My $1.39 host 6X build

So I stumbled across this thread awhile ago advertising $1.39 AA 3W LED flashlights. For the record, while they are not top quality, they are a great buy - get like 5 of them to keep handy. Here's the thread: http://laserpointerforums.com/f46/possible-cheap-host-1-39-ebay-55068.html

So I got a few and decided to turn one into a bluray laser for my brother's Christmas present. You can see in the top picture a whole flashlight and another flashlight gutted. Pretty much just a reflector, spring, driver/LED, body, and tail clicky. You can see the drop in laser head I put together for it too. I used an old WL pointer box and cut some foam to make a case for the laser (alkaline AA only for show).

On the "pill", an aixiz module is turned down and press fit into using some thermal epoxy. Then the pill and lens are both grooved for orings. Twin orings allow for the focus ring to have turning resistance against the body and to grip the lens assembly at the same time - smooth focusing that stays where you set it. Laser head materials are all chromate coated 6061 aluminum (conductive but protects against corrosion). The color is not off... chromate coated aluminum looks gold from the conversion coating. The rear terminal is just some radioshack breadboard with a large solder spot ground flat. The microboost is set at a conservative 150mW - so approximately 150mW. Uses a Microboost driver.

The pill is machined for an interference press-fit with the body. The thin host will be placed in the oven @250degF so it can expand and the laser head will be put in the freezer so it can shrink. The pill dropped right into the host and a few seconds later was stuck permanently. The parts return to their normal size as the temperature returns to normal and because the pill is larger than the host, the two become permanently stuck with great electrical contact and no need for glue/screws.

I'm still waiting on my DX 14500 trustfire li-ion batteries to show up... but I rigged up 2X AAA batteries to show the laser. The dot looks a little dim because the camera flash was on and only about 1 foot away from it. The dot pretty much looks just as bright as my other 180mW laser in my sig.

nice job

Wow thats pretty cool a host for $1.39 and it looks pretty good too :gj:
+2 for you

That's a sweet job Lazy!! Kudos to You.

Thats a Nice Build. How did you make the heatsink. It is a really good concept.

+1

The heatsink is machined out 6061 aluminum using a lathe. There is a through .375" hole and a slightly wider 10mm hole that holds the trimmed down aixiz module. The aixiz module is machined to match and pressed in place. Then there were some contours placed on the front of the heatsink that were sized for some orings. It's pretty straightforward lathe work.

The space for the driver is simply made by making a single pass using a .500" endmill. And then it was finished adding in the relief on the back so the positive contact board could be epoxied securely. If the driver were having to supply more than 150mA, it could have just been glued to the bottom of the pill for good heatsinking.

When our Kryton Grooves come in, I plan on making a very similar heatsink/pill to epoxy to the back of the kryton head. Maybe out of copper. It will have the built-in battery contact and provide more mass and heatsinking to the back of the LD head.

Hi,
great job, making such a tiny laser-pill!
I have a few of these exact same flashlights as well, tried fiddling with it
and was unable to remove the LED/driver assembly.
How did you do that?

Just stick something in the back of it and punch out the guts.
The oversize acrylic lens is the only thing holding everything in.

If you have your aixiz module and need help making a sink, I'd be willing to make one for you. Then you'd only have to press your diode and solder the driver. I don't wanna mess with another focus ring and orings (they were a pain in the ass).

Man I wish I had a mill. Only so much can be done with just a lathe.

Buy a y-axis vise for the cross slide. It lets the workpiece move up and down... and the cross slide already moves in X & Z. You put the endmill into the lathe chuck and move the workpiece around the endmill. It gives limited milling capacity, but should work great.
LittleMachineShop.com - Milling Attachment, Mini Lathe

Remember, if you only need to make one directional milling (not x AND y), then you can always just chuck up the endmill and bolt the workpiece (at the correct height) directly to the cross slide.

(You pretty much have to use a collet for chucking endmills because most 3 and 4 jaw chucks have a few thousands of concentric error)

I don't have a mini lathe. I have a 56 year old atlas 618. There is a milling attachment for it but i've yet to find one come up on ebay for a price i'm actually willing to pay.. Most of the time they're $300+.. and you can almost get a whole other 618 for that.