should i build one or buy one?

hey guys im new here and i was just wondering if its better to buy a laser or just build one. i built my own gaming pc with $1000 but when it comes to a simple laser... i dont know much or barely anything so im here to ask for help. i've been browsing around and i saw a red 650nm 200mW laser for $15. being 200mW does it automatically mean that its powerful and can burn stuff? why does the 650nm matter, is lower better?

anyways heres the link to the $15 laser its on sale and only has 11hr left til its back to full price which is around $30.
Ultra Powerful Red Laser Pointer Pen Beam Light 200mW - DinoDirect.com

i've also been ebaying to see if i can find any good deal on laser diodes and i've found 2 that interests me... here they are

$7
808nm 300mW Burning Infrared Laser Diode Lab High Power | eBay

and

$25
DIY/LAB 9mm 500mW 808nm Infrared IR Laser/Lazer Diode | eBay

1.if you could get any of those what would you choose?
2.which one is stronger?
3.can i see the beam on all 3 laser?
4.how do i get them to be the color i want?

according to my research i LEARNED that all i need is a laser diode, lens, power source(battery), that circuit board, and housing to make a laser work am i right? am i missing anything?

am i better off just buying the $15 one? but will it burn?

a reply would be most appreciated good or bad.

200mW would be enough stuff to light up a match if it's focusable. As for the 650nm that is the wavelength of the laser which determines the color of light it produces. 650nm is a darkish red. 640nm produces a brighter red, but is not as a readily available as 650nm lasers.

As for which one I would choose, do not go with the IR laser for your first laser. IR appears very dim to the eye when in reality it is very powerful. Much safer to stick to the visible spectrum.

As for which one is stronger the mW (milliwatts) determines that, so IR would be more powerful. But I do not recommend it (see above)

You probably wont be able to see the beam on any of them, possibly the red one at night is a foggy condition.

If this is your first laser, I would recommend buying a 5mW 532nm green laser pen. They are cheap, fairly safe and the human eye perceives the green light as much brighter than red so it is easier to see the beam/dot.

As for anything your missing in the construction of a laser, your missing Laser goggles and "that circuit board" is called a driver, it regulates the current and voltage going to the diode.

very helpful info indeed. well i guess i wont buy any of those lasers then. also not gonna get that 5mw that you suggested thanks for suggesting though. ill look around for cheap strong lasers which arent infrared.

If your concern is pushing a laser to its limits then i suggest building it your self. if you think you will be happy with a laser coming preset at a safe, long life current then buy a preassembled unit.

michael.

well i guess ill just buy me the $25 500mw laser. visible ones are too pricy. would you guys say that that ebay seller is telling the true specs of that laser or is he making that up?

So your going to build a 500mW Infrared for your first laser?

dont buy it buy LPC-815 20x DVD burner laser lens assembly w/ red laser diode [M0031] - $8.99 : Modwerx Shop

and buy a aixiz module from the same place

also read http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/i-want-build-laser-thread-52972.html

and get yourself som saftey glasses if you can spend 1000 on a gaming pc spend 50 on a pair of glasses so you can see the screen after you build your laser

Eagle Pair® 190-470nm & 610-760nm Laser Safety Goggles


also search bar at the top use it please

EDIT: build a ddl circuit for your driver
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-homemade-laser-diode-driver-26339.

oh and dont worry your laser will pop a balloon hahahh

i want to fid
----------------------
thanks ben i think ill go with what you said...well close to it. getting this one

DIODE

LPC-826 laser diode 650-660nm 250-300mW [M0023] - $12.99 : Modwerx Shop

building a circuit board is hard for me. i think ill just buy one instead. BTW how do i know which module to buy?
would that diode fit this module?

MODULE

Laser focusing module for 5.6mm laser diodes (adjustable focus) [M0034] - $3.99 : Modwerx Shop

or am i stuck with this one?

Laser module w/ heatsink and AR coated glass lens (635-670nm) [M0030] - $12.99 : Modwerx Shop

as for the driver can i get this?

DRIVER

Groove driver v2 portable laser driver [M0028] - $13.99 : Modwerx Shop

or

http://www.modwerx.com/shop/index.p...oducts_id=75&zenid=uuvl99reo45446l9vmt752scp5

is the module the same things as the case that holds everything together or is it only the top part? im guessing its only the top part cause it seems too small.

SAFETY GLASSES

Eagle Pair® 190-470nm & 610-760nm Laser Safety Goggles

ANYTHING ELSE GUYS? AND THANKS FOR THE FAST REPLY

either one of those modules will work fine, most people choose the first one you listed.

yes the LPC-826 is 5.6mm so it will fit.

the 2 drivers you listed are the same...:thinking:

What host are you going to be installing all this into?

i would get a test load aswell.

ok so then i've/we've narrowed it down to the silver module,lpc-826 diode, one of those driver and host? how do i find a host? searched that site and didnt find anything that looks like a host.

or you can buy a jib driver http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/fs-jibs-linear-drivers-60213.html there cheaper and you dont need a test load get one with a fixed current of 379 ma

also the first module wil work fine but you will need to find a way to heatsink it

the jib driver will fit in the back of a aixiz module if you want it to this depends on your host . the easiest and cheapest host would be a project box or you could make it n a flashlight

if i do get the 379ma would it mean that my diode is maxed out all the time since its 250-300ma?

so your saying the module isnt like a heatsink? how would i go about adding a heatsink? isnt the heatsink bigger than the module? wouldnt it not fit in a module?

can you find me that parts that i need? like the host and heatsink?

plus i dont think any of these two heatsink will fit right?

http://www.modwerx.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=49

and

http://www.modwerx.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16&products_id=68

ok the module is a heatsink but if you want to leave your laser on for mor than a few seconds youl need to add more heatsinking to the module to help you i need so answers

do you have a budget for the host/ heatsink

do you want it to be portable

AND PLEASE READ MORE YOULL FIND MOST OF THE ANSWERS YOU NEED ARE ALREADY ON THIS FORUM

For my first laser, I harvested the diode myself.. no it wasn't a super powerful one, but it worked. I also familiarized myself with DIY drivers and made my own driver. I recommend taydaelectronics.com for all those parts (you can get everything you need cheaper than ONE part from RadioShack.) I did buy some modules (from stonetek.org/shop).

I didn't know much about circuitry in general when I started, but I caught the bug and just love developing my own drivers and custom hosts. So much more satisfying than buying one!

My next project I'm working on is a driver for my 20w 808nm (no it's not going in a pointer.. this will be on the work bench!)

Dethlore ya i know what your talking about when building my first laser i didn't even know how to solder so i got a 10$ soldering iron and taught myself how and built a driver....... Very rewarding to do it yourself

onlymines said:

if i do get the 379ma would it mean that my diode is maxed out all the time since its 250-300ma?

so your saying the module isnt like a heatsink? how would i go about adding a heatsink? isnt the heatsink bigger than the module? wouldnt it not fit in a module?

can you find me that parts that i need? like the host and heatsink?

plus i dont think any of these two heatsink will fit right?

Click to expand...

Your lack of knowledge is disturbing, for example bennett326 said to run it at 379mA and you say "my diode is maxed out all the time since its 250-300ma"

do you know the difference between mA's and mW's?

what is your logic that everything has to fit inside the module?

I believe you don't have the fundamentals down pat yet, do some more reading on the components of a hand held and how they go together.