New 12x in RL-118

my first 12x in the same host died on me last week and i had a spare 12x diode. the only thing was it didn't have the leads soldered on. in the past, kits i've built had leads on everything so all i had to do was connect the ld wires to the driver leads.
after spending most of the morning trying to get my new greeNe running without success, i was gonna make something lase.
so after burning incense to the great god photon i got everything together and replaced my burnt diode. it was the first diode i ever soldered, and it worked! the diode is being driven by a flex set at 500mA by jay.
thanks to jayrob for the great work on the host, and to survival for ultra fast shipping of the diode. the lpm is with jay's G-1 lens.
now to get back to my greeNe

Must of felt great to solder the diode yourself for the first time. Doing your own work on a laser just makes it feel more special.

for real! i bought one of those big 5x magnifying desk lites so i could see the diode pins. the old eyes aren't as good anymore. and this diode is giving me more power, got a lucky one

Careful with focusing those beams on the wall like that.

I've seen them turn white paint black from fifteen feet away!

i only do that for quick pix that close. 750mw of 405 wants to burn anything near by.