diy build, need help

hi. i know this is a noobish question but iv bin wanting to build a diy laser for a while now, but i have struggled to get my head round a specific prospect. know, if i get my diode, press it into the front only of a aixiz module, nd use wires to cnnect it to a driver, how exactly will the postiv and negativ of the batteries get to the driver. this is the host im going to buy:
DIY Empty CLASSIC Host for Laser Pointer ( Complete Set )
so where will the driver go and wil i hav to solder wires to the inside of the host?. ive really bin sturglling with this and if u solered a long wire to the bottom of the cap where the battery touches the lid then when you opened the cap there would be a wire preventing you to completely take it off. plz help me. any help much appreciated (diagrams etc)

The hosts are made of aluminum. Aluminum conducts electricity. There are points within the host that have been exposed from anodization that take the (-) voltage and supply it at points of interest.

so how exactly will i solder the negativ or postiv of the diode wire to the "point of interest" when it is a small hollow tube and i dont even know where the point thingy is?

You don't need to solder anything for the pole of the battery that comes in contact with the tailcap.
Those hosts are intended to use a driver with a spring on the end which comes in contact with the other pole.
The module end of the host should deliver the case's voltage to the module.
It sounds like you are using an aixiz module. You'll need a custom fit heatsink in order to use an aixiz module with it.

but the kit that im going to buy has a heatsink that you just press a diode into. but it doesnt say where the driver goes, which is why im stuck and have no idea if i should order a say 5mw red diode just to test if it will work or not. sounds really complicated, soldering little wires to little things etc

daawood123 said:

sounds really complicated, soldering little wires to little things etc

Click to expand...

I'm not saying this to be hurtful or mean; DIY Lasers are probably not the hobby for you. Lasers are some of the most sensitive electronics the average hobbyist can get in to, and are not to be messed around with if you don't know your way around basic soldering skills. You will either destroy your components or risk fire or injury (exploding Li-Ions).

everyone starts somewhere. u cant be expected to know how to make a laser from childbirth, evryone has done there experiments or been taught by someone.

I think what he is asking are where the battery contact points are that connect to the driver. In this case you could use a PCB or ect. I have to agree with Sigurthr, these things are extremely delicate and you may end up spending more money on building than the laser is actually worth. Just my 2cents. Still welcome to the forum I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay.

If you were to use a C6 host, the diode would look like this pressed into the module and wired to the driver in the pill.



A different module, pill and driver from a different angle.



This is the bottom of the pill with the driver already installed. The big glob of solder right in the middle takes the positive pole from 16340 battery.



The two smaller solder blobs at 11 oclock and 6 oclock are there to soler the brass ring that supports the pill to the host. The negative connection comes from the outer brass ring on the bottom of the driver that then makes contact with the part of the case that is unannodiozed. So positive in the center and negative around the exterior of the driver and pill where it contacts the case.

then the tail cap clicky is screwed onto the end of the host and its spring contacts the negative end of the batter and completes the circuit. The whole thing goes together like this:



Here's a closeup of a pill holding a driver and wired to a diode already pressed into its module.




The white case pin from the diode is not used in a C6 host, but I left it long and heatskined the end of it in case the diode was every used for something else.

Here;s how to solder the diode leads to the driver leads. Make sure you slip the heat sink over one of the wires first or you'll be doing it over again.



Glenn

Yes, everyone starts somewhere. DIY lasers aren't normally where they start though (unless they have deep enough pockets to withstand repetitive expensive failures). I suggest you try some basic low power inexpensive solder-free electronics kits to get an understanding of the basics and then get on to soldering practice with a quality soldering station. That is the normal progression, tried and true.

I learned to solder by soldering the ends of two wires together to make circles and I'm still not very good at it. But I'm good enough at it to have assembled several kits from Moh using Diodes from DTR.

My next goal is to learn to solder wires to diode pins. For this exercise I have in inventory 10 cheap 650nm 5mW red diodes to practice on, before I fully kill a $50 445nm diode.

Glenn

i know how to solder, dun it many times in school, was making a led circuit thing, had to solder the wires to the pins, which i admit is probably easier than LD pins becoz the LEd wires are very flexible. for know iv decided to buy these 2 items from ebay:
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
DIY/Test Laser Penstlye Hosts/For 12x60mm Laser Module | eBay

this way i will [hopefully] end up with a 50mw voilet laser and a basic understanding of the circuitory. take a look a the sellers shop, he has many laser accesories,modules and hosts for good prices