1x 10440 red laser build

[Eudaimonium]

Hiya folks, I just wanted to show you how my built went, that I did custom for my friend who wanted a smallest laser possible, with expenses minimal.
He even provided the Varta 1x AAA flashlight host.

So to get to the point: expenses minimal - no flex!
Driver used is a AMC7135 current regulator, which puts out 350mA of current with minimal Vdrop of 120 mV (although it gets more than that).

That makes it suitable for running on one 10440 cell, wich is fully charged 4.2 V ... blah blah blah everyone here knows that

Anyway, pictures are worth a thousand words (sometimes more, depending what is shown )

Sorry for flash-burned photo, I don't have my usual Olympus E400, only this small compact camera with no expo or ISO options.

Here you can see that the top end of the flashlight is screwed off and you can see the contacts on it.

Size comparison with 10440 battery

Battery inerted and positive terminal shown.

Screwed back on and ... show time:

Standard 16x LCC laser diode output, like any other DIY red laser... only in very small package

It is most unfortuante that I don't have fully functional 10440 batt handy, I have two at this time of which one is deep discharge, and the other is operating for 10 seconds before needing another charge. DAMN! I would have made a video showing it in action burning matches, if I had functional batt (and matches )

Anyway, only after I glued everything up, I remembered that it would be good to show this laser on LPF... So I will have to use another lasers' photo to show How I wired up the driver chip, AMC:

All the same thing here!
I would have took pictures of driver in the 1x 10440 laser, however I forgot to do so, so I apologise.

So, I hope you got some nice ideas for your future builds, and enjoyed the pictures!

 

[bryce007]

I can't see the pics yet (I'm at work), but I like the idea. I'm going to build an LOC with one AMC7135 also.

 

[billg519]

I've got two reds that use the 7135. One uses a CR123, the other uses a 14500. Both put out over 200mW. Nice job on the small Varta host. Have you got a 10440 that is deep-discharged and your charger will not start to charge it? There is a fix. Take your 5V bench supply, connect negative to battery negative, take the positive lead from the power supply and quickly tap the positive terminal of the battery, so the battery gets 5V for a fraction of a second. Do this 8-12 times quickly and immediately put the battery into the charger. It should start charging, if not, go back to the 5V supply and try again. If still no go, battery is probably dead. I've used this trick a few times.

 

[Eudaimonium]

I can't see the pics yet (I'm at work), but I like the idea. I'm going to build an LOC with one AMC7135 also.

I wish you luck in your build! If you can desolder the small AMC regulator from DX pcb, and solder it on the diode, it will give you a lot of room for other things if needed!

I've got two reds that use the 7135. One uses a CR123, the other uses a 14500. Both put out over 200mW. Nice job on the small Varta host. Have you got a 10440 that is deep-discharged and your charger will not start to charge it? There is a fix. Take your 5V bench supply, connect negative to battery negative, take the positive lead from the power supply and quickly tap the positive terminal of the battery, so the battery gets 5V for a fraction of a second. Do this 8-12 times quickly and immediately put the battery into the charger. It should start charging, if not, go back to the 5V supply and try again. If still no go, battery is probably dead. I've used this trick a few times.

The other one is not dead totaly, it is working... for a second of full power then dims to LED

I will definetly try that 5 V starter trick Bill, thank you a lot!
I never knew you could 'revive' old batteries without some expensive chargers...
I'll let you know if it works for me!
EDIT: Then I have to make new warning sticker

 

[Elektrotechniker]

cool, nice build and photos!

 

[Gryphon]

Thats sweet, i'll have to try that sometime. The AMC7135 is already pretty small but that just makes it even smaller

 

[Eudaimonium]

Thats sweet, i'll have to try that sometime. The AMC7135 is already pretty small but that just makes it even smaller

Dude, you act as if I made something that has never been done before LOL
Anyway thanks! It would be notoriusly difficult without some helping hands and tweezers!
You made all the 7color lasers, YAG pumped beasts powered off 2XAA (!) and God knows that not!
BTW you used AMC in that red laser in your avatar, correct?

Anyway I hope I gave you some good ideas, maybe we all get to see all the lasers in your avatar, miniature eddition, 2x AAA FTW!
Hint: for bluray, use LM1117 driver and 2x 10440 lithiums.
AMC driver will also power a laser from 2x AAA, but batteries have to be fullycharged. using one 10440 and a spacer will make it possible.
Whaddaya say?

 

[bryce007]

yea I'm having trouble desoldering the chips off the DX boards. I'll keep working at it though.

 

[Eudaimonium]

yea I'm having trouble desoldering the chips off the DX boards. I'll keep working at it though.

Here dude lemme help you:

First: grab a razor blade. use that to cut very hard around the left and right pins of the chip. Cut very deep into the solder, as much as you can.
Repeat sever times.

Second: grab a soldering iron. While holding the chip with the pliers from the sides, and applying good tension (away from PCB), use the soldering iron to heat up the middle pin from the other side of the chip.

Rezult? As the pins are already very weakly soldered, blading them should result in cutting them almost free, some tension from pliers will finish the job, while the biggest solder joint, middle pin, is melted with soldering iron.

I've desoldered only a few, but I find that method to be most efective.

Hope it helps!

 

[creanzworld17]

Dude, you act as if I made something that has never been done before LOL
Anyway thanks! It would be notoriusly difficult without some helping hands and tweezers!
You made all the 7color lasers, YAG pumped beasts powered off 2XAA (!) and God knows that not!
BTW you used AMC in that red laser in your avatar, correct?

Anyway I hope I gave you some good ideas, maybe we all get to see all the lasers in your avatar, miniature eddition, 2x AAA FTW!
Hint: for bluray, use LM1117 driver and 2x 10440 lithiums.
AMC driver will also power a laser from 2x AAA, but batteries have to be fullycharged. using one 10440 and a spacer will make it possible.
Whaddaya say?

Why pick the LM1117?

 

[Eudaimonium]

Why pick the LM1117?

Because it has all the same properties of LM317 , except it has no mre that 1.2 - 1.4 V drop, instead of 2.5 V

Makes it possible to run a bluray offa two lithium ion cells, totaling 8.4 V when fully charged, 7.2 V average.

EDIT: Oh you meant, why not flexdrive? Because flex costs more than entire bluray project with 1117

 

[spectral532]

Hey Eudaimonium,

Where do you get your laser warning stickers? I need to put a new one on my green laser (I mangled the old sticker when I opened up the host for a pot mod), and one on my red build when it's finished.

Thanks!

 

[Eudaimonium]

Hey Eudaimonium,

Where do you get your laser warning stickers? I need to put a new one on my green laser (I mangled the old sticker when I opened up the host for a pot mod), and one on my red build when it's finished.

Thanks!

Enjoy dude!

There was some site also that you could input various things like class, type (diode, DPSS, gas), wavelenght, power...
:beer:
EDIT:
I found the site!
http://devcrate.com/laser/index.php

 

[Gryphon]

You made all the 7color lasers, YAG pumped beasts powered off 2XAA (!) and God knows that not!
BTW you used AMC in that red laser in your avatar, correct?

Yup, but still, i like what you did

AMC7135 is correct

 

[Eudaimonium]

Yup, but still, i like what you did

AMC7135 is correct

Thank you dude, anyway, I think I should make some video tutorials how to do that

It was somewhat difficult to desolder that damn chip offa it's PCB, I managed to destroy only one so far :crackup:

Since my laser shown in OP was picked up like, one hour ago, so I decided to buy myself same flashlight at local market, I think I saw one there,
I will make myself another one, preferably video documented.

 

[spectral532]

Enjoy dude!

There was some site also that you could input various things like class, type (diode, DPSS, gas), wavelenght, power...
:beer:
EDIT:
I found the site!
Laser Warning Label Generator

Thanks! Do you just print these out on sticky paper?