Hi! I'm new to the forums.
Thought you'd all get a kick out of my little Core adventure story, so I registered just to fill you in.
About 3 weeks ago, I ordered a Core. It's my first laser pen, and I bought it to point at stars at night.
When I got it, it I happily stuck in the batteries, but when I pushed the button, nadda.
Well, I happen to live in Hawaii, and sending the unit back under warranty seemed like more trouble than it was worth. I mean, it would take a week to get back to Wicked, a week to get back to me, and cost me about $10 in postage just to get it there.
So, being a Physicist, and being pretty good with electronics, I figured, if it's too time consuming and spendy to bother sending it back, I'll just open it up and see if I can repair it because it's probably just a broken wire. Worst case, there's something seriously wrong, and I'll just lay out another $40.
Having no experience with these things, I'm totally working by the seat of my pants. I get a pair of pliers, and with the help of a rubber sheet, I try wiggling it out. No dice, at least not at the force I'm applying.
So I trying turning it. Hey! It turns. I unscrew the top.
Off comes the top and... somethings not right, I expected the whole unit to come out and instead I just took off a cap!
Well, I look inside and see a lens and a bunch of threads, so I think, oh, the module must be screwed in.
So I grab some tweezers and start turning the lens, and sure enough, it starts coming out.
After a few moments, out it pops, but... OH SHIT, it's just a lens, the rest of the laser is still inside!
So then I figure, maybe the rest of the unit turns out as well? I reach inside with a pair of tweezers and try to twist on the protruding area I see inside.
POP comes off a little plastic focusing lens. (*#(*&%@#
Behind it, I see what looks like a dichroic 45 degree mirror.
OK, well, obviously I've messed it up, and I'm never going to get that lens potted correctly again, so I sigh, thinking, hell, might as well learn how it's put together, put in my tweezers, and try to turn out this thing.
It doesn't turn. After much fuss, I'm about to toss the laser in the trash, and figure, hell, why not try to force it out from the rear? I've tried everything else....
So I stick in some batteries and push from the bottom. With substantial force... PLOP! Out pops the module. Well, now it's obvious that the whole thing should have been pulled straight out instead of turned from the very start, but it's too late now... but
OH SHIT.
What's that.
A (*@%(*@% SPRING?!
You know how flashlights go together? Positive always points toward the bulb? You know how the negative end of a battery always go towards the springs?
sigh.
I reassemble the unit best I am able without any testing equipment or epoxy and put the batteries back in... "backwards."
I get a beautiful green spot about 2" in diameter on the wall, and, sure enough, the directions read (when read more carefully): Positive down.
That's one green laser tossed in the trash from stupidity. Dumbass.
Thought you'd all get a kick out of my little Core adventure story, so I registered just to fill you in.
About 3 weeks ago, I ordered a Core. It's my first laser pen, and I bought it to point at stars at night.
When I got it, it I happily stuck in the batteries, but when I pushed the button, nadda.
Well, I happen to live in Hawaii, and sending the unit back under warranty seemed like more trouble than it was worth. I mean, it would take a week to get back to Wicked, a week to get back to me, and cost me about $10 in postage just to get it there.
So, being a Physicist, and being pretty good with electronics, I figured, if it's too time consuming and spendy to bother sending it back, I'll just open it up and see if I can repair it because it's probably just a broken wire. Worst case, there's something seriously wrong, and I'll just lay out another $40.
Having no experience with these things, I'm totally working by the seat of my pants. I get a pair of pliers, and with the help of a rubber sheet, I try wiggling it out. No dice, at least not at the force I'm applying.
So I trying turning it. Hey! It turns. I unscrew the top.
Off comes the top and... somethings not right, I expected the whole unit to come out and instead I just took off a cap!
Well, I look inside and see a lens and a bunch of threads, so I think, oh, the module must be screwed in.
So I grab some tweezers and start turning the lens, and sure enough, it starts coming out.
After a few moments, out it pops, but... OH SHIT, it's just a lens, the rest of the laser is still inside!
So then I figure, maybe the rest of the unit turns out as well? I reach inside with a pair of tweezers and try to twist on the protruding area I see inside.
POP comes off a little plastic focusing lens. (*#(*&%@#
Behind it, I see what looks like a dichroic 45 degree mirror.
OK, well, obviously I've messed it up, and I'm never going to get that lens potted correctly again, so I sigh, thinking, hell, might as well learn how it's put together, put in my tweezers, and try to turn out this thing.
It doesn't turn. After much fuss, I'm about to toss the laser in the trash, and figure, hell, why not try to force it out from the rear? I've tried everything else....
So I stick in some batteries and push from the bottom. With substantial force... PLOP! Out pops the module. Well, now it's obvious that the whole thing should have been pulled straight out instead of turned from the very start, but it's too late now... but
OH SHIT.
What's that.
A (*@%(*@% SPRING?! You know how flashlights go together? Positive always points toward the bulb? You know how the negative end of a battery always go towards the springs?
sigh.
I reassemble the unit best I am able without any testing equipment or epoxy and put the batteries back in... "backwards."
I get a beautiful green spot about 2" in diameter on the wall, and, sure enough, the directions read (when read more carefully): Positive down.
That's one green laser tossed in the trash from stupidity. Dumbass.
