Advice for a DIY 532nm pointer build.

Hi Everyone

I am looking into building a laser pointer and I am still rather new to DIY laser projects and would love some advice

I am looking and building a ~532nm pointer between 150mW and 500mW (The higher the better) and I have a budget of around ~$250 USD

I have had a look at jayrob's epic hosts and I really love the "SolarForce L2P Kit" :drool:
I am lost finding a good 532nm diode :thinking: no clue where to look.
As for the driver etc I was going to go with jayrob's "Hot Option" so all I would need is a AixiZ module.
I also would appreciate advice on battery choice.

So any advice on where to purchase part's (Shipping to AUS needed) or where to find out more about the stuff I will need would be much appreciated :san:

Thanks in advance

Hey hello

The 532nm color you want isnt diode based. Its obtained by DPSS system. So you cant buy 532nm diodes, only modules. Modules have all the internals needed for 532nm light generation.

for a handheld green, id suggest you to choose another color, specially if this is your first DIY laser.

Bluray diodes (405nm) outputting ~100mW can be bought for <$10 on ebay, and you can always build a high power (~250mW) red (660nm) using a dvd burner. Its the best start point IMO.

I like using 18650 batteries on my builds. Slim enough, and powerful enough.

:beer:
Welcome to the forums, have a nice stay, and refer to my signature if you want some help later
Or just post here!

Thanks Leonardo

I don't have enough funds/time to do many projects so I want 1 nice one to keep me going for a bit. The main thing I want is a highly visible beam, any recomandations?
And thanks for pointing out about 532nm not being diode based, explains why no 532nm where to be found.