Help Me Build My Next Laser!

Okay I'll get the focus adapter with the JAD Kit. ApexProxy said 'I wouldn't bother with the GITD mod though since GITD things don't react to 650nm light anyway.' What does this mean exactly and...what is the GITD mod?

Groovy..I'm thinking conical for my polished Bastard build...I think I need tritium.

So, you get a 405nm LED flashlight to charge it...then love the shit out of that red...it just doens't glow for long....at all.

He means 650/660nm doesn't fluoresce on GITD objects or supercharge them. It will still glow in the dark though

EDIT: Yeah you have to charge it first. I remember when i used to have a GITD book i would just put it under a lamp to charge it. $05nm light would charge it better though. You double posted as well, sum.

Is it worth it? It's only $5

Yeah, I know the 650nm doesn't charge GITD...that's why I recommended a cheap 405nm LED flashlight to charge the GITD.

Gun, it's worth it if it's worth it to you. I just wanted to let you make an informed decision. The red GITD is the shortest lived of all colors IIRC.

Thanks for the info, I'll have to think about it

Okay focus adapter aside, here's what I'm looking at:

Diode
Lense - The '635nm-660nm AR Coated Three Element Glass Lens'.
JAD Kit - 378mA, Aliminium, Focus Adapter and possibly GITD Mod.

So then all I will have to do is replace lens, solder the leads from the diode onto those on the driver and insert batteries. What battery/batteries will I need?

a 18650 battery

I just read back through the thread and saw Isaac say this:

wannaburnstuff said:

Total Price: 21+9+35 = 65 dollars for the build. Add in CR123 batteries and you are good. Do NOT drive that on one cell as it will be much weaker.

Click to expand...

is a CR123 the same as 18650?

No that would be the 16340... in Li-Ion equivalent... I don't know if you are 100% safe running it with two batteries... be sure first...

Er...I'm a bit confused now. Which batteries and how many batteries should I be using with this build?

Gun said:

is a CR123 the same as 18650?

Click to expand...

The voltage is the same (3.7-4.2V) but 18650s have higher mAh ratings.

How many batteries you need depends on what driver you use (buck, boost, or linear) and which batteries you are using.
Buck will drop the voltage from the power source (batteries in this case) to meet the Vf of the diode. Excess V is necessary (as long as it is within the tolerances of the driver).
Boost will increase the voltage to meet the needs of the diode. Boost drivers are useful when the Vf of the diode is high and you are limited to a low voltage power source.
In a linear driver, the output voltage is equal to the input voltage minus the voltage drop of the driver. The circuit itself consumes a small amount of power so the power source must be high enough V to deliver enough power to the diode and overcome the V drop of the driver.

I know this is only your second build but you should really read up on some of the basics to familiarize yourself with the available hardware.
Knowing the difference between driver types and what battery configurations and diodes they work best with is important for choosing the right components for your laser.

Thanks for the info, I'll do my reading

What battery would you recommend for the JAD Kit and diode that I'm using, and how many? or is this impossible to say and should I message DTR and Moh and ask them?

I run the exact driver and diode you are looking to get on two 16340 cells. With a single 18650 cell(Panasonic 3400mAh cell which is one of the best available) I only attain 162mW out of the full 303mW I get on two 16340s. This means that a single 18650 cell does not supply enough voltage and two 16340 cells must be used for full power with that exact setup. On the other hand you can intentionally run on one cell for the purpose of turning down your laser. You also have the option of using two 18350 cells which are a little larger than a 16340 but you can still use two of them and get a little more runtime than with 16340s. They are wider and a little longer than 16340s though so sometimes they can get a tad snug in some hosts but I can always use them in my C6 builds.

As for the focus adapter, Moh's adapters are nice so if the extra cost doesn't matter to you go with it. I don't bother with GITD on any of my red or green builds since they don't charge it but that's purely personal preference. I do however love GITD on 405nm and 445nm builds.