I want to build my first (Red) Laser ever. Help needed

[Lazer12GS]

I have a couple lasers I have bought, but I have never built one. I want to build a 635/638nm 1W laser. I don’t know where to start or what to buy but I know that y’all specialize in this area and can probably help me. Thank you in advance and merry Christmas

 

[trinh hong phuoc]

welcome to forums
if you want buy a laser
you need lase host,driver ,lens laser and laser diode
if you from USA,you can buy from DTR laser shop,just googles
he provide all part(not included laser host)
you can buy a laser host from me or some member here,lifetime 17,badboybilly,.....
or you can buy a plashlight and make a heatsink
this is a thead i found some min ago ;https://laserpointerforums.com/threads/solid-brass-638nm-code-name-frankie-pic-heavy.98322/
But I think you should find out on the forum before asking such a general question, this forum has a lot of clear information.
have a nice days,Merry Christmas

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi laser ,
A Mitsu 500 is a strong diode and its open can, and can reach 1W at 1.2A. I built them and like this diode. There are some twins beam reds also. Here is one in a Mag light host and a custom sink that I machined.
Rich

 

[paul1598419]

Yes, you want to build with the Mitsubishi ML501P73 diode. You can buy these from many different sources, but eBay is likely the cheapest. You will need a driver that can be set to 1.2 amps or higher, if you wish to get more than 1 watt out. Any buck driver that can be set or is set to 1.2 to 1.4 amp should work very well with this diode. You can use either one or two Li-ion batteries with this driver. If you use a short focal length aspheric lens, you will get the most power out, but the line that this very divergent diode puts out will be at its longest. You can make it a bit less divergent by using a three element lens, but will lose ~20% of your power over the short focal length asphere. Good luck to you.