Double or triple the power of 5mW DX pointer!!

[spyratos]

Disclaimer:  Try this at your own risk!  Don''t blame me if you kill your cheap laser pointer!

Bored with you green DX dog toy?  Do you wish it would pop balloons or maybe even light a match?  Try this -

By simply replacing the 2 AAA NiMH or Alkaline batteries in your 5mW DX pointer such as:


with a single AAA Li-Ion 10440 battery such as:


and a dummy battery made of foil, you may be able to double or even triple the power output of your "5mW" DX pen!

Step 1 -  Take a piece of aluminum foil about 5-1/2 inches long and fold twice to make a 1-3/4 inch strip as shown.  Then roll the strip into a cylinder that will fit in the barrel of the pointer as a "dummy battery".


Step 2 -  Remove the old AAAs (right) from the pointer and replace with the dummy and the 10440 (center).


Step 3 - Insert the dummy battery into the barrel first, then the 10440 as shown, and screw together.


That's it.  No pot moding or disassembly required.  Normally these pointers output 3 to 5 times the stated power anyway, after all they use a 250mW IR diode!  They just have crappy crystals.  But the 2.5-3.0V from the normal batteries don't drive the LD hard enough.  The 3.6-4.2V from the lithium cell really makes a difference!

I tried this on all 4 of my 5mW pointers and got up to 60mW from the two hottest ones and none of them were injured as far as I can tell.  They can pop balloons and with a focusing lens even light a match with a bit of patience.  Now that ain't bad for a $2.50 battery and some foil!  

 

[lasersbee]

Hey "spyratos"............... What's your point...... :-? :-? :-? :-?

 

[spyratos]

lol i forgot when the topic started he said that the real diode is 250 mw but the crystals are crappy....and i want to ask is it possible to buy good crystal lens to filter the laser beam or to replace the one that is already used at the laser in order to get full power???cause he says taht even the 5 mw laser from dx has 250mw diode...

 

[Kage]

lol i forgot when the topic started he said that the real diode is 250 mw but the crystals are crappy....and i want to ask is it possible to buy good crystal lens to filter the laser beam or to replace the one that is already used at the laser in order to get full power???cause he says taht even the 5 mw laser from dx has 250mw diode...

It would be very difficult to locate another crystal assy that would work as a drop-in replacement, except out of another similar laser, but the good news is that I just tested 4 more of these 5mW units from DX and they ALL peak at over 30mW, as-is, with a single lithium cell. Here is the data for all 8 pointers:

Out mW Input mA Out mW Input mA Out mW Input mA Out mW
# 2 AAA NM* @ 2.4V 2.4V @3.6V 3.6V @4.2V 4.2V Comments
------------- ----------- --------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ----------------------------------------------------
1 14 165 8 228 24 255 30
2 330 35 375 50 Slow to come on full
3 378 50 405 60 Lights matches
4 Was similar to #3 - worked for a while - Bad Crystals? - flickered ON/Off - now dead
5. 15 195 10 274 28 320 36 Very slow startup at 2.4V from 5mW
6. 14 160 4 245 24 295 32 Very Poor switch, power drops fast
7. 21 190 5 282 32 325 38
8. 20 204 5 310 28 360 35
*Freshly charged to 1.45V

Instead of the foil dummy battery, the battery barrel can be shortened by 4.4cm to make a much more compact pointer that is more powerful and yet easier to carry:

 

[milantheone]

[quote author=rocketparrotlet link=1229067402/0#7 date=1229935387]You mentioned something about not using 10440 batteries under 2.75V...why is this?  What would be the negative consequences if I didn't?

Also, are these rechargeable, and can you use a normal charger if they are?

-Mark

If a li-ion batter discharges below 2.7v it will  ALMOST NEVER be able to be recharged. Protected cells protect against this. If the cells are charged over 4.3v they can explode and also have a chance of never being able to be recharged if they dont explode, protected cells also protect against this as well.[/quote]


how is it possible to not discharge them below 2.7V ??? how can i controll it??? how could i notice that this dangerous bottom limit is approaching???

 

[bmw328aw]

I ordered the same batteries for DIY blu-ray laser im building. I worried about the "blowing up" that you speak of lol. How would you make sure that you dont overcharge them or discharge them past the 2.7V point?