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FrozenGate by Avery

Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (UPDATE: Beamshots)

LazyBeam

LazyBeam

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Jun 12, 2010
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Well, I've been getting bored waiting for the Kryton Groove GB to deliver... so I decided to use the A140 diode and MicroBoost I had stored and put them to use. the build is pretty small and is built similar to my 150mW bluray in my signature, except the heatsink is not press fit so it can be taken apart for service or current adjustment. I'm sure the diode/driver & heatsink could handle much more power... although I don't trust my old trustfire 14500 batteries I had here so I only set it to ~760mA (about 1.6C current draw) which should give me about 650mW through an Aixiz lens. Dialing back the current with the good HS should give the diode great life and will be a good balance between power and battery life. But Lighthound has some 8C LiMN 14500 batteries... I'll bet those could get this guy up over 1 watt. :eg:

I decided to go all out with the heatsinking (as much as you could expect for a "AA" host). The diode pill is machined copper and the microboost has it's own copper mini-heatsink that was epoxied directly to the hot little 8-pin IC and then the whole driver was epoxied to the pill. The heatsink/pill were machined so that the diode leads could be soldered directly to the driver. No wires or pins to break! Unlike the press-fit heatsink in my 150mW bluray build, I machined the heatsink about .0005 inches smaller than the aluminum host and used Arctic Silver thermal grease around the heatsink for good heat dissipation. Two 2.5mm screws hold the laser head in the host.

Once my proper 405/445 lens comes and I can make the focus adapter I'm probably just going to sell it (so I can afford to buy another diode/driver for the Kryton). ;) The build was fun and I could see myself getting into building these for people. The lenses should be here in 2 weeks... so if anyone's interested let me know. :whistle:

I promise to update with beamshots or videos when my lenses get here from china. I'm going to get some better batteries too. Current draw is about 1400mA @ 4V so just about any 14500 battery should work.




 
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Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

You can put my name down. I'd be interested. These tiny things don't need long run times, just enough time to play with the beam, and pocket away! It would compliment my larger 1.9W build beautiful. Let me know(pm) when you have a price and date.
 
Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

Spartan X said:
You can put my name down. I'd be interested. These tiny things don't need long run times, just enough time to play with the beam, and pocket away! Let me know(pm) when you have a price and date.
Click to expand...

Same here!
 
Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

That thing is awesome!

Can I ask where you got the host from? I want to make a few :D
 
Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

Ebay item 220422244010. They're not threaded so you either have to use set screws to hold the HS in or machine it for a interference fit. My blu-ray is press fit and the 445nm is held with set screws. IMO, press fit is more slick but you lose the ability to adjust current or fix anything. Just make the heatsink +.001/.002 and it works out great - pop the HS in the freezer and get the host body up to 250F. They slide right together and hold great.

Bobby, probably only about $150 because i won't be giving a charger with it, just a pair of bateries. I'm still waiting on the lens/batteries, but when borrowing the lens & battery from my 405nm build it's a pretty sweet beam. I can't wait to make a pen style pointer with the same specs.
 
Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

Snap! 1.56 with free shipping?

I'm defiantly going to snap a bunch of these up!

I might machine the heat sink as half press fit, half loose. Then if I had to remove the assembly I could just thread my handy dandy 10" long aixiz threaded rod in there and tug it out.

I'm going to have to make some direct press modules, dual drivers... I wonder If I can get 1.5W out of one of these...

Muhahaha!
 
Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

How about this...
machine a full therml/press fit heatsink and just cut the $1.50 host off if you ever have to fix it.
Slit it rigt up the side of the thin host with a dremel. A new host is only $1.50 - lol :D

Remember, these are 14500. The typical true capacity of 14500 li-ion is about 750mAh.
That's only about 1A/4.5V output to the diode pulling 2.5C using a flexdrive @ 80% efficiency.
Although there are LiMn Batteries from liightound that are 600mah and can push 8C.
 
Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

That is also true, hopefully I won't ever have to fix it though!

I already ordered some of the 8C 14500 batteries from Lighthound, by my calculations I should be able to get enough for at least 2A of output power. That won't leave much of a runtime, but I'll make do with that.

I've got a 12x diode here still too, I'll have to stick it in one of these too. Plus all of those red sleds I still have...

I might try to squeeze a green module in one of these too, I'll extend the host a little like you did on your SF-AW build to get one of those to fit.

Thanks for posting this! I've been looking for a cheap tiny host for a matched set for a while now!
 
Re: Sneak Peek: 600+mW "AA" pocket host (pictures)

So my 405nm lenses came in from china - the beam sweet! I think the lenses are the older 405 aixiz lenses too (higher transmissivity) unless aixiz went back to the regular lens retaining ring. The newer 405/445 lenses use a retaining with spanner holes, right? All I'm waiting on now is the new betteries to show up and this thing is off to the B/S/T forum.

Here are a few beam shots, at night without flash along my snowy driveway onto a fence about 50ft away. I'm surprised I was able to hold the camera laser steady enough for the third shot at an icicle on the neighbor's house. The reflections from the dot just lights up whatever is around it... even at only 600-650mW.

DSC01599.jpg


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Cool - that is a shitload of power from a very small form factor host!
 
I'm thinkin' $175 shipped CONUS.
I'm planning on machining the focus ring tomorrow and then I'll chromate coat it monday at work.
Who knows when the batteries ordered for it will arrive. Probably sometime next week.
 
I've been working on turning these guys into lasers on and off for a while now. One thing that I really don't like about them is the quality of the anodizing. I could color a host black with a sharpie and it would be more durable than these things!

Just out of curiosity I took one and threw it into the blast cabinet at work. a minute or two later I have this!

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Now to the polishing wheel! No more crappy anodizing and no more ugly machining marks!
 
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The machining marks on these things were beastly, but I managed to get them out. Unfortunately, the "flats" ended up a little rounded, but I think they look good that way!

Now I need to order some 1/2" copper and make some heatsinks!
 
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