Doopy E11 Scope Mod

[zihyer]

Hi everyone.. just thought i would post up some details on a scope modification for you Doopy full resin E11 owners.

 

Materials:

drill (or a drill press)

15/16 paddle bit

bench vice

pair of 10x22 or equivalent binoculars that you can sacrifice

 

I wanted a little better looking glass for the back (front, actually) of the resin cast M38 scope. First, I measured the opening and it came in right about 21mm. I headed off to Big5 sporting goods stores knowing they had a really wide selection of cheap binoculars.

 

If you're not aware, every binocular has at least two numbers stamped on its body next to one of the eyepieces. The magnification is the first number in that set. Aperture is the second number in the specification and it gives the diameter of the front lenses (called “objective lensesâ€) millimeters. As it turns out, Big5 happened to have a 10x22 set for $8. Perfect.. enough for two scopes. Dis-assembly took about one minute:

 

 

Each side had several pieces inside that readily came apart with little to no permanent destruction to the components. The pieces, i was after was the front 22mm element and the rear convex eyepiece. Once i had the pieces apart, I cut about 5/8" of an inch off the front element to shorten it a bit but still leave some length on it to allow the lens to create the distorting effect. There was a cast incut that i followed so I didn't measure this cut.

 

 

The forward element was just over the stated 22mm due to the plastic enclosure. As it works out, a 15/16" paddle bit comes out to .9375 inches or 23.8125 millimeters. I did a test hole in some wood with a 7/8" bit (slightly smaller) and this worked out to providing just enough room to allow the front element to pass into the opening without scraping the sides but without leaving a gap. I later used the 15/16" bit after I found the 7/8" hole to be too small.

 

Next was the task of boring out the scope. Once I stabilized the scope in the vice with some cloth, being conservative, I used the 7/8" paddle bit first (much easier to start with the right one - 15/16"). Be extremely careful to NOT reef down to hard on the vice here. Particularly near the front where you will be weakening it as you drill!! Notice I let mine protrude slightly. I recently did another one for my friend and let that one protrude even more. Also, knowing that the 15/16" bit works better, I used it from the start.

 

For the starting point, I used my micrometer to measure in from the edges to find true center. I marked the spot with a very fine mechanical pencil and drilled a very shallow pilot hole to keep the paddle bit point from wandering.

 

If you have interchangeable vice jaws and aren't sure, you could forge some concave jaws to secure your scope. I took my chances...

 

I can't stress enough, the importance of going in straight here. If you're not sure you can pull this off (going in perfectly straight, that is), either incorporate the use of a drill press or maybe even consider not going with this mod. If you're off even a little you may not blow out the side but you'll see the unevenness at the outer lip once you have the element in place.

 

 

I marked the bit where i wanted to stop; being a little conservative. Once I got to the my mark on the bit, i fine tuned the depth until i got it where i wanted it.

 

 

I kept going a little past the outermost edge of the scope to countersink it and make it work with the natural lines of the stepping rings at the opening.

 

As you can see, the glass element actually creates a nice distorting effect since there is enough depth to allow the optics to work somewhat on incoming light.

 

 

From here, you could print out some of those little scope viewfinder images that are all over the forum here, or add just about any other effect you want. I have inserted several different things into the back of mine but I don't have any pictures of that process. I'm still working out what I'm actually going to stick in there but either way, I will leave it as a removable element so that the inside image can be changed out, depending on the occasion. This can be accomplished by wrapping some electric tape around the element before inserting it (start with one thickness and work your way up till you get the right amount of holding friction). The element can be removed with a suction cup Nerf dart.

 

Enjoy and post up your progress pics if you do this.

 

Let me know if anyone needs any other pics or has questions!

 

Best regards,

Daryl

[zihyer]

I forgot to mention. The pair of binoculars i used actually has a rear element that I plan to use for the front, however, that might just be a shallow hole with the element glued permanently in place. I haven't decided 100% on how I'm going to do that end. I'll follow-up with some photos when i do.

 

Also, for those that don't have a Big5 nearby, here are a pair of 10x21 Bushnells on Amazon that might work:

Edited September 18, 2012 by DarylAllan

[Geaux Saints[TK]]

Pretty cool. Nice job.

[Evilboy[501st]]

Outstanding mod! I will have to try this...

[jkno]

Really neat! This looks a lot like an original scope and still being lighter I guess

[bobojuice]

Very nice.

[Terrantula[501st]]

Looks amazing! Like others have stated, it looks like a real scope!! Most doopy kits I have seen just paint the scope or pt on a decal. Yours is obviously more time consuming but is a great mod.