First build! Mitsubishi 638 lotsa pics :)

So this has been sitting in my signature for some time now, and i felt like now would be a great time to get this project out into the forums :)

lets start off with some quick stats..

The host was a C6 flashlight host from survival lasers
driver was set to 1.25A
and a Mitsubishi 500mw 638nm laser diode in a copper module from DTR :cool:
the divergence on this thing is horrendous... 4.4mrad!
total price including things like thermal paste and warning label.. $90

i didnt get any pictures of assembly, i slapped this together as best i could about 30 mins before the total solar eclipse started in my area.
i was lucky enough to nail it on my first try despite shaky hands and 3 years of pent up eclipse hype lmao

time for some pics! here we go..





figured i would use a red heatsink for a red laser. the black theme i have going is kinda emo so its nice having a bit of color on my host :beer:


heres the beam shots! i will have to add a picture of my super ghetto fog machine later








nice prism shots, thanks cousin for free prism :cool:




spot at 8 feet



Thanks everyone for the helpful advice for over a year now, its been fun and i cant wait to build me some more lasers (once i get hired thanks)

things ive learned from this:

- keep your cool, dont rush it. i slapped this together in under 10 mins because pressure from eclipse hype
- go over the steps by assembling the host a few times. during my frenzy trying to put this together, i had to resolder things multiple times which isnt fun when your hands are shaking like nuts

tell me if i missed anything!

thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed :)


Cheers! :beer:

edit: how do i write on the warning label? even sharpie just wipes right off... idk what to do