laser acting weird

[Changots]

my laser wont turn on so i take off the button fiddle a little with the pot and HEY!!! the thing works again so i hold down the button adjust it as bright as goes then i get all excited slap the button back on and its only hlaf as bright...even if i just touch the pot with the srew driver it goes back to the way it used to be, but turn it off then back on....well you know.

logan

 

[Bengal]

I had that problem once.
the pot is wearing out.
it is a very cheap part.
solution, replace the pot.
try some sources like Digikey or Mouser (mail order)for the surface mount 2k pot
It doesnt have to be exactly the same, just as long as it is the same resistance (a 5k pot will work as well) and the same size.

 

[Changots]

alrighty awsome would that be the cause for my laser spontaneously not working and having to shake it to get it turn back on, most the time not returning to full power?

 

[Changots]

looking at the pot, i dont think there is any way that i'll be able to replace it,unless of course it is much more simple than it appears to be. what about shorting the pot with a resistor could that be a shortcut around replacing the pot?

 

[Bengal]

Yea, surface mount stuff is a bugger if you dont have experience.
pop off the rotating part of the pot,
(to eliminate the chance of other wierd behavior)
then you can connect the center terminal on the side with the single connection to the lower connection of the pot, that is equivelent to turning the pot to max effect.

...............---------------------
.....switch | | O pot | diode|
...............---------------------
..................^ ^center connection
..................|
..................lower connection

(ignore the dots, the forum software deletes excessive spaces it seems)
solder a wire between the two indicated positions

 

[Bengal]

Now i know why no one uses text drawings, it was a pain to get that to line up

 

[The_LED_Museum]

[ QUOTE ]
Bengal said:
Now i know why no one uses text drawings, it was a pain to get that to line up

[/ QUOTE ]
You can use the {code} and {/code} tags (replacing the curly brackets with straight brackets), like this:
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
---------------------
switch | | O pot | diode|
---------------------
^ ^center connection
|
lower connection
</pre><hr />
I replaced the dots with an equal number of spaces.

 

[Changots]

i have no idea what those text diagrams mean...sorry, is there anyway that you guys can show me a real picture?