building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow body

I have finally got some CAD drawings to show you of my laser module holder. This is designed to hold my 660nm 100mW module in a Longbow Micra 2310s flashlight body with a McCapsule holding a MadMax. I have the module running on the MM and it is works very well.

I call my laser Crow-Fire. It is designed to start fires. I love to go camping and thought this would be a fun lighter. I have focused the beam coming out of the laser module to be like any other laser pointer. It is as tight of a beam as is possible when focused at infinity (60ft). To get the beam focused to the smallest possible point at a range of 2ft, I am designing a screw on close focusing scope (CFS). I have bench tested the optics and it is powerful, more on this later. The laser module holder has threads on the front of it so I can screw on the CFS.

This is the module holder with 1/2-13 threads on the front of it.



Here is a mock up of the front of the flashlight bezel with the Crow-Fire machined in brass and a trim ring to cover the CFS threads. The trim ring is anodized to match the flashlight.



I should be machining this part soon. I hope to post some photos of the CNC cutting the parts.

Cheers

Dave

Re: building my laser \"Crow-Fire\"

very pretty. So you're adding on an extension of optics, like a sniper scope, to improve culmination?

Re: building my laser \"Crow-Fire\"

Yea, with the scope on it will have a beam cross section of less than 1mm at about 2ft from the laser. It is very intense at that range. Beyond the 2ft range the beam is divergent and useless.

Re: building my laser \"Crow-Fire\"

dont forget a line generator filter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: building my laser \"Crow-Fire\"

So it's got a certain distance it's focused at. Beyond that does the beam get very wide like a flashlight? That'd be cool to play with too because you wouldn't be blinded by the reflections. Just watch out for passing your hand in front of it!

MOTHS BE AFRAID.. VERY AFRAID! hehhehe /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: building my laser \"Crow-Fire\"

How wide it gets depends on how you set up the optics. On the bench setup I have been playing with the dot is the size of 1in. at about 6 ft in range. So mine is not like a flashlight but it could be with a minor change to the optics.

Cutting the threads on the laser module holder.

The 100mw module is now in the Longbow body.









I will start working on the scope next.

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

very nice

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

Thanks nemul. I will post a pic of the inside later today.


Cheers

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

Cripes! Someone with actual equipment to do some nifty s#it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks, the milling machine is a handy tool.

Here is the inside of the light. It is simple to take apart and convert back to the Longbow LED flashlight.


Here is the large version (1MB).

Oh, gotta go, the wife just walked in with a Darth Vader Slurpee just for me.

Cheers

There is no way I could do this on my own.. Are you planning on selling these?

-tom

Sure, I can make more of these up if there is a demand. Of the extras I have available for sale now, one is nice ($65) and two are prototypes (free). There is only one scope ($45) at this time and it has no optics in it.

I will give away the prototypes, they are not good enough to sell IMO. If you are interested just PM me as another CPFer has already done and we can see what laser module size you have. Any module like the ones in a Leadlight or WL will fit if it is smaller than 0.480" dia.

Please keep in mind that this is designed for a Longbow. It is best to start with the laser module's requirements and work from there.


Cheers

Dave

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

awesome! great pics! scope next? more focus! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

Howmuch did you pay for the laser module?

Krešo

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

My first scope is going to be a single lens that focuses the beam to a very small point at a range of about 45mm. I was originally thinking of a much longer distance but It occurred to me that holding the laser stable with my hand on an object 2 feet away would be imposable. I ordered the optics, they will be in next week.

For more information on the module I used see my old thread. They currently have a 100mw module for sale just like the one I got for $150.

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

I just purchased one of these 100mW 650nm red laser modules. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I'll soon know if it's any good, or if I just sent $158.50 whirling down the {vulgar term for feces}bowl. :toliet:

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

LED_Museum

You will need to wrap the lens threads with Teflon thread tape. It will make the lens tight and keep it in focus after you adjust it.

If your module is like mine it's power will vary when you first turn it on but it will settle down pretty good in a minute or two.

Re: building my 100mw red laser into a Longbow bod

I want to se pictures of the red dot. I have never seen such powerfull red lasers.