The Jungle Twins (Unlimited Duty >1.6W 445nm?)

[Dogs Best Friend]

OK, I finally put together the second of two 445nm laser twins. They may not be the most beautiful lasers out there, but they are functional!
Just a heads up, I'm going to be selling one of these... I'm just not yet sure which one (Probably the smaller, more powerful one). Before I officially post a FS thread however, I need to get them LPM'd. So, if any trustworthy members feel like checking them out and LPMing, It would be appreciated.

First up: "The Bushwhacker"
Ultrafire C2 host with a copper heat sink that is borderline ridiculous! it is 1.5" in diameter and a hair under 1.5" long.

The M140 diode is pressed into a copper module which is in turn pressed into the heat sink for maximum heat transfer from the diode (no weak little set screw here!).

It has one of Moh's 1.8A circular drivers that is heatsinked to high heaven as well. I cut tiny blocks of copper that fit on top of the resistors and shaved them down so that the tops are even with the top of the IC. They are bonded to the resistors and to the sides of the IC as well. The IC and the resistor heatsinks are then bonded directly to 1/4" of copper (there is no top in the pill, just copper bar). The copper is in very good contact with the pill (which is threaded into the finned part of the host) and extents out to nearly 1.5" wide. The back of the main heatsink is in solid contact with the top of the driver heatsink. Everything is bonded with arctic silver (the real silver stuff, not alumina or ceramic) and clamped when it was setting.
I really wish I took pictures assembling this driver getup!

It is topped off with a 405-G-2 lens and a couple of AW protected 700mAh IMR 18350's.



The second laser (My favorite of the two); I call "The Bushmaster"

An Ultrafire C8 host houses the massive 1 5/8" diameter copper heatsink. as in its little brother, the M140 is pressed into a copper module which is pressed into the Heatsink.

This one also uses a circular Mohgasm driver set to 1.62A. (These are great drivers!). It is assembled similarly to the smaller laser for maximum driver heatsinking. The pill and driver weigh over 3/4 oz, most of which is copper.

Again, topped off with a 405-G-2 lens and, with an extender tube, fits 2x Callies Kustoms Protected 3100mAh IMR (Panasonic) 18650's. Now it just needs a nifty focus ring...


I made both of these lasers with the goal of having the longest duty cycle possible, and I think I accomplished that! I ran them both side by side for 8 minutes straight. They warmed up for 4 minutes, but didn't get much warmer after that. After 8 minutes, they were just slightly warm to the touch, not hot. I think its a little early to label them "unlimited duty cycle", but they are close! I don't have an LPM, but with G-2 lenses, and cool running at 1.62A and 1.8A, I'll let you guess at the power.

My macro flash pooped out a few days ago, so the lighting kinds sucks, and it brings out all the micro-flaws and invisible dust. Maybe I'll get better pics later...

 

[n2stuff]

Great job Dog. I love the copper heatsinks. Do you have any more pictures of the builds?

 

[Fiddy]

Good stuff bro!

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

Do you have any more pictures of the builds?

I am kind of kicking myself for not taking lots of pictures while I was putting these together... So the short answer is no. I might pull the pills out and take a picture of the outside just for the fun of it, but the rest is glued up tight!

 

[sinner]

That C2 is badass host , i really like the power it can pack into such a mini body and still be functional just like the bigger ones! :gj:
You deserve a +1

 

[jander6442]

I was thinking parachord wrap myself on my next build only maybe a sinnet wrap.

Great build.

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

Yea, I like the way the paracord turned out. It looks much better in person IMO. It looks cool and feels good. Very sturdy too; once it is on there, there is no getting it off... It is so tight that it is rock hard and would have to be cut.

Thanks for the rep guys!

 

[bloompyle]

Love the paracord on the handle! These look pretty awesome, you mind if I do something similar for a couple personal builds? (won't be sold, just look the paracord handle, reminds me of a couple bowies we have.)

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

Love the paracord on the handle! These look pretty awesome, you mind if I do something similar for a couple personal builds? (won't be sold, just look the paracord handle, reminds me of a couple bowies we have.)

Not a problem, I wouldn't mind at all. I went through about 4 different types of wrap before I found a style I like. If you do one, let me know how it goes!

 

[bloompyle]

Not a problem, I wouldn't mind at all. I went through about 4 different types of wrap before I found a style I like. If you do one, let me know how it goes!

Thanks for the go I think I have the perfect little guy to do it with, just gotta get a heatsink for it, and we're in business. Did you find any other hosts that'd work with this technique? I.E. Thin body in the middle?

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

These are the only two that I have tried it with so far. Neither of those hosts are really "thin". I think they look deceivingly small in the pics. They are wrapped in two layers of gutted 550 cord, which helped even out some of the bumps and flat spots on the host bodies. I would assume this technique could be made to fit pretty much any body. You will just have to play with it (and most likely waste a lot of 550 cord) before you get it right. I thought about doing it to a C6, but in that case, I think the handle is so short, it would look too bulky with cord. Maybe I will try it and see though.

... If you haven't done a wrap before, make sure you have a lot of time on your hands before you start a project. Even if everything goes smoothly (which it often does not), a large wrap can take about an hour, during which time you cannot let go of the cord for any reason...

 

[bloompyle]

These are the only two that I have tried it with so far. Neither of those hosts are really "thin". I think they look deceivingly small in the pics. They are wrapped in two layers of gutted 550 cord, which helped even out some of the bumps and flat spots on the host bodies. I would assume this technique could be made to fit pretty much any body. You will just have to play with it (and most likely waste a lot of 550 cord) before you get it right. I thought about doing it to a C6, but in that case, I think the handle is so short, it would look too bulky with cord. Maybe I will try it and see though.

Ah, I didn't think about gutting it. I will see if I can try to find one where I can keep it "ungutted" with a a way of removal, that way it'd be like a survival laser (perhaps an SOS and high powered "fire starter" mode?) and the intact 550 cord if I need it for a trap or something, then keep the laser and spare batteries in a first aid kit for hiking/camping. Your thoughts?

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

Not a bad idea. If the cord is not gutted, you won't want more than a single layer, and there won't be a whole lot of cord in the wrap, maybe 4-6 ft depending on the host you use. There isn't a lot you can really do with 4 ft of paracord, but it would be better than nothing! You can also just make a lanyard from woven 550 cord and pack a lot more cord into a small space. Or you could do both, and have 10-12 feet of cord attached to your laser.
I like making the wraps permanent. I usually do wraps on things like knives or hatchets which need a solid grip. I think you could get away with a much looser wrap on a laser though, unless you intend to use it as a club (which would totally work with the Bushmaster laser, haha).

I like the idea of an SOS function. I'd like to build/buy a waterproof 200mW green laser with long battery life that would be able to sustain an SOS signal for a while. I always think of the guy who got trapped under a rock and cut his own arm off because he had no way to signal for help.

 

[bloompyle]

Not a bad idea. If the cord is not gutted, you won't want more than a single layer, and there won't be a whole lot of cord in the wrap, maybe 4-6 ft depending on the host you use. There isn't a lot you can really do with 4 ft of paracord, but it would be better than nothing! You can also just make a lanyard from woven 550 cord and pack a lot more cord into a small space. Or you could do both, and have 10-12 feet of cord attached to your laser.
I like making the wraps permanent. I usually do wraps on things like knives or hatchets which need a solid grip. I think you could get away with a much looser wrap on a laser though, unless you intend to use it as a club (which would totally work with the Bushmaster laser, haha).

6ft really isn't much, but you could make a trap or two with it, and get a nice rabbit or rat for the couple nights you're lost/stranded. I'm basing it off those paracord survival bracelets that you can undo in a pinch. And you're right, it'd have to be a larger host, perhaps something with an extension tube? I'll have to start looking for a good host for this, I really like the idea haha, my paycheck won't like you after this, but if it gets used (and let's hope it doesn't) it'll be worth it.

 

[Dogs Best Friend]

6ft really isn't much, but you could make a trap or two with it, and get a nice rabbit or rat for the couple nights you're lost/stranded. I'm basing it off those paracord survival bracelets that you can undo in a pinch. And you're right, it'd have to be a larger host, perhaps something with an extension tube? I'll have to start looking for a good host for this, I really like the idea haha, my paycheck won't like you after this, but if it gets used (and let's hope it doesn't) it'll be worth it.

I think I would rather just pack a little 550 cord in my pack (and I do every time I go out). I usually have about 50ft of it that never leaves my pack unless I need it. The bracelets are a good idea, but I could never bring myself to wear one everywhere. I subconsciously associate earth-tone bracelets with neo-hippies, who I find profoundly obnoxious.

I don't know enough about circuitry to build an SOS function, but I agree it would be totally worth it! That is a very practical and effective use for a laser.
Firestarting, not so much. A lighter should suffice just fine for that

 

[bloompyle]

I think I would rather just pack a little 550 cord in my pack (and I do every time I go out). I usually have about 50ft of it that never leaves my pack unless I need it. The bracelets are a good idea, but I could never bring myself to wear one everywhere. I subconsciously associate earth-tone bracelets with neo-hippies, who I find profoundly obnoxious.

I don't know enough about circuitry to build an SOS function, but I agree it would be totally worth it! That is a very practical and effective use for a laser.
Firestarting, not so much. A lighter should suffice just fine for that

Extra would be a better idea, and chances are I will have some. A lighter would work too, but I'm definitely going to make sure this has a fire starter feature. I am actually kinda excited about this build. Hopefully I can get started on it sooner rather than later, but there's about 2 or 3 projects in front of it haha. Thanks for spawning this idea! I'll definitely update you when this project has begun, and when it's been completed.