Will this work...?

I've seen the maglight/DVD LD hack. That caused me to think, which unfortunately is a dangerous thing sometimes.

If one can replace the halogen light in a maglight with an LD, with some simple modifications (or at least some minor machine shop knowledge) could one add SEVERAL LD's to the head of a D-Cell maglight?

The ultimate question is if 200mW + 200mW + 200mW + 200mW + 200mW = 1 watt.

Could you add 5 LD's (and 5 AA power supplies in the battery chamber, and heat sinks) to one D-Cell Maglight, add a focusable lens, and put 1 watt or more of laser power into a spot, say 10 feet in front of the maglight? I know it would not be easy to get all of the beams to hit the same spot at the same time, but, theoretically, is it possible? Would having multiple lasers on the same spot translate into more energy transfer into that spot?

Before you laugh, remember, I'm fairly new to the high-powered laser world. New as in, I only found out about them in the middle of September.

see this thread for that discussion....
http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1191085121;start=all

Hans ---

You may find a few posts around here relating to a "death star" module. While it seems easy, there are many problems combining multiple beams into a single focused beam. There are several of us working on this project.

Mike

what if it didnt have to be merged into a single beam? i daresay a plethora of beams would look MUCH more cool, dont you think?

i can't spell it, but if you want a "plethora" of beams try diffraction grating. fun!