It was only a mere few months ago I first caught the bug for laser when I dug up a long lost red laser pointer key chain. Now I am knee deep in all things laser, red laser, green laser, and blue or violet laser of different wattages. I first encountered Darkarmyofone in this forum when I was itchy for a high power violet laser in a flashlight housing that is not offered on Ebay or Amazon. That's not long after Dark had setup his low cost laser build and repair service for just $10! (Well, not anymore). Before that I had bought parts of laser such as PHR 803T in a module and flexdrive driver in hope of building a laser myself. Well, after seeing how tiny the pins and the ports of the laser diode and driver and with my questionable soldering skill, I have doubts. So I contacted Dark via PM and he replied to me within an hour with information regarding the build. Although, the price we agree upon was a little more than the $10 listed on the forum, it's still more than reasonable.
From left to right. PHR 803T 200mW, 8x BD 480mW with 405-G1 lens, and 250mW BD 6x with 405-G1 lens.
The PHR build took about a week and soon a package via priority mail arrived at my front door. Not after that I was holding a 200mW PHR 803T AixiZ module housed in a blue steel pocket pal host. Like an artist, Dark has put together a solid piece of art. When I held the PHR pocket pal in the palm of my hand it feels sturdy not like a cheap flashlight from a 99 cents store. The Aixiz module is encased in a heat sink that fits perfectly into the pocket pal host allowing enough of Aixiz's focus ring protruding out in front of the housing for easy focusing. The diode is powered by flexdrive driver. The clickable switch works solidly without fault. This laser eats through a piece of black crafts paper in less than two seconds and the backing of a black plastic CD case in eight seconds at a distance of 13 inches. The laser takes three AAA 1.5v batteries together in a battery housing. Extra caution must use when inserting battery pack to avoid reverse polarity in this and other three lasers built by Dark.
YouTube - PHR 803T 200mW Video with sound
PHR 803T in action.
Not long after receiving the PHR laser, the bug really took hold. I contacted Dark again to purchase this time a 6x blu-ray build as if the PHR and the 6x were not enough, I also commissioned Dark for an 8x blu-ray build which he calls it the "ULTRA MEGA BEAST" of a laser at 480mW for a nominal cost. I just gotta have it.The lasers took Dark a week to gather all the parts and built. They arrived via US priority mail with tracking in four days. The pocket mini host is not longer and just about the same diameter as an average index finger. I have Dark put in a 405-G1 lens at 250-260mW driven by a flexdrive. The diode module fit snugly into the pocket mini host. The 6x host use either a CR123 lithium or a rechargeable battery. Using a lithium battery the 6x laser was able to bore through the black crafts paper with little effort, and melted through the CD case in 5.38 second at the distance of 13 inches. The pocket mini host also came with a lanyard and a tail cap to protect against dust. Although the clickable switch became a bit finicky, but Dark was able to instruct me on how to make it behave.
YouTube - 6x BD 220mW Video with No Audio
6x BD 250mW with 405-G1 lens.
The 8x "ULTRA MEGA BEAST" of a laser is also housed in a pocket mini host, driven by a flexdrive at 480mW with a "EZ ring" mounted at the front for ease of focusing, and as Dark explains it if you don't you're liable to burn the skin off your finger trying to focus this monster. At the top of the host it came with a warning label that more than fit the description of what this laser can do. It also takes both a CR123 lithium or rechargeable battery. It lights the black crafts paper to smoke the monument the beam touches the paper, and makes the black plastic CD case melts like butter in just 2.38 seconds at 13
inches. This host also came with a lanyard.
YouTube - 8x BD 480mW with 405-G1 lens Video with no Audio
8x BD "ULTRA MEGA BEAST" 480mW with EZ ring and 405-G1 lens.
Those are my three top lasers of my small collection of lasers, and I also want to add a >200mW green laser into my collection as well and Dark is my go-to guy. So, once again I commissioned Dark to build me a green laser at around 200mW range and boy, did he delivers. The laser is housed in an Ehgemus made host made of polished aluminum and finely machined that once the battery cover was screwed back into the housing the cap becomes one with the host. The business end of the laser is larger than the rest of the housing in diameter and deeply ecthed around the cylinder with symmetrical lines. The wattage output of this laser varies on battery voltages. On a 3.0v lithium battery, it will outputs 190mW, and on a 3.6-3.7v rechargeable battery, it will outputs around 220-250mW.
YouTube - 200mW Green Laser build Video
190-220mW green laser in an Ehgemus made host.
It has not been cheap to have Dark to commission the four laser builds, but they are worth every single penny. You are getting what you paid for with Dark. A sturdy built, a very reliable piece of almost artwork if you would look at it as person would appreciate painting or sculpture.
Credits: Thanks to Ehgemus for the host, Drlava for the the flexdrive, and Jayrob for super-charging the the lasers with his 405-G1 lens. The manufacturers of Pocket pal and Pocket mini.
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