DX $50 200mW Foc. Red Laser Pointer

[DREW8110]

Received my DX Focusable 200mW red laser today. It came DOA! Already posted on fisrt DX 200mW thread thats like 12 pages long. Don't mean to post twice but I wanted to make sure this was read. Anyway I'd like to see if I could get input on how much trouble returnes are with DX. At $50, would it be just as easy to try and use this pointer with DVD diode in a modification? Thanks for any imput.

 

[Razako]

You could send it back but you might end up paying more for shipping than the actual laser.

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Drew --

I believe DX has a return site in the US.  
Now the stupid questions    Are the batteries good ?  Does it draw current at all?  are the batteries in correctly - It may be different than a green?  
Seems that a red is too simple to arrive DOA.  :-?

Mike

 

[DREW8110]

Im getting over 3V testing batteries on multimeter. You do use the voltage selection on meter right? The meter has different selections for AA AAA C D and 9V. Sorry for stupid question.

 

[DREW8110]

It came with no paper work, if batteries were put in the wrong way could that have screwed it up. I figured the driver would have some type of protection for that.

 

[DREW8110]

I think I figured it out. The on off switch is in the end cap. I bypassed it and it came on.

 

[Amnizu]

Yay for happy endings, I guess.

 

[Switch]

Well is it any good? Pics, vids? :-/

 

[DREW8110]

Can't send any pics or video right now, and it would not show anything more than you see on DX site. I'm new at this, so my opinion might not be that correct or true. It does burn electrical tape, but slowly. I took one of DX's $17 70mW reds out of heat sink and adjusted the focus on it, and this 200mW might burn a little better than that. I made a laser pointer out of Pioneer DVR-115DBK, and it burns a lot faster or stronger than the DX200mW. When I receive my power meter I orderd last week, I can tell a lot more.

 

[DREW8110]

It is definatly worth $50 all day long!

 

[DREW8110]

When you unscrew the head off the barrel, the driver is attached to the diode , like when you take apart an aixiz module or any laser pointer I have taken appart. Being new at this I wanted to know if you can test the current and voltage without completly tearing this thing apart. On the driver there is a pot, and I wanted to see what it is currently set at. I'm sure if I go messing around with it I'll just break it. I don't know what it is about thes things, I have it for one day and it works fine, and I already want to tear it up. Just interested in seeing in what it will do I guess?

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Drew --

My stupid questions thing was not directed at you .. We all overlook the obvious occasionally ;D I hope my post caused you to look deeper into the problem.

Those little switches are a common problem on lasers and I forgot to mention that. I'm glad you got it working.

Be safe and have fun.

Mike

 

[Benm]

I think I figured it out. The on off switch is in the end cap. I bypassed it and it came on.

Well, it is a DOA if the switch doesnt work at all and needs a hardwired bypass if you ask me. But then again, at these prices and return woes you're probably better off keeping it as it is or replacing the switch yourself.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Just got mine. Man what idiot battery design. I thought it was DOA because I was putting the batteries in back-end-first, as I expected the same battery configuration as most flashlights have, and because there's a spring on the board-side. Not so.

Upon opening it up and finding that the bypass diode was getting very hot (probably from draining the battery) I switched the batteries. Now it works, but the switch doesn't because it was probably designed to have the batteries face the other direction.

 

[herbicide]

Mine came with paperwork...

(quick and nasty photo)

 

[GooeyGus]

Wow nice... I didn't get any paperwork. Mine came half-DOA, as it would only stay on for about 10 seconds. I just added a tiny bit of solder and it perfect now.