Batteries for PGL-III?

[trident]

I just ordered a PGL-III from laserglow.com (before I found out about the forums here.) So I guess I overpaid by a couple hundred... but anyways

What kind of batteries should I use? I know I need C's, but are some better than others? Is this laser a high-drain power device that needs rechargables?

 

[The_LED_Museum]

The unit I was loaned drew 796mA from Wallgreens brand alkaline C cells.

 

[bootleg2go]

There's really no difference between the energizer and duracell alkaline batteries as their specs are the same. You can try the energizer e^2 alkalines, they might do a little better, but cost twice as much. The rechargeables would be no good as they only put out 1.2v each, so 2 of thoes would only provide 2.4v and with the laser diode needing the full 3.0v, using these would only give you 80% of the power. So a 100mw laser would only put out 80mw with the rechargables. They would be much cheaper in the long run though, but at a cost of 20% of your output power. My PGL-III puts out on average 220mw or so; that is with new batteries and I mean brand new as since the current draw on these is hugh, it only takes about 5-7 minutes of use to notice the batteries are losing it. After only about 5 minutes the output voltage from alkaline batteries start falling below the 3.0v mark, and after maybe 10-15 minutes of use, I replace the batteries and use the old for my kids toys that don't require so much current. There is something I want to ask you privately, I'll be sending you a PM.

Jack

 

[trident]

Interesting - what about using, say, 2 rechargables (at 2.4v) and another type of battery to step the voltage up to 3v?

Or maybe a battery pack of like 6 rechargable AAA's with a resistor in there to step the voltage down to 3v?

 

[bootleg2go]

Anything you can do to get it at 3.0v or even slightly more like maybe up to 4v will work as long as it fits into the same space. Just to warn you, the moderators are pretty strict here, so you might want to change your avatar(picture) as they have made others along these lines get rid of them. Just to keep on there good side you might read the red text at the top of the page, so you don't post or say the wrong things.

Jack

 

[bootleg2go]

Also do a search here on pila batteries, they are 3.7v rechargables that are shorter than two C cells end to end and not the same diameter. There is a way to mod it to fit in these units though. The investment would be ~50 for the charger and maybe 30-35 for the battery, however it is re-useable.
I'm thinking of doing this on my PGL-III at some point.

Jack

 

[trident]

I bet I could cram one of these in there...

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1236

Is there some spring in the PGL-III I could cut to get a little extra space?

 

[LaserMod]

Yes there is a spring... and should allow for an extra 10-15mm space and more if you try the stage1 mod and leave the module a few mm up from it's original position... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Roga_Danar]

Trident;

Which power output model did you order?? I am not sure but I think that laserglow is selling the newer version of the PGL-III that has a regulated driver board. If this is the one you are getting be warned that running 4.2V Pila's in it will NOT boost the power at all and will probably just heat up the driver board more than normal batteries would.

 

[trident]

The 100w - any idea what the mAh on the Pila's are?

 

[trident]

The 100w - any idea what the mAh on the Pila's are? I'm seeing mixed information about this on the internet

 

[Roga_Danar]

1800mAH IIRC

 

[bg2vo]

If we read specs of many 808nm laser diodes, they normally require only 2.0V or less to operate. However, there is current regulating circuit within a laser unit which will consume certain amount of voltage.
My PGL-III needs 2.04v/0.22A to start to glow and 2.5v/0.82A to give full power(unmodified, purple line) :-

I've modified my unit to use Lithium-ion rechargeables:-

power.

Edited/add:
pic of above from left to right:
cap, Al block, dummy cell with a 3A rectify diode, 18650 Li-ion and a tube, PGL-III body.

 

[trident]

Cool. Are Li-ion batteries better than Ni-MH to combat the power drain of this laser?

 

[bg2vo]

[ QUOTE ]
trident said:
Cool. Are Li-ion batteries better than Ni-MH to combat the power drain of this laser?

[/ QUOTE ]
I think so. If you can find the right sized Ni-MH battery, it takes 3 cells(3.6V) which probably the same capacity(1800mAh) as one 18650 Li-ion.

The diameter of a 18650 Li-ion is 18mm(first 2 digits) and the length is 65mm(3rd and 4th digits). I also got some 26650 Li-ion which slightly thick. Otherwise are perfect for PGL-III.

 

[Raccoon]

Trident: Share us a picture of your PGL-III before you do anything silly.

Using batteries that have a higher voltage than the spec of your laser will result in wasted voltage (heat) and will make your laser overheat faster.

In the picture, we want to see the entire unit from head to tail. If the tail has a key or dial or plug in it. If the side has a key in it. If the button is red or blue. If there is a power-on indication LED near the button. The number of fins on the heatsink (head). If there is a 2 second power-on delay.

All of these things will help us identify the model you are using, as CNI has been very unpredictable in what they ACTUALLY sell. There are as many as five different "PGL-III"s floating around.

 

[LASERGLOW]

Dear CPF users:

We have tested the PGL-III's with many different battery types. So far, Duracell Ultra's seem to produce the highest output power.

Hope this helps!

Dimitry Fedorov
laserglow.com