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Laserglow Hercules adapter

gozert

gozert

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Hey guys,

I bought a Laserglow Hercules from a forum member a while ago, but he did not have a power adapter for it. Now I'd like to get myself an adapter, but getting it from Laserglow directly will cost me 24$ plus shipping. Which is rather expensive. I'm sure there are other power adapters that will fit on the Hercules, but I'm having a hard time finding out which.

The Laserglow website say it's a 5A adapter https://www.laserglow.com/AHA#, and the Hercules has this written on it:

Could anyone help me out with the kind of adapter I would need for this laser? I'm pretty sure there are laptop adapters usable for this laser.

Thanks!
 





Alaskan

Alaskan

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I can't see the numbers on the photo very well, is that 3.6 VDC? Looking at their web page I think the external power supply is actually rated at 3 VDC. I'd buy a power supply rated for 5 amps, even if the laser says it can only draw 2.4 amps max, it is good practice to have your power supply rated for more current than you will be drawing from it.

What ever you do, don't use a power supply with an output higher than 3.6 volt, if that is what is marked on the side. Perhaps it can take more, but not worth the risk. Also, be sure you match the polarity correctly, if you don't get the correct DC polarity on the center pin, it might fry. Do you know what type of connector is used for external DC? If you know what connector it uses, you can probably find a power supply on ebay but then how do you know if it is a quality power supply and won't cause problems?

For myself, and for that particular uber high quality expensive laser, I'd pay the extra and buy the one from LG, unless you can be certain of the quality of the power supply you want to buy, that it won't cause high spikes or produce a higher voltage than the laser can take. Some DC power supplies will spike when you first turn them on, or plug them in, destroying lasers. This is more of a problem when directly feeding a laser diode from a AC/DC power supply than going through a regulator, such as will be inside your Hercules, but still an important factor to consider.

I edited this from my original response, it wasn't until I dug deeper into the specifications on the LG site I saw what was going on. Also, I believe Pman, a member here has one of those lasers, maybe you can ask him if he has any recommendations. By the way, I've wanted one of those for years, just that the price is so high for them from LG, and they don't pop up used very often when I'm looking. LaserGlow pointers are the most stable 532nm pointers I know of, I have their 150mw output Aries model.
 
Last edited:
gozert

gozert

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Alaskan said:
I can't see the numbers on the photo very well, is that 3.6 VDC? Looking at their web page I think the external power supply is actually rated at 3 VDC. I'd buy a power supply rated for 5 amps, even if the laser says it can only draw 2.4 amps max, it is good practice to have your power supply rated for more current than you will be drawing from it.

What ever you do, don't use a power supply with an output higher than 3.6 volt, if that is what is marked on the side. Perhaps it can take more, but not worth the risk. Also, be sure you match the polarity correctly, if you don't get the correct DC polarity on the center pin, it might fry. Do you know what type of connector is used for external DC? If you know what connector it uses, you can probably find a power supply on ebay but then how do you know if it is a quality power supply and won't cause problems?

For myself, and for that particular uber high quality expensive laser, I'd pay the extra and buy the one from LG, unless you can be certain of the quality of the power supply you want to buy, that it won't cause high spikes or produce a higher voltage than the laser can take. Some DC power supplies will spike when you first turn them on, or plug them in, destroying lasers. This is more of a problem when directly feeding a laser diode from a AC/DC power supply than going through a regulator, such as will be inside your Hercules, but still an important factor to consider.

I edited this from my original response, it wasn't until I dug deeper into the specifications on the LG site I saw what was going on.
Click to expand...

Good point you have there. The laser is indeed very expensive, and it would be much of a waste if it died because of a wrong adapter. I guess I'll just have to buy it at LG and pay a bit more.

Thanks a bunch for your research, I really appreciate it!
 
Cyparagon

Cyparagon

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3.3V wall warts are common, but not in 5A ratings. It would take some searching around, but I don't think you'll find one much cheaper. You can use the 3.3V rail from an old ATX power supply if you've got one laying around. But then you'd have to source the appropriate DC plug and solder it. This would also be the case if you bought your own 3.3V 5A supply. Radioshack has those, but... well... you know. :yabbem: They're difficult to size, especially if you don't have a caliper or sizing set. Laserglow has a device that is guaranteed to work and requires no searching/sizing/soldering on your part. $24 isn't bad at all.

Alaskan said:
don't use a power supply with an output higher than 3.6 volt, if that is what is marked on the side. Perhaps it can take more, but not worth the risk.
Click to expand...

The hercules takes 3 alkalines, which is upwards of 4.8V.
 
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