To anyone who is thinking of getting a lathe and who has not used one before, when it comes to fitting a module, I would suggest that you use a drill to get close to your desired hole diameter and finish with one pass with a boring bar, it will make a nice smoothe tight fitting hole for the module (I usually go for an easy press fit).

Regards rog8811

WOW, that pretty much sums up what I want out of a keychain pointer, except I'm after about 50mw of red. That thing is simply outstanding!!

i just got a lathe and its damn nice, and a big thanks to jay for the help [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Listen to rog8811, this man knows his stuff! I cannot believe your 7 color build linked in your signature Rog... Totally amazing!







jake21, your welcome!






Thanks Feuer 594!

50mW's of red would be perfect for this little beauty...

Looking at Dr. Lava's comparison graph of different red diodes, the best choice would be the Sony/Senkat (SLD1239JL-54) diode. Probably around 100mA's would do the trick!
Graph: http://www.laserpointerforums.com/fo...num=1210649510

I would think the diode would have a very long life at that setting! 8-)
Jay

Jayrob - A beautifully done and inspiring build !!! Not the usual run of the mill bluray build. It's nice to see something tiny and extremely well made. This work is an inspiration to all of us. Unique choice of battery, I'd never even heard of a 10180. Your whole laser is smaller than the 3 CR2's that I usually use for a bluray !!!
Quite the tight fit on the electronics.

Can I put this in my tutorials thread?

billg519,
Thank you for those fine words of yours!

You know, this is a great forum, and we all learn from each other...

I didn't know of those batteries either, until I saw that Kenom used them in his 'Teenie Burner'. That's what got my curiosity going... wondering if a guy could actually get a driver to fit inside a tiny key chain host.

And of course, without the FlexDrive, not a chance for me to make it work... I can't solder those tiny components on the driver!

Anyway, all I did was add an idea to things that I learned from all of you! But thank you very much for that really nice compliment...







robjdixon, by all means! I guess it would qualify as a tutorial with the close up pictures...
Jay

Very cool! What was the total cost for parts?

Total cost in parts: (roughly)

Host - 5
AixiZ - 5
Diode - 15
Driver - 25
Charger - 25
2 Batteries - 10

Total - $85 dollars

It's a very tight build, and small to work on. Plenty doable though! The key is to be able to drill or bore out the head of the host for a perfect fit for the AixiZ module.

The other thing is, Making sure to set the driver at the desired current before 'sandwiching' it in place. Then of course, you want to test it again before you connect your diode...
Jay

So without the charger and bats its only $50!!! Thats awesome! Ive got 2 bats and a charger lying around : :

Correct... roughly $50 dollars in parts not counting the batteries and charger.

That, and a couple hours of tedious work. Testing and making sure the driver is not shorting against the brass case.

Build tip: After you have set the current and fit the driver sandwich into the host, you will want to make sure your module/diode assembly is focused properly before you do the final connection and 'press' it in place. This way, you can position the focus ring nearly flush with the head of the host for a nice clean finish!
Jay

sound fun, but im not very good with drivers

A couple of people have asked about selling them...

They are a tight, tedious build. Actually harder than my Pocket Mini builds. I may offer it as a build kit, with the host and tail cap drilled out...

Figure a setting of about 130mA's to give (normally) 115mW's of blu-ray with the 803T diode for about a 45 minute run time between charges.

For red, 180mA's will give you about 115mW's using the Sony/Senkat SLD1239JL-54 diode. This will give about the same run time. (burns plenty good at this power! - I already made one)

Then there's the option of a 6X diode ($50 dollar upgrade), set at 180mA's for a 30 minute run time. When Igor does the GB on his 405nm glass lenses fit for the AixiZ, this current will give over 200mW's of blu-ray! 8-)
Jay

Wow... Once again, AMAZING work, Jay! It's incredible that you could cram all of those parts into that small of a host! Will you start selling them? ;D

Thanks! ...

Edit:
I may offer this host as a build kit. Just prep. the host by drilling out the head and even tail cap for the 10280...
Jay

Really nice work, jayrob!

Also, very educational - first time I've seen 10180 batteries. They seem to be out of stock everywhere though...

Thanks Kage!

I would say to e-mail or PM AW at the link from CPF:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sho...d.php?t=187951

I got mine from him, he responded to my PM and had good customer service...
Jay

I emailed to him a couple days ago; he said it'll be about 2 weeks until he has more.

BTW - I think that other source *given on page 1 of this thread [s]is the same guy[/s] no wait, AW is in China and Lighthound is in Texas, so he's their supplier - note the product number starts with "AW".

Is there another, independent source?

DanQ

So far, I have not found another source Dan...

If anybody knows of another source, please post a link!
Jay

nice build. sooo tiny! +1 jay

This is actually not bad news, this is great news!

Because AW doesn't make more batteries UNLESS there is a demand! Last time i was talking to him, he said that these sizes, once out of stock, will not be made anymore! Now THAT would REALLY be a shame!

I've been working on a similar build a while ago, but only ever made a 5mW cat chaser, for a friend out of it. The coin cells, which fit in here normally, couldn't really support a load. I also bought 10220's from AW half a year ago, but they were still too...

But if AW will have more in two weeks, that would be awesome!


Jay: I think it's your tutorial, that made these suddenly go out of stock everywhere.. But i think it's also your tutorial, that made AW reconsider making more of them.. *;D



Anyway, this is the one i've been working on several months ago, but put it on hold after the 5mW version..
You may know how obsessed i am with tiny lasers - they are the reason i started working on boost drivers over a year ago (there was no FlexDrive back then).. When Jay reminded me there are smaller batteries than 10220, i became very excited - i could finally finish an old idea! But when i saw they were out of stock.... *:'(

But waiting two weeks for them to become available, and another two for them to be delivered... That's nothing! I waited this long already!


P.S. Damn you, Jay, you just caused me soon to have SEVERAL 6x less..
(thank you Jay... holly crap, i have FOUR of these!)


P.P.S. The really amazing thing about these tiny hosts is their MASS! If i put this tiny thing on a scale, i get 36g! The head alone weighs 11g!
My AA host weighs less! Of course, it is aluminum, but still. These tiny things can actually provide a decent amount of heatsinking!

Those are sweet little hosts Igor!

Do they take 3 X 357 button cells? (same as AG13)

That's what this little 'Task Force' key chain takes. The 10180 is just a hair longer than the stacked button cells. So I cut the tail cap spring a little...

10180 = 10mm X 18mm. 4mm shorter than your 10220's.
Jay

Yeah, they were some random "business presents" a long long time ago - blue LED keychain lights.. Nothing special.
All that's in there is a pushbutton, which connects the LED directly to the three coin cells.


I thought they looked cool, and i managed to "collect" three of them. : One is now a cat chaser with a friend, and i think i have two left. And i would like nothing more, than to make a monster laser out of it!


The batteries are indeed 3x AG13! So the 10180 is only a bit longer? That's awesome news! Altho the tailcap in mine is a bit massive. I might have to grind it down a bit, to increase the room, and shorten the spring.


4mm shorter doesn't sound like much, but it can mean all the difference in the world in tiny builds like these..
I was almost thinking i would need the tailcap drilled out to make my batteries fit. But the difference in capacity is only 10mAh..


I think it's doable! If only AW can sell me a couple of those batteries!



P.S. These are low capacity unprotected batteries, which can easily get damaged by underdischarging and such. If anyone is considering this build, i would recommend buying at least two battery packs for a laser, if not three. Otherwise, you might one day find you are without, and AW isn't making them anymore.. I have two hosts, so i'll buy six battery packs of two, just to be on the safe side...


P.P.S. AW also does custom Li-Ion sizes! Imagine a 12180 Li-Ion battery! Now that would be something!
Unfortunatelly minimum order is 2 or 3 thousand pieces..

In theory, putting a silicon diode before the FlexDrive would protect the battery from dropping below about 3 volts, because the FlexDrive needs 2.5 volts to operate.

Now fitting a silicon diode might be a little tricky, but it could be done. There is some room between the LD and the button/driver sandwich.

Hmmm... I may take mine apart and fit them with silicon diodes for extra battery safety.
Jay

Where did you find them?

I would positively love a handful of those.