Laser Pointer screwed?

[Fertro]

So I bought a Laser Pointer (From eBay, I can already yeah the Uh-Oh's) And it's going a little funny.
It just got here today, and I have NO IDEA what it's doing.

Well, at first glance it was great, but it didn't light up. Tried 3 different sets of batteries, still didn't work. So I looked inside while I turned on, and there's a tiny red light. Can't see it when you're not looking through the hole.
So I was wondering what's wrong it with, is it screwed, or is it just being a bit funny?

BTW, it is Green, 5mW and 532nm.

Thanks,
Fertro

 

[GooeyGus]

AHHHHHH!!!! DONT LOOK INTO THE RED LIGHT!!!!  

Edit: Thought I would add how a green laser works just in case. It starts out with a laser diode putting out 808nm infrared light. This light then pumps into a set of two crystals which then lase at 532nm, which is the green light. So the red you see if from the pumping diode itself.

Sorry to sound a bit extreme... but that "little red light" is probably about 50-200mW of 808nm infrared (imagine the damage a 200mW green would do pointed in your eye, same thing). There is a chance that the diode is dead, in which case it is not lasing anymore, and it wouldn't be too harmful but why take the chance. There's no real way to tell how much power the diode is putting out with the naked eye. Try pointing it at all wall and look at where the laser spot would normally be on the wall with a digital camera, if you see a white-ish spot on the wall from the laser, then the diode is still working. If there is nothing, the diode is most likely dead.

So, next, if the diode is still good you have a crystal alignment problem. Has this laser ever worked or did it come to you in non-working condition? If it never worked, the crystals may have been bumped around in shipping. You can try taking it apart and fixing this issue, but if you can still return since it never worked, it I would do that. If it did work at some point, and the diode is still working, then it is definitely a crystal issue. Rip it apart if you want.

If the diode is dead, you're out of luck.

Hope that helped... if you have anymore questions just post 'em up!  

 

[Fertro]

How would I do that? The crystal thing.
Is it/they big? Is it/they easy to spot?

I was $0.01... and $13 postage, in AUD. I really don't wanna waste $13.01 on a laser pointer that I pulled apart.

 

[Murudai]

Whoa, you bought a $0.01 laser and you expected it to work?

 

[lazed]

Whoa, you bought a $0.01 laser and you expected it to work?  

It would be quite a good deal if he got a 200mW IR out of it

 

[Fertro]

But it does work... just it doesn't... ;D

It's just the crystal thing, can be fixed... If I read right.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Heh, well the seller earns the money on the shipping, not the eBay-taxed auction price.

What does the laser look like? Sometimes they make excellent cases for DIY lasers which you'd probably enjoy more than the original.

 

[Timbojames]

Wouldn't it be almost impossble for someone with no experience to try and realign the crystals?
Even if he gets it to work the output would be much lower then it origanally was.
You just have to bury you laser as it has no more use :'(

 

[Murudai]

It would be quite a good deal if he got a 200mW IR out of it

That is very true.

My suggestion Fertro is that trying to realign the crystals for such a bad quality laser in the first place may not achieve much. If you still want a greenie, I'd suggest splashing out some cash to get a quality one. There is no substitute for quality

I'd see how much IR you can get out of it, see if it might even be able to burn stuff. Though, be seriously careful with that like GooeyGus pointed out.

 

[Switch]

Or mod it to an IR burner. :

 

[GooeyGus]

You are correct. If the diode is working, it is indeed fixable. BUT you must verify that the diode is working with a camera. Even completely dead pump diodes will give a red glow. Any camera will work, even a cell phone camera.

Now, if you verify that the diode works, you need to align the crystals. This sounds like a simple task, but unfortunately it is very difficult. The crystals are TINY. Usually about 1mmx1mm. You will see a tiny cube, glued into some sort of 'holder'. That is the crystal set. If you're lucky you may just be able to screw the set in or out to solve your problem. But usually on the cheaper lasers the crystal set is glued in a fixed position above the pump diode. I would do a bit of research before you decide to tear into it, just so you know exactly what you're looking for, and so you know what you're going to do when you get there.

To be honest, I have a feeling that the diode may be toast. But check it out with a camera and find out!

 

[Fertro]

Well the diode is apparently fine.

My friend told me that his dad has the exact same one and h fixed it, so i'll give it too him to see what he can do.

 

[spark001uk]

can you still see alright!??