the batteries die faster. It is possible that sending twice as much current through the scope can damage it permanently, though at these low voltages and current levels, it is not likely. BTW, I tried the stacking trick on my Vortex Viper PST 1-4X, and it only slightly improved the brightness. Most likely this is by design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Reviving a 2 year old thread, wondering if anybody's doubled-up electronics survived through now? If so, what scope. If not... what scope? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Two 2016's in a docter for many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Anybody done this in a Viper PST longterm? A little brightness is better than nothing. Would be willing to try it... as long as somebody else has played the proverbial guinea pig on their electroncs first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 FYI, I contacted Vortex with the question, and their answer was "a definitive no". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon49erfan Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 FWIW, this doesnt work with the SWFA SS 1-6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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