simple modding dx200 (lots of pics)

I think I took enough pics to make this slightly interesting...
theres no real reason for me to do this it seems, but I've learned enough from it to make it worth it to me. (someone mentioned it being a gateway drug... they are right... haha)

so I have my dx200 "dilda" which I'm sure you have read a lot about on here, and boredom got the best of me and I ordered a 16x sony diode from senkat along with a lens (actually two...) because the stock one cracked... and the little driver he sells.  

http://stonetek.org/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=180
http://stonetek.org/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=225


the 16x sony (new windowless model apparently)
I'm so saving the box it came in


comparing size (sorry for the blurry pic)


half way through surgery... took forever to scrape away the epoxy stuff they used. someone said they used an exacto blade, I'm sure that would work great but all I had was a pocket knife that I've sharpened... the flat edge scraped away the epoxy well


a little bit of solder work and the diode is off... gotta love the butane irons. melting in a minute flat



the old diode. something that bothers me is the shiny ring on it... I believe its from the spring rubbing against it. does anyone think the spring could damage an open can diode?



almost ready  
(took a little bending of the spring to get it centered since It was originally on a center hole... and stretching too. Its actually stretched a little too far. the batteries are almost flush with the back of the body before you put the button cap on)


a little too much trial and error... I had to remove the diode after I got it on because it somehow didnt work (later found to be something else) and in removing it the metal spot on the board the ground connected to came off, so i decided to use the wire that came with the board to connect the neg pin to the neg input (it also helped connect both sides of the board through the hole)


and some glue.
when the super glue brand epoxy says instant set, they really do mean instant. that stuff is scary. if you happen to buy it, experiment with it before you do anything.



slowly turned the pot up itty bitty bit at a time till I hit this, and am leaving it there untill I know what max usable power for the thing is... (and till I get red goggles)


hope you enjoyed.

Hey that was very good, Nice work!

does anyone think the spring could damage an open can diode?

Click to expand...

I was wondering that myself.

slowly turned the pot up itty bitty bit at a time till I hit this, (255mA) and am leaving it there untill I know what max usable power for the thing is... (and till I get red goggles)

Click to expand...

Yeah thats a good idea, you dont need to max it till pooff.
The next stage would be the 22x @ 430mA

the epoxy kinda made this one impossible to take apart without destroying... so its staying in there for now ><
a 22x sounds good, I think I'll use this little 9led light thing I just bought off dx for that (whenever it gets here) and will keep the dilda like this untill I get a 405nm
at least I learnd me sum lazers

senkat diode is 200mW at 300mA. it hits the knee about 350mA so its perfectly safe.

I was assuming 250ma would be safe because thats what it was at before the swap (all it could do really, the pot did nothing)

I think I'm going to leave it at 255ma untill I get some glasses... the diode seems a bit brighter than stock now lol

then move it to about 330ma i think.

any guide on how to pot the original dilda?

the original one with slightly used cr2 disposable batteries didn't react at all to turning the pot... someone else said it was because it needed a bit more voltage to be able to "regulate" and put out a true 200mw

alright thanks.

Nice work. If thats a rkcstr microdriver (and I believe it is), you don't need the wire coming from the negative back to the casing. As long as the diode is firmly seated in the head of the dilda, and the negative pin is soldered to the driver, it will be grounded through the metal casing.

the old diode. something that bothers me is the shiny ring on it... I believe its from the spring rubbing against it. does anyone think the spring could damage an open can diode?

Click to expand...

I've put together a couple of Dildas with open cans, and haven't had any trouble with the spring damaging the diode so far.

it is a rkcstr, I gave links to the two parts at the top of the post I think...

The reason I used the wire was because I could no longer ground the diode to the driver, the spot where the neg pin goes pulled off the board... so I checked the blueprints and just connected it to the neg input because its the same "wire" on the board.

and it looks kinda cool haha (I'll bug him for some more of that wire if I need some and cant find it. the clear over black/red looks cool to me)

I'm debating on if I should turn this into a 405nm in the future or build one out of an aixiz module and a small flashlight... who knows. till then I'm getting glasses to burn things! muahahah

also, set at 250ma, in the evening it has a much more visible beam.

after finding a graph showing the ma to mw of it, and showing what the high end of the power was, I turned it up to about 325ma and it had quite a bit more visible beam at night. I think my batteries are going low though and its gonna be a week till my rechargables get in the mail...
I've had it set to a low power for playing with till I get some goggles, and I've learned 65ma will almost make black plastic (of my keyboard) smoke, and 70 will start to, when focused to about a half inch away.

the sony diode seems to be set further in than the stock one, because the focus lens is further in for focusing at walls and nearby things (like an inch away) compared to the old setup

is the negative case grounded, so you only have to connect the positive to the driver?
or do you have to run the negative through the capacitor, and then the grounding will work?

Here's a little tip for the stubborn epoxy. Heat it with a heat gun and at the same time use a pick or other sharp pointy tool to remove the epoxy. I think you'll find it will come right off in chunks.

robjdixon said:

is the negative case grounded, so you only have to connect the positive to the driver?
or do you have to run  the negative through the capacitor, and then the grounding will work?

Click to expand...

since the negative pin of my diode couldn't connect to the board, the easiest spot I could find to do so was that hole in the board, which also grounded the opposite side of the board (I assumed it needed to be)

this pic might help...

why couldn't it connect it to your board?