FX Chronograph Rechargeable Upgrade

[Squirrel hunter]

I got tired of forgetting batteries for my FX chronograph, so I made it Reachable. FX should have made it Rechargeable but I'm sure it would cost more . This FX Chronograph eats Duracells, I have to change the batteries after every use. I of course am forgetful and don't turn off the Chronograph, and use it for 2 hours straight. Some times I forget to carry extra batteries around and not to mention the cost of a 4 pack of AAA Duracells, So I made my Chronograph Rechargeable. I used a 18650 battery and added a charging port to the side. The run time is much longer now. About twice as long battery life and fast recharge. Also If I forget to charge it, I can just attach a Micro USB and it will work while its being charged. I can charge it from the car and I can't forget the Car.

Here are some pics of the end result. It was easy to make the changes, but it was time consuming. But now that I know how, it would only take 1 hour at the most.
SKILL LEVEL 3.
TIME 1 Hour
Tools needed.
Dremel and soldering skills.
Also need a Micro USB 4.2v battery Charger.
With the cover back on, you cant even tell anything was changed to the Chronograph. Other than the Micro USB port on the side for charging.


You have to know how to solder and have a Dremel.
If anyone wants to make your chronograph rechargeable Please let me know and I will make a short video on how to do it.
www.outdoorsarmy.com

 

[SilentSquirrel]

@ Squirrel hunter
As much as I can visualize the project, it would be excellent to see a video.
No rush on my part, however
I'm following and most likely will not miss it
Thanks
Edward

 

[woogie_man]

Or you can just add a USB cable to the board so you can use a large battery bank.

Good project you did, really straight forward!

 

[Whupash]

That is genius! A video would be on my list of downloads. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Squirrel hunter]

Or you can just add a USB cable to the board so you can use a large battery bank.

Good project you did, really straight forward!

I did add a USB cable to the Board, AND a rechargeable battery. Best of Both worlds.

 

[maxtrouble]

Great idea. Beyond my clumsy skill level. I take the batteries out of my chrono after use. Otherwise it eats them sitting in my range bag.

 

[Trucker3573]

That is a sweet project for sure. The only problem with fx doing this themselves is I would hate to see the price. I have found with good energizer batteries mine lasts a long time. Even with being obsessed with running a chrono when I’m shooting, which is completely unnecessary. If I used it only as I should the batteries would last months.

 

[Squirrel hunter]

That is a sweet project for sure. The only problem with fx doing this themselves is I would hate to see the price. I have found with good energizer batteries mine lasts a long time. Even with being obsessed with running a chrono when I’m shooting, which is completely unnecessary. If I used it only as I should the batteries would last months.

I run the Chronograph the entire time I shoot. I know it's not necessary but its fun to see the entire shot string. Not that It is rechargeable I can run it all day with out having to change batteries or carry extra batteries.

 

[Trucker3573]

I run the Chronograph the entire time I shoot. I know it's not necessary but its fun to see the entire shot string. Not that It is rechargeable I can run it all day with out having to change batteries or carry extra batteries.

Yeah I kind of am like that too but have stopped doing it as I know my guns are really consistent. Try to just periodically use it to make sure everything is kosher. Totally agree I would much rather have the recharge capability without a doubt.

 

[Greg_E]

4 AAA Nimh in a Velcro attached pack and soldered to the 5 volt pads worked exceptional in mine until I shot it. More simple than an 18650 plus conversion board.

One thing I found was that mine would read better with the upgraded power source. I kind of miss it, but still kind of hate it, had a lot of no reads and phone disconnects with mine.

 

[Impact701]

Very professional looking installation !

 

[Squirrel hunter]

Very professional looking installation !

Thanks I tried to make it look like it was stock. After using for the last week the battery last 3 times longer than the regular AAA batters. And it charges in less than an Hour.

 

[JacksRover]

What an awesome idea. Would love to see the video! New to all of this but the FX wireless chrony is at the top of my shopping list only after my own compressor.

 

[Vana2]

I like the FX Pocket Radar for quickly checking velocities to get a number to compare to the baseline for that weapon (airgun, bow or slingshot).

For any serious work, like tuning or monitoring shooting sessions, I default to the Labradar.

 

[Bigragu]

This is how I run my chrony. I bought that three battery wired in series from amazon, it comes with a male usb plug at the end. The cord is substantial, so after I looped the excess neatly and gave myself 6”(story of my life, lol), I taped off the excess to the side of the chrono. To me, it looks like a tool, in which it is.
Here is the batteries in series kit:

Amazon.com

The remote battery packs that were designed for emergency cell phone charging is my power source. They last a very long time, easily for two or three range trips. After four hours of having it on it hasn’t used up half of its stored power, maybe only a quarter. Cool thing about this is I can easily go back to standard batteries or if I need to sell it it hasn’t been modified-

Link to cell phone rechargeable battery pack-

Amazon.com