Night Vision Halo LR not holding zero

[Max_R]

@PlinkIt it's hard for us to recommend any external packs because we don't control them and have no connection to the battery pack manufacturers. This being said, I know that some people had good luck with Anker battery pack but we didn't do any kind of careful evaluation ourselves.

RCR123s should behave much more like non-rechargeable CR123s. The only caveat is that the capacity of RCR123s is much lower than capacity of CR123s. This will lead to reduced run time compared to non-rechargeable batteries.

While running on external batteries, the startup time will be about the same as the cold start from the CR123s. This is due to the fact that we have to start up not only the screen but also the processor + configure appropriately the core + NUC it.

One benefit of having the external battery pack connected while the scope is not in use is that the core remains warm and will require less NUCing when the unit is fully up.

...
@Max_R I'm curious if you guys have been seeing some connection with issues with certain battery packs causing some issues, then do you guys have some "preferred" pack suggestions or possibly a list of ones to avoid that you have seen issues with?

Less issue by going for RCR123 as a rechargable option vs the external pack?...

Having not used external power on one of these units but hearing that the core stays running and screen just powers down makes me wonder a coupe things about the "start up" vs "wake up"... Do those of you running external power need less time to "wake up" vs "start up" your unit or do you really need to NUC again on this "wake up"

 

[Max_R]

One extra comment about the use of the RCR123 batteries. I would advise selecting protected batteries. As long as they are not too much longer than the standard they should work. In the long run, the use of the protected batteries may prevent some ugly accidents that require a complete rebuild of the scope. In the past, we've seen unprotected RCR123s exploding inside of our systems and results are not pretty.

 

[dumbbell]

I will throw my own 2 cents in. Last Friday, me and my buddy went out yote hunting and both had issues, mine with halo lr and his with halo 25mm. Mine started when I plugged my battery pack in to the scope about 3 to 4 seconds before I powered on. Normally, when plugged into battery pack, there is no startup screen, but it takes the scope a few seconds to recognize it has external power. Anywho, in the middle of the startup screen on my lr, it realized it had power, and started to auto nuc. When it did, it created an extra line in the reticle, about halfway up the top of the mil ret 7, only sticking out the right side, that would jo go away now matter how many times I switched power or restarted. But, after getting home, letting it sit, and plugging it back into a fully charged, yet same model power pack, the line is gone and reticle looks fine.

My buddy's problem. After his first shot with the halo 25, it shut off on him. He had no batteries on, just anker candy bar pack. When he got it restarted, it looked completely out of focus. He was literally within a few hours of requesting an rma, and I checked his video setting and noticed the sharpness had reset to 0. Anywho, seems like the recoil off the first shot, with no batteries in the unit, caused something akin to a power surge that reset alot of stuff.

So, I agree, alot of the problems, not all of them, have the common denominator of using external batt packs in some way.

 

[Eirerogue]

One extra comment about the use of the RCR123 batteries. I would advise selecting protected batteries. As long as they are not too much longer than the standard they should work. In the long run, the use of the protected batteries may prevent some ugly accidents that require a complete rebuild of the scope. In the past, we've seen unprotected RCR123s exploding inside of our systems and results are not pretty.

 

[Eirerogue]

I too am having zero issues with my LR. Ruined a great hunting trip this past weekend. I re-zeroed 2X and after shutdown, found I was 8 inches off zero!

i called N-Vision CS this morning and spoke to Chris. He suggested going to 123’s vs the battery pack. (I’m using the Anker 10K) Chris states with ‘some battery packs’the HALO experiences voltage fluctuation and loses zero. I’m going to burn up some more a ammo ($) and see if the 123’s work. Not happy about this.

 

[WhereNow&How]

You guys might want to consider running and trying some rechargeable CR123 batteries internally in your units.

I run them in Flir Thermosights and have had great luck with them. These are the 2 I run. Both great quality. Also, what is funny is that even though they only show about 1/2 of the mAh of the primary CR 123 batteries I am getting pretty much the same run time.

Fenix ARB-L16-700UP USB Rechargeable 16340 Battery

The Fenix ARB-L16-700UP features 700mAH current charging capacity and advanced protection circuit for superior safety performance. This 16340 Battery has a heavy load discharge rate of 3.5C and a reliable output of 2.5A. With over 500 recharge cycles, it eliminates the need for non-rechargeable...

www.fenix-store.com

16340 Battery RCR123 Protected 920 mAh Li-ion Rechargeable 3.7V Button Top Orbtronic - Free Battery Safety Case Included

16340 (RCR123) Battery-World's Highest (real) Capacity 920mAh Protected Rechargeable Li-ion 3.7V Button top Orbtronic

www.orbtronic.com

 

[Killswitch Engage]

I too am having zero issues with my LR. Ruined a great hunting trip this past weekend. I re-zeroed 2X and after shutdown, found I was 8 inches off zero!

i called N-Vision CS this morning and spoke to Chris. He suggested going to 123’s vs the battery pack. (I’m using the Anker 10K) Chris states with ‘some battery packs’the HALO experiences voltage fluctuation and loses zero. I’m going to burn up some more a ammo ($) and see if the 123’s work. Not happy about this.

I have noted that quite a few people had issues while running an anker 10k vs the smaller candy bar etc. wonder why.

 

[WhereNow&How]

@Killswitch Engage . I suspect they are having a slight disconnect with the male Micro C port from the female on the unit. The Micro C connection is a pretty shallow loose fitting type connection that is easy to slightly come loose so if you loose power for even a micro second or so then power it back up, might cause problems.

All that being said I set my external Anker power systems up such as that my battery provides a very firm push up against the male portion of the plug. Note a couple of raps of ranger band (bicycle intertube) that I have around the Anker battery such that it provides solid pressure where the male portion of the cable will not wiggle around at all and it (in my configuration) provides solid protection of the cable being snagged or ripped out.

 

[PlinkIt]

@WhereNow&How I'm getting lost... Halo LR doesn't use micro C connection

@Eirerogue to clarify was it that your zero settings were reset to factory? If so did you also keep batteries internal to the scope while running external power?

@Killswitch Engage in these other instances have you heard of anyone having the issue who also had batteries internal to the unit while also running the 10k Anker unit?

I have three anker set ups currently I'm trying out, and have noticed two odd instances. When powering the unit on with external battery packs installed the screen goes through a static filled screen as starting up. And in one instance I started the unit while attached to external power and the screen froze in almost a blacked out display where stuff was barely visible. I had to unplug the external power and cycle power with only the internal batteries to get it to clear. I then hooked Anker back up once running without issue... I can't make it repeat this to save my life though. At no time during this did I drop my zero settings though.

(Note I always keep standard 123s in the scope while running an Anker pack)

 

[WhereNow&How]

@WhereNow&How I'm getting lost... Halo LR doesn't use micro C connection

@Eirerogue to clarify was it that your zero settings were reset to factory? If so did you also keep batteries internal to the scope while running external power?

@Killswitch Engage in these other instances have you heard of anyone having the issue who also had batteries internal to the unit while also running the 10k Anker unit?

I have three anker set ups currently I'm trying out, and have noticed two odd instances. When powering the unit on with external battery packs installed the screen goes through a static filled screen as starting up. And in one instance I started the unit while attached to external power and the screen froze in almost a blacked out display where stuff was barely visible. I had to unplug the external power and cycle power with only the internal batteries to get it to clear. I then hooked Anker back up once running without issue... I can't make it repeat this to save my life though. At no time during this did I drop my zero settings though.

(Note I always keep standard 123s in the scope while running an Anker pack)

My bad. Never have seen a Halo so I just assumed it was using a USB C as I had noticed it did say USB port for external powering in the specs.

Anyway, you say you keep standard 123 in the scope while running an Anker battery. That might possibly cause an issue. In Flirs I have run some RCR 123 inside and the Anker Battery just to see how that worked out. The Thermosights use up the internal power first then switch's to external.

After running that test I pretty much do not even have any internal batteries in my units because the Anker Batteries I am using power the system constant on for 11.5 hours at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maybe you might try some RCR 123 inside with your external battery and see how that works out. There might be some kind of conflict between internal primary and your rechargeable external. Dunno, but just a thought.

 

[Max_R]

@Eirerogue sorry about your troubles. In the future, it may be beneficial to write down your zeroing numbers for fast recovery in case of power failure. Please see my detailed explanation in the technical thread.

I too am having zero issues with my LR. Ruined a great hunting trip this past weekend. I re-zeroed 2X and after shutdown, found I was 8 inches off zero!

i called N-Vision CS this morning and spoke to Chris. He suggested going to 123’s vs the battery pack. (I’m using the Anker 10K) Chris states with ‘some battery packs’the HALO experiences voltage fluctuation and loses zero. I’m going to burn up some more a ammo ($) and see if the 123’s work. Not happy about this.

 

[PlinkIt]

Anyway, you say you keep standard 123 in the scope while running an Anker battery. That might possibly cause an issue. In Flirs I have run some RCR 123 inside and the Anker Battery just to see how that worked out. The Thermosights use up the internal power first then switch's to external.

Maybe you might try some RCR 123 inside with your external battery and see how that works out. There might be some kind of conflict between internal primary and your rechargeable external. Dunno, but just a thought.

I'm not sure which thread it was anymore, but I believe you will find where @Max_R explained that the Halo puts priority on the external power supply. That's why I'm trying to keep my internal batteries in place in hopes that the battery being there will "save" my scope of the Anker had a power supply hiccup.

Once I have run the various Anker packs on regular 123s a little longer... rcr123s are the next thing I want to try. I've tried the external pack on a 25mm unit and a 50mm unit with cr123s. I'm going to have two 50mm units moving forward and I will test these both with rcr123 and Anker packs and I'll keep posting as well

 

[Eirerogue]

@Eirerogue sorry about your troubles. In the future, it may be beneficial to write down your zeroing numbers for fast recovery in case of power failure. Please see my detailed explanation in the technical thread.

 

[Eirerogue]

Thanks Max_R. I didn’t not have 123’s in the LR and will correct immediately. I’ve also now got my zero coordinates per reticle stored on my phone. I’m going to burn up some ammo tomorrow checking on the zero.

 

[Max_R]

@Eirerogue having alive and properly installed batteries while running on the external power source should help in the case when external power fails/fluctuates a bit under recoil. It's not a 100% cure (there are some weird cases) but it helps quite a bit.

Thanks Max_R. I didn’t not have 123’s in the LR and will correct immediately. I’ve also now got my zero coordinates per reticle stored on my phone. I’m going to burn up some ammo tomorrow checking on the zero.

 

[generalzip]

I’ve set mine up to run external power but what I’ve found is it just adds more weight and cables and the halo has enough battery to get through a night. I also don’t hunt every single night so I’m not exactly burning through batteries. I use a handheld scanner while in the buggie or walking to detect. Then turn on the halo to identify.
We had a xq38 and xp50 side by side with the halo LR and the identification range and overall image quality of the halo LR is pretty amazing. The new reticle is awesome as well. I think NVision should make a rifle
Mounted laser rangefinder next similar to the discontinued SiCo radius. There’s nothing on the market in the sub 1000 dollar price range. Ranging to 1000 yards is all that would really be needed

 

[deersniper]

A buddy wants to buy one of these. Are the shifting zeros a isolated incident or widespread? Thank you.

 

[deersniper]

Answer from other thread

Greetings!

We wanted to give an update on where we are with investigations into the case of “Halo failing to hold zero”.

Based on our testing, we believe that there are two distinctly different subcases that have occurred.

01 - We have examined a few units (few being less than 5 in this case) where the weapon mount was not seated properly or got loose for whatever reason. After the discovery of this problem, we added some extra testing to the production process and to our knowledge, the problem has not recurred.

02 - The second problem is related to the loss of zeroing information (reticle coordinates) under some conditions while using external batteries a.k.a. USB battery banks. More specifically, this problem happens when there is a momentary power loss or significant drop in voltage coming from the battery pack to the Halo/Halo-LR. The power/voltage drop happens under recoil and maybe related to the poor cable to the external power bank contact or due to something going on inside of the battery pack. Unfortunately, most of those battery banks are not rated for weapons nor outdoor use. The only thing that we know for a fact is that when the voltage drops from expected 5V (standard USB voltage) to something like 3.6V bad things happen and Halos start shutting down in totally unpredictable ways, including the loss of the zeroing info. You can think about this like a desktop computer that runs fine until the power plug is yanked out. You never know how it's going to behave upon reboot. It may be totally fine or you may get a nasty message that your computer was not shut down appropriately and something has to be done about it. We are working on a fix that will protect the memory that stores the zeroing info from abrupt power loss from external USB bricks but we are not quite there yet. Meanwhile, the easiest thing that a user can do to protect zeroing information is to write down the reticle position(s). If counters happen to be reset to zeros, the only thing that will have to be done is to move the reticle back to the earlier saved position.

We are not aware of any other causes that may manifest as related to the retention of zero by our scopes.

Sorry for the long explanation but I hope you may find it useful.

As a separate note, I would like to thank @wigwamitus (not associated with N-Vision Optics in any way) who encouraged me to make this post and was extremely helpful in discussing details and making great suggestions.

Best regards,

Max Rivkin.

 

[WhereNow&How]

I don't have a dog in this race other than it appears that Max_R has a strong presence here and appears to be all ears on improvements, and any issues. That says a lot about a product when you have that kind of direct relationship with the Manufacturer.

To just about all the other thermal manufacturers (not all) you are just a number.

 

[generalzip]

I’ve owned my halo LR for a year now. Every time I’ve pulled the trigger with the crosshairs on the ear it hit it in the ear (shots 60-150 yards). I recently took a hand warmer out to check zero. First shot iron powder started pouring out of the bag after the bullet hit it. No change in zero whatsoever.

There are so many causes for change in zero shift. I’ve had zero shift on 4000 dollar rifle systems with handloads because of lack of bedding. Lack of Consistent ammo is also another cause. Are you removing and reinstalling the scope? There will always be some zero shift in this case. Unless you’re getting like 3”+ of zero shift it’s not likely the scope.
Disclaimer: I don’t run external power on my halo. I also checked my mount hardware before I mounted it.