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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

DIY - The little red key chain...that lives!!*PIC HEAVY*

Joined
Jan 29, 2012
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Well I couldnt wait to share this little pocket burner with you. Its nearly 2 am and Im still writing...:can:

Some time ago I decided to scavenge the diodes from an old Dell laptop 4x DVD burner. There were only 2 diodes inside; one which looked like a bar with a rectangular heatsink and the other, an open can 3.8 mm red. After the extraction I put the diode aside and forgot about it.

About a week ago I found an old incandescent key chain flashlight and whilst messing around with it I discovered it was exactly the right size for a copper module! The quest for the ultimate mini burner had begun!! :eg:

As the internal diameter was only 10 mm and depth for the driver was 5 mm there was no way I could fit a standard driver in the space between the module and the battery. So in the end I decided to try and make my own albeit extremely simple driver board. I removed an AMC chip (350 mA) from a spare AMC board and, after consulting the spec sheet, wired up a test, or proof of principal driver.

RedKeyChain-1_zps869f5c0d.jpg


Amazingly this worked without blowing the diode! I wasnt actually sure what this diode was, how powerful, or even what the pin outs were, so I guessed...fortunately it wanted to live!:tinfoil:

Taking a very old piece of circuit board, I filed it down to size and transferred the chip and cap to it along with the wires. I used a dremel to remove the anodizing inside the tube and soldered a bit of wire over the edge of the board to pic up the negative.

RedKeyChain-2_zpsb4b3a9bd.jpg

RedKeyChain-3_zps00f4650d.jpg


After carefully pressing the board into the host I used super glue to fix it in place and then added a thin layer of artic alumina around the rim where the module sits. I let this almost set before adding a little more paste and gluing the module down. This was done to avoid shorts, as in this instance, and most cases with red diodes, it was case negative. The driver being an AMC based one was continuous positive. Not a good mix for your diode if its not isolated! ;)

RedKeyChain-4_zpsc88fc6d6.jpg


Finally I attached the head with arctic alumina to help transfer the heat away from the module and make sure it was isolated from the host. After testing to make sure the module was properly isolated I added an acrylic lens, focus adapter and battery. A new mini laser was born...:wave:

RedKeyChain-5_zpsbd8f4d99.jpg

RedKeyChain-6_zps161a6934.jpg

RedKeyChain-7_zpsd25998ec.jpg


This is a pic of the completed laser. Youll notice that the rear cap isnt screwed down completely an this is actually how you turn the laser on and off, as its too small to have a switch! There is an O-ring which provides enough resistance to hold the laser body and tail cap together when partially unscrewed. To turn on, it just needs to be screwed down tight.

RedKeyChain-11_zpsd0bcdfc6.jpg


Here Ive tried to show a size comparison of the laser and 10440 battery against an 18650!

RedKeyChain-13_zpsdfb13ffd.jpg


and here I put a couple of other lasers into the pic for a size comparison, yes I had to add the Crelant! ;)

RedKeyChain-12_zpse76d23c6.jpg


The laser outputs a whopping 240 mW on my LB 2.5 W LPM, which is really incredible for something this size. The module used was of course copper and the heat transfer works well. Here the laser was run for around a minute and it was beginning to get warm. Id say the run time was 1.5 mins on 2 mins off.

Homemadered_zpsdce70236.jpg


So on to the beam shots! Unfortunately Im limited to the kitchen for my pics which is rather white and unfriendly for laser photos, but in the end a couple came out ok.

RedKeyChain-8_zps581eea8d.jpg

RedKeyChain-14_zps01a1a00e.jpg

RedKeyChain-15_zps751d761c.jpg


The last ones are the beam out of the window. The divergence on this laser is excellent and Im incredibly happy with it!

RedKeyChain-9_zpsb3acf7bc.jpg

RedKeyChain-10_zps7672622e.jpg



Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the write up, as much as I did the build! ;) :beer:
 
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Joined
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Ha, that's awesome! +1 for you!

I love seeing builds like this...done from random stuff around the house. and, it looks pretty sweet- convenient color matching host, too! I have a little flashlight that only is big enough to fit a single AAA battery, and i want to make it a little key chain laser, but a standard x-drive or the sort would be too big...thanks to you, i think i now have the key, cheers!
 
Joined
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It looks like your area is being invaded by ships in those outdoor pictures. lol That little driver is sweet!
 

NKO29

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Nice! I have absolutely no luck with my lasers atm. Everything i have built is running as such low power for the amount of mA I am inputting. 1 min duty cycle for that small host is AMAZING! +rep for you =D
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2013
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@ grainde sir i m new to laser and other electronic stuff i have few questions plzzz answer.
do i buy
(4P, 8P, 10P, 12P, 15P, 20P, 27P, 30P, 33P, 51P, 56P, 68P, 100P, 150P, 200P, 330P, 470P, 680P)
or
2:(102(1000P), 222(2200P), 332(3300P), 682(6800P), 103(0.01UF), 472(4.7NF), 333(0.33UF), 473(0.047UF), 683(0.068UF), 104(0.1UF) / 152, 222, 332, 472, 103, 153, 223, 473, 683, 104)
which 1 you are using sir. and do i need to take care of polarity while using these cap.
I want to use this driver in my aluminium host which has tail switch.Using RED DIODE what safety measures do i need to follow.
 

gismo

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Jan 8, 2013
Messages
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Lovely little nipper you've built there, grainde:).

Surprised the duty cycle to be so friendly considering the size of this red baby! I'm actually sort of looking for a mini laser fead by 1x10440 in red (650-660nm ideally) to join my 2 styropyro chrome pens:thinking:...

Nice job! Have fun with it:D.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Messages
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Thats just awesome :)
Beautiful little laser.
Nicely done

I love the red host :beer:

Ha, that's awesome! +1 for you!
I love seeing builds like this...done from random stuff around the house. and, it looks pretty sweet- convenient color matching host, too! I have a little flashlight that only is big enough to fit a single AAA battery, and i want to make it a little key chain laser, but a standard x-drive or the sort would be too big...thanks to you, i think i now have the key, cheers!

Cheers guys! @Crazyspaz I hope your build works out too. :) The battery was an AW ICR if youre interested and Im guessing it should give around an hour from the draw and mAhr rating.

It looks like your area is being invaded by ships in those outdoor pictures. lol That little driver is sweet!

Yup we have lots of UFO's over here...;)lol You probably guessed it but its just reflections in the lens.:beer:

Nice! I have absolutely no luck with my lasers atm. Everything i have built is running as such low power for the amount of mA I am inputting. 1 min duty cycle for that small host is AMAZING! +rep for you =D

Cheers man its probably, due to the lowish current, but I also think the diode maybe efficient as its only a 4x burner.:)

@ grainde sir i m new to laser and other electronic stuff i have few questions plzzz answer.
do i buy
(4P, 8P, 10P, 12P, 15P, 20P, 27P, 30P, 33P, 51P, 56P, 68P, 100P, 150P, 200P, 330P, 470P, 680P)
or
2:(102(1000P), 222(2200P), 332(3300P), 682(6800P), 103(0.01UF), 472(4.7NF), 333(0.33UF), 473(0.047UF), 683(0.068UF), 104(0.1UF) / 152, 222, 332, 472, 103, 153, 223, 473, 683, 104)
which 1 you are using sir. and do i need to take care of polarity while using these cap.
I want to use this driver in my aluminium host which has tail switch.Using RED DIODE what safety measures do i need to follow.

Er ok well the chip was an AMC 7135 350 mA. The cap was an SMD 16 V 10 uF. These arent electrolytic, so no polarity with these ceramic caps.

Normal safety procedures you should follow for any laser. Make sure you have a pair of googles too. Check my sig for more info on building and goggles.

Lovely little nipper you've built there, grainde:).

Surprised the duty cycle to be so friendly considering the size of this red baby! I'm actually sort of looking for a mini laser fead by 1x10440 in red (650-660nm ideally) to join my 2 styropyro chrome pens:thinking:...

Nice job! Have fun with it:D.

Glad you popped by! The battery was from CPF Marketplace and cost IIRC around $4 Thanks!:beer:
 
Joined
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Ha! Very cool little build. I love reading these sort of threads. Great job and thanks for sharing all the pics... Kudos! +1

c
 

Pman

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Nice job on this and you deserve REP for it.
I have an affinity for small builds/hosts:)

Pete
 
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What a great build and unique and all on a it may work, this is what lasering is about ( I'm lazy) but i appreciated the effort you have put into this ...bravo.
 
Joined
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Messages
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Ha! Very cool little build. I love reading these sort of threads. Great job and thanks for sharing all the pics... Kudos! +1

c

Nice job on this and you deserve REP for it.
I have an affinity for small builds/hosts:)

Pete

What a great build and unique and all on a it may work, this is what lasering is about ( I'm lazy) but i appreciated the effort you have put into this ...bravo.

Thanks for the comments guys! :beer:

P.S @ Pman I had a feeling you might approve...;)
 

Pman

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Yeah but unfortunately I can't REP you until I can get to a real computer as my phone won't allow it.
I wrote it down in a notebook for later so I won't forget;)
 

sinner

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For a 10440 laser it is a tiny powerhouse! I made a red laser too, but this ones better :gj:

+1 if it let me
 




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