why a backwards battery on a surefire 3DL?

ok guys heres the deal. i just got this surefire 3dl today and have been so mad cuz it wouldnt work i sat there for about 5ive hours scratching my head. so i finally gave up and called a good freind. we sat there and talked about how i got screwed over on a broken light and what if anything we could do to fix it.so finally he says" did you try and put the battery in backwards" i say" surefire has made hunderds of lights and none have taken a battery backwards" but i do it anyway and walla it works pure IR beam.

so my question, why did surefire make this battery backwards?

thanks!

Re: why a backwards surefire?

Actually, SureFire's Laser Modules require the batteries to be inserted "backwards".

My guess is that it's historic and to do with the electronics (or perhaps lack of?) requiring that correctly polarity is observed. I guess now-a-days it is possible to more easily allow electronics to deal with the polarity of the batteries.

yeah it is pretty old, copyright on the paper work says 1995. but you feel really stupid when you cant get a battery in right in a flashlight, then somone that know almost nothing about lights say try puting it in backwards, you fell really dumb.

so size15 do you know if this thing has a luxion led or just a 5mm led behind an optic?

I understand the M1 and the 3DL before it as well as L46 Lamp Module feature an IR LED driven at between 5mw and 10mw.

I have read that the while the M1 has an output of 10mW, the 3DL has an output of around 35mW. is this correct?

highorder said:

I have read that the while the M1 has an output of 10mW, the 3DL has an output of around 35mW. is this correct?

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i too have read that. so does that mean it will out throw the M1? or what will it do?

BTW i just read the instructions again and it says to place the + terminal forward not backwards and in the picture it shows it facing forwards not backwards.

highorder said:

I have read that the while the M1 has an output of 10mW, the 3DL has an output of around 35mW. is this correct?

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I don't know. I suggest you call SureFire tech support and ask.

If the LED is heatsinked, maybe the slug is directly connected to the anode/positive?

Twellmann said:

If the LED is heatsinked, maybe the slug is directly connected to the anode/positive?

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Do what?

Wow, a 3DL! Sounds cool!

arewethereyetdad said:

Wow, a 3DL! Sounds cool!

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yah you should consider getting one.

A lot of "warm" leds have the postive connected to their heatsink slug. Such as red, red-orange, and amber luxeons. Infrared is also like this led chemistry and so that may be the reason.

Also, my red laser pointer requires the batteries to go in "backwards"

Speaking of IR LED's I see someone in eBay is selling a 3 watt Lumileds IR LED on a star.

so my good friend (the one that told me to put the batt in backwards) called surefire and the rep said that there was no differnce in the 3dl and the m1 just cosmeticly. do are they blowing smoke up our butts or not? i mean mine say 35mw and the M1 is rated at 10mw so there has to be a differnce. i guess i will find out when we compare the two.

I didn't think there was any difference between the insides of the M1 and it's predecessor, the 3DL.
I don't know of any online comparison of the two.

Al

benchmade_boy said:

so my good friend (the one that told me to put the batt in backwards) called surefire and the rep said that there was no differnce in the 3dl and the m1 just cosmeticly. do are they blowing smoke up our butts or not? i mean mine say 35mw and the M1 is rated at 10mw so there has to be a differnce. i guess i will find out when we compare the two.

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I saw when you got that on B/S/T. That was a nice grab, I was a few minutes too late!!!

InfidelCastro said:

I saw when you got that on B/S/T. That was a nice grab, I was a few minutes too late!!!

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yup it was a pretty good snag. but i think i might try and trade it to my freind for a KL3.

InfidelCastro said:

I saw when you got that on B/S/T. That was a nice grab, I was a few minutes too late!!!

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Man. What kind of idiot would let that beauty go for only $40? :laughing:

arewethereyetdad said:

Man. What kind of idiot would let that beauty go for only $40? :laughing:

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ya thats what i am thinking. stupid person.:laughing::laughing: