Easy Peasy DIY FOCUSABLE Green Laser

[Nocturnal]

My first DIY Focusable Green Laser!
A simple build especially for those who have to build a laser instead of import because of customs:gun:

Host: Techhood Laserlands
You can use 18650 or 16340.

Module: I hear good stories about techhood modules often being overspec so:
100mW
150mW
200mW <--comes with heatsink installed
but any 3.7v-4.2v module with a spring that looks like these should work

Firstly assemble the key switch into the tailcap:

Now the hardest part of the build, extracting the collimation lens from the module, which I totally forgot to take a picture of. Extract it like how you would extract a diode from a heatsink. With a hacksaw or file, cut in till you just reach the lens, then use a flathead screw driver to break a piece of the module off. Do this all with the front part screwed off the rear part ofcouse! Anyways here's a pic of whats left of the front part.

Now just screw that lens into the front part of the host. Now with the rest of the module, with the button installed, press it into the body of the host making sure the button lines up with the switch. Stop when the button is directly over the switch. Put a little epoxy to make sure it stays

When the epoxy is set put the host together with a battery. Adjust the lens to infinity then the focusing ring is all the way in. Therefore when you turn it out you can burn and when you turn it back in again its already set to pointer.

Final Product:

I broke my keyswitch . So I had to buy another one

Beamshots:

Unfocussed:

Thanks for looking

 

[offroadfreak8582]

Nice build

greetings,,

 

[LaZeRz]

Hey, thats pretty damn cool :gj:

I'm seriously gonna have to try that some time

About that host, What kind of button/led combo did you resort to? If they are commonly available that would be epic!

 

[Nocturnal]

Nice build

greetings,,

Thanks

Hey, thats pretty damn cool :gj:

I'm seriously gonna have to try that some time

About that host, What kind of button/led combo did you resort to? If they are commonly available that would be epic!

Thanks This host, which is the one I used only has a hole for the momentary switch's button. This host has the switch hole and led hole.

 

[LaZeRz]

Ohh, I somehow got the conclusion that yours had an LED hole from reading that other thread you put up

 

[Nocturnal]

Ohh, I somehow got the conclusion that yours had an LED hole from reading that other thread you put up

haha, Im going to use that host soon. I'm still waiting for my module. I brought some 3mm green leds and going to try and hook it up so it lights up as soon as you turn the key, so you know its 'live'.

 

[LaZeRz]

Won't red LED's be better in the sense that you can see the glow through your safety goggles? Ofcourse, that's only neccessary if you have some crazy high OD level that stops you from seeing any dot at all. If you just have regular OD3 or so glasses the dot should be visible.

But, for the sake of looks, IMO it would look better with a blue LED

Oh yeh, Hooking up a LED would be pretty easy using a key-switch. You can just add a simple metal pill on top of your batteries for maintaining a connection to the module and not having to solder onto batteries. That would give you your - feed. Then what you have to do is get the + feed from the body of the host.

If you can get some PCB's fabricated that make contact with the body of the host plus the batteries and isolates them from each other, you could just solder 2 wires to that and it would make life alot simpler then trying to get your + from the hosts body.

Then just hook up a resistor

 

[mpwn]

Nice build, ill be making one like this soon

 

[Nocturnal]

Won't red LED's be better in the sense that you can see the glow through your safety goggles? Ofcourse, that's only neccessary if you have some crazy high OD level that stops you from seeing any dot at all. If you just have regular OD3 or so glasses the dot should be visible.

But, for the sake of looks, IMO it would look better with a blue LED

Oh yeh, Hooking up a LED would be pretty easy using a key-switch. You can just add a simple metal pill on top of your batteries for maintaining a connection to the module and not having to solder onto batteries. That would give you your - feed. Then what you have to do is get the + feed from the body of the host.

If you can get some PCB's fabricated that make contact with the body of the host plus the batteries and isolates them from each other, you could just solder 2 wires to that and it would make life alot simpler then trying to get your + from the hosts body.

Then just hook up a resistor

hmm, true. I would probably put on my goggles after I knew the laser is live, so I wouldn't need to see the led after that anyways. As for the led I'm just going to get the power from the driver:

With 100ohm resistor in series with led

Nice build, ill be making one like this soon

Goodluck! Dont break the key switch like I did!

 

[bobhaha]

WOW... that looks very badly diverged.... is that a camera issue or laser issue?

Can you calculate the divergence for us? Why did you need to modify the front of the laser? Touching the front lens makes it very hard to get a good diverging beam.

EDIT: It just hit me... this might be a focusable host... DUH?!

 

[Nocturnal]

WOW... that looks very badly diverged.... is that a camera issue or laser issue?

Can you calculate the divergence for us? Why did you need to modify the front of the laser? Touching the front lens makes it very hard to get a good diverging beam.

EDIT: It just hit me... this might be a focusable host... DUH?!

Yep, focusable
first three pics are focused, Last two are unfocussed

 

[henraay]

Looks interesting! This might be my first laser. Sent PM.