I have a laserlands 473nm that has about 85mw. Could I take it apart (the laser module) and put a driver and install it on a hand held host? Just wondering if someone tried this before....
The problem is the inefficiency of lab units. Most if not all 473nm units are temperature stabilized with TEC cooling units as the crystal set is picky about temperature. The stock drivers not only drive the pump diode but also contain temperature stabilization feedback loops and TEC drivers. Last I checked my 473nm labby draws about 35 or 40 watts of power to put out 40-80mW of light. You simply wouldn't have very good portability trying to get 40W out of a handheld.