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Anyone use Rechargable batteries in their optics

John A.

John A.

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I'm curious if anyone is using rechargable batteries in their optics. The answer is likely going to be no, and maybe with good reason, but today I found some rechargable button cell batteries I've never heard about that most rifle scopes these day use.

They are 3.6 v button cell batteries and have pretty good specs (at least on paper). So I ordered a bunch and a charger to see how they do.

Since I have two identical scopes (same brand, same model, same specs) I am going to use a brand new regular battery in one and the rechargable in the other to see if the rechargable has comparable life or not. It would actually be fun for me to find out (yes, I lead a dull, unexciting existance which I am proud of LOL)

I usually go through a lot of the CR 2032 batteries anyway by accidentally leaving the scopes on, or bumping the knobs when I'm putting them in the safe or whatever, so if it helps save some money in the long run, it'll be worth trying them.

And just to be honest, having a rechargable battery for my optics may not be such a bad idea anyway. I have actually been buying a lot of different types of rechargables lately because I can charge them back up on an invertor or DC cigarette lighter adapter or whatever during a power outage.

Anyway, here are the links before anyone asks :lol:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/lir2032----.html

http://www.batteryjunction.com/powerize ... -2032.html
 
I'm not sure if it is or not yet :lol:

But I've never heard of a rechargable button cell before, so I'm interested in seeing how they do.

At the price they were asking, I ordered 8 batteries, plus the charger. Realistically, I only needed 4 batteries for scopes I have, so, I went ahead and got twice as many as I needed so I could have a few extra's on hand to keep charged if I know I'm going shooting the next day or something.

I'll keep you posted if battery life is bad, or even how the storage life is in the safe if you'd like.
 
I definitely want to hear your experience with these John. I didn't know such creatures exist. Seems like I'm always buying those darn 2032 batts just to make sure I have them on hand.
 
MikeD said:
I didn't know such creatures exist.
Click to expand...

I didn't either and why I was excited to try them out.

I've been buying all of my weapon batteries from here for 5 years and usually make one big order a year just so I can keep up with everything easier.

They have the best pricing I have ever found on many of the batteries that are commonly used in weapons. CR123 batteries for $1 each, regular button cell (nonrechargables) are less than $1 each, etc.

Not trying to sound like a commercial for them, but they offer a lot of what I use at good prices and great shipping costs.

I picked up ten 123's, 8 of the rechargable button cells, charger, 4 N cells and free 4 pack of AA's and shipping and it was still under $44 altogether.

No way I could do that from other online sources like surefire or midway, etc.

BTW, midway usa charged me hazmat shipping ($18) and said USPS wasn't an option on an illuminated scope today because it had a lithium battery. I about hit the roof when I saw the invoice.

This place charged 6 bucks shipping for everything. :roll: Go figure.
 
There is an outfit that does a modification on EOThingies that puts a solar panel on the hood. It allows you to use rechargables in the optic and the solar panel recharges the batteries at a rate that is higher than the usage in sunlight.
I have some Energizer rechargables, but I have never used them in my EOThingy.
 
I had never heard of that before M24 shooter, but I have a bushnell holosight/eothingy that uses N cell batteries that I could probably rig up to work with a small panel.

HHhmmmmm :ugeek:
 
Tracking says ETA is Tuesday.
 
What's the good word Johnny A? Just seen this thread, I hope the higher voltage didnt fry the regulator/driver?

+1on battery junction that place rocks!
Another place is Lighthound.com

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 
Yeah, what was the outcome?
 
It's not higher voltage.

The rechargables work, but are not as bright as the non-rechargables, and the charger didn't include any kind of manual or literature with it at all,which I found difficult to know if I was charging the batteries for the correct amount of time.

So, I decided to continue using the regular batteries for now and use the rechargables for the reserve supply.
 
I had recently came up with a small portable charger for keeping my AA batteries charged.

I have been trying to get away from weird batteries (CR123, et.al) and am trying to choose devices that use good old AA batteries for what should be obvious reasons. Lights, optics, etc.

So, having a need to keep a spare set at the ready, I found a small 4v solar panel and an AA battery holder with a switch that I could epoxy or bolt onto a gun rail adapter or even attach to the exterior of a pack.

The purpose of the on/off switch is to cut the circuit between the batteries and solar panel at night so the batteries don't back feed into the panel.

Or when the batteries are fully charged and not in need of charging.

So, that is one more thing off of my bucket list of completely needless things to do.

portable battery charger 001.JPG
 
I could attach it to a long bipod adapter and attach it to a rail, but haven't done it yet. I think just having it so I could attach to a pack or lay in a window sill, or dashboard or at camp, etc. would be less bulk on the gun itself.
 
Never heard of button cell rechargables... o_O Sounds like it is developing technology. Best maintenance for a safe-stored batt-op optic is to remove the batteries, IMO...

When my kids were young, just about every toy took AA or AAA batteries so I "invested" in chargers and rechargables. At least 50 batteries and a few "little brick" chargers. Worked OK and we probably broke even versus just buying alkalines. In the end, it was hard to train the wife to keep charged batteries on hand--ie: put the farking things in the charger when they are dead! :mad: The kids were no better once they got older... :( And rechargables will drain down just sitting there so sometimes some planning is required. Most of the batteries ended up in a box in various states of charge or more specifically, discharge.

Then about 5 years ago, I was taking a lot of pics with a big (10x) zoom lens Olympus that happened to be battery hungry and fortunately took AAs. Instead of spare film, you carry spare batteries... :rolleyes:

Most of the "old" rechargables were pooched so I "invested" in the Powerex MHC9000 shown below. It came with a set of 2500? mAh batts as shown. It was about $55 and well rated. It has a number of functions--refer to the link above. It condemned most of the "old" rechargables as "HIGH" and the rest would not take a full charge.

I bought a bunch of Sanyo Eneloops which were well-rated and have performed OK so far. I have noticed that most of my "new" rechargables will require the "refresh/analyze" procedure to be brought up to full power after they have been discharged. This can take a day or so--no "quick" charge here! The charger will discharge/recharge the battery through a few cycles, which takes time... And it is BRIGHT, so not something you put next to the nightstand! ;)

I should note that rechargable batteries should be treated with care and not dropped or mishandled... And at $2.50 each, I think this is prudent advice. ;)
 

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I had forgotten about this topic until Tattoo replied.

Since April, I have bought a fairly large 6v deer feeder charging panel at walmart. It was larger than my old one and has a higher (amp rating) output, so it charges the batteries faster.

I also have a couple of 6v rechargeable batteries that you can hook to the 4 smaller AA's and charge them like boosting off a car battery if you have periods of time when you can't recharge on cloudy winter days or at night with the solar panels. All you're doing is transferring power from the larger lantern battery to the smaller cells batt's.

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I never had luck with rechargeable batteries...tbey always died so fast that i got sick of constantly recharging them. I used rayovac....
 
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