My 10 mW laser pointer

Hi,
I have a 10 mw laser pen and i want it to be a burning one. Is 10 mw enough to burn or do i have to modify my laser? I have heard that using different lenses will make it burn, is this true? I have also heard that removing the crystal will allow more output, like removing a resistor, is this also true?

No. Do not remove the crystal, or you will not be able to see the laser anymore (you will change it from a 532nm [visible-green] to a 1064nm [invisible-infrared] laser and risk doing permanent damage to your eyesight).
If you want to burn/melt with that laser, you may be able to make holes in a thin plastic bag if you use a magnifying glass. But, really, 10mW is too little an amount of power to do anything other than "point" at things.
You may have heard that you can make it more powerful by turning the "pot" (potentiometer) on the driver board. But, again, you risk completely killing the laser, and you will not see much of a difference in burning.
If it was a cheap one and you don't care about losing it, go ahead.
If it is your only laser, and you will be angry if you kill it, don't.

Aren't there any other ways like disabling a component?

Justin4758 said:

Aren't there any other ways like disabling a component?

Click to expand...

Sure. Remove the ~40mW 808nm diode, and install your own +150mW 808nm diode, adjust the current on the driver board, re-align the crystals, re-focus the beam, and voila! You have a 50mW DPSS green.
IMO, it is much easier and cheaper to just purchase a 50mW for $25 here
:shhh:

Can you say that in detail and tell me were to get the diode from? Plus i have trouble removing the module from the case! I have tried pliers and clamps but it will not budge! (the module is not screwable)

Ash said:

No. Do not remove the crystal, or you will not be able to see the laser anymore (you will change it from a 532nm [visible-green] to a 1064nm [invisible-infrared] laser and risk doing permanent damage to your eyesight).
If you want to burn/melt with that laser, you may be able to make holes in a thin plastic bag if you use a magnifying glass. But, really, 10mW is too little an amount of power to do anything other than "point" at things.
You may have heard that you can make it more powerful by turning the "pot" (potentiometer) on the driver board. But, again, you risk completely killing the laser, and you will not see much of a difference in burning.
If it was a cheap one and you don't care about losing it, go ahead.
If it is your only laser, and you will be angry if you kill it, don't.

Click to expand...

Oh! i did buy that one sunday - but ledshoppe has not yet sent me the confirmation email with tracking code! they do sent the data regarding the money receivment! damn! i am so ansious and my pen is still in the other side of the world! hehehe

Justin4758 said:

Can you say that in detail and tell me were to get the diode from? Plus i have trouble removing the module from the case! I have tried pliers and clamps but it will not budge! (the module is not screwable)

Click to expand...

Hum.... i have a cheap ebay laser, i think it is screwed up, but i reccon that instead of pot moding it, i am using it with a DC 10V re-charger from an old mobile, and i get really bright beam! if it is a crappy laser: try using a little 12V Battery ± a 1,5V Alkalyne battery and u may get around 10V in your unit (batterries will have the GREAT risk of melting/exploding, for in this circuit u are using the 1,5V alkaline as a RESITOR! - pushing current inside it! it may warm up and melt/leak/explode.
or - u can force 12+1,5 and the hell with the crappy old laser! hehehe
good luck!
Oh - just to remind you: EVEN IF THERE IS NO LIGHT COMING OUT - Don't stare at the laser diode!!!!!! you may have issues with the crystal, but this kind of laser produces a HUGE amount of IR light. There is strong evidence that IR light is hazardous to the Retinae of the eye (the part of the eye that SEES the light - all the rest are basic lenses and light-amount regulation) and remember - IR light is used to burn out pieces of the cornea in LASIK/PRK laser nearsightness surgety!!!
stay safe, stay cool. - have fun!

I have seen 5 mw blu ray lasers light a candle using a magnifying glass and what I think is a camera lens thing, can this be done?!

Justin4758 said:

I have seen 5 mw blu ray lasers light a candle using a magnifying glass and what I think is a camera lens thing, can this be done?!

Click to expand...

If you have seen it. It must have happened, right?
But, in all reality, there is no way a 5mW bluray (even with a magnifying glass) will light a "regular" candle. Really, you need at least 40mW of focused 405nm (bluray) light to light a candle. And, at that power, it would just smolder the wick of the candle and not ignite it. A 40mW bluray would (probably) light a match (which could subsequently be used to light the candle). So, yes it can be done.

sTILL DAZED, but on eBay (UK) they claim that 1 mw lasers can burn matches

Justin4758 said:

sTILL DAZED, but on eBay (UK) they claim that 1 mw lasers can burn matches

Click to expand...

1mW lasers CAN burn matches in the UK, just not in the U.S. And any claims that you read on eBay are the absolute truth, 100% guarantee. :tinfoil:

Ash said:

1mW lasers CAN burn matches in the UK, just not in the U.S. And any claims that you read on eBay are the absolute truth, 100% guarantee. :tinfoil:

Click to expand...

Then why won't my 10x more powerful one burn even after I put a magnafying glass in front?

I believe you are joking, right?!
We are sure that a green laser must be over 60mW to burn matches (the hell - can't u guys just use the matchbox? there is nothing really useful in burning matches with lasers, except for the pifious fun that it produces).
NOW - if we're talking about blu-ray lasers, i think they should be discussed in the blu-ray forum, am i right?
please guys - i am subscriber to this toipic and i am getting tired of receiving these off topics messages...

Justin4758 said:

Then why won't my 10x more powerful one burn even after I put a magnafying glass in front?

Click to expand...

Ash, please, there's no need to use sarcasm here. The simple fact is that there are no "tricks" to modify your 10mW laser to burn things. The only thing I can burn with a 10mW violet laser is pop a balloon, which takes around a minute.
My recommendation is simply what Ash said earlier, to buy a higher powered laser. Pot modding might be effective, but I'd rather have a working laser rather than one that will burn out, or one that doesn't even work at all.
To address the ebay question, that "1mW" laser simply isn't 1mW. They only say that so they can get though ebay regulations, as lasers over 1mW are banned in the UK.
The way the magnifying glasses work to make a laser burn is simply by focusing the beam to a smaller point. You still have the same power, just in a smaller area. The now focused beam has more energy per square cm, which is what lets the laser burn things. If your laser is already focusable, using a magnifying glass in front of it is just silly as you could already focus the laser to a small point at a given distance.