Wasted time trying to do the maglite hack..

[stevodotorg]

I had an old mini maglite sitting around, bought the AixiZ 12x30mm (couldn't pop the darn diode out, also the housing didn't come with a cap on the end which was lame).. took apart an old dvd writer, couldn't get the diode out of its housing with pliers and ended up chopping off once of the pins on the diode ruining it. (is the AixiZ housing useless at this point if I really want to get into making my own laser pointer?)

So with this said, I found the forum (actually just realized I registered here a long time ago but never posted) and am still trying to decide on what kind of laser pointer I would like to build.

Can any flashlight be used as a host for these DIY lasers? I work at microcenter and we sell all kinds of cheap little led flashlights (bright single style ones too)

And one last question, are the blu-ray lasers all what they are made out to be? can you see the blue/violet beam at night? (seems like the cheapest route to take if I want one of these is to build one)

Thanks a bunch for reading this!

-Stevo

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Check my sig...

 

[Switch]

A little bit of logical thinking...
What you need for a complete laser unit: diode , lens and heatsink assembly , power source (batteries in your case) , and current regulating circuit+switch.
...and you can easily figure out that any flashlight or whatever housing capable of holding all these can have a laser built inside as long as you find a way to make them fit.

Now, since jayrob built blu-rays in keychains it's safe to say that anything larger than those keychain can have a laser built into it.

 

[ElektroFreak]

Some flashlight hosts are much more conducive to laser conversion. I'd definitely read a bit here before making up your mind. You'll save yourself a lot of frustration, trust me..

 

[Kloan]

^^
true dat... ive got like 4 flashlights coming to me and im not sure if i'll like any of them now after reading up on here and seeing what people use for hosts...

that maglite hack is a joke anyway.. the guy doesn't even regulate the power from the batteries.. people are gonna be burning out their diodes pretty quick if they follow his guide.

 

[tony70516]

so whats the best host. im thinking a dorcy

 

[Spyderz20x6]

Dude, check out my signature.
Click the link, and you will find EVERYTHING you need to know

 

[nikokapo]

Read teh FAQ!