HOW TO: 100+mW 405nm w/ 803T Dorcy Jr Laser

[Spyderz20x6]

[quote author=XaseR link=1214285108/128#138 date=1237412091]Is there any way of saving the original LED lens cover on the dorcy jr? or is it a case of just breaking it out?

Yeah, you could desolder it off. I've noticed they use some weird solder on the LED, you have to get your iron really really hot just to melt it... but yeah you can get it off.

even when you break it off, there are still small metal parts sticking out that you can attach something on to and probably have the LED work.[/quote]
He's talking about the lens :

 

[XaseR]

When soldering the led to the driver (or jump leads) is their a desired temperature to do this at?

I will be using lead free solder and the minimum temperature my iron goes to is 180degC. I have been reading that its best to use the bare minimum temperature just to melt the solder, tip the cable, line up and reheat. I don't want to kill this ld as it takes some time to buy in a new one.

 

[kernelpanic]

XaseR,

It's true you want to limit the amount of heat you apply to the diode. However my experience is that the time taken to solder is more critical than the temperature of the iron. (I have actually burned out a diode trying to use a 15W iron because the time required to melt the solder was too long for the diode...)

I have found the best practice to be-
1. preheat the soldering iron
2. Install the diode in a module. (Helps draw heat away from the diode.)
3. Tin the leads and trim the ends.
4. Hold the tinned leads to the diode pins and touch with the iron until the solder flows. (Should only take a second)
5. If you have problems soldering, let the diode cool between attempts.

Remember, if you hold the iron to the diode pin for more than about 3 seconds you are asking for a dead diode. You will either melt the small wire connecting the pin to the die internally or you'll melt the plastic sheath around the pin, which will cause the diode pin to fall out...

hope this helps,
kernelpanic

 

[XaseR]

XaseR,

It's true you want to limit the amount of heat you apply to the diode. However my experience is that the time taken to solder is more critical than the temperature of the iron. (I have actually burned out a diode trying to use a 15W iron because the time required to melt the solder was too long for the diode...)

I have found the best practice to be-
1. preheat the soldering iron
2. Install the diode in a module. (Helps draw heat away from the diode.)
3. Tin the leads and trim the ends.
4. Hold the tinned leads to the diode pins and touch with the iron until the solder flows. (Should only take a second)
5. If you have problems soldering, let the diode cool between attempts.

Remember, if you hold the iron to the diode pin for more than about 3 seconds you are asking for a dead diode. You will either melt the small wire connecting the pin to the die internally or you'll melt the plastic sheath around the pin, which will cause the diode pin to fall out...

hope this helps,
kernelpanic

Thank you Kernel, All taken on board!

 

[paoki]

Do you sell, a dorcy 405nm? even used.

PM me

nice guide btw

 

[sk8er4514]

Do you sell, a dorcy 405nm? even used.

PM me

nice guide btw

Yup I sure do. Pm sent.

thanks,
Kendall

 

[Spyderz20x6]

[quote author=paoki link=1214285108/144#148 date=1238003423]Do you sell, a dorcy 405nm? even used.

PM me

nice guide btw

Yup I sure do. Pm sent.

thanks,
Kendall[/quote]
Good luck :-/
He's just gonna say that it is too expensive and that he won't pay more than $100.
He is also gonna say that prices went down because people stopped confusing 473nM and 405nM...

:-?

 

[sk8er4514]

[quote author=sk8er4514 link=1214285108/144#149 date=1238022188][quote author=paoki link=1214285108/144#148 date=1238003423]Do you sell, a dorcy 405nm? even used.

PM me

nice guide btw

Yup I sure do. Pm sent.

thanks,
Kendall[/quote]
Good luck :-/
He's just gonna say that it is too expensive and that he won't pay more than $100.
He is also gonna say that prices went down because people stopped confusing 473nM and 405nM...

:-?[/quote]
Sounds like you've already tried to sell him some stuff huh ? hehe

and yeah my prices were too high for him. no big deal though... my time is worth a lot so its not worth it to me to sell completed lasers for really cheap (takes a while to make them)

 

[PhotonSky]

[quote author=Spyderz20x6 link=1214285108/144#150 date=1238023433][quote author=sk8er4514 link=1214285108/144#149 date=1238022188][quote author=paoki link=1214285108/144#148 date=1238003423]Do you sell, a dorcy 405nm? even used.

PM me

nice guide btw

Yup I sure do. Pm sent.

thanks,
Kendall[/quote]
Good luck :-/
He's just gonna say that it is too expensive and that he won't pay more than $100.
He is also gonna say that prices went down because people stopped confusing 473nM and 405nM...

:-?[/quote]
Sounds like you've already tried to sell him some stuff huh ? hehe

and yeah my prices were too high for him. no big deal though... my time is worth a lot so its not worth it to me to sell completed lasers for really cheap (takes a while to make them)[/quote]

So how much did you offer him?

140 USD is around the average on LPF I'd say, but you can usally find one's that people make alot of for 110-12 USD and just good old great deals for 80-100 USD.

 

[Spyderz20x6]

I offered him $120
That is only making $20 in profit
He said that was too expensive. :-?

The great deals are on pens or krytons.
Or Jake21...
How does that guy even make money?
Seems like he is losing it, instead, for selling lasers at a cheaper price than they cost to make...

 

[XaseR]

I offered him $120
That is only making $20 in profit
He said that was too expensive. :-?

The great deals are on pens or krytons.
Or Jake21...
How does that guy even make money?
Seems like he is losing it, instead, for selling lasers at a cheaper price than they cost to make...

same for Marks and Spenser in England... De-economies of scale.  The Credit Crunch is really hitting home!

 

[PhotonSky]

I offered him $120
That is only making $20 in profit
He said that was too expensive. :-?

The great deals are on pens or krytons.
Or Jake21...
How does that guy even make money?
Seems like he is losing it, instead, for selling lasers at a cheaper price than they cost to make...

yea jake21 is like the china of DIY lasers.

 

[soccergus52]

I dont know why my heatsink dosnt fit in the head to the flashlight any ideas

 

[sk8er4514]

I dont know why my heatsink dosnt fit in the head to the flashlight any ideas

Hey soccergus,

yeah I think DarkHorse (Barry) mixed up some of the heat sinks.. I had gotten a batch from him recently that were too small as well. send him a message saying you got the wrong heat sink and he'll exchange it (at least he did for me).

He makes heat sinks for some little silver flashlight too and they look the same... i think he's getting confused with the 2 as they look nearly the same.



I got mine to work with the smaller heat sink though b/c I was pressed for time. Here's an email from me to Barry which explains what I did.

"
Hey Barry,

I got pretty desperate / creative and found a way to make the smaller heat sink work out in the Dorcy. At first I wrapped a few layers of electric tape around the heat sink to make it fit in the Dorcy, this worked great to make it fit but I found the negative connection was not working . I had thought that the bottom of the heat sink contacting the body of the Dorcy would be enough be apparently it wasn’t making enough contact….

I took off the tape and got creative with those larger O ring things you sent me with all your standard heat sinks, put one of those in the head of the Dorcy instead of the skinny o ring. The heat sink could still slip through, so I figured out to put another larger O ring inside the head of the Dorcy , this worked and kept the heat sink inside the flashlight but the smaller space was making the O ring crease up and causing the heat sink to be crooked in the flashlight, it would be very strange to have a laser that didn’t point straight… So I figured out to cut a small section of the larger O ring to make it fit inside the head and this worked out great, the heat sink stayed inside and was straight and had good power contacts.

You may want to check your batches of Full Body heat sinks, I hope it was just these 4 that you sent to me that are too small… if not you might want to let you customers know it’s still possible to use them, just have to do the above w/ the double O ring work around.


I’ll keep these heat sinks as I can still use them… I’d like it if the next ones I order though are a bit bigger and fit the Dorcy head.

Thanks,
Kendall
"