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"Glowtorch" like 660nw 100+mw w/pics and vid

T

Tropmonky

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Jul 4, 2007
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Hello all, I know a bunch of you are waiting for your laser to still arrive, here is a taste of what you are going to get.  Please remember I got a partly broken one and I'm not personally worried about things like paint and finish.  I'm a person that likes function over form. I cleaned the area that was glued from the factory and took some thickness off the brass ring to give more threads a chance to hold on.

The specs are just ripped from the topic you can find here:
http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1181654314/0

1.  Wavelength :660nm
 2.  Output Power : <200mW   (most from 1st batch underspec, my guess 150-160mw)  
 3.  Operation Voltage : 6.0VDC
 4.  Operation Current : <320mA
 5.  Constant on/off push button switch in tailcap

a Pic album can be seen here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tropmonky/660nm100Mw

Vid of it torching matches coming in a little bit after it uploads...


This thing can light matches many feet away with ease.  Very powerful and smokes any dark surface almost instantly.  The construction around the laser diode is very solid feeling and has a focusable lens.  The tube of the battery holder has a pushbutton on/off switch on the end.  Overall very powerful laser for the price.  Now I need to figure out how to mount this beast in my LaserSaber.
Kyle-
 





Fascinating!! That looks SWEET! Can't wait to get mine now ;D

Thanx;
DDL
 
Those pictures are SWEET! Oh the fun you can do with a CD and a laser!
 
the beam looks pink, is that the case? chicks will dig it for sure
 
I can't wait to get mine. How about trying to light a safety match or two, non sharpied.. :)
 
yew.sir-name said:
the beam looks pink, is that the case? chicks will dig it for sure
Click to expand...

No, its not really pink. It is a true red color. For some reason many cameras see to se it as a more pinkish color than it really is. Mot quite sure why... :-?
 
yew.sir-name said:
the beam looks pink, is that the case? chicks will dig it for sure
Click to expand...


no, it's a 660nm, it's just really strong so it appears brighter pink/white in some cases to the camera.

The video is with my camera, so the low light quality is kinda poor. I may shoot some more pics and vids this eve with it. Not sure yet, if I do I will of course share!

K-
 
Tropmonky, Thanks for the Pictures and Great Video. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Makes me want to get my hands on mine. [smiley=laugh.gif]

Stan
 
Got mine today! One of the "broken" ones.  :)

I unsoldered the contact washer, thinned it out on my belt sander and re-soldered it.  Works like a charm!
Here is a pic of the brass contact ring before thinning.


On two partially depleted CR123 cells (no load voltage approx 2.85V) I got a current reading of 207mA.  Assuming voltage sags to about 2.75V at that load (just a swag), the power being supplied is about 1.14W.

Here's one observation.  There's anodizing on the body where the switch threads in.  That anodizing should be removed to improve the electrical path from the switch through the body.  The should have masked that prior to anodizing.  It's only type II so it's not very hard to remove.  


One question - what is the proper focusing method? There are two slotted rings at the aperture. The outer one seems to change the focus point.


Paul
 
I did some voltage and current readings.  

The module draws 208mA down from 6V until about 4.15V.  At that point the current continues to drop as it falls out of regulation.

So that means at least 380mW ((6-4.15)x208) is being dissipated by the driver with fresh batteries.

If we assume the circuit is about 90% efficient just where it drops out of regulation, that would mean the LD would get about 780mW of electrical power (4.15x208x0.9).  

Anyone know the electrical to optical ballpark efficiency of red LDs at this drive level?

Tailcap shroud (to prevent accidental turn-on)


Aperture cover.  Heatshrink, wine cork, green plastic, arcrylic rod.  The green plastic greatly attenuates the output and the arcrylic further diffuses the output. That way, you can still see if it has been left turned on.



I got curious.  The brass module is 14mm wide (OD) and about 47mm long. The white stuff is silicone.


Regarding the power drop due to the anodizing - it is possible. All it had to do is add about 9 ohms of resistance for the driver to drop out of regulation.

Paul
 
Not sure about efficiency, but it is good to know it seems to be well regulated. Thanks for all the pics and measurements. I am not so sure the anodizing is going to create any resistance. With all the surface contact of the threads, I sort of doubt it, but I could be wrong. Nevertheless, your pics are making me want mine more and more :)
 
Gazoo, anodizing is a very good insulator. Small nicks will allow current to pass, but the resistance of a conductor is proportional to its cross-section. (at least at low frequencies - at high frequencies you get a "skin effect").

Gazoo said:
Not sure about efficiency, but it is good to know it seems to be well regulated. Thanks for all the pics and measurements. I am not so sure the anodizing is going to create any resistance. With all the surface contact of the threads, I sort of doubt it, but I could be wrong. Nevertheless, your pics are making me want mine more and more :)
Click to expand...
 
Gazoo said:
So how does one go about removing the anodizing?
Click to expand...

Dremel w/ a wire brush. Dental pick (careful not to damage the threads). (I used this method)

Drain cleaner (softens/dissolves anodizing). Do a search on CPF for removing anodizing - there's some good threads there.

Paul
 
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