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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Cold Steel Green Laser Build - 1.438 Watts of 520nm!

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Mar 25, 2016
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Hi guys n' gals(but mostly guys lol), this is my first green laser build at over 1.4 Watts of power and 520nm of color. All the parts are listed below this paragraph(links coming soon) and an explaination of how I assembled the parts together.

From DTR:
-N-company NDG7475 1.438 Watt 520 nm Laser diode in Full Length 12 mm Copper Module with Leads and G-2 Lens ($215.00)
Shipping: Free, Total: $215.00

From SurvivalLaserUSA:
-DIY Stainless Steel Host Assembly, Extended and Tapered Heat Sink, Unmarked ($49.99)
-DIY 1.7A - 2.4A Driver & Pill Module (set at 2.4A) ($39.99)
-Extended Length Focusing Ring - Green Anodized ($9.99)
-Extended Length Focusing Ring - Blue Anodized (I got another one for my other laser) ($9.99)
-(3x)Silicone Lens Cap, I got extra just in case ($1.47)
Shipping: FREE (over $100 order), Total: $100.28

From Li-Ion Wholesale:
-(2x)Efest IMR 16340 700mah 7A Button Top Battery ($7.98)
-EFest LUC 2 Bay LCD and USB Li-ion Battery Charger ($19.25)
Shipping: $6.16, Total: $33.39

Grand Total (includes extra focus ring and two extra lens caps): $348.67

I know thats a lot of dough to put into a just one laser but I got perhaps the best batteries and charger on the market. The diode is also a whopping $190 for just the bare diode, nonetheless this is an AMAZING and beautiful laser.

Here's the three packages, one from DTR, one from SurvivalLaserUSA, and one from Li-ion Wholesale
CO5Xg5a.jpg


All of the contents opened from the packages and organized
k4Qjqpa.jpg


I put the green anodized extended length focus ring on the lens, isn't it beautiful?
yhkCbAZ.jpg


Gonna need some thermal compound from an eariler build to fill in the gap between the copper module and the copper heatsink
43cKbo1.jpg


Put some on the copper module, just a little bit goes a long way
zTlPROv.jpg


Spread it all over
RVP6BiK.jpg


Fed the wires and module through the heatsink
NwQe17T.jpg


Installed the heatsink into the top part of the host, added the cap to the lens, and the driver+pill for the next step
a9HKg55.jpg


Cut some short heatshrink and put over the anode and cathode wires
JI0rR4p.jpg


Soldered it up and shrank the heatshrink over the connections
spEDgMs.jpg


Now to screw the driver+pill into the body of the host
WWwrwH6.jpg


Screwed the driver+pill into the host body
XZNoXC0.jpg


Here's a top view of the previous picture
KAJ49dR.jpg


And a view of the top part of the host unscrewed from the body
2JfgnvW.jpg


Okay so here I ran into some trouble, the laser didn't turn on after I first assembled it. I found out that the heatshrink attached to the diode itself seen below was torn and exposed some of the wire. This tiny hole was shorting the circuit out and was causing the problem.
BhNUqrv.jpg


I added some electrical tape to the exposed wire
6lG8yaQ.jpg


Bam! Done! Beam shots at the end :D
s2dgCWA.jpg

RxlJFQc.jpg

w46hKky.jpg

1hlUsB6.jpg

XszAwWf.jpg

LKCl5XO.jpg

4DmJS4m.jpg

Here's it compared to the NUBM44 with G-2 and 3x BE
zI4jfkc.jpg

This thing is incredibly bright, it is just as bright as my over 7 Watt NUBM44 if not brighter. I firmly believe anyone into lasers should have one of these diodes driven to over 1.4 Watts in their collection. Overall the host and laser are a beautiful combo especially with the green extended focus nut. More beam shots and a burning video coming soon, cheers :beer:
 
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Oct 11, 2016
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I wouldn't trust myself to choose the right driver with that diode! I let DTR do it after blowing an Oclaro 700. :(
Nice build and very bright.
 
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BobMc

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Nice stainless steel host. Great home for the 520. Looking really clean and sharp. With that extended heatsink what type of run time are you getting? Nice build thread. Enjoy that beauty! :gj:
 
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Nice stainless steel host. Great home for the 520. Looking really clean and sharp. With that extended heatsink what type of run time are you getting? Nice build thread. Enjoy that beauty! :gj:

This thing gets warm quickly. I have it on for about 25 seconds and it is already very warm probably because I'm running it at 2.4 Amps. I'm going to be using it with a duty cycle of about 15 seconds on every 45 seconds off or just feel it with my hand and leave it off until it cools back down.
 
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BobMc

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This thing gets warm quickly. I have it on for about 25 seconds and it is already very warm probably because I'm running it at 2.4 Amps. I'm going to be using it with a duty cycle of about 15 seconds on every 45 seconds off or just feel it with my hand and leave it off until it cools back down.

That's probably for the best. 15 seconds is still a pretty long time to throw a beam, especially for a 1watt 520, your so right, their crazy bright. Forgot to mention good job in figuring out what went wrong with the first assembly. My second build was a m140 in a c6 and I pushed the driver board to far into the pill so there was no contact with the board. Figured it out and got her working. " love it when a plan comes together " thanks and enjoy :)
 
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BowtieGuy

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Very good looking build, love the stainless and the S.L. focus adapter! :beer:
:gj: and :kewlpics:
 
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Nice pocket size blazer, you could still keep it compact with a little bit thicker aluminum body for more runtime, but it is nice and compact for being so bright, you're sure to surprise your friends when you say " check out my little laser " and click it on.
 
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Nice pocket size blazer, you could still keep it compact with a little bit thicker aluminum body for more runtime, but it is nice and compact for being so bright, you're sure to surprise your friends when you say " check out my little laser " and click it on.

haha yeah a lot of people don't know that lasers can actually burn things. here's a comparison pic between the NDG7475 at 1.438 W and the NUBM44 at over 7W side by side. both are focused to infinity and the NUBM44 has the sanwu 3x BE on it
zI4jfkc.jpg
 
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Hi,
Nice build take care of that 520 its a beautiful WL and bright. A SS S4 is a great host from Gary he sells awesome stuff. Good luck with it buddy.
Here is an S4 SS and S4 with aluminum and copper heat sinks for better run times and cooling.

Rich:)
 

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Last edited:
Joined
Mar 25, 2016
Messages
475
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Hi,
Nice build take care of that 520 its a beautiful WL and bright. A SS S4 is a great host from Gary he sells awesome stuff. Good luck with it buddy.
Here is an S4 SS and S4 with aluminum and copper heat sinks for better run times and cooling.

Rich:)

lol those are some massive heatsinks lol great pics thanks :beer: :kewlpics::thanks:
 




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