Hi guys I need some wisdom from some laser masters if something like this has already been posted or this is in the wrong section I apologize. I am an engineering student and an athletic trainer I am building a photogate lap timer for timing sprinting drills I mounted some radio shack project enclosures on top of mini camera pods. One containing a cheap 15$ laser I got from office max that I stripped and mounted a toggle switch and battery to and the other containing a photocell. The photocell is attached to a circuit that trips a lap timer when no light is received. The cheap laser wasn't that good to begin with and when I soldered a ground to the shell of the laser it distorted its beam diverging it badly so my photogate only works at a range of about 8" max and I need them to work at least at 2-4'. Now that I have been able to test my circuit and know it works I want to use a decent laser laser module that comes with its own connections. I don't think I want to go pricier than 30-40$ if I can keep from it. It would also run fine off of a 9v batter preferably. I want the photogate to function reliably in bright light conditions. Any help my project would be greatly appreciated I can share some pictures of it if you are interested when I get home from work.