Borderline awesome/useless

[Fresnel]

So apparently this company, Lytonics, will modify an EOTech that uses AA with a solar panel, to recharge the batteries over the course of the day. It says that one day of sunlight gives a bit more charge than one day of use takes away. That's kind of awesome. And then for your Surefire's R123s...



You can charge them in your buttstock. Also available in AA. It seems this company provides for minimalist backpackers. They also sell a compact, mylar-coated sleeping pad and a steel tube that unfolds to become a one-cup solar water heater/sterilizer.

This place is all kinds of awesome, but for most of us... wouldn't it be easier just to carry spares?  

[Sidal]

I'd somewhat consider the solar charger for my red-dot just to save a little bit of cash.  

[Fresnel]

Sidal

I'd somewhat consider the solar charger for my red-dot just to save a little bit of cash.

Maybe in the long run. The mod is $100, plus shipping, and then you have to pay for rechargeable batteries.  

[Requiem ex Inferni]

I could see something like that being useful in the Middle East, where the sun's always out. Maybe even in Yosemite in late spring, all summer and early winter. But I think it should at least have a back-up battery.  

[OberFeldwebel]

Any Alkaline, Lithium Ion, Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Hydrogen, Nickel metal Hydride, or Lithium Ion Polymer are rechargeable.

I'm sure the ones that say that they're rechargeable will cost a lot.
You pay for stupidity, or to be indirect, you pay for not being well informed.


I see some bit of issue, light reflectivity. Last I saw, solar panels are shiny.

Does the military still have noise and light discipline?  

[Fresnel]

OberFeldwebel

Any Alkaline, Lithium Ion, Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Hydrogen, Nickel metal Hydride, or Lithium Ion Polymer are rechargeable.

I'm sure the ones that say that they're rechargeable will cost a lot.
You pay for stupidity, or to be indirect, you pay for not being well informed.


I see some bit of issue, light reflectivity. Last I saw, solar panels are shiny.

Does the military still have noise and light discipline?

Probably, but only in certain areas. It was mostly used when advancing into enemy territory, but in Iraq, there is no 'advancing' and there is no 'enemy territory', so I couldn't say.

Also, I've never heard of a NiH battery before.  

[Floyd]

In situations other than those requiring stealth, this isn't that bad an idea. Having both a spare battery and means of keeping one fully charged during the day would mean one less item to have to think about.

I recall reading in one of the British WWII weapons books I have about the first German low light rifle scopes. They were similar to the U.S. Korean War era infrared scope. Besides requiring an infrared light source, the amplifier tube required exposure to sunlight to charge the phosphors in the tube.

There were no photos of the device in the book I read. But it sure sounded interesting.  

[Barru]

Fresnel

OberFeldwebel

Any Alkaline, Lithium Ion, Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Hydrogen, Nickel metal Hydride, or Lithium Ion Polymer are rechargeable.

I'm sure the ones that say that they're rechargeable will cost a lot.
You pay for stupidity, or to be indirect, you pay for not being well informed.


I see some bit of issue, light reflectivity. Last I saw, solar panels are shiny.

Does the military still have noise and light discipline?

Probably, but only in certain areas. It was mostly used when advancing into enemy territory, but in Iraq, there is no 'advancing' and there is no 'enemy territory', so I couldn't say.

Also, I've never heard of a NiH battery before.

Apparently they're... yeah.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/RT/RT1999/5000/5420miller.html

Probably expensive as hell though.  

[Fresnel]

Barru

Fresnel

OberFeldwebel

Any Alkaline, Lithium Ion, Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Hydrogen, Nickel metal Hydride, or Lithium Ion Polymer are rechargeable.

I'm sure the ones that say that they're rechargeable will cost a lot.
You pay for stupidity, or to be indirect, you pay for not being well informed.


I see some bit of issue, light reflectivity. Last I saw, solar panels are shiny.

Does the military still have noise and light discipline?

Probably, but only in certain areas. It was mostly used when advancing into enemy territory, but in Iraq, there is no 'advancing' and there is no 'enemy territory', so I couldn't say.

Also, I've never heard of a NiH battery before.

Apparently they're... yeah.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/RT/RT1999/5000/5420miller.html

Probably expensive as hell though.

Oh, okay. Yeah, probably pointless for terrestrial uses.  

[Stoic Socialist]

An EOTech'll get 200 hours on a set of batteries at the lower settings. Assuming you get the AA version, I could buy 144 Duracell batteries at $46.08 for 28,800 hours of battery life. Sure, it'd be bulkier, but it's cheaper, and won't void the warranty.

Solar Panels aren't really advanced enough to make it worthy yet, IMHO.
 

[Fresnel]

Stoic Socialist

An EOTech'll get 200 hours on a set of batteries at the lower settings. Assuming you get the AA version, I could buy 144 Duracell batteries at $46.08 for 28,800 hours of battery life. Sure, it'd be bulkier, but it's cheaper, and won't void the warranty.

Solar Panels aren't really advanced enough to make it worthy yet, IMHO.

Did those numbers take into account that an EOTech takes pairs of AAs?  

[Stoic Socialist]

Whooops, no, it did not. That's still 14,400 hours of battery life with about $50, half of what the solar panels cost.

It is however, 28,800 for $100, the same cost.

None the less, 14,400 hours is still quite a lot.  

[Fresnel]

Stoic Socialist

Whooops, no, it did not. That's still 14,400 hours of battery life with about $50, half of what the solar panels cost.

It is however, 28,800 for $100, the same cost.

None the less, 14,400 hours is still quite a lot.

So essentially it's either 30,000 hours of battery life or a solar panel.

30,000 hours is... *calculates* ...just short of 3.5 years. I think your point has been made.

However, for the survivalist or something who expects to be minimalist backpacking for months on end, carrying only one or two sets of batteries might be worth the cost.  

[Stoic Socialist]

What's wrong with just turning it off?

To my knowledge, most EOTecs even have an automatic turn off after 8 hours, unless I'm mistaken.

200 hours should be plenty. I'm still doubtful of the solar panels, though. I wouldn't exactly call them the most efficient, at least yet. Does the website at least list how much electricity it produces?  

[Fresnel]

Stoic Socialist

What's wrong with just turning it off?

To my knowledge, most EOTecs even have an automatic turn off after 8 hours, unless I'm mistaken.

200 hours should be plenty. I'm still doubtful of the solar panels, though. I wouldn't exactly call them the most efficient, at least yet. Does the website at least list how much electricity it produces?

Depending on which button you use to turn it on (up or down) it shuts off automatically after four or eight hours. I'm thinking this is a TEOTWAWKI mod, so if you can NEVER GET BATTERIES AGAIN, you'll be good for more than 200 hours.

All it says is that one day's sunlight is one day's battery usage and then some.