LED_ASAP
Enlightened
I saw a small laser pointer in a dollar store---something like this one:
As a long-time "mod-holic", I can't resist taking this one home and turning it into a LS flashlight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
To make things as small as possible, I decided to keep the original 3 LR44 buttom cell as the power source and set up a direct drive.
The gut was pushed out after I carefully heated the upper-half of the pointer. The laser diode was removed. The metal-plated plastic holder is planned to host the LS.
The battery tube is shortened by more than a half---right about where the push buttom switch is. The switching mechanism is implimented by having the cap press the LS lead onto the conductive part of the casing. Simply tighten the bezel to turn the light on.
Here is the completed light beside a N-cell for size comparison. The bezel is bored short to accomodate a half-acrylic ball lens.
This light is powered by 3 LR44 buttom cells that came with the pointer. The brightness is very good---compare it against an Arc AAA:
This is one level under exposure.
This one is two levels under exposure:
The initial current is over 130mA. Certainly the 3 tiny LR44s will not sustain this current level for long. But a DD light will maintain a gradually reduced brightness for a long time. It should be a very useful keychain light.
As a long-time "mod-holic", I can't resist taking this one home and turning it into a LS flashlight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
To make things as small as possible, I decided to keep the original 3 LR44 buttom cell as the power source and set up a direct drive.
The gut was pushed out after I carefully heated the upper-half of the pointer. The laser diode was removed. The metal-plated plastic holder is planned to host the LS.
The battery tube is shortened by more than a half---right about where the push buttom switch is. The switching mechanism is implimented by having the cap press the LS lead onto the conductive part of the casing. Simply tighten the bezel to turn the light on.
Here is the completed light beside a N-cell for size comparison. The bezel is bored short to accomodate a half-acrylic ball lens.
This light is powered by 3 LR44 buttom cells that came with the pointer. The brightness is very good---compare it against an Arc AAA:
This is one level under exposure.
This one is two levels under exposure:
The initial current is over 130mA. Certainly the 3 tiny LR44s will not sustain this current level for long. But a DD light will maintain a gradually reduced brightness for a long time. It should be a very useful keychain light.
