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Posted: 10/10/2014 2:52:24 PM EDT
First off, thanks for looking
Tomorrow morning I'm taking a coworker to the range for the first time, to teach her how to shoot. Earlier today I started checking the gear I want to bring, and I discovered that the battery in my XPS equipped Colt was dead. This rifle hasn't been used in about six months, but the Surefire battery was new when I last put it away. My experience with EOTechs is fairly limited - I've only owned one other before this one, and that was the old AA battery version. To those of you with more experience: do you think this is a fluke, or are the newer XPS models known to drain batteries when not in use? Ultimately it's not a huge issue either way, I love the XPS, but it would be nice to know if I need to start storing this carbine sans battery. Thank you in advance for your expertise. Pic - obviously it's the middle one 
Edited for clarity. |
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Posted: 10/10/2014 2:59:13 PM EDT
[#1]
I have owned a 512 and an XPS. Other than a set of alkaline batts leaking in the 512 (whoops) I had the same set of batts in it for two years and it worked fine.
The XPS I had the same batts in it for 6 months and it still worked fine. I would personally contact EoTech and get a new sight just to be on the safe side. |
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Posted: 10/10/2014 3:17:35 PM EDT
[#2]
Thank you for your reply brother
I'll shoot them an e-mail and see what they say. I suppose it could have been a bad battery as well, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm reluctant to send the optic back until I rule out the battery. Don't want to cry wolf until I know for sure
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Posted: 10/10/2014 5:58:25 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thank you for your reply brother
I'll shoot them an e-mail and see what they say. I suppose it could have been a bad battery as well, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm reluctant to send the optic back until I rule out the battery. Don't want to cry wolf until I know for sure Is fixing for free, selling on the EE, and get another Aimpoint an option? |
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Posted: 10/10/2014 6:31:40 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Is fixing for free, selling on the EE, and get another Aimpoint an option? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Thank you for your reply brother
I'll shoot them an e-mail and see what they say. I suppose it could have been a bad battery as well, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm reluctant to send the optic back until I rule out the battery. Don't want to cry wolf until I know for sure Is fixing for free, selling on the EE, and get another Aimpoint an option? I sold my XPS to buy something...wish I hadn't :( I think everyone should have an EoTech AND an Aimpoint. They really are both awesome optics. edit- oh and OP, good choice on stocks. I love my VLTOR clubfoot mod stock and my EMOD |
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Posted: 10/10/2014 6:32:58 PM EDT
[#5]
What brand was the battery that was in the XPS.
Some of the Chinese 123 batteries I have seen/used are not worth the price even though they are a "bargain". |
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Posted: 10/10/2014 6:52:55 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Is fixing for free, selling on the EE, and get another Aimpoint an option? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Thank you for your reply brother
I'll shoot them an e-mail and see what they say. I suppose it could have been a bad battery as well, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm reluctant to send the optic back until I rule out the battery. Don't want to cry wolf until I know for sure Is fixing for free, selling on the EE, and get another Aimpoint an option? This XPS was a Christmas present from my wife and daughter, so I wouldn't want to sell it. And, despite being more of an Aimpoint/ACOG guy I have really enjoyed having it After all the trouble I had with my old EOTech I vowed to never own another one, but my girls never got that memo 
Technically I wouldn't even need to buy another Aimpoint - I've got a brand new CompM2 and mount sitting on a shelf in one of the safes. It just needs a home. Oddly enough I've found that brand new shooters tend to do extremely well with the EOTech versus other optics, once I move them up from rimfire. Can't explain why, but that has been my observation. When introducing a new shooter to long guns I typically start with a 10/22, then a Sig 522 or rimfire converted AR, and finally a 5.56 carbine. That formula seems to work, and keeps them from feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. ETA: Quoted:
What brand was the battery that was in the XPS. Some of the Chinese 123 batteries I have seen/used are not worth the price even though they are a "bargain". Ronin, it was a new Surefire brand battery with a stamped expiration date of 2021. ETAA: MadBarbarian87, I love my Vltor stocks. Of all the aftermarket stocks I currently own (Ace ARFX, Magpul M93A, Magpul CTR etc) the Vltor is my favorite and by far the most common in my collection
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Posted: 10/10/2014 8:55:02 PM EDT
[#7]
Well that was not the problem. Surefire batteries are top quality.
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Posted: 10/10/2014 9:07:30 PM EDT
[#8]
The batteries in my two XPS sights have been in there for four years since the day they were new. This thread reminds me I should change them but they still work and it's not TEOTWAWKI.
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Posted: 10/10/2014 9:30:24 PM EDT
[#9]
my xps2 haas been running on the same battery for a little over a year and I agree everybody should own an eotech and an aimpoint .
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Posted: 10/11/2014 1:17:48 PM EDT
[#10]
Take a new battery, measure it's voltage with a voltmeter. Stick it in the unit, don't use it for a month. Take it out and measure the voltage again. Need a voltmeter that displays the voltage in the x.xx format, like 3.13V. |
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Posted: 10/11/2014 1:31:38 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This XPS was a Christmas present from my wife and daughter, so I wouldn't want to sell it. And, despite being more of an Aimpoint/ACOG guy I have really enjoyed having it After all the trouble I had with my old EOTech I vowed to never own another one, but my girls never got that memo Technically I wouldn't even need to buy another Aimpoint - I've got a brand new CompM2 and mount sitting on a shelf in one of the safes. It just needs a home. Oddly enough I've found that brand new shooters tend to do extremely well with the EOTech versus other optics, once I move them up from rimfire. Can't explain why, but that has been my observation. When introducing a new shooter to long guns I typically start with a 10/22, then a Sig 522 or rimfire converted AR, and finally a 5.56 carbine. That formula seems to work, and keeps them from feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. ETA: Ronin, it was a new Surefire brand battery with a stamped expiration date of 2021. ETAA: MadBarbarian87, I love my Vltor stocks. Of all the aftermarket stocks I currently own (Ace ARFX, Magpul M93A, Magpul CTR etc) the Vltor is my favorite and by far the most common in my collection Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Thank you for your reply brother I'll shoot them an e-mail and see what they say. I suppose it could have been a bad battery as well, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm reluctant to send the optic back until I rule out the battery. Don't want to cry wolf until I know for sure Is fixing for free, selling on the EE, and get another Aimpoint an option? This XPS was a Christmas present from my wife and daughter, so I wouldn't want to sell it. And, despite being more of an Aimpoint/ACOG guy I have really enjoyed having it After all the trouble I had with my old EOTech I vowed to never own another one, but my girls never got that memo Technically I wouldn't even need to buy another Aimpoint - I've got a brand new CompM2 and mount sitting on a shelf in one of the safes. It just needs a home. Oddly enough I've found that brand new shooters tend to do extremely well with the EOTech versus other optics, once I move them up from rimfire. Can't explain why, but that has been my observation. When introducing a new shooter to long guns I typically start with a 10/22, then a Sig 522 or rimfire converted AR, and finally a 5.56 carbine. That formula seems to work, and keeps them from feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. ETA: Quoted: What brand was the battery that was in the XPS. Some of the Chinese 123 batteries I have seen/used are not worth the price even though they are a "bargain". Ronin, it was a new Surefire brand battery with a stamped expiration date of 2021. ETAA: MadBarbarian87, I love my Vltor stocks. Of all the aftermarket stocks I currently own (Ace ARFX, Magpul M93A, Magpul CTR etc) the Vltor is my favorite and by far the most common in my collection I suspect there are a couple of factors at play for this. First, the more open view tends to encourage both eyes open shooting (versus the natural tendency to close the weak eye and squint when looking through something more tube-like), as well as the circle/dot drawing the focus to that small central dot. Just guesses on my part, but when I had an EoTech before, that seemed to be the case with me. Nick |
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Posted: 10/11/2014 2:06:59 PM EDT
[#12]
All eotechs are battery vampires. I say this based on owning four of them.
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Posted: 10/11/2014 2:35:39 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Take a new battery, measure it's voltage with a voltmeter. Stick it in the unit, don't use it for a month. Take it out and measure the voltage again. Need a voltmeter that displays the voltage in the x.xx format, like 3.13V. I am not sure that will work with a lithium battery. The power curve is relative flat (voltage constant) until the battery "dies" with a sudden drop in voltage at the end of the battery life. |
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Posted: 10/11/2014 6:03:16 PM EDT
[#14]
just another data point. Same batteries in mine for 1 1/2 yrs. No issue. Pull it from the safe and hit the button, "ON"
Good luck resolving. Tec |
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Posted: 10/12/2014 3:58:31 PM EDT
[#15]
Sorry for the late reply - I didn't realize that more folks had responded until just now. I sincerely appreciate all of you trying to help me out
The more I think about this the more I wonder if the dead battery was my fault. If accidentally left turned on, do XPS model EOTechs stay on like Aimpoints, or do they turn themselves off after a set period of time? While I'm fairly sure I did turn the thing off, anything is possible I guess
The CompM2 on my bump-in-the-night gun (the bottom of the three carbines pictured above) is left on 24/7. For the sake of my own OCD I replace the battery every six months, along with the batteries in the Surefire forend. Aside from that though it's always turned on. Thanks again for your help! ETA: On another note, my coworker had a ball shooting yesterday! |
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Posted: 10/12/2014 4:48:22 PM EDT
[#16]
Negative. The longest that sight should have stayed on is 8 hrs.
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Posted: 10/12/2014 6:17:09 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Negative. The longest that sight should have stayed on is 8 hrs. Well, there goes that theory. Thank you for your reply
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Posted: 10/12/2014 8:04:40 PM EDT
[#18]
I have an EXPS 3.0 which did the same to me. That reminds me that I need to check the battery again to see if this is an ongoing problem with mine. I am sure that L3 will take care of me if this is still happening.
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Posted: 10/12/2014 8:30:24 PM EDT
[#19]
I have an EXPS-2 that I change out batteries every year. Guess I should let it go longer to see. I do have a Surefire X300 vampire
 
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Posted: 10/12/2014 10:34:39 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well that was not the problem. Surefire batteries are top quality. While surefire batteries are good, they are no different than CR123 batteries from Duracell, Panasonic, energizer, or streamlight. I have had bad batteries from all of them. They might have a 10 year shelf life in perfect conditions, but sitting in a shipping container in the heat or cold will shorten their life. I would put it on the battery being bad unless it is a recurring problem with this unit. |
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Posted: 10/12/2014 11:37:03 PM EDT
[#21]
My EXPS drains the battery over time. I think it is something to do with the way the buttons works. Mind you, I'm not an EE, so I'm not positive. What I have been told is that, since there isn't a mechanical on/off, the buttons draw a miniscule amount of power while the unit is powered down.
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Posted: 10/13/2014 9:43:40 AM EDT
[#22]
it should not draw any significant current while not "on".
L3 will fix the sight free of charge. Turn around is like 3-5 business days. |
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Posted: 10/13/2014 4:27:02 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My EXPS drains the battery over time. I think it is something to do with the way the buttons works. Mind you, I'm not an EE, so I'm not positive. What I have been told is that, since there isn't a mechanical on/off, the buttons draw a miniscule amount of power while the unit is powered down. This. An out-of-spec electronic switch can pass much more power than it should, thus resulting in premature battery drain. While most of my Eotechs were fine in that department, I did have two 512's that would drain their batteries when turned off. Tomac |
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Posted: 10/14/2014 12:17:13 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I sold my XPS to buy something...wish I hadn't :( I think everyone should have an EoTech AND an Aimpoint. They really are both awesome optics. edit- oh and OP, good choice on stocks. I love my VLTOR clubfoot mod stock and my EMOD Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Thank you for your reply brother
I'll shoot them an e-mail and see what they say. I suppose it could have been a bad battery as well, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm reluctant to send the optic back until I rule out the battery. Don't want to cry wolf until I know for sure Is fixing for free, selling on the EE, and get another Aimpoint an option? I sold my XPS to buy something...wish I hadn't :( I think everyone should have an EoTech AND an Aimpoint. They really are both awesome optics. edit- oh and OP, good choice on stocks. I love my VLTOR clubfoot mod stock and my EMOD I agree! 
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Posted: 10/14/2014 8:27:25 AM EDT
[#25]
Shoot them an Email. They will respond. It might be a known issue that they resolve quickly.
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Posted: 10/14/2014 4:16:07 PM EDT
[#26]
Never leave any kind of battery in any device that you are storing/not using for 6 months even if it has no drain issue.
Regardless of what battery manufactures say none of them are fool proof. I have heard of Lithium CR123a battery's leaking gas, not good in a sealed compartment like the Eotech. If it's not your go to weapon next to the bed don't leave battery's in it. This is advice from someone who has suffered damage even from in date non discharged batteries. |
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Posted: 10/15/2014 3:39:30 PM EDT
[#27]
Wow, they responded quickly!
Instead of returning it right away like they suggested, I think I am going to install a new battery and test it every month or so - just to rule out the battery being the culprit. It would be kind of absurd to go through all that trouble (and expense on the part of L3) just to find out that the whole issue was because of a bad battery. My interaction with L3 was very impressive. ETA: Once I rule out the battery one way or the other, I will heed your advice NM556. I appreciate your post - thank you for taking the time Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 11/26/2014 5:44:44 AM EDT
[#28]
UPDATE
It's been a month and a half since I asked you folks for help, and it looks like my XPS will be going back to L3. Checked it last night and the brand new Surefire brand battery that I installed last month is deader than hell. I'll ship it out this weekend - thanks again for your help everyone. |
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Posted: 11/26/2014 7:22:07 PM EDT
[#29]
Sounds like a plan. They probably need to replace the electronic switch. I have an exps3 that I purchased from another member here and I never changed the battery it came with. Took it to the range for a few hours to teach the gf how to shoot and its been in my safe for the last 7 months since and turns on no problem.
Amazing how quick time flys... I started a new job around the time I got the eotech and only had a chance go shoot with it once since... 
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Posted: 11/27/2014 5:15:25 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My EXPS drains the battery over time. I think it is something to do with the way the buttons works. Mind you, I'm not an EE, so I'm not positive. What I have been told is that, since there isn't a mechanical on/off, the buttons draw a miniscule amount of power while the unit is powered down. I agree with this, my EXPS is good for about 14 months on a battery. The CR123s are so cheap these days, including SFs, I will start changing them when I change my smoke detector batteries
77 |
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Posted: 11/27/2014 8:16:14 AM EDT
[#31]
I'd return it in heartbeat if that is what they suggested. Solid advice of not leaving batteries in something (anything) if you have no plans on using it as they are weak link that can ruin any type of electronics.
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