Burning Red Laser

Is it possible to make a red laser that can light matches and pop balloons for under $30? I already have a mini-mag for a host. If it's possible, could you list what parts are needed, and from what site?


Thanks,

Yeah you can, but a minimag is not a good host. For building a laser there is a ton of info in the experiments and modifications section.

styropyro said:

Yeah you can, but a minimag is not a good host. For building a laser there is a ton of info in the experiments and modifications section.

Click to expand...

It's not a good host because it doesn't protect the diode from voltage spikes

artix said:

[quote author=styropyro link=1212970697/0#1 date=1212972094]Yeah you can, but a minimag is not a good host. For building a laser there is a ton of info in the experiments and modifications section.

Click to expand...

It's not a good host because it doesn't protect the diode from voltage spikes[/quote]
Not necessarily, it's just not a good host because it takes AAs. To run one of these burning lasers off of two AAs safely would most likely require a boost circuit, and Boost Circuits aren't the best choice for somebody new to electronics and lasers. I guess you could always use those 3.6v lithium AAs and use a current regulating circuit, but if you are going to do that you might as well use a flashlight that uses lithium cells like CR123As.

I have a small led flashlight that runs off CR123's. What parts would I need to make a burning laser for under $30???

Driver, laser diode and a (custom?) heatsink I'd reckon. But I'm no expert, haven't built my own DIY yet.

So would I be set with rkster driver and a 18x DVD burner laser diode from geek.com? I could use the LED light as a host.

artix said:

It's not a good host because it doesn't protect the diode from voltage spikes

Click to expand...

host = container... here the minimag is being used as a metal tube to hold everything inside... what you use for a driver, batteries, laser, etc, is all completely irrelevant, the reason a minimag is considered a bad choice for a host is because it doesn't have a lot of room inside. I've used a cardboard box as a host for a laser before, it was a poor choice for a host, but not because the cardboard didn't offer protection from voltage spikes, or because the cardboard wasn't a quantum flux capacitor, but because it was made of cardboard and therefore floppy and not water resistant.