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FrozenGate by Avery

40mW 635nm 10440 MXDL Pen

DTR

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40mW 635nm 10440 MXDL Pen




Here is a fun little DIY build that I did. This is a little MXDL pen light that I have paired with a 40mW 635nm diode from the eBay deal and coupled it with a driver ripped from a dead green eBay pen. I also got a couple of turned down modules from qumefox that fit in this host as it is a tad smaller than the standard Aixiz module.

I really like the red color and the goldish focus ring which kind of gives it that Iron Man color scheme.:D


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Assemboly






Alright so I had a few of these MXDL pens for a while now in a few different colors. I took a red one and popped out the LED leaving an empty host. I had been using them for flashlights and they are not bad for that but I wanted to get a build going in this host.

Next I had a dead green pointer that was under $5 before it died and I am going to use the driver out of it for this build.

So here is what the build consists of. A 40mW 635 diode pressed in a turned down module with a driver soldered directly to the diode pins with a spring, the empty head of the host, the body and tailcap.

I took the top half of the green pointer with the driver in it. I did have some diffuclity trying to figure out how to nicely get the module/driver out.:thinking:

In the end I used the can opener approach and took out the driver.:eg:

First thing I wanted to do with the driver was bypass the momentary switch as the host had it's own clicky. So I soldered a small wire to one contact point for the switch.

Then cut the wire to the proper length and wired it to the other side effectively bypassing the switch.

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Next I hooked up my driver to my test load with the positive side bypassed as it is a case/LD positive diode. This will differ if you are working with a LOC which in that case you will want in a case negative setup. Anyway the driver is now wired for always on and got it just under 100mA.

Then I soldered the driver directly to the diode pins of the diode that is mounted in the turned down module.


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I wrapped the driver in some electrical tape to keep it from shorting on the host walls and I am now ready to put it in the head.

Next I got out a little thermal adhesive and mixed it up.

I spread some on the inside of the host head and then pushed the module in snug.

Then I gave 5 minutes to let the adhesive set before moving on.

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And I am pretty much done. I screwed the head into the host body.

Then I threw in a 10440 3.7V Li-Ion. Note this is a case positive build so the negative end of the battery goes in first toward the diode/driver.

Screwed on the tailcap.

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And fired it up.:D

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Now qumefox also turned down an Aixiz focus ring so that it will fit in the opening for this host which turned out a little goldish in color. I really like it with this red host. Thanks brother.;) I also paired it with a red coated lens that came with a 9mm O-Like module that I ordered for some reason.:whistle:

So I screwed in the lens and here is what we have.

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LPM Test







So here is the LPM test which comes out to just under 40mW which on a build like this you don't want to push the diode very hard because the more you do the higher the wavelength which can negate the entire reason for a more expensive 635 diode.


Final Thoughts






I have had a lot of fun playing with this little build and it was very inexpensive to construct. It has a pretty sweet look and I do really like the color scheme. The divergence is good. It is definitely more orange and seems a little brighter than my 200mW LOC. It is a great project and I definitely recommend this for a low power 635 or a LOC build. Thanks for reading my review/tutorial.:D

 
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Pretty cool...

That 635 diode does look kind of orange in the pics! :gj:
 
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Very nice! Very small build. Nice use of a dead green. It's always rewarding to be able to get use out of extra parts.
 
Very cool I like your choice of host, a RED host for a RED build :)
 
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DTR, your shots really show the "635ness" of that, too... Especially the top shot with the spot in the distance. I think a lot of folks here on LPF may have not seen the difference much between 635 and 650/660/670.

I still wish I had gotten more of those diodes (and not ledded one) - Hopefully another chance will show itself...
 
Wow awesome build. I had an atlas nova 5mw 635nm and I loved the color, 40mws must look awesome. Where did you find these diodes? Could you pm me...
 
Wow awesome build. I had an atlas nova 5mw 635nm and I loved the color, 40mws must look awesome. Where did you find these diodes? Could you pm me...

Unfortunately, Jeff, with the 635nm 40mW diodes -- it looks like it was a one-shot deal, and a fixed quantity that showed up on ebay for a while. The guy either wasn't sure what he had or didn't care, and there was a run on them.

We haven't seen any more since; companies that still have them in stock quote around $220 US.
 
Thanks guys. I also wishn we could find some more of these for the price they were going for on eBay.:beer:
 
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Thanks guys. I also wishn we could find some more of these for the price they were going for on eBay.:beer:

I know Dave might have had some that were 'almost as good', from Opnext. I think they were billed as 639/30mW, but if you looked at the power curves, current vs output vs wavelength, they were pretty close to the same.

He'd be able to correct me on this of course.

I think if any of us ever see the Sanyos on ebay again we'll be buying more than a few.
 
What IC did you use for your driver? I can't seem to find any LDO drivers for negative side regulation.
 
What IC did you use for your driver? I can't seem to find any LDO drivers for negative side regulation.

Aixiz and Odicforce have drivers that they sell which regulate via the negative but are a little larger than some small pen hosts can use.

LM358 Constant Current Driver, 3.5 -5.0V - V2 2011 - Detailed item view - OdicForce Lasers Online Shop

2pcs constant current laser diode driver 80-500mA w/TTL, AixiZ


but just about any green lasers pen you find will also have a driver that regulates via the negative side like I used for this host as IR diodes as far as I have seen are all case/LD positive like this 635 diode.:beer:
 
Nice work there ElecroFreak er.. er... I mean DTR- you two are so much alike I get con-fuse-ed.

+rep... again--- for another super build...again.

keep it up!!!

:-P

len
 
DTR just so you know for the future. "Most" (some don't because they are glued/thread locked in.) of those cheap 5mw ebay greenies will twist out. All you need is 2 micro screwdrivers. Place one on each side of the board in opposite ends and twist counter clockwise. Most of the time these are loose enough to unscrew without damaging the board :)

Heres a idea of what I use: http://cordlessscrewdriverss.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Micro-Screwdriver.jpg
 
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