Need Advice for Disassembling CNI Laser

wannaburnstuff said:

I am actually pretty excited about getting this module into a fully custom host. Actually, if there is one thing I like more than anything else in this hobby it is tricking out laser diodes with custom hosts. I love it.

Click to expand...

DIY can go so far.... i love it aswell.

Hey UK I sent you a PM. This is getting bad, I am ready to pick up my .45 and fire a full clip into this laser. That will dislodge the module, right? I went to the hardware store and got tools and they wont fit in the damn laser. The lowest hex they had is a .05" and the one smeer listed is the .9mm which is .0345".

If it's built like my aries, which it should be, it shouldn't be too hard to get out. I told you the hexes were specialty size. They're not going to be at a typical store. I'll pm you in a jiffy. I'd hate for you to ruin a good laser module.

hey sorry for the double post, but I have something to add. looks like there's several different iterations of the PGL-Cs. I have an older aries and a newer one, and it seems that the old one all the guts just dump out the front, but I just went to work on my newer one (last march) and it actually seems to require removing the whole forward part of the head. (like it seperates where the rings on the heatsink begin) its stuck pretty tight. >:U

Have you gotten mine in yet from the mail? Mine unscrews easily where the rings start. Looks like everything comes out of that spot once you unscrew the retaining ring. The head part of it includes the lens and I haven't been able to open that part.

You're quite lucky then. mine seems to be pretty well epoxied shut. my older one is like my PGL-A (see my 589 disassembly) where it just has a brass ring holding it in under the lens mount. so it just slips out the front. this one seems to have it built into the fore rings, so you have to unscrew the whole thing. >:U I wonder how I'm gonna crack that. band wrench didn't even get it to budge! though I'm not the strongest guy on earth. maybe I'll have my dad try.

and no I havn't gotten it isaac, though i suspect it should come soon. I'll go see if the mail has come.

Edit: nope not yet.

Based on typical mail times I would say it will either arrive today or tomorrow.

yeah, that's what I'm guessing too. mail isn't here yet today, i'll let you know when I get it.

Sounds good man. Ill be at work but let me PM you my phone number. Any news would be greatly appreciated.

Is that your PL-A?

this is the inside of a C

originally it just slid out the front, but I can't tell if that ring inside is the barrel, or if it's a retaining ring and the module is just secured somehow it rotates a couple degrees back and forth but wont budge otherwise.

update: rocked it back and forth, adheisive is a possiblity, could just be the module cover...popped off the ir filter tho...turned it on for giggles without it, and it acutally has a pretty nice beam on its own

ok...Isaac...I have good news and bad news... and BAD news.

bad news: You've ROYALLY F*'d the threading. so it's not coming out if I play by the rules.

REALLY bad news: I'm going to have to do some serious rebuilding. I'm going to have to cut out the module because no matter what I do, the ring won't budge about 3 turns up. the threading is SO bad it just wont move. I've cleaned out the threads and been working on it since about 10 min after my last post. even with the proper tools and a vice and pliers it will not move.

the module was shook loose also a bit in transit.

the good news: I can get it out. since the module was already a bit miffed in shipping I just seperated it cleanly to get a better look. I removed the optics as 1 piece so that the crystals wouldn't lose their alignment. This exposes the diode, which i just promptly removed and stored in a static bag with its indium foil. now that all the sensitive optics are out of the picture, I can get down and dirty with this B*ch. I'll cut the ring off since we don't care about the host, and then re-assemble the module. (which is pretty easy since its already aligned and spaced. I marked the orientation, so all I have to do is literally re-stack it, and then glue it so it stays.

You really got your hands full on this one :/ mine's also pretty messed, so I hope I can get the rings off mine so I can fix mine as well, (the IR filter was loose, I laid it in there for my other shot so it looked proper) Also, your collimating lens came out much easier than mine as it had far less epoxy

I am depressed, excited, anxious, and relieved all at once
Thanks for doing this, and let me know when you learn more.

I had a feeling the threads were shot to shit. :/ ah well.

yeah, there's a few places where they jump a bit. not terribly, but the other thing is that when you scraped the epoxy, there there is a TON of aluminum shavings/residue in it, and that is part of the problem. i wiped it out pretty good using oil and some cotton swabs, and even re-grinded some of the threads with a flathead, but its still stuck tight, which tells me that the aluminum is very deformed in places. You have to be gentle with aluminum threads, it takes some technique to remove epoxy from them without damage. If I can cut the brass ring then the whole thing should just drop right out. I'm in class atm, so I'm going to talk to my dad when he gets home and see if he'll cut it out with his dremel or something. He's got tons of tools, so I'm sure we can come up with something. all of the optics are out of it so its a bit safer to be rough with it now so at least the heart of the laser is safe regardless of the outcome.

You might also cpnsider cutting behind the module if you have fancy equipment. I know I dont but I figured if you cut enough millimeters off behing the module it should slide out the back of it. Either way I look forward to seeing if you can save this module from sure death.