Dorcy Metal Gear DVD-laser mod...

LEDBE
SenKat

SenKat

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 14, 2007
Messages
571
Location
San Antonio, Texas
Okay - I used the below 1 watt luxeon light for my newest laser, installing a 1uf cap inline with the already installed 1ohm resistor - and I am getting 140mw outta this bad boy ! Check out pics of the build - and beam shots, and burning action !
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This was a fun and easy build - the Flashlight was at Wal-Mart and was $18.99 - so NOT a cheapo by any means - it measures in at 5.25" long and 1" in diameter. It also comes with a clip for the pocket or belt. It uses 3 AAA batteries, and I saved the little luxeon emitters when I disassembled this beastie ! It was very difficult to get the head of hte light off of the body - I think you can see some "bite" marks from my vise grips in one picture :(

I encourage everyone to find some really nice looking flashlights, and modify them yourselves into some sweet, red glowy lasers ! (and make sure you wear eye protection when using them - as 140mw WILL cause bad damage right away)
 
You betcha ! It looks better in person ! The camera really does not do it justice - AND that was taken in the afternoon - so there was TONS of light in my workshop at that time.
 
It is feeding 260ma to the diode...I could maybe boost it up more, but it was a little tricky - the black plastic part that the star mounts on has a small pcb - and on the pcb is a metal tongue - that is bent at a 45degree angle as it exits the bottom of the plastic "chamber" and too many bends back and forth snaps it right off - ruined :( So - I now have a spare body and parts if one busts !
 
Senkat, I've got three of those badboys I ended up replacing the default led on it to a luxeon k2 was a simple modification and I'm impressed on what you've done there. do you still have the glass on the head in place? Nice feature if so to keep dust off your laser diode. Can you show pictures of the insides of the black housing with all of the components? I have a green laser diode that I would love to do this with as I've already fried the driver for it. (hehe my fault for too much inexperienced playing!!!) Some of my modifications do actually net something like my nerfaser and my k2 mod for the normal luxeon on that dorcy. I've also replaced the normal batteries inside the dorcy with cr123 rechargables. Anyway,
anxiously awaiting pics of the guts on the dorcy.
 
The Guts pics will have to be the next one ! I am making another, hopefully without the "bite" marks form the vice grips, and I will pop some pics up of it then. I saved the emitters from the two I have worked on - I am kinda excited that now I will have a few parts to start me int othe world of Flashlight mods, too ! I DO have the glass on the head still, and was actually considering a Saphire window for the next one I make, with some AR coating on it - it will up the cost of making it a bit, but the end result will be stunning ! Thanks for hte words of encouragement - this is the first nice looking success I have had, and I really enjoyed making it ! If you, or nayone else can think of a moderately inexpensive host for hodding into a laser, I would be happy to see it, and would consider making it for one of my next projects :naughty:
 
I'll have a few that would be good hosts on the way soon from DX - I'll send them out when they arrive.
 
Do the laser diodes from the DVD burners already contain all of the optics, or is this something you had from another project/laser pointer?

Thanks,
Sean

P.S.

Super duper job on that! The bite marks only add character, I think.
 
Hehehehe - Thanks, Sean ! no - the optics are the kind found in the 10mw modules from Aixiz - unfortuately plastic lenses, but I will be ordering some glass ones soon...
 
How do I go about finding this Aixiz? I'm pretty new to this board and havn't quite read all the posts. I'm particularly interested in this mod and I've already dissasembled a dvd burner specifically for this... I need to buy a module with optics on it and so far this is the only post that has recommended anyone in particular for purchasing the optics. Anywho, would you say that the smaller diode in a dvd burner is the ir? It has a crystal mounted right on the top so I'm bargaining to say that it is. I also found what looks like to be a photocell. very small much smaller than anything I've seen so far but I'm thinking that if a led can measure the ouput of a laser why woulnd't they put one in a dvd burner for measuring output power to regulate it. If that's the case. One would also surmise that this same unit would then be usable by me as a device for measuring output on the same laser after I have modified it.
I'm presently trying to pull all the "glue" they used to mount it in place to see exactly what it is and I will post a picture of it for everyone to identify.
 
You can get to Aixiz HERE

The optic you are looking for is the 10mw red module, and you will have to remove the module/diode first with a small wooden dowel or similiar.
 
You could - but you would be sorely dissapointed in the quality of the optics, and the heatsinking available on the little store bought reds.....to keep your dvd-laser happy and productively producing massive quantities of photons, you will want good heatsinking, and decent optics to be able to focus it adjustably - on the fly. Hope that makes sense ?
 
it does indeed. Now why is yours plastic optics if you wanted glass? does Aixiz have a module that is glass optics and if so which one?
 
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