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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

FS: Mini Green Kit! SCHWEET!

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Old news already, but here's the link to my review of this impressive kit of yours :wave:

Sigh, as noted in my review, getting a "good" DPSS module is easier said than done & while I'm certainly no expert, I think two extra steps could turn many (if not most) standard "DX" modules into good modules; a better, more stable (& cooler!!!) driver and the ability to "adjust" focus from (poor) factory specs to one's liking.

The former requires some key local LPF DIY talent, the latter requires some miracle way of removing that damned glue (or a source in China to deliver the modules without the collimator glued in place... ;))

Which makes me wonder... did Igor get anywhere with his desire to make that driver, or did he get sucked back into the 8x / 12x world prior to making the attempt... :thinking:

In any case, i'm working on a driver for greens, that will only occupy 2-3mm of the length of the host, and keep the current constant, unlike 90% of all Chinese "drivers".... As a result the power on an empty battery will be the same as on full..

It's a shame that the DIYers here can offer such high quality read & BR builds but due to the above current limitations are held back on green builds just like the rest of us... :cryyy:
 





jayrob

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Thanks for a great review! :)






ninja_tux, I sent your Mini Green Kit today. (Tuesday)

Hope you like it!
 
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jayrob, I received the kit today and plan on soldering a by-pass tomorrow and everything should be good to go after that! (I think?) This is really one sweet little host.
One question though: I read that you just cut off the red wire from the board, and is that all that I need to do after I by-pass the switch?
 

jayrob

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jayrob, I received the kit today and plan on soldering a by-pass tomorrow and everything should be good to go after that! (I think?) This is really one sweet little host.
One question though: I read that you just cut off the red wire from the board, and is that all that I need to do after I by-pass the switch?


Pretty much yes...

The brass module case is the same contact point as the red wire. So you must install your battery with the positive end towards the tail cap of the host.

The heatsink contacts the module via the set screw, and the host 'pinches' the heatsink into the head when you screw the head onto the host. That becomes your contact to the battery positive...

The main thing that you will want to be careful about with this assembly, is to get the right length. You will most likely have to cut the driver spring, and/or tail spring of the host.

Hope you like it! :)
 
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jayrob

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Traveller, just to let you know that I am shipping your Mini Green kit and other items, including your 650-G-1 glass lens assembly today. (Thursday)

Hope you like the kit! Let me know how you like the lens!

:thanks:
 
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Traveller, just to let you know that I am shipping your Mini Green kit and other items, including your 650-G-1 glass lens assembly today. (Thursday)
Thanks for the heads-up Jay :beer:
Looking forward to testing that lens out on one of my LOCs and running both the Mini-Green V1.0 & v2.0 side by side :evil:

 

jayrob

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I've been meaning to ask you... How do get those nice photo's?

Is it just a glass table that you set the lasers on?

Looking forward to your thoughts on my 650-G-1 glass lens assembly! :)
 
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Hey Jayrob, so I finally got around to soldering the DX module today, so my build is all finished, and I have to say this is a SWEET build. This is my new favorite laser by far :D My module is averaging around 155mW total and about 142mW filtered! This exceeded my expectations, it looks like I got pretty lucky with this DX module :) Also, what would you recommend for a duty cycle considering the power it's outputting and that I'm using a rechargeable CR2?

Worth noting though, for anyone else who's attempting to use the DX module with this kit, for a while after soldering the by-pass I couldn't figure out why there wasn't any current going through the circuit...until I realized that the big blob of solder (negative board contact) had quite a bit of glue on it from where the wire was, so I would watch out for that, other than that this is a straightforward and generally fantastic build which I highly recommend!
 
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jayrob

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Glad you like it! :)

I would say try to keep it to a 1 minute duty cycle...

Post some pictures!
 
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I will definitely post some pictures once I have the time to take some decent ones ;)

Another note: this thing DEVOURS batteries! The humble 800mAh CR2s I got from DX don't last long at all haha. Also, I noticed that when the battery starts to drain, not only does the power output go down to almost nothing and the beam becomes TEM 01; When it first started doing this I was worried that I had fried the module, but then when i replaced it with a charged CR2 the problem vanished. I'm not sure if this is normal of green DPSS modules, but I thought it was worth noting.
 

jayrob

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Yeah... Of course, it's not just the module quality, but also the battery quality.

Most 'stated' capacity is not the true capacity...

I have had great success with AW brand Li-Ion's.

In general, it's just math. If your module draws say 750mA's current, then your battery will last about an hour if it has 800mAh's capacity.

But other things come into play.

* We don't know a lot about the driver. How efficient it is, etc...
* Also, as the battery drains, the voltage begins to drop. So this could be affecting the current draw.
* At what point, does the module stop lasing due to 'not enough voltage'? Most modules need at least 3 volts (or near) to operate.

Anyway, keep in mind that we are working with 'cheap' modules. But the quality of the battery will play a huge role...
 
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Yeah you make a good point, when dealing with cheap suppliers like DX most of the time we aren't truly sure what exactly we're getting, but that's what comes with cheap suppliers! ;)

I'm guessing that the "issues" I'm having are mainly due to the quality of these batteries, and just generally the limitations of a CR2-sized battery; the highest rated capacity I've seen is 800mAh, so even if that rating is true it won't last long with a module like this. Maybe at some point I'll see how long it takes before it starts to act up and then measure the voltage/current draw...
 
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Hey Jayrob, do you know if it's possible to replace the tailcap on these hosts? I recently purchased a few GITD tailcaps and they all glow a lot more prominently than the one currently on mine, and wondering if it would be possible to switch them out?
 

jayrob

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You can take the switch retaining ring out with a pair of needle nosed pliers to check it out...

It's just a threaded ring with two holes that you can fit the tips of the needle nosed pliers into for unscrewing it...
 

mw1111

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really sorry if it's been asked already, but how much would this kit+a few DX batteries+one of those single chargers+like a 50mw greenie cost?

sorry im just stretched on time. if someone could give me a guess it'd be much appreciated.
 




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