Casio XJ-A141 should I repair or repurpose?

[Eddie H]

Hi Guys, this is my first post after the intro post and it's concerning a Casio projector I had to buy because cheap!
I know a lot of this range have a ~40w 24 diode unit in them but can't seem to find any info on the one in this particular model.
My thinking here is that I either repair the projector (it has a fuzz from dust in the optics and a red saturation issue along with a noisy fan), break it and sell the parts, or simply repurpose it into a decent burner. I picked it up for £50 so couldn't really turn it down.
I could certainly do with another projector so my first thought is to repair it, though the lack of information about said item is putting me off. I'm not sure if it's a firmware problem or if the green has failed giving rise to the pinkness. If anyone has any suggestions they'd be gratefully received. I did see a video on youtube of someone melting rocks with the laser from one of this projectors family and would be happy to use it for something similar but, as I say, I could really do to use it for its intended purpose. If I do however, choose to break it I know I can get at least 2x my money back and still keep the diode assembly.
All suggestions are welcome, however crazy they may seem!
Thanks peeps

 

[GSS]

Eddie, I think you believe you can get 40W output of the 24 M140's?
It doesn't work that way if this projector even has the M140's.
Your best bet is to salvage the diodes and use them individually and drive them up to 2W each.

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi, This projector should have the A140's , no M140;s . The M140 models have a mix of Both in the heat sink.
The A140 can get around 1.6/1.8mW's at a driver setting of 1.6A . The circle above the bar code indicates that the diode is an M140 2W
With no circle its an A140 1w . The heat sink shows were the diodes are present.
Rich

 

[Eddie H]

Thanks guys, I did wonder as all the info I had was based on a chap on youtube that didn't specify the exact model. I had no idea what the difference between the M and the A.
So, am I best just repairing the projector or is it worth butchering it into a "plaything"?

 

[Eddie H]

This is the video I was lead to from another site i can't seem to find now. He removed this from a similar casio projector though I don't know if it was an A or an M.

 

[Eddie H]

Ahhhh, I'm not allowed to post the link yet but I found a detailed explanation of what the youtube dude did. If this isn't allowed please remove.
http ://spt06.chez-alice .fr/00/lasers.htm

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi, it might cost more to repair the projector that said , if you like building lasers you can get a lot of diodes out of it .
Thats an old model thats whether are cheap in price and you dont know how many hours are on it. So its up to you
Rich

 

[GSS]

Hi, it might cost more to repair the projector that said , if you like building lasers you can get a lot of diodes out of it .
Thats an old model thats whether are cheap in price and you dont know how many hours are on it. So its up to you
Rich

Yup, 24 diodes that you can make into working lasers after some research.. A140's aren't really worth much these days so if you kill a few trying it's not all that bad, even though no one likes killing one.
You can get up to 1.8W like Lifetime said and that power is no joke..

 

[Eddie H]

Hi, it might cost more to repair the projector that said , if you like building lasers you can get a lot of diodes out of it .
Thats an old model thats whether are cheap in price and you dont know how many hours are on it. So its up to you
Rich

It's got 6000hrs on it and does work, just with the pink tinge. If it is the green source I imagine it's better as a plaything, if it's just a trivial fix I'll keep it as a projector.

 

[Eddie H]

If I was to use it as a laser I think I'd keep the whole assembly with the laddered mirror, etc and use it as a cutter/etcher.

 

[GSS]

I think your way under estimating what is required to what I think you want to make?
That's if your planning on combining all the diodes to make a 40W laser in that unit??

 

[Eddie H]

I think your way under estimating what is required to what I think you want to make?
That's if your planning on combining all the diodes to make a 40W laser in that unit??

Yeah, that was pretty much what the other guy did and it seemed to work ok for his, he was etching basalt pebbles with little more than a seperate power supply.
What kind of hurdles should I expect to encounter if I do choose to pursue this course rather than just fixing the projector?
A quick check on ebay has the A140 diodes at round about a tenner each so I've at least got a bargain in that respect.

 

[Eddie H]

I've checked it out and it has 18x M140 diodes and 6x A140s.