Modding the el cheapo 5$ laser pointer

[legendaryfrog]

Hi y'all.  My neice's birthday is coming up (april 17th) and i'd like to give her a decent laser pointer.  Im not willing to shell out $50+, so i thought it would be cool to mod one of those cheap $5 1 mw laser pointers.  Im pretty sure you know which ones im talking about.    They're gold and run on three 1.5volt AC13 batteries.

Is there any way to replace the button cell batteries with cheaper batteries?

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

LF --

Those $5 lasers are really CHEAP.. The power control is a current limiting resistor and the LD is now an exposed junction with little or no heatsinking.
They run at about 40 mA and die at 50 mA.!!!! I've trashed a few just to see what they will take. Those little cells are sold CHEAP at most party stores or on DealExtreme.

I don't recommend giving a laser of any power to a child.

Mike

 

[kingzilla]

Hi y'all.  My neice's birthday is coming up (april 17th) and i'd like to give her a decent laser pointer.  Im not willing to shell out $50+, so i thought it would be cool to mod one of those cheap $5 1 mw laser pointers.  Im pretty sure you know which ones im talking about.    They're gold and run on three 1.5volt AC13 batteries.

Is there any way to replace the button cell batteries with cheaper batteries?

Sometimes you can force another battery into the case and still get the end cap on. Anything more than that will more than likely kill the diode. :'( If you want to mod it to take less expensive batts, you can elongate the case with a piece a of copper pipe, and use AAA batts. Other than that, there is not much you can do with those lasers. :-/

 

[tvard667]

i got my dollarstore 5mw laser up to bout 15mwpeak to 10mw average mine had a led light and two switches i just revmoved the switch and fried all the resistors. o plus i took out a collaminating lense from a CD player and threw that in other than that theres not much you can do

 

[glona]

hay i have tryed to mdo a few also no luck hear :'(

 

[Rhith]

I wouldn't get anything too powerful to anyone that isn't educated in laser safety. At most I would say get a True 5mW Green Laser at http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.91