$18 100mw laser build - It IS possible!

Well, i live in Brazil, don't want to spend a lot on lasers (i study, still dont work) and equipment takes a lot to arrive here.

So i started researching to build my own laser without buying kits and expensive equipment.

I'll update this post as i advance in construction.

Initial equipment:
- $18 100mw 660nm laser module with driver from ebay
- An old flashlight i had here
- Old cellphone lithium battery

Until now i just removed a piece from the flashlight (cutting it off) and installed the module, tomorrow i'll go out and buy some wires to solder the battery to the butten, then i'll post more photos of the electrical circuit.

Check the picasa album: Picasa Web Albums - lucca xavier - LaserHobby

What do you think about it? Is it going to work? Is using an old lithium battery from cellphone ok?

Re: Less then 30$ 100mw laser build

Well, i finished it. I know im a newbie here, and everyone says that laser hobby is expensive.

But i'm trying to prove the opposite, i spent $18 building this laser!

All the materials i used i had in my house, except for the module i payed $18...

Even the wires, i used them from a FM antenna of an old radio. The battery is from a broken cellphone.

I also melted the plastic to attach some wires to the button so it would work to the laser.

Conclusion: No need of expensive building kits to get into laser hobby. Everyone can do it with a little bit of creativity.

The photos are on my picasa album:
Picasa Web Albums - lucca xavier - LaserHobby

what is the output voltage of your battery and what driver are you using?

reds are generally cheap yes good to see some DIY !

can you focus it ? how well does it burn at 100mw ? red should smoke most dark things at that power level

My module came with a driver inside it, so i have no idea of it's specifications, i'm running it at a very low output power since i'm using a 3.7V battery when just the diode asks for 4,2V, besides the driver... I should be using 6V or more...

The power is away from the total 100mw the module supports but its already strong enough, i can see the point from 4km...