need help - my 30mw green laser goes dim

Hi, I'm brand new to this forum, actually I just found out about it when I was trying to look for an answer to my problem and couldn't really find anything.  I just got this 30mw Green Laser today from amazon.com - www[dot]amazon.com/Dimple-Finish-Double-Flashlight-Optical/dp/B000I0YIX2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1236233494&sr=8-1   (sorry, it wouldnt let me post links because I don't have 10 posts yet)

I understand that it is probably not the best quality laser, but I just want to see if there is a fix to this problem that isn't just 'go buy a good laser'   My problem is that it is brand new, with brand new batteries and when I turn it on it goes really dim within a few seconds.  At one point it stayed pretty bright for about 5 minutes but that was the longest.  I was wondering if anyone could help me fix this problem.  

EDIT: Here is a short video of what is actually happening with my laser. www[dot]youtube.com/watch?v=UvKvIcC1bOw (just replace [dot] with a dot)
Also, when the beam shuts off it is me letting go of the button, that doesnt happen when i keep the button depressed. It is just to show the brightness going down to very dim again.

You say the batteries are brand new...... is that brand new, they came with the laser brand new?
If so bin them and get some proper batteries and try again, the ones shipped with the lasers are usually poor quality.

If that is not the problem it may be heat, some like it cool most like it warm....

Regards rog8811

I'm in agreement with rog8811, it's probably a heat issue. Check the stickies in this section (green lasers) for more information on possible causes..

I bet you fried crystal," 5min..."

rog8811 said:

You say the batteries are brand new...... is that brand new, they came with the laser brand new?
If so bin them and get some proper batteries and try again, the ones shipped with the lasers are usually poor quality.

If that is not the problem it may be heat, some like it cool most like it warm....

Regards rog8811

Click to expand...

Hi,

My first thought was, "It must be these awful brandless batteries that the laser came with" So I popped in brand new Rayovac alkaline batteries and it did the same thing. I'll check into the heat issue, thanks for the tip.

-Nick

Hey guys,

I just uploaded a video of what is actually happening with my laser, I hope it helps diagnose what the problem actually is. Thank you so much for everyones time and suggestions, I really appreciate it.
www[dot]youtube.com/watch?v=UvKvIcC1bOw

-Nick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvKvIcC1bOw
Did you press the button twice on the video? Or did it do the double pulse on one press?

Regards rog8811

[edit]My guess would be a driver fault, I would try and return it if I were you.[/edit]

I explained that in the edit of my original post, sorry I didnt explain it in the reply. It was actually me pressing the button twice to show it two times in a row.

nmitsthefish said:

EDIT: Here is a short video of what is actually happening with my laser. www[dot]youtube.com/watch?v=UvKvIcC1bOw (just replace [dot] with a dot)
Also, when the beam shuts off it is me letting go of the button, that doesnt happen when i keep the button depressed. It is just to show the brightness going down to very dim again.

Click to expand...