DX 200mW Foc. red as a host for an open can...

I noticed the thread with people talking about this new laser from DX but even though they're really cheap I never considered buying one for myself because I already have a couple of DIY reds with about the same power output. But my boss ordered me one and suprised me with it a couple of days ago.. And now that I have one, this thing is actually pretty cool! It seems that they've fixed the problem with the loose focusing ring as mine is very snug and fits nicely.. Overall the quality seems pretty good.

I don't have a power meter but from what I can tell it seems to be about as powerful as my DIY lasers (150-180mW). But what I really like about it is that it is so simple to take apart, has plenty of room for modifying, lens can be switched with any lens that fits an axiz housing, and with the focusing head & size of the unit, I think it would make a damn good host barrel for a more powerful red laser.

So I'm seriously considering yanking out the stock diode/driver and sticking an open can in there with a different driver. This laser pumpiing out 250+mW would be awesome! Anyone else considering doing this with their dx200 red?

I think one problem is that the board in the DX red can't output any more current than it already does. So if you're planning on doing this you'll need a different board.

Does this laser have an overvoltage protection circuit? In other words, will using certain batteries blow the diode, like with Wicked's "Pulsar" lasers?

Wouldn't count on it, it ain't $50 for nothing.

Well, I was never planning on using the oem board that came with the laser. Instead, I'd use one of the 400 - 420 ma drivers that folks here have been using in their MXDL flashlight lasers & kenom barrel lasers. I think dlarva and a couple of others are selling drivers that would be perfect for this build.

I'm just talking about using the DX Red's barrel as a host.. None of the stock electronics would be used (other than the clicky).. I think it would make a great open can host because there's plenty of room on the inside for mounting whatever driver board you want, everything is easy to access, comes with a heatsink, diode can be easily changed, lenses can be switched with any of the ones that fit the axiz module, it comes with the tail clicky, and the focusing ring. Sounds like the perfect host for a 280-300mw open can laser to me.