First build - blue laser pointer , fail

[loonibab]

I looked at the link in your sig and he is the only vendor selling that kind of battery, i guess i'll search ebay for 16340

 

[Leodahsan]

Commonly, lithium batteries have maximum discharge current related to their capacity. So if you're using bigger batteries, yes they should give more current, given they are same or better quality.
That black anodizing on the heatsink is making good contact to the host..?

 

[loonibab]

I just don't get it.. the laser seems definitely stronger then the china made 5mw ebay lasers i bought by a long shot... but it starts of strong, and dissipates to being like the 5mw ones...

I do feel the laser pointer getting hot at times though.. could heat effect the performance? I know that the answer is yes, but i do make sure to only use the laser at 30 seconds at a time, some times less..

This is how my laser looks when I first turn it on:


20-30 seconds later


also, i took off the silver heat sync on the back of the laser protecting the wires, the video instructed me to do so so that it can fit in the flashlight housing, looks like this:



and here are pictures of how my build is:

 

[Blord]

That is actually a wrong way to put the C6 laser together. You must put the aluminium pill into the the battery compartment first and then screw on the hood of the C6.
I see the wires are twisted to the point of breaking it. Maybe they are already twisted apart.

 

[plexus]

It's very tricky to build laser pointers out of flashligh-like hosts - so much can go wrong. so its important to do things step by step and make sure everything is good before moving to the next step. good solder connections and use of heat shrink tubing is important. ensuring that no bare wires are visible and in danger of shorting out anywhere.

When I do a build, I first connect up the driver to the battery case and connect it to a dummy load so i can ensure the driver is working properly. every time I power up a driver and then disconnect power, without an LD connected, I short out the LD output to discharge any caps that might be charged up before I connect the LD. then I connect the LD and ensure that everything is correct. then I check it again. then, I check it again. and again. I use heat shrink tubing at the ends of the wires going into the driver and into the LD to ensure there is no bare wires showing. then i check everything again. and again. then i check everything again. (you get the picture). then i do the "smoke test" and connect the battery case AFTER i verify that any power switches are off. turn it on and hope. most of the time it goes well and the LD lights up full power and we are good.

Now you have to assemble it all. again, you just have to be very detail oriented and ensure everything is proper and no wires are broken or twisted. anything needing heat sinking needs to be properly heat sunk using quality heat conductive adhesives and pastes. do not use too much of either - so many builds have tons of adhesive used as potting material or paste slathered on thread - this is not how you use this stuff - its not effective in giant think blobs.

you have to budget that you will break something especially when you are learning. and working with a hos you have no previous experience with requires extra care.

eventually you'll figure it out. it just take time, good build practice, searching the forum and google and asking questions.

 

[loonibab]

Thanks guys.

I definitely am new to this..

I'm going to scratch this laser and take two..

I need some advise.. I want to build a hand held laser similar to the one i made now.

what do you guys think about this diode?

2W 445nm M140 Blue Laser Diode | eBay

it's a 2W 445nm M140 Blue Laser Diode

.. does anybody know where I can purchase the Sirius 1-c housing form?

 

[scumbagatheist]

Also, buy good batteries. If you're using CR123 (16340) batteries, and driving 2A, you should ONLY be using high-quality batteries, like AW IMR.

I learned this the hard way.