hell, i read through the whole 6 pages drama..
seems like everyone is relaxed here again, nice. and yes, from time to time i take things too personally too.. :
doubling the voltage-input:
- the driver works properly, doesnt supply the laser any more current. the driver has to eat up the extra input, and may overheat die. perhaps never, perhaps in less than 30 seconds.
-the driver is poorly regulated and drops more current into the diode. it could be anything from 5% to 200% more current.
the diode could die instantly from the too-high current, anything over extra 20% current from the driver into the diode is asking for near-instant-death. less than 20% could still reduce lifetime to hours..
-everything worked out (surprisingly) until now. still, the extra optical output could destroy the optics. this does happen, its no theoretical risk. in detail: you burn stuff with lasers, right? the two main crystals are glued together with transparent glue. too high optical power, and the glue will color. with that, will now absorb mostly all the optical energy (up to watts are floating inside there!) and surely break and crack entirely.
-you could be lucky and the driver doesnt overheat, does a modest increase in current, the diode actually survives this, and the optics withstand this. increase? even in the best case, i wouldnt expect more than a few 10 percents. more than 50% increase? *really* unrealistic, like, a few of all handheld lasers ever built could do this stunt.
it all depends on the quality of the parts used. expensive microprocessor-controlled driver? laser-pump-diode with more safety-space, like a 4w diode only used to 3w? crystals with no glueing (but bonding), or individual optics? much more work, this adds big $! there are lasers with all that. i dont know much details on high-power handhelds. but normally, such features are expected from companies with names. spectra-physics, coherent and such. you pay double the price for the name only (and, of course, these features!).
chances, that bobs laser is such a high-quality unit? with such a packaging? with such customer support? with no IR filter installed? with what i would call obvious lies? calculate yourself.
you ask me? less than 1% chance that your laser will survive a doubled inputvoltage *and* output just a single mw more than before.
but you positively want more anyway? send the unit to one of the builders here. we have people here who do amazing work. designing *the* best driver available period, building hosts which set new levels, do amazing work with cnc and lathes, build whole scanners and the like. many who do professional work, and i mean pros in the real sense, like doing their living with lasers. one of them will gladly take your laser and find out what makes it tick. then perhaps tweak it, in the way only someone can who studies lasers for years. build a new housing for it. replace the driver. does measurements, to guesstimate how far the diode and optical system behind could go.
it would take a while, take much worktime, and so wouldnt be cheap. perhaps you will get the thing back untouched, if he doesnt see any chance. but then you know for sure, and we know more details about the inner parts. and, if you are lucky, you will have a real high powered unit afterwards. not that its weak now.. ;-)
but, again. what i wouldnt do is risk a 300$ laser for a 1% chance to get a slightly stronger one.
heck, that was longer than i expected. you asked for it!
manuel