My introduction

[HenryL]

Hello everyone! I was watching one of Styropyro's videos where he replaced the laser diode of a cheap laser pointer with the one from a DVD burner and the batterys with some rechargeables. In that video, he mentioned something he called the "laser forums". I assumed he was talking about this website, so I decided I should check it out. I don't really have any experience of my own with lasers, but I have always found them fascinating. I want to make my own laser from a dvd player laser, and it seems like this is the place to go for info, so here I am!

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi,
Welcome to LPF Henry,
Well about a red from a DVD player is ok , Now if you want to get that WL get a 638nm red . There is a Mitsubishi 500 on the DTR laser shop website. I think you would enjoy that a lot better than a DVD red.
You can order one from DTR with a deer set to whatever you choose. And there is a choice of aspherical lenses to pic from.
It can bead in a 12mm copper module with leads attached.
Then all you need is a host prewired to assemble it in. All you would have to do is solder to wires , -neg& pos+ and apply heat shrink tubing on the solder joints. .
Rich

 

[HenryL]

Hi,
Welcome to LPF Henry,
Well about a red from a DVD player is ok , Now if you want to get that WL get a 638nm red . There is a Mitsubishi 500 on the DTR laser shop website. I think you would enjoy that a lot better than a DVD red.
You can order one from DTR with a deer set to whatever you choose. And there is a choice of aspherical lenses to pic from.
It can bead in a 12mm copper module with leads attached.
Then all you need is a host prewired to assemble it in. All you would have to do is solder to wires , -neg& pos+ and apply heat shrink tubing on the solder joints. .
Rich

Thanks! The reason I was thinking of a DVD laser is because they are practically free, all you have to do is find a junked dvd burner lying around. I heard something about needing to focus the laser. Do you think you could give me any info about the best way to do this?

 

[Unown (WILD)]

Hey if you can get yourself a junk bluray player then you can get a 405nm diode too

 

[Encap]

Have a look at DTRs site to get an idea of the several things needed---beyond what is there you need a host/housing and batteries--
Lifetime17 make excellent hosts at reasonable prices.
see: https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/

 

[RedCowboy]

Laser safety glasses are needed for anything over 5mw......don't risk your eyesight, get some laser safety glasses that will attenuate the wavelength you will be working with.

 

[HenryL]

Have a look at DTRs site to get an idea of the several things needed---beyond what is there you need a host/housing and batteries--
Lifetime17 make excellent hosts at reasonable prices.

Does the type of laser that was originally in the housing matter? I have a really cheap green laser pointer that I don't use anymore, but since the DVD/Blu-ray/CD lasers are different colors, would they still work in the green laser housing?

 

[RedCowboy]

Does the type of laser that was originally in the housing matter? I have a really cheap green laser pointer that I don't use anymore, but since the DVD/Blu-ray/CD lasers are different colors, would they still work in the green laser housing?

There is no universal laser housing and lens that all laser diodes will work in without any modification, there are however standard LD case sizes 3.8mm, 5.6mm, 9mm ect....

Some lenses are AR coated for VIS which is typically 400-700nm or there about, these lenses will work with most visible laser diodes but the grind/focal length and dia. may not be suitable.....others are AR coated for a specific use/LD

In short the answer is yes it matters and no your red dvd diode may not fit your green laser housing and the lens likely won't be appropriate.

---edit---

You can get a red LD and housing for cheap but again anything over 5mw you need to wear laser safety glasses.

EBay is flooded with 100mw-200mw red laser pointers and mini lab style lasers in the 10 dollar range.

Again always protect your eyes when lasing.

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[HenryL]

There is no universal laser housing and lens that all laser diodes will work in without any modification, there are however standard LD case sizes 3.8mm, 5.6mm, 9mm ect....

Some lenses are AR coated for VIS which is typically 400-700nm or there about, these lenses will work with most visible laser diodes but the grind/focal length and dia. may not be suitable.

In short the answer is yes it matters and no your red dvd diode may not fit your green laser housing and the lens likely won't be appropriate.

Ok, so if it fits, it might work, but not as good as if I had a better housing, and if it doesn't, I need a different housing? I was just wondering if the part that focuses the green laser would also focus a red dvd laser, or if the lens has to fit the wavelength.

 

[RedCowboy]

Your green laser unit's lens might work but with losses and the coating could burn, if acrylic the lens could melt, better to get a standard hobby housing for your laser diode and an appropriate lens. They are cheap on ebay.

 

[BowtieGuy]

Welcome to LPF, HenryL!

Have fun, stay safe and enjoy your stay.

 

[gazer101]

A 250mW red laser can be had from just about any modern DVD-burning-capable disc player.
My first laser was made from my desktop's DVD player (who even uses DVDs anymore?)

 

[Encap]

You can buy or at least look at a host kit with everything you need to make a laser pointer except the diode , module, driver and lens assembly which you can get from DTR, here https://www.survivallaserusa.com/No-Diode_Host_Bundles/cat1667093_1540977.aspx

 

[NightExplorer96]

Welcome!

-Alex

 

[HenryL]

Your green laser unit's lens might work but with losses and the coating could burn, if acrylic the lens could melt, better to get a standard hobby housing for your laser diode and an appropriate lens. They are cheap on ebay.

Thanks for explaining it to me!

 

[loreadarkshade]

Hey! I'm new here too! Here is some advice I'd have loved to know when starting.

1. You NEED a DVD drive that can WRITE to discs (a writable/burner), not just a reader for the powerful laser.

2. Only a few DVD drives has the open can LPC-836 diode we see in Styropyro's videos. (LG GSA H55N)

3. The other DVD burners contain small can diodes which are a little weaker but can still burn at a distance!

4. The higher write speed (16x, 20x) a DVD burner is, the more powerful the diode will be.

5. Not all diodes you will get from the DVDs share the same current draw! You need to make a variable constant current circuit (trim potentiometer in series with resistors in styropyros circuit) to reduce resistance slowly and increase current until max brightness is achieved. Then turn back the dial so your diode will last longer. (ex. 5mA to 200mA) The way to know how much current you are feeding is this formula:
1.25 / R = I
R = resistance of resistors
I = Constant Current in amps fed to diode by the LM317
Styropyro used a 3.3 ohm resistor to power the open can diode, feeding it (1.25 / 3.3 = 0.378 A) or 378mA. This is way too much for the weaker diodes you'll most likely extract.
Use 10ohm resistors for 125mA and 5ohms for ~200mA if the 10 ohms is too dim.

6. The diode will dim when you are over the current limit. This shouldnt damage the diode, but don't do it for long.

7. Buy a cheap ebay laser adjustable focus module for like $5 and put your more powerful diode in! Thats the lenses I use. (AKA Aixiz module)

8. You'll need some LM317 chips like he does in the video. Simple resistor circuit will blow your diodes.

9. There are usually 2 (CD and DVD) diodes in a DVD. The one with a green window is the infrared (CD) laser, and is weaker, but be careful not to blind yourself because the beam is invisible. The one with the blue window is the red laser you want.