How to make a C-More Dot Brighter?

[Chip_E]

Had the WORST match since my first major shooting production with a Ruger SR9.

Due to travel (I was in PA all week, flew back to IL on thursday night and drove to OH on friday morning) there was ZERO opportunity to run the guns outside. Plus an ejector issue tied up the wife's week...compiled by a local gunsmith that took her gun in and then went MIA...thanks to a local club member who says he's an amateur, but is an expert and builds some beautiful firearms, the wife's gun was revived. She took her gun to the club (indoor) test fired, sighted it in, and thought our cleaning had revived it well enough for outdoors. We were wrong.

Both the wife's and my C-More were useless. We bought enough NEW batteries for our entire squad. Went through all of them with the battery meter. Rayovacs were the worst. Some Duracells were OK, but the Energizers were closest to full voltage (tried both 357 and 1/3n). For most of the Ohio Championship we were point shooting. I showed the dot to a few people and each one tried to turn the rheostat up. They couldn't believe it was so pale. When I turned on a click module to the first click...THAT is how dim the dot was. YES, on both of our guns. Her gun is my backup and my gun is her backup (now she wants another backup for the backups).

So what cleaning did we do? We tried cleaning the diode with windex, with alcohol, and lens cleaner. We used a pointed q-tip. NOTHING helped. We brought new diodes, but didn't want to install them without being able to zero (Another thing I like about IPSC...a bay dedicated to zeroing and test firing).

Anyway, today I decided to see if it was the diode or the unit, so I put in a new diode. Holy COW! It's like brand new. Since I now know it was the diode, I figure there's not reason not to experiment with the old diode. I tried boiling it in water...no change. I also tried 3 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner....no change. I'm really baffled that BOTH diodes would go bad at the same time. I've talked to a lot of people who say they've NEVER had to change the diode. If it wasn't for the fact that I was squadded with good friends and some really great shooters, I'd say the weekend was a waste. Hope this info can help someone else.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Chip_E

[Neomet]

I'll top you one. We were at a semi-major match this weekend and halfway through the plate rack on the first stage the C-more shut off on my wife. Being technically minded she hit it a couple of times and it came back on so she could finish the stage. She no longer heckles me for bringing a spare C-more. :-) Back on point I have had diodes go bad before.

[AzYooper]

a few months ago I also had checked the voltage on 357's and switched to those. I was buying a new diode every few months and it would be bright for a month or two, then it would be dim again. I bought a new cmore and had the same problem. I sent one back to cmore and the tech there recommended cleaning the module with brake cleaner every once in a while because mine was just dirty.

Rick, it is a good idea to have a backup. One of my cmore's started going on and off on a stage - the first day of Area 1 last month. I had changed to a mount that can swap the cmore's easily so went with my backup and was back in action.

Joe

[Scootertheshooter]

I have found the click switch to be not as bright as my standard . Of course my click is a 6 moa and standards 8. I seem to have to turn my click all the way up outside

[Neomet]

Joe, yep she was happy I brought one. Your diode gets filthy because you run those goofy sideways mount. LOL

[40S&W]

Use three 357 silver oxide batteries. Boost the voltage about 0.5 volts, does make a difference.

[Shadyscott999]

Use three 357 silver oxide batteries. Boost the voltage about 0.5 volts, does make a difference.

What size hammer do you use to drive that 3rd 357 into the cmore?

[Guest]

Using three 357 batteries was the trick thing to do with the old Tasco PDP2...but dang, I'm with Shadyscott....I think it would take a pretty good sized hammer and maybe some astrolube to get a third 357 battery in my c-more!

[40S&W]

The 357 silver oxide batteries are 1.55 volts & 150 mAh. Using two batteries gives you 3.1 volts. Will make dot a little brighter.

The 1/3n batteries are 3 volts & 160 mAh. Will last a bit longer, but not as bright.

[Chip_E]

Use three 357 silver oxide batteries. Boost the voltage about 0.5 volts, does make a difference.

Using three 357 batteries was the trick thing to do with the old Tasco PDP2...but dang, I'm with Shadyscott....I think it would take a pretty good sized hammer and maybe some astrolube to get a third 357 battery in my c-more!

The 357 silver oxide batteries are 1.55 volts & 150 mAh. Using two batteries gives you 3.1 volts. Will make dot a little brighter.

The 1/3n batteries are 3 volts & 160 mAh. Will last a bit longer, but not as bright.

I think he means just using TWO 357 batteries...the reference to three was a typo...I believe.

Joe, yep she was happy I brought one. Your diode gets filthy because you run those goofy sideways mount. LOL

Spoke to C-More, that was pretty much the first question they asked..."Is this on a sideways mount?"

The fact that both my unit and my wife's went out at the same time could NOT be coincidence, but the fact that we shoot all of our matches together and that the sideways mount gets a lot more airborne debris thrown at it makes perfect sense.

We also talked about the possibility of placing clear tape in front of the diode...their concern was that the poor optical quality of most tape would distort the dot.

Advised using a precision Q-Tip and compressed air to clear the blocked passage. Be careful that you don't push debris from the surface into the hole.

[BillChunn]

This past weekend at the Western PA Sectional, the dot turned into a half moon. The C-More is on a sideways mount. It was bright enough to shoot but from Chip_E's post above, it may be debris in the diode hole. Will have to take a look at it tonight after practice.

Are "precision Q-Tips" different than regular Q-Tips? Where does one obtain the "precision" ones?

Thanks,

BC

[EkuJustice]

Is it a regular or set back mount. I run a setback on mine with no issues with it crudding up. My main reason for the setback was 1 lense is farther back from Popple holes so it stays clean and diode is back past the breech face so that stays clean

[GuildSF4]

Are "precision Q-Tips" different than regular Q-Tips? Where does one obtain the "precision" ones?

Thanks,

BC

The ones I used at Motorola were, they were a kind of foam tip (this didn't shred or particulate easily). I have seen some like this now being made for gun cleaning.

Kind of like these - http://www.amazon.com/Tape-Head-Cleaning-Swab-pack/dp/B001E63LSC

or these - http://www.bearmetalclean.com/

[BillChunn]

Is it a regular or set back mount. I run a setback on mine with no issues with it crudding up. My main reason for the setback was 1 lense is farther back from Popple holes so it stays clean and diode is back past the breech face so that stays clean

It was a setback mount. I had problems getting my thumb on the *generic*gas*pedal* as it was being crowded by the rear mount leg. It was swapped out for the standard mount yesterday.

Are "precision Q-Tips" different than regular Q-Tips? Where does one obtain the "precision" ones?

Thanks,

BC

The ones I used at Motorola were, they were a kind of foam tip (this didn't shred or particulate easily). I have seen some like this now being made for gun cleaning.

Kind of like these - http://www.amazon.com/Tape-Head-Cleaning-Swab-pack/dp/B001E63LSC

or these - http://www.bearmetalclean.com/

Excellent. Thanks.

BC

[hitman]

Saw a homemade tube on a cmore once.

Center tube from a roll of toilet paper, guy just cut a strip from end to end till it fit around the body & lense.

I will see if I can make one up and post a photo.

Thought it was an inventive solution.

[robot]

I made my 4 MOA brighter by switching to a 8 MOA dot

pics here : C-More Serendipity 8-MOA Upgrade

[Henry625]

When you change the diode do you have to re-sight the pistol?

[Guest]

When you change the diode do you have to re-sight the pistol?

I've found that to be the case when swapping between different modules. I carry a spare module in my bag and the point of impact difference between the main one and the spare is about 4-5 inches at 20 yards. If you are just removing and re-installing the same module, then no the POI doesn't shift.

[Chip_E]

I made my 4 MOA brighter by switching to a 8 MOA dot

pics here : C-More Serendipity 8-MOA Upgrade

From the pics, it looks like your 4 moa is obstructed. There shouldn't be that much of a brightness difference between the two...there should be a size difference, but not the huge difference in brightness. Last week I compared my almost new 6 moa with a friend's 12 moa, both were equally bright, but his was a lot bigger....too big.

[robot]

I made my 4 MOA brighter by switching to a 8 MOA dot

pics here : C-More Serendipity 8-MOA Upgrade

From the pics, it looks like your 4 moa is obstructed. There shouldn't be that much of a brightness difference between the two...there should be a size difference, but not the huge difference in brightness. Last week I compared my almost new 6 moa with a friend's 12 moa, both were equally bright, but his was a lot bigger....too big.

you could be right. I didn't know what to do with it so I changed to a larger dot. Works better for me.

I think if I had the opportunity to start fresh, the optimum size for me would be the 6 MOA.

Edited June 27, 2013 by robot

[bradsteimel]

Will the Arrendondo c-more hood make a difference in BRIGHTNESS outside with a Quinn type mount?

Be careful with those CMore hoods. i had one that must've blocked part of the light from the diode to the glass... because when i had it on the CMore, the dot would disappear as it would leave the center of the glass toward one side. I thought there was a short in the CMore itself, but after playing around with the hood realized that was the problem. Removed the hood, now the dot shows up just as expected.

[mwray]

I've been stacking two 357 batteries instead of using whatever the factory replacement is. It's cheaper and gives you just a touch more voltage so in turn it's brighter

[Ultimo-Hombre]

..I think it would take a pretty good sized hammer and maybe some astrolube to get a third 357 battery in my c-more!

Dude, it's AstroGLIDE. Come on.

[sauza45]

I have seen the modules get dim over time. You can put new batterys in and it is still dim, try a new module

[jmcqueen]

I have two identical c-mores. When I take the very same diode, 8mm, and try it in each gun there is a big difference in brightness even when I use the same batteries. So there can be a lot of variance between units, not just diodes.