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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Most powerfull custom?

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Feb 17, 2011
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Ok, so I recently build my first laser, relying entirely on this forum and its members for step by step instructions all the way from the very beginning. Soooo cool. Totaly epic, in fact. But I would now like to make a bigger one. (isnt that how it allways works?)

So what it the most powerful portable laser that I could build from available parts and for less then a hundred dollars?

Take your time, Im on a road trip in montana, and wont be home for 2-3 more weeks, so no hurry their.

Thank you all, I know you will be helpful. I have great faith in you all. Liam.
 





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Apr 23, 2011
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If you want a portable laser your not going to get it under 100 easily. Most easy powerful portable is the 445nm. If you alraedy built one your at the end of the easy line.

445nm 1w blue+module ~= 45usd?

jib linear at 1.6A ~=13usd I think?

Glass lens = 15usd?

Then makeshift a host that can hold a battery with a voltage higher than 5V (a 9v will not work =P ). + you will need to heatsink the module or else your going to burn the diode rather quickly. Your going to have to go to acehardware and try to make a makeshift heatsink to fit your makeshift host....

They got great hosts with heatsinks here but they are expensive. If you add one to your build it won't be under 100... I may be wrong though.
 
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DTR* sold a bunch of 1w hotlights for 99$ each... one of them had a flexdrive sinked to a coin.
 
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Ok, so does anyone have a reliable source for the diode in question? The one I built most recently was harvested from a DVD_RW module, but I asume this one has to be ordered specialy? Also, will the 2$ chinese drivers work, or do I need to build one? I built the last one myself, but this one will probably be different. Could someone please direct me to a tutorial for it? What size resistor should I use? (NOTE: I am not a fan of the potentiometer method, I would much prefer a schematic with exact values.) How about the lense? Whare to I buy that? A reliable source would be most helpfull. As for the heatsink, thats just going to be a block of metal with sufficient mass and a 5.6mm whole for the diode, right? My elder brother has access to a lathe (hes an engineering student) and has offered several times to manufacture heat sinks for my earlier lazer. Will that work? Can someone post the required steps for that process?

So sorry for the long and poorly organized post, I am on a borowed computer and have only a few minutes available.

Thank you all in advance for the help I am sure you will give me,
Liam.

EDIT: I have several azis laser housings, I dont suppose those would be worth anything here?
 
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Joined
Apr 23, 2011
Messages
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Ok, so does anyone have a reliable source for the diode in question? The one I built most recently was harvested from a DVD_RW module, but I asume this one has to be ordered specialy? Also, will the 2$ chinese drivers work, or do I need to build one? I built the last one myself, but this one will probably be different. Could someone please direct me to a tutorial for it? What size resistor should I use? (NOTE: I am not a fan of the potentiometer method, I would much prefer a schematic with exact values.) How about the lense? Whare to I buy that? A reliable source would be most helpfull. As for the heatsink, thats just going to be a block of metal with sufficient mass and a 5.6mm whole for the diode, right? My elder brother has access to a lathe (hes an engineering student) and has offered several times to manufacture heat sinks for my earlier lazer. Will that work? Can someone post the required steps for that process?

So sorry for the long and poorly organized post, I am on a borowed computer and have only a few minutes available.

Thank you all in advance for the help I am sure you will give me,
Liam.

EDIT: I have several azis laser housings, I dont suppose those would be worth anything here?

the "hotlight" isn't really a laser. Its just a bright colored flashlight.

the 445nm is the most powerful handheld laser diode out there practically speaking.

odds of a random driver working are small =P There lots of cheap voltage drivers out there but you need current. Also a "LED" driver won't work generally because there PWM-based which will reduce your output power even if it reaches a "2A" peak.

for the 445nm diode.... ebay please =P. Just search "1W blue 445nm" you will find stuff.

As for a driver, it all depends on your battery. If you use a single low voltage battery, there isn't a cheap driver out there to boost the voltage. Best would be to get a 5+V battery and use a jib linear driver http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/fs-jibs-linear-drivers-500ma-1-3-1-6a-1-8a-60213.html and get the 1.3A to 1.6A driver. That would be the cheapest small driver route. There cheaper linear current drivers out there but there not small.

Anyone have a recommendation on a battery to use wtih the 445nm+ jib drive that is 5+V? You could use 2 18650s but that would be rather long in lenght or wide depending on how you use them.
 
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Sorry, I wasnt clear at all about the "diode in question."

I will be ebaying for the blood of the 445nm diode as soon as I get home. thanks for the key word help.

The power source I have available are AA 3.7V batterys. I would rather not buy any more (I have 6 of these) as they are rather expensive.

As for the driver, if it must be made myself, the price cap gets removed. My parents have decided (took them long enough) that electronic projects are actualy worth learning about, and I have virtualy unlimited access to radio-hack from here on out.

The heatsink (as mentioned earlier) I will be making asap.

So, here is what I have or will have shortly:

Power source
Diode
Heatsink
Axiz housings.

Here is what I need:

Driver


Can anyone else think of anything Im missing?

Thanks a bundle,
Liam.
 




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