My next PHR build

Well I just had my "Eureka!" moment with laser hosts. The perfect host for a decent 80-100mw PHR pointer was sitting right in front of me for weeks and I paid no attention until today. I got to looking at the host and noticed that it came apart really nicely and the inards of the old device were very easily removable. I have to purchase a Dremel to grind out the inside of the host a little so the laser module will fit in it (the inside diameter too small by literally a hair) but once that's done I think this new blu-ray pointer will be my best looking and most convenient. I'll have some pics up as soon as I get my Dremel kit.

Cenobite9 said:

Well I just had my "Eureka!" moment with laser hosts. The perfect host for a decent 80-100mw PHR pointer was sitting right in front of me for weeks and I paid no attention until today. I got to looking at the host and noticed that it came apart really nicely and the inards of the old device were very easily removable. I have to purchase a Dremel to grind out the inside of the host a little so the laser module will fit in it (the inside diameter too small by literally a hair) but once that's done I think this new blu-ray pointer will be my best looking and most convenient. I'll have some pics up as soon as I get my Dremel kit.

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What type of host is it? flashlight, pen, etc?

-Mike

It's a pen host. Unfortunately the button is on the back and not the side. Here's a question: is it possible to convert a constant on-off push button into a temporary on-off type of button?

Cenobite9 said:

It's a pen host. Unfortunately the button is on the back and not the side. Here's a question: is it possible to convert a constant on-off push button into a temporary on-off type of button?

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In regards to the switch. I really don't think so.. but I suppose it is possible. Although it may be cheaper (time wise) to just buy a new switch from radio shack.

-Mike

it's possible. most switches use two little piece of plastic that have "gears" that spin as you click the switch, setting it higher and lower, there is also a spring that measured just right to make contact with the switch is click in, and to lose contact when clicked out......
you can simply take apart the switch and shorten the spring by a tad, this will make it so the clicky switch will only work when you are manually pressing it in (farther than it's normal resting point)

Alright, here are some pics of the host. The laser isn't together yet but it soon will be. I'm no forum expert so forgive me for not putting the pics in the post itself. Looking at the thumbnails as they appear from left to right, the first pic is the host as it was. The second shows it broken down with some laser parts in the pic for good measure. The third is the part of the barrel that has to be Dremel'd out a bit. The next one is a comparison of the original driver beside a burned out flexdrive (that is going back to drlava for repair). The last pic shows the host reassembled with the laser module inside. Notice how the barrel assembly has a gap in it now where the head and body come togther. That will be fixed with the Dremel.

BTW, the host was a UV leak detector kit purchased from Autozone for around $16.00. All I originally wanted were the protective glasses so I wouldn't kill my eyes looking at bright blu-ray dots. The UV light sat on my counter for weeks before I realized it would make a great host for a pointer. I think I may start building more of these and sell them to my friends with the protective glasses as a blu-ray pointer/burner package.

Cenobite9 said:

BTW, the host was a UV leak detector kit purchased from Autozone for around $16.00. All I originally wanted were the protective glasses so I wouldn't kill my eyes looking at bright blu-ray dots. The UV light sat on my counter for weeks before I realized it would make a great host for a pointer. I think I may start building more of these and sell them to my friends with the protective glasses as a blu-ray pointer/burner package.

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Great idea! I don't know if those glasses strong enough to block a high powered laser, but something is better than nothing. Looks like a sweet budget build to me. Keep us posted on your progress.

-Mike


Also.. I like your avatar and I bet I am one of the few on this forum that know what it is.

Do you have any links from where you purchased it?

And what batteries are you planning to use?

Lol, yeah few people probably remember what that box was or are just too young to have even seen the movies. BTW I have taken some more pics to show the effectiveness of the glasses. These were taken using a Canon Digital Rebel XT set to manual mode so the flash wouldn't pop-up. The laser used is a 260mw Dorcy DIY. The last pic shows a streak instead of a dot because I had a hard time holding the camera and glasses together. The first pic is the dot by itself in all its glory... the camera had a hard time with it because of its brightness. The second pic shows the dot (or lack there of) with the laser being shown through the glasses. The last of course is the camera behind the glasses which is more or less what it looks like to me when I wear the glasses.

BuildAbluraylaser said:

Do you have any links from where you purchased it?

And what batteries are you planning to use?

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The box or the host? lol... The lament box is hand made from red oak and pre-cut brass panels The host on the other hand was purchased from a local Autozone store here. It's just a standard UV leak detection kit and can be purchased from just about any auto parts store or the internet. I'm debating on whether to use two standard lithium 1.5v AAA batteries or a single rechargeable 3.6v lithium-ion 10440 and a spacer. I think the 3.6v would last longer since they usually charge to ~4.2 volts.

Here's the link to the Autozone website and the Quest UV Leak Detector kit.
AutoZone.com | A/CRepairAccessories | UVPenLightwithBatteriesandGlasses

cust11 said:

Also.. I like your avatar and I bet I am one of the few on this forum that know what it is.

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Speaking of avatars that dog in yours makes me laugh everytime I see it!!! Was that photoshop'd or taken with a fisheye lense? Or does the dog just look like that lol...

Nice airsoft up against the wall, another great, addictive, and expensive hobby lol.. Nice pics btw.

Cenobite9 said:

Speaking of avatars that dog in yours makes me laugh everytime I see it!!! Was that photoshop'd or taken with a fisheye lense? Or does the dog just look like that lol...

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I am to young to have seen that series of movies in theater but I am a huge fan of the genre (ha ha no hints for anyone else). My avatar picture is of unknown origin but I had to save it to my computer for the same reason everyone else likes it. Back to topic... moar lazorz!

-Mike

Yes, back to lasers! Here are some more pics: (1.) The Aixiz module now sits down inside the barrel as it should (thanks to my new Dremel tool) (2.) A comparison of my soon to be PHR pointer/burner with my DX Green True 30mw (actually measured 40mw on roSSco's power meter) and my Dorcy AW210 6x (3.) A close-up of my custom made warning label. I created the label in Visio 2000 and turned all of the text boxes into smart shapes so that the text would scale correctly as I shrank the label to make it a useable size. The original drawing was 1.5 inches tall, way to big to put on a pointer. For anyone who wants a copy of the Visio document to make their own labels I can post it up here. Note that the Smart Shape wizard doesn't exist in versions of Visio newer than 2000 so importing into newer versions may break the smart shape properties of the document making the text not scale correctly when resizing the image. My origianl document has three sizes on it - 1.5", 1.0", and 0.75". The one taped around my Dorcy build is 0.75".

I really like that host! I suggest that you crank up that PHR to 110-120mW though.. You will get it to 100mW~ and see how it loves to chew through stuff and want more power! I know this because my PHR is now running at a "stable" 156mA|142mW and I bought a GGW sled and am going to shoot for a 1/4w . The GF would kill me if I bought an 8x and she found out what is costs. Keep up the good work!

-Mike