itw3ak
0
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2009
- Messages
- 41
- Points
- 6
Hello fellow forum members!
itw3ak aka lasermole speaking. (i only have one account as itw3ak just fyi)
I have been a member here for about a year now and I was so excited to jump right into all of this laser goodness I never started at the beginning.
I came to the forum originally to talk with members, learn, and purchase things for my first DIY 405nm build. JayRob was and has since been very helpful, Daguin you too. Many tid bits of info here have taught me a great deal about the science behind the laser hobby.
An error in judgment and perhaps a practice not worth perusing are what brought me to post this introduction tonight. Only moments ago I destroyed a $180 laser by A:Not using my better judgement of safety, B:Altering a device that was fine left alone. I was POT modding a 5mW CNI 405nm pen that in the past I had modded without damage and was quite delighted. It turn it into a whole new device, it now was capable of burning, etc.
Tonight I changed out the batteries for a new set of rechargeable CR2 3.0v's I just bought in the hope that I would never again have to buy more primary CR2's at exuberant costs. Well it worked out ok for most of the day, the laser was brighter then ever and burned like the dickens. Only just moments ago it dimmed and died. Desperately I yanked the batteries out hoping the new RCR2's were just dying, nope...I killed it :cryyy:
Are any of you familiar with thinkgeek.com? And "bucky balls" well they are small round powerful magnets that I often use to make a quick dirty "wire" connection between batteries as it "holds" them together. Turns out they are a little too powerful with minds of their own. While not paying attention working on the laser driver and diode the magnets grabbed hold of each other and made a perfect short circuit in the brand new RCR2's ! I started to smell burning and looked over to find my batteries melting their plastic casings and nearly ready to explode! I was able to find a piece of cardboard and separate the short in time to avoid an really dangerous mess.
To make a long post short, This was dumb in many ways. I should have just left it alone. And this has given me a great deal of respect for the danger of jumping in, and the danger of Li-ion batteries when not used properly.
-$200 later I thank all of you for your wealth of information and I warn new users of lasers and this forum to be safe, take your time, and don't forget to ask senior members for advice when you are not sure! Let my example teach everyone something.
Thanks everyone.
P.S. anyone got a 12x 405nm diode they wana sell?
itw3ak aka lasermole speaking. (i only have one account as itw3ak just fyi)
I have been a member here for about a year now and I was so excited to jump right into all of this laser goodness I never started at the beginning.
I came to the forum originally to talk with members, learn, and purchase things for my first DIY 405nm build. JayRob was and has since been very helpful, Daguin you too. Many tid bits of info here have taught me a great deal about the science behind the laser hobby.
An error in judgment and perhaps a practice not worth perusing are what brought me to post this introduction tonight. Only moments ago I destroyed a $180 laser by A:Not using my better judgement of safety, B:Altering a device that was fine left alone. I was POT modding a 5mW CNI 405nm pen that in the past I had modded without damage and was quite delighted. It turn it into a whole new device, it now was capable of burning, etc.
Tonight I changed out the batteries for a new set of rechargeable CR2 3.0v's I just bought in the hope that I would never again have to buy more primary CR2's at exuberant costs. Well it worked out ok for most of the day, the laser was brighter then ever and burned like the dickens. Only just moments ago it dimmed and died. Desperately I yanked the batteries out hoping the new RCR2's were just dying, nope...I killed it :cryyy:
Are any of you familiar with thinkgeek.com? And "bucky balls" well they are small round powerful magnets that I often use to make a quick dirty "wire" connection between batteries as it "holds" them together. Turns out they are a little too powerful with minds of their own. While not paying attention working on the laser driver and diode the magnets grabbed hold of each other and made a perfect short circuit in the brand new RCR2's ! I started to smell burning and looked over to find my batteries melting their plastic casings and nearly ready to explode! I was able to find a piece of cardboard and separate the short in time to avoid an really dangerous mess.
To make a long post short, This was dumb in many ways. I should have just left it alone. And this has given me a great deal of respect for the danger of jumping in, and the danger of Li-ion batteries when not used properly.
-$200 later I thank all of you for your wealth of information and I warn new users of lasers and this forum to be safe, take your time, and don't forget to ask senior members for advice when you are not sure! Let my example teach everyone something.
Thanks everyone.
P.S. anyone got a 12x 405nm diode they wana sell?