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Hey guys, I could use some help on a build I'm doing for a local Haunted Attraction.
They built a laser vortex room on the cheap. It consisted of a 5mW laser pointer and a 12v computer fan. It turned out well but they had to continue changing the batteries on the laser pointer throughout the night, and at times the laser would go very dim even with new batteries. They also had issues with the actors not knowing how to turn the laser on or change the batteries if one of us in maintenance wasn't available to help.
So I decided to build them one that they can plug into the wall and not worry about batteries, and also have an easy to use on/off switch.
I took apart a "basic" 5mW eBay green laser pointer, put it into an enclosure with a 5v to 3v step down converter and the on/off switch. The laser worked beautifully for about the first 30-45 minutes and then just got very dim. More dim than the laser running off the batteries.
My questions are as follows:
1) Does the laser need additional heat sinking or exhausting other than the mount that it's in.
2) Will my 5v to 3v step down converter be an issue running the diode for 4-7 hours at a time?
3) Is there a better setup I can go with that isn't crazy expensive. Remember, they need this done on the cheap since the guy is already 150k deep into the haunt.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
They built a laser vortex room on the cheap. It consisted of a 5mW laser pointer and a 12v computer fan. It turned out well but they had to continue changing the batteries on the laser pointer throughout the night, and at times the laser would go very dim even with new batteries. They also had issues with the actors not knowing how to turn the laser on or change the batteries if one of us in maintenance wasn't available to help.
So I decided to build them one that they can plug into the wall and not worry about batteries, and also have an easy to use on/off switch.
I took apart a "basic" 5mW eBay green laser pointer, put it into an enclosure with a 5v to 3v step down converter and the on/off switch. The laser worked beautifully for about the first 30-45 minutes and then just got very dim. More dim than the laser running off the batteries.
My questions are as follows:
1) Does the laser need additional heat sinking or exhausting other than the mount that it's in.
2) Will my 5v to 3v step down converter be an issue running the diode for 4-7 hours at a time?
3) Is there a better setup I can go with that isn't crazy expensive. Remember, they need this done on the cheap since the guy is already 150k deep into the haunt.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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