Increase mW of a laser.

[Lumijek]

What is the process of increasing the mW of a laser? I don't want to do it by much... just 10 - 20 mW as my assassin green laser has no burning capabilities and I want it to be able to pop balloons and light matchs. I can't add pics cause the uploaded file is too long but it is a 532nm assassin laser. If anyone has any experience making the brighter or anyone who can do it please help.

 

[Philipnzw]

You need to access the circuit board of the laser, and then find the current adjustment pot.
SLOWLY turn it in the direction that makes the laser brighter. Anyway i don't think you will get much of a increase in power, and you might even burn out the infra-red pump diode.
Your question is kinda common so i suggest you google it or try to find youtube videos about it before posting here. Sorry for sounding rude but i think many members are tired of seeing basic questions being asked.

Either way, cheap dpss lasers aren't really worth modding in my opinion, its dangerous as they usually lack infra-red filter, meaning that you will likely shoot a bunch of high powered invisible IR rays in your room. Those IR rays may be invisible but they will still damage your eyes badly.

If you are gonna be burning stuff make sure you have laser goggles or at least view the laser through your phone camera.

Once again sorry for the long and incoherent post. Stay safe.

 

[GSS]

Not many cheaper 532 lasers have a pot screw on the driver anymore. Seems only the bare modules they sell do.. If it does it might be set to the highest already.
I'm guessing your talking about the 303 with the Assassin label printed on it??

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi,
Even it it does have an adjustment pot you will need a PSU to evaluated the out put reading. Adjusting it to much without knowing how much will kill it.
Rich

 

[Alaskan]

Higher power green laser pointers are not that expensive these days, don't believe the 5 mw label or specification you see on ebay for many pointers. Also, you can buy the same model number pointer from the same seller and the second pointer might be far less, or far more power. Quality controls on those cheap pointers is nil, if it puts out light, they put in the sell pile. I bought nine cheap R, G and B pointers which use AAA batteries, two of the green ones were 15-25 mw, but one was 70 mw. The blue was NOT blue, it was 405 nm violet, you cannot believe what the sellers say when it comes to blue either, it could be a very faint 405 near-UV pointer, likely, will be. The seller has since updated his listing to show the blue as "blue violet".

Here was the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pack-of-3-...-Red-Light-Beam-Powerful-5MW-USA/202030233207

These pointers (above ebay link) were truly pen sized pointers and no adjustment to focus, the 303 pointers often have focal adjustment which is helpful when wanting to pop balloons. Those pointers have the same quality control, very little, you might get a low power one, or a higher power one.

 

[Lumijek]

Not many cheaper 532 lasers have a pot screw on the driver anymore. Seems only the bare modules they sell do.. If it does it might be set to the highest already.
I'm guessing your talking about the 303 with the Assassin label printed on it??

Yeah I am talking about the one with the assassin label.

 

[GSS]

Yeah I am talking about the one with the assassin label.

Do you know whats even involved in taking a 303 style apart?
It can be done but it's not easy. You would need to custom cut a tube to go over the driver and have it press the back of the module/diode out.
Either using a press or a big C clamp and a tube at the housing up front thats the right size for the module/sink to slide into while pressing from the back.
Even if you get a 303 that does 100mw's it's not going to be a brutal burner but yes it will pop a balloon, but it would need to be very focused to light a match..
I would get a a couple more on ebay for $5 or $6 like mentioned and if you want to try an tinker with what you have now go for it.

 

[Encap]

What GSS said above.

Did you try focusing the beam?

I doubt anyone on LPF is going to have bothered to take apart a generic low cost and quality mass produced laser 303 that sells for about the same price as a good cup of coffee. $6.99 and up on eBay. + as others have said it may or may not have an adjustment pot.

If you want to take a chance and can get it all disassembled without destroying it you can look a see if the driver has a pot and experiment with adjusting it.

 

[GSS]

For what it's worth,
I took apart a 301 which is the same as all 302's, 303's, 304's. Sellers number them higher because they think buyer's think they are better
It did have a pot but it was purchased 5 years ago.. We have a member Pman who loved pot modding 532 modules and putting them in different hosts.. He found that the 532 modules, the 5mw advertised ones with the 500mw initial 808nm pumps run best at 430mAh.
The issue with these cheap drivers that even though have a pot, some won't set that high.
So my 301 with the pot was already set at max which wasn't close to the 430mAh and stayed at 50mw total output.
Ive recently bought some 532 tactical looking hosts and a silver hosted one and these don't have a pot. It was a little easier to look at the drivers on these because they screwed apart in 3 pieces and I didn't have to dissasemble anything to see. They also only did around 70mw and don't focus.
Fasttech sells 532 modules for $5 labeled at 5mw but have been known on a rare occasion to do up to 90 and even 100mw. This wasn't the case recently when a member bought a bunch but it's a gamble but also cheap money.
A PSU would be best but you can set the mAh with even a cheap DMM. Only issue is these modules are all exposed and easy to short out as they are positive ground..
If you put it in terms of fun money, for $40 you can get a mixture of 8 modules and 303 units..

 

[hakzaw1]

IMHO
forget the 532.
405 (Blu-ray) around 100mW is best burner & only buy one that can be focused!

most everything burns better/faster if it has been 'Sharpied'

if fixed focused you must move closer until smallest dot.
ALWAYS wear eye protection when focusing!!!! (TRIPOD helps too)

best wishes hak

 

[Alaskan]

100-800 mw of blue ray 405 nm single mode laser diode output is one nasty stinger, it is sharp, you have that, and although not high power compared to a NUBM44 seven watt 450 nm diode, will burn a very tight hole in things very quickly. The reason 405 nm burns so well is its absorption within many materials (to heat them up well at that wavelength), is how small it can be focused, tiny short wavelengths can be focused into a much smaller spot, just due to the size of the wavelength alone.

Also, the single mode laser diodes used at 405 nm can be focused into a much smaller tighter spot than multimode laser diodes (i.e. NUBM44) due to the simple tight beam geometry created from such a tiny emitter facet. Multimode diodes have a much broader larger emitter and correspondingly wide or broad beam shape on their output, and thus the output cannot have all of its energy as easily focused into as tight a spot to burn.

Of course, load up enough power at much longer wavelengths and they will blow through materials much faster than a 800 mw 405 nm single mode laser can due to what I will call brute force alone, the power density for a given area or spot size can be much higher with far more power too, even it it doesn't focus into as tiny a spot, but then you don't have the small high resolution burning capability of the shorter wavelengths which can be focused into such a tiny spot.

 

[hakzaw1]

Try this trick

Place a small tightly blown up black or sharpied ballon insidea condom--done right the inside ballon will pop first--never tried but saw a vid,,

 

[Lumijek]

100-800 mw of blue ray 405 nm single mode laser diode output is one nasty stinger, it is sharp, you have that, and although not high power compared to a NUBM44 seven watt 450 nm diode, will burn a very tight hole in things very quickly. The reason 405 nm burns so well is its absorption within many materials (to heat them up well at that wavelength), is how small it can be focused, tiny short wavelengths can be focused into a much smaller spot, just due to the size of the wavelength alone.

Also, the single mode laser diodes used at 405 nm can be focused into a much smaller tighter spot than multimode laser diodes (i.e. NUBM44) due to the simple tight beam geometry created from such a tiny emitter facet. Multimode diodes have a much broader larger emitter and correspondingly wide or broad beam shape on their output, and thus the output cannot have all of its energy as easily focused into as tight a spot to burn.

Of course, load up enough power at much longer wavelengths and they will blow through materials much faster than a 800 mw 405 nm single mode laser can due to what I will call brute force alone, the power density for a given area or spot size can be much higher with far more power too, even it it doesn't focus into as tiny a spot, but then you don't have the small high resolution burning capability of the shorter wavelengths which can be focused into such a tiny spot.

You have any links where I can get a 150 - 300 mw 405nm laser for under $20?

 

[GSS]

It's funny as I was just taking pic's of what I found taking apart a silver hosted 532. Destroyed the module in the process but no biggie..
The driver did "not" have a pot.. I cannot vouch for the 303's but potting it isn't a option in all reality..

One issue is the little foam spacer pictured is not the spacer used to isolate the driver's contact spring from the inside of the host, it was between the back of the module and driver which gave very little stability to the driver board and probably the biggest reason I broke a pin while taking it apart. The other side of the driver is just blank open solder points to where the momentary switch would go if this style host used on instead of the back clicky..
It does have a nice size piece of AL for sinking but it screw's on the front of the brass module instead of being over the pump diode which would have been better for heat absorbtion..
Just a idea of the basic setup for any noobie's who have yet to take one apart..

 

[Encap]

You have any links where I can get a 150 - 300 mw 405nm laser for under $20?

Nothing in the price range is going to be a measured output laser or anything but a catch as catch can, junk quality low cost/low end mass produced typical Chinese toy/throw-away quality laser that cost $2-$5 to make. You get what you pay for.
Even a decent new diode alone costs more than you want to spend--see: https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/home/diodes

Save up for a quality 405nm see: https://www.sanwulasers.com/ or very nice high quality 405nm at https://www.jetlasers.org/index.php...49-goggles-no/54-switch_type-pl_e_code_switch

For lower cost maybe have a look at O-like: http://www.o-like.com/index.php

 

[GSS]

It looks like you want to burn things as all want at first.. The only thing a 150mw to 200mw 405 or really any well focused WL laser will do is light a match or pop a balloon..
If you wan't to start the burning or etching wood you will most likely need 500mw's minimum..
Save a few more dollars and maby for $40 you will find a Thor or Gattling type and hope for the best. They "can" last..
Just looking at Encap Sanwu link and it looks like they added a 303 405 thats metered at 150mw for $40. Don't expect much burning though.
So your option is waiting to save $30 more or chance it and get 3 or 4 303 450's and hope for the best.