dissapointed with my 1.5W 445 build's performance. (lots of pics!)

hmm, not bad for 2 AA cells. Instead of LR5's you can find 3.7v AA on Ebay for a buck or two. Then you'll begin to let your flex drive earn its $30 price tag

Benm: I actually hardwired it after removing the dead pot, works great and its back up to max output!

NickD070: I think thats the exact same radio shack AA battery holder I'm using!
I remember my 405... Built that in 7th grade First lazer...
Looks sweet! Although I remember it being COMPLETELY imposible to get a snapshot of a clear beam, cause of the different wavelength and focal length through the camera lens!

DarkSide: I agree completely. I'm using 3 AA's right now, but its not near it's peak performance yet. I just got in some protected ultrafire 18650 Li-ions and a charger, and will have this thing humming away in my new host.

Blord said:

You can remove the trimmer and hardwire the left side with the top-right. I think that way the driver is set at the max.
The heatsink around the module is a good idea but at 1.5A current it can't dissipate the heat fast enough. The diode will still overheat inside the sink. You need an active cooling and/or a bigger surface of the sink.

Click to expand...

That is pretty cool!:beer:
So if the driver is bridged for max and you desolder and remove the trimmer the V5 will be set at max?

Glad your build turned out to your liking good job!

Are you still in school then? How much was the Blu-Ray diode?

Yup! Still in school, senior in HS this year. And the blu-ray diode module cost about $110 back then.

Cool, you've had a good early start in the hobby then. Good luck and again, nice build.

I'm loving the no host look :gj: Seniors ftw!