Posted by John I have conducted a bit of an investigation and I believe that I have determined why some Leadlight pointers are 5mw and 10mw or 15mw optical output (with no change to the current draw) The difference appears to be primarily polarisation differences in the diode orientation. The laser diodes have a polarised output, and frequency doubler assemblies have a polarised input. Changing the rotational position of one or the other will dim or brighten the output beam without increasing the laser diode current. So, how do you make your Leadlight brighter? The diode is held in place on the body by a screw ring. Looking at the assembly from underneath (where the diode is attached to the case body) you see that the brass ring holding it in place has two holes drilled into it. These would be for some sort of tool which grasps these in order to tighten or loosen the ring which in turn keeps the diode in place inside the housing. (I unscrewed it all the way to find some lithium grease to act as heat transfer). Loosening the ring with a jewellers screwdriver by pushing on one of the holes, allows the whole assembly, circuit board and all to rotate. LOOSEN THE BRASS RING BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE ASSEMBLY OR YOU WILL SNAP THE CIRCUIT BOARD RIGHT OFF! Once the ring is loose the board (and the attached diode), turns easily. I hooked up a couple of alligator clips so that I could power the thing while out of its case to find just the right spot. Find the sweet spot by turning it this way or that and that's it! If you wish you can tweak the pot on board. It will supply no more than around 320ma to the diode. No fear of burning it up as itÂ’s limited by the on-board electronics. I also transplanted the whole assembly into a small 2AA flashlight (GP Discovery) Is it BRIGHT!! A solid green beam of light visible at night as far as the eye can see. Much brighter than when I received it as a 10mw unit. Note that you will be opening up yourself to exposure to laser radiation at 532nm, 808nm, and 1064nm. Always protect your eyes when performing a modification like this. Also, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS. This post is for information purposes only. Good luck! John
on 4/19/2004, 6:09 pm
61.88.9.204
A few words on getting the most out of your Leadlight.
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