Modded PGL-IIIA

Dj_sTyLz808

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Jun 5, 2006
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Sure :D.It's really simple just push the whole module out and the "screw" that everyone was talking about right under the battery spring is the pot.You just turn it clockwise I tuned mine 2 complete turns clockwise and it is sigificantly stronger =)
 

FNinjaP90

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Jan 8, 2003
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888
You can go ahead and mess with the laser, but any damage you cause to the laser will be solely your fault. I yanked the A475 capacitor out and the laser doesn't have any more delay. I turned the pot +180deg, and noticed that the laser has a stronger initial output, but that output dims to maybe 10mw or so after a few seconds. I went back and turned the pot only about +30deg, and feel that this is a good compromise.

If anyone finds a better pot angle, let me know. This is my pot in the unturned position, which I designate 0deg. The module is upside down in this picture.
IMG_0744.jpg


Too bad we don't have cheap power meters to measure the power output =(
 
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Yobresal

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Aug 4, 2005
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Hi, Has anyone had problems with the button getting caught inside the laser tube, prohibiting the module from coming out?
 

FNinjaP90

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Yeah that's gonna be a problem. It happened to me when I tried it the first time. I stated in the take-apart thread to keep the button pointing down so that it doesn't get caught. If you wiggle and pull hard enough you might be able to pull it out while breaking the contacts of the switch which you'll have to re-solder.
 

MasterMind

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Jul 6, 2006
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Maybe I'm missing something here, but if the pot is exposed, why not just adjust it using a long screwdriver? I can see the pot inside the body of the laser in mine....
 

Yobresal

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Phew, I managed to get the button unjammed without damaging anything. I them removed the module and adjusted the pot. My laser is now stronger. I also got a penny secured to the tail cap, so I no longer need the jack.
FOR ALL THOSE FROM GB #1 The capacitor you need to remove to get rid of the delay is marked C475, not A475 like the new ones.
 

FNinjaP90

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MasterMind said:
Maybe I'm missing something here, but if the pot is exposed, why not just adjust it using a long screwdriver? I can see the pot inside the body of the laser in mine....

Well, not everyone has an jewler's screwdriver with an 8" shaft. It's quite a small screw.
Yobresal said:
Phew, I managed to get the button unjammed without damaging anything. I them removed the module and adjusted the pot. My laser is now stronger. I also got a penny secured to the tail cap, so I no longer need the jack.
FOR ALL THOSE FROM GB #1 The capacitor you need to remove to get rid of the delay is marked C475, not A475 like the new ones.
Glad to hear you didn't damage anything. Well, mine is from GB#1 and it's marked A475.
 

Yobresal

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Aug 4, 2005
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Really? that is weird that our lasers have different caps. I love this laser (post mods). Mine starts out ubber bright flickers for a second or two, then settles down just a hair noticably dimmer that the initial spike. I had this laser tested to be 88mW (thank you Jack), so I am sure now that it is putting out at least 100mW, probably more. Thanks again Ninja.
 

jkaiser3000

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Oct 21, 2005
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If I'm not mistaken, there's no real difference between A475 and C475. I believe the letters are just a description for the tolerances. The real important figure is the numbers. 475=4700000pf or 4.7uf
 

Dj_sTyLz808

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Jun 5, 2006
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FNinjaP90 said:
You can go ahead and mess with the laser, but any damage you cause to the laser will be solely your fault. I yanked the A475 capacitor out and the laser doesn't have any more delay. I turned the pot +180deg, and noticed that the laser has a stronger initial output, but that output dims to maybe 10mw or so after a few seconds. I went back and turned the pot only about +30deg, and feel that this is a good compromise.

If anyone finds a better pot angle, let me know. This is my pot in the unturned position, which I designate 0deg. The module is upside down in this picture.
IMG_0744.jpg


Too bad we don't have cheap power meters to measure the power output =(

Hey ninja so did you also turn it clockwise?
 

Yobresal

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Aug 4, 2005
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I too turned mine clockwise about 360. I just put new batteries in it. This thing is amazing now. Lights matches instantly, burnes holes in paper, burns wood, lit a cigarette, burns skin instantly. Seeing this laser now after these few mods is really making me regret only buying one of them. I am guessing it is putting out 150mW. I was wondering though what would happen if you tried to unscrew the second ring connected to the module. Maybe we can fix up some divergence problems?
 

Lips

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Mar 14, 2005
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Cleaning the lens also improved my beam. (Used air and wet) It had lent on both sides seen by mag glass. Most definitely a learning curve for a laser novice... Switch is rather fragile on the way out.

Cheers
 

FNinjaP90

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Jan 8, 2003
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150mw? Be careful, too much power can burn out the diode. Then.....$200 down the drain. But if you want the be the guinea pig to test the laser's limits...be my guest.
 

Yobresal

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I don't mind messing with this one. I honestly haven't really used it much at all since I bought it. It is great now though and I will be using it a lot more. After the first 2 seconds this laser is very stable still and there isn't any mode hopping so I am not going to try and push it any further.
 

Madz

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Jul 9, 2006
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206
All I got to say is DAMN! I too did the mod. The laser is far easier to get apart then it sounds. Took me about 8 minutes on my first try. To test the pot I have pulled the laser apart and put it back together a few times in less then a minute. I turned the pot 360 degrees total. I did a few turns at a time till it got to 360 degrees. The duty cycle I like to keep at around 15 seconds - 30 seconds tops and let it chill for a minute or 2 before lasing again. I dont know if its getting hot or not all I know is I dont wanna be the guy to tell you if it does. Anyway back to the story, I shot it at my wall to see the brightness. Does not seem THAT much brighter but it IS brighter. So i shot my hand at about 1.5 ft (0.4572 meter) and it didnt sting instantly but it stung within about a second or 2. So i decided to shoot my leather belt. It started smoking instantly (not even joking). So i shot the back of my cell phone for .5 seconds to see if anything would happen and there was a tiny dot that quick. So right before writing this long and hopefully entertaining post I decided to shoot my cupboard. At about 1ft (0.3048 meter) I started lasing and after about 1.5 seconds it too started smoking leaving a tiny brown dot.
 

Madz

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Jul 9, 2006
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I used a thick not so clear piece of glass to unfocus the beam onto my wall. Theoretically that should make it easy to detect mode hopping right? or do i have to see the beam without any optics (aside from the crystal)? Also how long should it take to see mode hopping if any is occuring?
 
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