Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Jayrob's 4171 Kit + Daguin's Red Module + Larry DFDW Lens Review

Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
54
Points
0
Hey there, I am a laser newbie. I did a lot of soldering in the past building R/C cars. Therefore, I made sure my first kit / build was easy and just involved soldering. I bought a red 16x laser module from Daguin. This was very nice because he installed and preset the driver inside the module. This way I did not have to mess with setting it or soldering it.

I then bought the 4171 Kit from Jayrob to house the module from Daguin. The construction on this could not have been more simple. After the 4171 host was disassembled this is what I had.

002.jpg


You can see on the left the center section of the 4171 LED flash light host then next to it the now useless LED, and then to the right of the LED the power circuit board or what ever you call it.

All I had to do was cut the wires to the proper length on the module (took some thinking / estimating). Then I just removed all of the white silicone adhesive stuff from the surface of the circuit board and removed the resistor that is sticking out of it with the soldering gun. Here is the soldering set up that I bought a decade ago for R/C car building and has been collecting dust for a long time.

006.jpg


Next was even more simple, now that I had the wires on the module cut to length, I just soldered the red positive wire to the spot on the board where the resistor used to be connected to. There was enough solder left on the board from the resistor that all I had to do was tin the stripped section of wire and dip it in a little flux. Then one second of heat from the soldering pen and done deal.

The negative wire simply was soldered to the remaining screw that had been used from the factory to secure the LED to the center section of the host. Like I said, the hardest part of this was getting the wires the correct length. Somehow I got it right on the first try. Here is the end product.

005.jpg


This was my first high powered laser ever. I was shocked when I could see the dot a half a mile away on some pine tree tops at night. You can even see the beam on this thing if it is nice and dark out. I then attempted to burn with the axiz stock lens in place. It would not burn very well. Therefore, next I ordered one of Larry FDFW's SFL (short focal length) lens assymblies.

The module as is from Daguin was measured by Daguin to have an output of 245 mw. The Larry FDFW lens is marketed to give a 20% improvement over that. Therefore it should now have an output of 290-300 mw. I got the new lens in the mail today and installed it. All I can say is WOW!. You can focus the laser into a much tighter dot now. Plus it is visually brighter at the dot. This lens is only for close up stuff, not for far away like the axiz lens was. That is ok with me because I only wanted this red laser for burning.

This lens is so much better than the axiz not only in power output, but there is no longer that annoying wobble and hard to focus annoyance of the axiz lens. Here is the lens installed. Larry was nice enough to teflon tape the threads for me so that the assembly turns nice and smooth and does not move. You no longer need the axiz spring set up with this lens assembly.

004.jpg


Here is a pic of the laser in action. The target of the beam is an incense stick being held by my third hand soldering jig. The laser was only on for about 10 seconds when this picture was taken. You can see that it is already smoldering the dark green incense stick after that short time.

002-1.jpg


I really like this laser stuff. I have always wanted a cool laser ever since I saw that movie "Real Genius" with Val Kilmer way back in the day. I now have a o-like 150 mw green module on the way. In addition to that I have an Igor 6x high frequency freak build that is on the way as well. Right out of the hole I went and blew 600 bucks on this stuff. Oh well, I would have just bought car parts with it for this anyway. This money hole is usually where my extra doe goes to.

CobraLowered003.jpg
 





ZRTMWA

0
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
1,312
Points
0
I saw real genius too! I'm pretty sure I've seen that movie referred to before on LPF. Great reviews BTW.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
11,800
Points
0
I had an 1980 Z28 with a LS6 454, 4:11's and slicks and it just broke the low 12's. How does yours pull 11's on 100k Ford small block easy? :thinking: Even blown and juiced I don't see a 100k motor staying together.
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
54
Points
0
I had an 1980 Z28 with a LS6 454, 4:11's and slicks and it just broke the low 12's. How does yours pull 11's on 100k Ford small block easy? Even blown and juiced I don't see a 100k motor staying together.
Bone stock from the factory, Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords Magazine ran 12.49@116 in a 2003 Cobra Mustang right off of the show room floor. From the factory they where rated conservatively at 390hp / 390tq. The actual power was higher than that and people where getting about 380-400 rear wheel hp on chassis dynos. So depending on which car you had the power was anywhere from 420-440 at the engine from the factory.

The engine is far from a regular ford small block. Two men teams hand assembled and blueprinted each engine which consists of forged crankshaft, forged rods, forged pistons, dual over head cam 32 valve heads, and a factory roots supercharger sitting on the intake. Each engine actually has a plaque on it with the signature of the two people who built the motor. Transmission was the same as in the Dodge Viper and Corvette, T56 6 speed rated for way more power than low 400's.

The only modifications to my car are a smaller supercharger pulley which increases the boost from the factory 8lbs. to 14 lbs. Exhaust, high flow air filter assembly, and custom professional computer tune to optimize fuel and timing for max safe power. With just those modifications it is normal for one of these cars to be making 460-480 rear wheel horse power and about 480 rear wheel torque.

11 second 1/4 mile passes in these cars with simple bolt ons like this is actually common place if you can shift half way decent. I only cut a 1.87 60 foot time on my 11.96 @117 MPH pass and was not even power shifting and was running into a 20MPH headwind. Moreover this was before the car got a precision tune in it which was worth about 30 more hp at the wheels. Others that are willing to launch harder and power shift have run theirs as fast as 11.3x with the same modifications as me.

The engine is so stout from the factory that there are people that have generated over 700 rwhp with an upgraded larger blower and some juice. The hardest thing on this car is keeping tires on it. Otherwise it is pretty well bullet proof mechanically at my power levels. In second gear from a 40 mph roll, the tires will easily break loose when it is a little chilly out and the car is making good power.

cobramotor.jpg
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
11,800
Points
0
I have no doubt what the factory fresh motor is capable of. I just dont see how a 100K motor is still pulling 11's.
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
54
Points
0
I have no doubt what the factory fresh motor is capable of. I just dont see how a 100K motor is still pulling 11's.

Well, balanced forged engine assembly + regular oil changes = last 10x longer than normal cast engine parts from the typical car. The 11.96 pass I made on street tires was done at 93k miles. I now have almost 99k miles. It is just a beast of a bottom end in the engine.

I never expected the car to continue to be reliable and making full power this long when I bought it. Now it seems that I am not alone in that boat. Your big block was probably a kick ass motor. However 30 years of engine technology + over engineered racing parts in the engine changes things.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2008
Messages
1,581
Points
63
Metaman;

I'm glad your first laser build was so successful.

The Hi-Power lens assembly can easily adjust from focusing at a few inches to focusing at long distances. I just focus at 30 feet or so, for distance pointing.

For burning up close, make sure you have some eye protection for reflected light.

300mw is not a toy.

LarryDFW

P.S. the 11 second ET's are very impressive, considering you were running street tires.
My street single-carb 427 Corvette ran 11:33 with slicks (30 yr. old technology).
 
Last edited:




Top