Petzl Tikka mod

I created a decent mod to my tikka. Imitated a cable similiar to the Arctic, cut a small notch in the plastic of the tikka, and connected the cables to the proper positive and negative. Now, on the other end, I have the same connector similiar to the arctic, and connected the unit to a 4.5 volt flat battery (popular with other Petzl products, zoom especially). Can't really post pictures of the unit...gave it to a friend. Original battery life on 3 AAAs state 120 hours burn time (12h peak, 48h putter around tent, remainder for night reading) . With the flat battery, multiply the above numbers by 5. Plus the bonus that the cable is long enough to put the battery under your jacket, making an EXCELLENT winter light (as long as the battery is warm).

Interesting.

I've always liked the way the Tikka sits on your head. More comfortable and smaller than the Aurora. It also fits better in your pocket. I haven't thought of putting in an external battery, though. Can you still use 3AAAs if you want to?

Now if they would just point those LEDs a little more forward.

Short answer.... yes, you can still use AAAs if you want. Just have to open the battery compartment up and remove the additional wires. I basically wanted something to increase the runtime, which the external external battery did nicely. For comparison, AAA batteries put out 1150 mAh per cell, times 3... the 4.5 volt battery puts out 5400 mAh. Seems strange, but I'd rather use a $4 4.5 volt battery and go for runtime than spend so much for AAA packs of 4, have spares, etc..