question about my pointer

[lokeycmos]

i hope this is not a repost. i really dont even know what i would put in the search box. i attached a pic of my <200mW 532nm green pointer. when i bought this it was advertised to pop baloons and light matches. (what a joke) i just realized its not 200mw it is "less than"200mw. anyways, i took it apart and noticed 2 things. first it has a button on the circuit board. im wondering what its for, because the button is on the rear end by the battery. second what is the pot for? does this adjust the output? could i make it burn by "tweaking" it? TY in advance -joe

 

[532 with Envy]

Howdy

The button on top is for a 'side click' type module. It has just been defeated for your pointer.
The turn pot will adjust the diode output at the expense of the diode itself in terms of longevity.
Most, and I mean most unless you really spend some cash are underrated and be careful looking into it as well because a lot of the output power is IR, which you can not see visibly.

Good luck, have fun and read, read, read:beer:

 

[HaloBlu]

Adjusting focus might help for popping balloons / light matches.
Most often there is a lens in the module you can turn to adjust focus.

 

[jeffreythe00]

Just to add a bit to haloblu's post. You could always use a external lens to focus the lasers too.