The Shop > Tools
Anybody build Dan Gelbart angled laser centre finder?
BaronJ:
--- Quote from: PekkaNF on April 12, 2015, 09:28:35 AM ---mine definitely has a lens on it and it does have an effect. I think it has regulator in it, I was measuring current and it lights when voltage is over about 2,4V and at 3.00V it draws 19,6 mA. From 2,7 to 3 V current decreases lineary. So...I think it is close to 1mW "laser power" 10% or so?. Electrically it looks good, but I either need to get smaller unit or have a way to adjust it optically.
I should rig it onto something and spin it to see how does it work on garage environment (lighting etc...). maybe I need to get lower power unit.
Pekka
--- End quote ---
Hi Peter,
The current should not decrease as you said from 2.7 to 3 V ! Exactly the opposite should happen. You need to prevent the diode from taking too much current by using a series resistor. If as you say it already has a regulator built in then you can only adjust the voltage to alter the brightness.
Though I suspect that 20 ma current draw could be a problem. I can't actually get at mine to measure the current, but since the batteries are rated at only a few milliamperes, I would guess at less than a quarter of yours.
I would set it up at about 4 to 6 inches from a surface and examine the dot. I would say anything around a couple of millimetres in diameter is going to be fine. Now spin it in the chuck and see how much it wobbles from the centre line. This will give you an idea of how much thicker the line produced will appear to become when in use.
PekkaNF:
From what I have read laser diode is very pricess form of LED and can't be trated as such.
Lucily we have well regulated (I hope) laser modules. As said before input current will drop when input voltage is raised.
I did register the comment on neural density filter, probably I have some with my old Cokin filter system. I'm not there yet.
I tested this 5mW laser module briefly with two LR44 cells briefly and it did lit. Maybe bigger sels would be in order, but before cutting too much metal I want to see what effect has:
' Brighness, Probably too dim as well as too bright might be a problem
' Dot size has some bearing, but probably more the shape it hits
' not sure how importat is dot shape
' cone angle is probably inportant
Before getting too workked out with all these variables, I'd like to check which are priority and which has consequence.
Pekka
Arbalist:
You could make the angle adjustable but apparently 9° works well.
PekkaNF:
Thanks. I'll try first around 10 decrees or so. Is there any magic on 9 decrees? Sort of new 6?
Pekka
Arbalist:
Can't find the post now but I believe someone mounted theirs at 10° but with some small adjustment and found 9° to be best.
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