Double or triple the power of 5mW DX pointer!!

Disclaimer: Try this at your own risk! Don't blame me if you kill your cheap laser pointer!

Bored with you green DX dog toy? Do you wish it would pop balloons or maybe even light a match? Try this -

By simply replacing the 2 AAA NiMH or Alkaline batteries in your 5mW DX pointer such as:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.91

with a single AAA Li-Ion 10440 battery such as:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.974

and a dummy battery made of foil, you may be able to double or even triple the power output of your "5mW" DX pen!

Step 1 - Take a piece of aluminum foil about 5-1/2 inches long and fold twice to make a 1-3/4 inch strip as shown. Then roll the strip into a cylinder that will fit in the barrel of the pointer as a "dummy battery".


Step 2 - Remove the old AAAs (right) from the pointer and replace with the dummy and the 10440 (center).


Step 3 - Insert the dummy battery into the barrel first, then the 10440 as shown, and screw together.


That's it. No pot moding or disassembly required. Normally these pointers output 3 to 5 times the stated power anyway, after all they use a 250mW IR diode! They just have crappy crystals. But the 2.5-3.0V from the normal batteries don't drive the LD hard enough. The 3.6-4.2V from the lithium cell really makes a difference!

I tried this on all 4 of my 5mW pointers and got up to 60mW from the two hottest ones and none of them were injured as far as I can tell. They can pop balloons and with a focusing lens even light a match with a bit of patience. Now that ain't bad for a $2.50 battery and some foil!

:-? interesting  -is this like the soak your laser in ice cold water mod  ;D

jk you should keep a record of usage time and chart the results of the outcome
failures  longevity ect

john_lawson said:

:-? interesting -is this like the soak your laser in ice cold water mod ;D

jk you should keep a record of usage time a chart the results opf the outcome
failures longevity ect

Click to expand...

I know it SOUNDS ridiculous, but it actually works! I think I got the idea from gooeygus, who did something similar with a 375mW Prometheus - only with this you can only loose a few bucks if it backfires.

Edit: BTW - It DID NOT work on my 150mW DX pointer - same power out, but did help a 30mW, but only a little...

Yeah.... it is the same thing I found with Standstone11's green modules.

They are said to work on 3 volts... but the driver doesn't seem to regulate
a higher voltage input... I've had a 10mW Green as high as 40mW with 5volts
on the input.

It all depends on whether the Driver really does "regulate" the output..

... and at what voltage you blow the diode when it does not :

Benm said:

... and at what voltage you blow the diode when it does not :

Click to expand...

I haven't tried that - yet, but now that these are down to under $15, I just might do it for fun, and post the results in here. Also, if anyone else tries this experiment, please post the results... Muhuhaha! [smiley=evil.gif]

Update: 12-16-08

Here are some actual measurements:

My weakest green 5mW DX Pointer-

V-Batt Current mW-Peak Notes

2.5V 165mA 8 \ operating range of
3.0V 197mA 14 / 2 alkaline or NIMH

3.6V 228mA 24 \ Operating range
4.2V 255mA 30 / of 1 Li-Ion

5.88V 350mA 45 Max Op current of LD!


5mW Pointer #2-
V-Batt Current mW-Peak Notes

3.6V 378mA 50mW Lowest Li-Ion V is overdriving the LD!
4.2V 405mA 60mW Definite LD abuse here!!

5mW Pointer #3-
V-Batt Current mW-Peak Notes

3.6V 330mA 35mW
4.2V 375mA 50mW

The "driver" don't seem to actually regulate, and since it is linear - Current in these measurements is most likely diode current.

Be careful using 10440 batteries, as they only seem to be available in unprotected type, which must not be discharged below 2.75V.

Hmm to try or not to try with my DX30, if it does work reliably, I'd end up cutting it down though.

You mentioned something about not using 10440 batteries under 2.75V...why is this? What would be the negative consequences if I didn't?

Also, are these rechargeable, and can you use a normal charger if they are?

-Mark

They are not protected, so they might break, or blow up

rocketparrotlet said:

You mentioned something about not using 10440 batteries under 2.75V...why is this?  What would be the negative consequences if I didn't?

Also, are these rechargeable, and can you use a normal charger if they are?

-Mark

Click to expand...

If a li-ion batter discharges below 2.7v it will ALMOST NEVER be able to be recharged. Protected cells protect against this. If the cells are charged over 4.3v they can explode and also have a chance of never being able to be recharged if they dont explode, protected cells also protect against this as well.

xmtgx said:

[quote author=rocketparrotlet link=1229067402/0#7 date=1229935387]You mentioned something about not using 10440 batteries under 2.75V...why is this?  What would be the negative consequences if I didn't?

Also, are these rechargeable, and can you use a normal charger if they are?

-Mark

Click to expand...

If a li-ion batter discharges below 2.7v it will NEVER be able to be recharged. Protected cells protect against this. If the cells are charged over 4.3v they can explode and also have a chance of never being able to be recharged if they dont explode, protected cells also protect against this as well.[/quote]

once my 10440 batts in a dyi bluray was left on accidently and ran for about 3 hours i thought they were dead but actually took another charghe i did'nt realize they could be damaged from over discharging them :-? I learn somthing new every day

john_lawson said:

[quote author=xmtgx link=1229067402/0#9 date=1229982356][quote author=rocketparrotlet link=1229067402/0#7 date=1229935387]You mentioned something about not using 10440 batteries under 2.75V...why is this?  What would be the negative consequences if I didn't?

Also, are these rechargeable, and can you use a normal charger if they are?

-Mark

Click to expand...

If a li-ion batter discharges below 2.7v it will NEVER be able to be recharged. Protected cells protect against this. If the cells are charged over 4.3v they can explode and also have a chance of never being able to be recharged if they dont explode, protected cells also protect against this as well.[/quote]

once my 10440 batts in a dyi bluray was left on accidently and ran for about 3 hours i thought they were dead but actually took another charghe i did'nt realize they could be damaged from over discharging them  :-? I learn somthing new every day [/quote]

Yeah, all Li batts (LiPo or Li-ion) should never drop below 3volts, (safely) or they don't charge as well after that, and the more times it discharges near or bellow that without the proper cut-off the less charge the batts hold. That's why our cell phones have those annoying "batt-low" alarm when the battery is low so it warns you that you got to get it on the charger quick! I don't know about you'll but I know if I don't have a charger at hand I usually turn it to silent to not waste more charge, but on the few phones I've owned once the phone completely dies it probably went bellow the safe level, and the battery will never be the same, goes from 2 weeks w/ out charge, to 1 week, to 1 day, to a few hours.

Now, back to laser business, I believe that some lasers have the photo diode that help regulate the current from exceeding a set value, becase there are legal issues to consider when classifing lasers and it isn't neccessarly good if a 5mW rated laser puts out more because there are danger risk factors to consider. And with DPSS lasers, the output isn't 100% completely controlable, so this helps limit the out put power from exceeding it's rating.

The RPL's & look alikes don't have a photo sensor, and they are regulated drivers per Gus's intell. And with the single 3.7V Li-ion battery the 2.5W (RPL's claim to have 2.5W nlight LD) is only running at 1.2W which is 1/2 it's rated power. So theoretically running double the power with current regulation should (does) double the output current.

These lower powered pointers could and might benefit from the extra power, as long as they don't have the photo sensor and have the same LD as higher powered pointers it should even be reliable.

rocketparrotlet said:

You mentioned something about not using 10440 batteries under 2.75V...why is this? What would be the negative consequences if I didn't?

Also, are these rechargeable, and can you use a normal charger if they are?

-Mark

Click to expand...

DX sells at least one charger that accepts these, but it is really made for protected cells, so does not quite charge them up all the way - only to 3.8 or 3.9V, so I put them in my 18650 charger with a bunch of those little magnetic spacers, to charge them to 4.3V. I don't think it is real dangerous to over-discharge these batteries, it just kills them off really fast. But still, they are only a little over $2, many pri lithiums are that expensive, and these can be charged hundreds of times, if "cared" for.

This one may be a good charger:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1251

yes, that's a great charger... but - in order for those 2 sets of contacts on the sides to work, you need to open the thing up and connect them! For some reason they are nonfunctional otherwise. It is pretty easy if you know enough to trace the working terminals and figure out which should go where, then make the connections.

Other than that it's the best charger at DX imho. There's another one that has been mentioned here at LPF, DX #4151 - but some users have reported it catching fire! don't buy that one  :

DanQ

using 2 lion battery could break the laser? 7.2 volt are too much???i've a nominal 100mw laser red.

realista said:

using 2 lion battery could break the laser? 7.2 volt are too much???i've a nominal 100mw laser red.

Click to expand...

Well with greens the extra voltage seems to increase the power to the IR diode, which can overpower it. If you have a regulated circuit, like the kind that most home-brew reds use, it shouldn't matter though.