Instruction
In the first step, you need to remove the laser diode from the DVD. This is a long and painstaking process. When you open the DVD, you can easily find a carriage that moves along two rails. Unscrew the carriage carefully. You will have a lot of screws on the way, you need to remove them without haste, since the laser diode does not tolerate shaking and bumps. When you remove it from the carriage body, hold it gently and gently.
The second stage is the replacement of its native diode in the laser pointer with the one removed from the drive. This is necessary to make the laser more powerful. The fact is that inside the pointer there is little powerful laser ny diode, while in DVD the laser is a class higher. The laser pointer can be unwound into two parts. The diode is installed at the top. You need to get the native diode and emitter. After that, you need to install the diode from the DVD into the case of the upper part. It is best to put it on an adhesive base.
In the third step, you need to place the improved pointer top into a flashlight with a suitable housing. The upper part of the flashlight will serve as a replacement for the diffuser removed from the pointer. The power of the diode must be connected to the batteries of the flashlight, so you will power the laser. The glass from the flashlight must be removed as it will get in the way of the laser beam.
Check the strength of the laser installation, the polarity and connections of the power supply, the presence of batteries and the tightness of the fastening of the parts of the flashlight. Now everything is ready and your laser can light a match, burn polyethylene or paper.
Related article
Sources:
- how to make a laser with your own hands
A real powerful laser capable of burning and cutting various surfaces- this is not a fantasy and not an expensive device, but a device that you can create at home with little skill in working with tools.
You will need
- a piece from a box from a CD,
- fluorescent dye for textiles,
- leds,
- acetone,
- laser pointer,
- GP batteries.
Instruction
Pour acetone into a transparent clean container and, breaking it into pieces, place it in acetone. Wait for dissolution, then drain the acetone and fill with new acetone. Stir the mass and again drain the acetone. Pour the plastic with fresh acetone until it is completely free of impurities.
Pour the acetone from the container with the dissolved plastic and pour the filtered dye into the plastic. Stir the plastic, pour off the dye, and then prepare and filter a new one to refill the plastic. Leave the dissolved plastic in the dye for a few days. After a few days, when the plastic is dark red and clear, drain the liquid and pour in fresh dye.
For plastic, prepare a shape in which it will acquire cylindrical shape 4 mm in diameter and 5 cm long. Pour the dye into the mold, rinse it and drain the dye. Then pour the dye again and pour the dyed plastic into the mold. Pour the dye over the plastic again and cover the surface of the mold so that the acetone does not evaporate from the dye. Do not touch the mold for a week, and then add pure acetone, replacing the dye with it. Carefully place the open mold in freezer.
After three days, when the plastic dries, break the mold and clean the plastic from it. Correct irregularities on the surface of the plastic part with a piece soaked in acetone and pressed against the plastic part. Place the part on a flat metal surface, smearing it with glue Moment. Install a pointer on one of the ends of the part, the laser of which should shine through your tube.
Prepare powerful LEDs with a wavelength of 485 NM in ten pieces of 4 watts each. Place above plastic part, placing them in a row along its surface, and build the circuit so that you first light the laser pointer, and then the diodes light up.
The resulting laser will have a power of 20-30 watts.
Related videos
Surely, as a child, you played super spies, who always have the best weapons and secret developments that make it easy to complete the task. Those kids grew up, but the dream of headphones that let you hear what's going on at the other end of the house, glasses that help you see through walls, and a laser that cuts everything in its path has remained. Let's try to build a laser with my own hands.
You will need
- 1. Flashlight.
- 2. Laser pointer.
- 3. Writer CD or DVD-drive.
- 4. Screwdriver.
- 5. Wires.
- 6. Resistors.
- 7. Batteries.
Instruction
Get an old CD or DVD burner. The most powerful drives from Sony and LG, the weakest - from Samsung. You can take a broken drive. The most important thing is that the cause of the breakdown was not in the laser. Such drives can be found in a landfill. Used devices are also available on the market or in stores selling used equipment. Maybe one of your friends has such a drive.
Carefully disassemble the drive. Try not to shake it. The laser actuator is a fragile device. You will see a carriage, which allows you to write to disk. Carefully unscrew the carriage on which they are attached. Please note that the drive housing and carriage are attached with a large number of screws. Be patient.
Never connect a laser diode directly to a power source. So it burns out quickly. Use resistors, the resistance of which can only be selected empirically.
The laser pointer can be inserted into the housing from the flashlight, thus selecting the desired power of the battery. Be sure to remove from the flashlight, as it will be an obstacle in the way laser beam.
Related videos
note
You should immediately warn. The laser is dangerous. Never point it at clothes or people. Be especially careful not to get the laser beam into your eyes. Use safety goggles when making this laser. If you make a laser with an additional lens for focusing, remember: the thinner the laser beam, the stronger its power and the higher the temperature.
For a number of years, lasers have been very popular. Making a laser at home is quite realistic. It is only necessary to have some skills in working with a soldering iron and to distinguish "+" from "-" when installing the circuit.
Instruction
If you want to get a powerful laser, with radiation of the order of 200 mW, then find a suitable DVD with a working laser head installed on it. Determine what kind of glow you want to have, red or blue-violet. Select the beam of the flashlight with the appropriate glow along the wavelength, which varies from 380 nm to 800 nm, by viewing the characteristics of various emitters. Weak radiation can be obtained by extracting the same, but from a CD drive. Both drives must be writing. You will also receive weak radiation from some kind of barcode scanner,.
The design of the drive can be very different. Carefully deal with it in order to unscrew a few screws without any problems. The laser unit is mounted on a guide carriage, which you can easily remove after removing the fasteners. After that, remove the DVD optical element from the block, having previously “seated” all the leads on the foil, or carefully wrapped it with a thin wire, thereby eliminating static. Decide on each of the 3 conclusions:
- 1 power output "+";
- 2 output power "-";
- 3 output is not used.
The power supply of the laser diode is 3 volts. Use two "AA" batteries. You can take an ordinary crown for power, then assemble an additional voltage regulator circuit. This option gives you a longer-term use of your laser. Find a 10pF capacitor and a 100uF/16V polar.
Then, using the reference book, select a stabilizer corresponding to a voltage of 3 V, for example, KR1158EN3V. In addition, select a suitable housing and microswitch.
Start the whole assembly process by soldering the capacitance to the leads of the laser diode, remove the protective foil and solder the polar capacitor, taking into account the polarity. KREN-ka has three conclusions:
- 1 stabilized power supply + 3v;
- 2 common;
- 3 input voltage.
Again, strictly considering the polarity of the stabilizer and the laser diode, desolder this part. Now solder the microswitch into the break in the power circuit and the circuit you have assembled. Check assembled circuit and try turning it on.
Carefully pack the resulting product and place it in the body of the prepared flashlight, after removing the glass from the flashlight. You can also make a laser yourself without disassembling the drive, but wandering around the shops and picking up the necessary (or ordering) laser unit.
The primary light source of a laser pointer is a laser LED. It generates a beam with a wavelength of about 808 nm, which passes through the lens, then enters the crystal, which is based on oxides of neodymium, yttrium, vanadium. In the crystal, light rays are converted into waves with a wavelength of 1064 nm. Further, the flow acquires a wavelength of 532-670 nm. After passing through an infrared filter, the flux is collected into a beam by means of a lens.
Instruction
To make a laser pointer, take a disused DVD writer. If you have a choice, then give preference to a drive with a higher speed, because it is equipped with a more powerful one. Prepare the remains of the cheapest children's laser pointer, its optical part. For the same purpose, you can use the simplest flashlight. Buy a 100 microfarad - 16 volt capacitor and a 10 picofarad ceramic disk capacitor, a microcircuit, a voltage regulator KR 1158 EN 3V.
In every house there is an old worn-out technique. Someone throws it in a landfill, and some craftsmen try to use it for some homemade inventions. So the old laser pointer can be put to good use - it is possible to make a laser cutter with your own hands.
To make a real laser from a harmless trinket, you need to prepare the following items:
- laser pointer;
- flashlight with rechargeable batteries;
- old, maybe not a working CD / DVD-RW writer. The main thing is that he has a drive with a working laser;
- a set of screwdrivers and a soldering iron. It is better to use a branded cutter, but in the absence of a regular one, it may also work.
Making a laser cutter
First you need to remove the laser cutter from the drive. This work is not difficult, but you will have to be patient and pay maximum attention. Since it contains a large number of wires, they have the same structure. When choosing a drive, it is important to consider the presence of a writing option, since it is in this model that a laser can make recordings. Recording is done by evaporating a thin layer of metal from the disc itself. In the case when the laser works for reading, it is used at half strength, highlighting the disk.
When dismantling the top fasteners, you can find a carriage with a laser located in it, which is able to move in two directions. It should be carefully removed by unscrewing, there are a large number of detachable devices and screws that are important to carefully remove. For further work, a red diode is needed, with which the burning is carried out. To remove it, you will need a soldering iron, and you also need to carefully remove the fasteners. It is important to note that an indispensable part for the manufacture of a laser cutter cannot be shaken and dropped, therefore, it is recommended to be careful when removing the laser diode.
How will it be extracted main element future laser model, you need to carefully weigh everything and figure out where to place it and how to connect power to it, since a writing laser diode needs much more current than a diode from a laser pointer, and in this case you can use several methods.
Next, the diode in the pointer is replaced. To create a powerful laser pointer, the native diode must be removed, in its place it is necessary to install a similar one from the CD / DVD-RW drive. The pointer is disassembled in sequence. It must be untwisted and divided into two parts, on top is the part that needs to be replaced. The old diode is removed and the required diode is installed in its place, which can be fixed with glue. There are cases when it can be difficult to remove the old diode, in this situation you can use a knife and shake the pointer a little.
The next step will be the manufacture of a new case. So that the future laser can be conveniently used, connect power to it and to give it an impressive look, you can use the flashlight case. The converted upper part of the laser pointer is installed into a flashlight and power is supplied to it from rechargeable batteries, which is connected to the diode. It is important not to reverse the polarity of the power supply. Before assembling the flashlight, the glass and parts of the pointer must be removed, as it will not conduct the direct path of the laser beam well.
The last step is preparation for use. Before connecting, it is necessary to check the strength of the laser fixing, the correct connection of the polarity of the wires and whether the laser is level.
After completing these simple steps, the laser cutter is ready for use. Such a laser can be used to burn through paper, polyethylene, to ignite matches. The scope can be extensive, everything will depend on the imagination.
Additional points
You can make a more powerful laser. For its manufacture you will need:
- DVD-RW drive, can be in non-working condition;
- capacitors 100 pF and 100 mF;
- resistor 2-5 ohm;
- three rechargeable batteries;
- wires with a soldering iron;
- collimator;
- steel LED flashlight.
This is the uncomplicated kit that comes with the assembly of the driver, which, using the board, will bring the laser cutter to the required power. The current source cannot be connected directly to the diode, as it will instantly deteriorate. It is also important to consider that the laser diode must be powered by current, not voltage.
The collimator is a housing equipped with a lens, thanks to which all the rays converge into one narrow beam. Such devices are purchased at radio parts stores. They are convenient in that they already have a place for installing a laser diode, and as for the cost, it is quite small, only 200-500 rubles.
You can, of course, use a case from a pointer, but it will be difficult to attach a laser in it. These models are made from plastic material, which will cause the case to heat up and not cool enough.
The manufacturing principle is similar to the previous one, since in this case a laser diode from a DVD-RW drive is also used.
During manufacture, antistatic wrist straps must be used.
This is necessary to remove static from the laser diode, it is very sensitive. In the absence of bracelets, you can get by with improvised means - you can wind a thin wire around the diode. Next comes the driver.
Before assembling the entire device, the operation of the driver is checked. In this case, it is necessary to connect a non-working or second diode and measure the strength of the supplied current with a multimeter. Given the speed of the current, it is important to select its strength according to the norms. For many models, a current of 300-350 mA is applicable, and for faster ones, 500 mA can be used, but a completely different driver must be used for this.
Of course, such a laser can be assembled by any non-professional technician, but still for beauty and convenience similar device it is most reasonable to build in a more aesthetic case, and which one to use can be chosen for every taste. It will be most practical to assemble it in the case of an LED flashlight, since its dimensions are compact, only 10x4 cm. But still, you do not need to carry such a device in your pocket, as the relevant authorities may make claims. Such a device is best stored in a special case to avoid dusting the lens.
It is important not to forget that the device is a kind of weapon that should be used with caution and should not be directed at animals and people, as it is very dangerous and can be harmful to health, the most dangerous is the direction in the eyes. It is dangerous to give such devices to children.
The laser can be equipped different devices, and then a fairly powerful sight for weapons, both pneumatic and firearms, will come out of a harmless toy.
Here are some simple tips for making a laser cutter. Having slightly improved this design, it is possible to make cutters for cutting acrylic material, plywood and plastic, and to engrave.
Sometimes you can make something really incredible and useful from unnecessary things stored at home. Do you have an old DVD-RW (writer) drive lying around at home? We will show you how to make a powerful laser at home by borrowing elements from it.
Safety
The device we end up with is not a harmless toy! Before you make a laser, take care of your safety: hitting the beam in the eyes is detrimental to the retina, especially if the invention is powerful. Therefore, we advise you to carry out all work in special protective glasses that will save your eyesight if something goes wrong and you accidentally direct the laser beam into your eyes or a friend.
When using the laser in the future, remember these simple safety precautions:
- Do not aim the laser beam at flammable or explosive objects.
- Do not shine on reflective surfaces (glasses, mirrors).
- Even a laser beam fired from a distance of up to 100 m poses a danger to the human and animal retinas.
Working with the laser module
The main thing we need is a burner. Note that the higher the write speed, the more powerful our DVD laser will be. It goes without saying that after removing the laser module, the equipment will become inoperative, so disassemble only such a device that you no longer need.
And now we start:
The first part of our work is over. Let's move on to the next important step.
Assembling the device circuit
We need a circuit in order to control the power of our device. Otherwise, it will simply burn out on the first use. You will see the drawing for the laser below.
For our device, hanging mounting is quite suitable. And now let's move on to providing power to a do-it-yourself laser.
Device power supply
At a minimum, we will need 3.7 V. Old batteries from mobile phones, penlight batteries. It is only necessary to connect them in parallel with each other. To check the operation of the device or a stationary laser pointer, a stabilization power supply is suitable.
At this stage, you can already test the operation of the device. Point it at the wall, floor and turn on the power. You should see a bunch of bright reddish color. In the dark, it looks like a powerful infrared flashlight.
You can see that while the glow is far from the laser: the beam is too wide; he asks to be focused. This is what we will do next.
Lens for focusing the laser beam
To adjust the focal length, you can get by with a lens borrowed from the same DVD-RW drive.
Now reconnect the power to the device, directing its light to any surface through this lens. Happened? Then let's move on to final stage work - the placement of all elements in a rigid case.
Case manufacturing
Many, advising how to make a laser, say that the easiest way is to place the module in a case from a small flashlight or a Chinese laser pointer. Where, by the way, there is already a lens. But let's analyze the situation, if neither one nor the other was at hand.
Alternatively, put the elements in aluminum profile. It is easily sawn with a hacksaw, modeled with pliers. You can also add a small finger battery here. How to do this, the photo below will guide you.
Be sure to insulate all contacts. The next step is fixing the lens in the housing. It is easiest to mount it on plasticine - so you can adjust the most successful position. In some cases, a better effect is achieved if you turn the lens towards the laser diode with the convex side.
Turn on the laser and adjust the beam clarity. Once you are satisfied with the results, lock the lens into the housing. Then close it entirely, for example, tightly wrapping it with electrical tape.
How to make a laser: an alternative way
We will offer you another, somewhat different way to make a homemade powerful laser. You will need the following:
- DVD-RW drive with a recording speed of 16x or more.
- Three finger batteries.
- Capacitors 100 mF and 100 pF.
- Resistor from 2 to 5 ohms.
- Wires.
- Soldering iron.
- Laser pointer (or any other collimator - this is the name of the module with a lens).
- LED steel lantern.
Now let's see how to make a laser using this method:
- Remove the laser module located in the device carriage from the drive in the way already described. Remember to protect it from static electricity by wrapping the outputs with thin wire or wearing an antistatic wrist strap.
- According to the above scheme, solder the driver - the board that will bring our homemade product to the desired power. Pay great attention to polarity so as not to damage the sensitive laser diode.
- In this step, we will test the performance of the newly built driver. If the laser module is from a model with a speed of 16x, then a current of 300-350 mA is enough for it. If higher (up to 22x), then stop at 500mA.
- After you have verified that the driver is suitable, it must be placed in the case. It can be either a base from a Chinese laser pointer with a lens already mounted, or a more suitable housing from an LED flashlight.
Laser testing
And here is what you were interested in how to make a laser for. Let's move on to practical testing of the device. In no case do it at home - only on the street, away from fire and explosive objects, buildings, dead wood, heaps of garbage, etc. For experiments, we need paper, plastic, the same electrical tape, plywood.
So let's start:
- Place a sheet of paper on asphalt, stone, brick. Aim an already well-focused laser beam at it. You will see that after a while the leaf will begin to smoke, and then it will completely light up.
- Now let's move on to plastic - it will also begin to smoke from exposure to a laser beam. We do not recommend conducting such experiments for a long time: combustion products this material very toxic.
- Most interesting experience- with plywood, flat plank. A focused laser can burn a certain inscription, drawing on it.
Home laser is definitely fine work and whimsical invention. Therefore, it is quite possible that your craft will soon fail, as certain storage and operating conditions are important for it, which cannot be provided at home. The most powerful lasers, which can easily cut metal, can only be obtained in specialized laboratories; naturally, they are not available to amateurs. However, a conventional device is also very dangerous - directed from a long distance into the eyes of a person or animal, close to a flammable object.
When in household there is a need to cut a metal sheet, then you can’t do without a laser cutter, assembled with your own hands.
The second life of simple things
Home master always will find application even those things that have fallen into disrepair. So, an old laser pointer can find a second life and turn into a laser cutter. In order to bring this idea to life, you will need:
- Laser pointer.
- Flashlight.
- Batteries (it is better to take rechargeable batteries).
- A CD/DVD-RW writer with a drive with a working laser.
- Soldering iron.
- Screwdrivers in a set.
Work begins with removing the laser cutter from the drive. This is a painstaking work that requires maximum attention. When removing the top fasteners, you can stumble upon a carriage with a built-in laser. It can move in two directions. The carriage must be removed with particular care, all detachable devices and screws are carefully removed. Next, you need to remove the red diode that burns. This work can be done with a soldering iron. It should be noted that this important detail requires more attention. It is not recommended to shake or drop it.
To increase the power of the laser cutter in the prepared pointer, it is necessary to replace the "native" diode with the one removed from the recorder.
The pointer should be disassembled consistently and carefully. It unrolls and splits into pieces. The part that needs to be replaced is located at the top. If it is difficult to remove it, then you can help yourself with a knife, slightly shaking the pointer. A new one is installed in place of the "native" diode. You can fix it with glue.
The next stage of work is the construction of a new building. This is where an old flashlight comes in handy. Thanks to him, it will be convenient to use the new laser, connect it to the power supply. The improved end part of the pointer is installed in the flashlight body. Then power is connected to the diode from the batteries. When connecting, it is very important to set the polarity correctly. Before assembling the flashlight, you need to remove the glass and the remaining parts of the pointer so that nothing interferes with the direct path of the laser beam.
Before using the assembled unit with your own hands, it is necessary to check once again whether the laser is firmly fixed and evenly installed, whether the polarity of the wires is connected correctly.
If everything is done correctly, the unit can be used. It will be difficult to work on metal, since the device has little power, but it is quite possible to burn through paper, polyethylene or something similar.
Back to index
advanced model
Can be made more powerful homemade laser cutter. For work you need to prepare:
- CD/DVD-RW recorder (non-working model may be used).
- Resistors 2-5 Ohm.
- Batteries.
- Capacitors 100 pF and 100 mF.
- The wire.
- Soldering iron.
- collimator.
- LED flashlight in a steel case.
A driver is assembled from these components, which will provide the cutter with the necessary power through the board. It should be remembered that the current source is not directly connected to the diode. Otherwise, he will fall into complete disrepair. You can connect power only through the ballast resistor.
The body with the lens acts as a collimator. It is she who will collect the rays into a single beam. This part can be purchased from a specialized store. The detail is good in that it provides a socket for mounting a laser diode.
This laser is manufactured in the same way as the previous model. During work, it is necessary to use antistatic bracelets that allow you to remove static voltage from the laser diode. If it is not possible to purchase such bracelets, a thin wire can be used, which must be wound around the diode. Then you can proceed to build the driver.
Is it possible, and how to make a laser at home, with your own hands? Which of the male population, no matter whether boys or adults, has not once dreamed of assembling his own personal "laser sword", like the heroes of the "Jedi" in the movies? Remember laser pointers, which have gone out of fashion for a long time, their power, of course, can hardly impress anyone. But this, of course, does not mean that they cannot serve you in the end. Of course, a real, laser sword will not work out of them, but a laser of some power may well work out. In order to make a laser at home You will need the following items and tools:
- laser pointer
- soldering iron, wires
- a DVD drive with a working laser (it’s easy to buy a cheap broken DVD on the market if you can’t find one at home)
- flashlight (small, with two AA batteries)
Many people are aware of the possibilities of laser technologies and their benefits. They are used not only in industry, but also in cosmetology, medicine, everyday life, art and other areas of human life. However, not everyone knows how to make a laser at home. But it can be built from improvised materials. To do this, you will need a non-working DVD drive, a lighter or a flashlight.
Before at home, you need to collect all the necessary elements. First of all, you need to disassemble the DVD drive. To do this, all the screws that hold the top and bottom covers of the device are unscrewed. Next, the main cable is disconnected and the board is unscrewed. Protection of diodes and optics must be cracked. The next step is to remove the diode, for which pliers are usually used. In order for static electricity not to damage the diode, its legs must be tied with wire. Remove the diode carefully so as not to break the legs.
Next, before making a laser at home, you need to make a driver for the laser, which is represented by a small circuit that regulates the power of the diode. The fact is that if the power is set incorrectly, then the diode can quickly fail. As a power source, you can use finger batteries or a battery from a mobile phone.
Before you make a laser at home, you need to take into account the fact that the burning effect is provided by optics. If not, then the laser will just shine. As optics, you can use a special lens from the same drive from which the diode was taken. To correctly set the focus, you must use a laser pointer.
In order to build a regular pocket laser, you can use an ordinary lighter. However, before you make a laser from a lighter, you need to know the construction technology. It is best to purchase a quality incendiary element. It needs to be disassembled, but the parts should not be thrown away, as they will still be useful in the design. If there is gas left in the lighter, it must be released. Then the insides must be machined with a drill with special nozzles. Inside the body of the lighter there is a diode from the drive, several resistors, a switch and a battery. All elements of the lighter must be installed in their places, after which the button that used to light the flame will turn on the laser.
However, for the construction of the device, you can use not only a lighter, but also a flashlight. Before you can make a laser from a flashlight, you need to take the laser block from the CD drive. In principle, the structure of a homemade laser in a flashlight does not differ from the laser device in a lighter. It is only necessary to take into account the power supply, which almost never exceeds 3 V, and it is also desirable to build an additional voltage regulator. It will increase the life It is very important to consider the polarity of the diode and the stabilizer.
All the assembled filling must be placed in the body of the disassembled flashlight. Previously, not only is extracted from the flashlight inner part but also glass. After installing the laser unit, the glass is installed in place.
Who among teenagers and most adults, male, does not dream of building their own laser sword? Laser pointers have long gone out of fashion, their power is hardly capable of impressing anyone. However, this does not mean that they will not serve you in the end. A laser sword will not come out of them, but a quite powerful laser will turn out.
Instruction
To make a laser at home, you will need a laser pointer, a DVD drive with a working laser, a flashlight, wires and a soldering iron. You can buy a broken DVD at the radio market, if there is none on the farm.
In the first step, you need to remove the laser diode from the DVD. This is a long and painstaking process. When you open the DVD, you can easily find a carriage that moves along two rails. Unscrew the carriage carefully. You will have a lot of screws on the way, you need to remove them without haste, since the laser diode does not tolerate shaking and bumps. When you remove it from the carriage body, hold it gently and gently.
The second stage is the replacement of its native diode in the laser pointer with the one removed from the drive. This is necessary to make the laser more powerful. The fact is that inside the pointer there is a low-power laser diode, while in DVD the laser is a class higher. The laser pointer can be unwound into two parts. The diode is installed at the top. You need to get the native diode and emitter. After that, you need to install the diode from the DVD into the case of the upper part. It is best to put it on an adhesive base.
laser cutter handmade, useful in every home.
Of course, homemade device will not be able to gain the great power that production apparatuses have, but still some benefit in everyday life can be obtained from it.
The most interesting thing is that you can make a laser cutter using old unnecessary items.
For example, make your own laser device allow the use of an old laser pointer.
In order for the process of creating the cutter to progress as quickly as possible, it is necessary to prepare the following items and tools:
- laser type pointer;
- rechargeable flashlight;
- an old CD / DVD-RW writer, possibly out of order - you will need a drive with a laser from it;
- soldering iron and a set of screwdrivers.
The process of making a cutter with your own hands begins with disassembling the drive, from where you need to get the device.
Extraction must be done as carefully as possible, while you will have to be patient and be careful. The device has many different wires with almost the same structure.
When choosing a DVD drive, you need to consider that it is a writer, since it is this option that allows you to make recordings using a laser.
Recording is done by evaporating a thin metal layer from the disc.
In the process of reading, the laser functions at half its technical capacity, lightly illuminating the disc.
In the process of dismantling the upper fastener, the eye will fall on the carriage with the laser, which can move in several directions.
The carriage must be carefully removed, carefully remove the connectors and screws.
Then you can move on to removing the red diode, due to which the disk is burned - this can be easily done with your own hands using an electric soldering iron. The extracted element should not be shaken, let alone dropped.
After the main part of the future cutter is on the surface, you need to make a carefully thought-out plan for assembling a laser cutter.
At the same time, it is necessary to take into account following points: how best to place the diode, how to connect it to a power source, because the writing device diode requires more electricity than the main element of the pointer.
This issue can be resolved in several ways.
To make a hand cutter with more or less high power, you need to get the diode in the pointer, and then change it to the element extracted from.
Therefore, the laser pointer is disassembled as carefully as the DVD burner drive.
The object is untwisted, then its body is divided into two halves. Immediately on the surface you can see the part that needs to be replaced with your own hands.
To do this, the native diode from the pointer is removed and carefully replaced with a more powerful one; its secure fastening can be done using glue.
It may not be possible to immediately remove the old diode element, so you can carefully pick it up with the tip of a knife, then gently shake the body of the pointer.
At the next stage of manufacturing a laser cutter, you need to make a case for it.
For this purpose, a flashlight with rechargeable batteries is useful, which will allow the laser cutter to receive power supply, acquire an aesthetic appearance, and ease of use.
To do this, it is necessary to introduce a modified upper part of the former pointer into the body of the flashlight with your own hands.
Then you need to connect charging to the diode, using the battery located in the flashlight. It is very important to accurately establish the polarity during the connection process.
Before the flashlight is assembled, it is necessary to remove the glass and other unnecessary elements of the pointer, which can interfere with the laser beam.
At the final stage, the laser cutter is prepared for use.
For a comfortable self made all stages of work on the device must be strictly observed.
To this end, it is necessary to check the reliability of fixation of all embedded elements, the correct polarity and evenness of the laser installation.
So, if all the assembly conditions outlined above in the article have been exactly observed, the cutter is ready for use.
But since a home-made hand-held device is endowed with low power, it is unlikely that a full-fledged laser cutter for metal will turn out of it.
What a cutter will ideally be able to do is make holes in paper or plastic wrap.
But it is impossible to direct a laser device made by oneself at a person, here its power will be enough to harm the health of the body.
How can I amplify a homemade laser?
To make a more powerful laser cutter for metal work with your own hands, you need to use devices from the following list:
- DVD-RW drive, it doesn't matter if it's working or not;
- 100 pF and mF - capacitors;
- 2-5 ohm resistor;
- 3 pcs. rechargeable batteries;
- soldering iron, wires;
- collimator;
- steel lantern on LED elements.
The assembly of a laser cutter for manual work occurs according to the following scheme.
With the use of these devices, the driver is assembled, and subsequently, through the board, it will be able to provide a certain power to the laser cutter.
In this case, in no case should the power supply be connected directly to the diode, as the diode will burn out. You also need to take into account that the diode should not be powered by voltage, but by current.
A body equipped with an optical lens is used as a collimator, due to which rays will accumulate.
This part is easy to find in a special store, the main thing is that it has a groove for installing a laser diode. Price this device small, approximately $3-7.
By the way, the laser is assembled in the same way as the cutter model discussed above.
A wire can also be used as an antistatic product; a diode is wrapped around it. After that, you can proceed to the layout of the driver device.
Before proceeding to complete manual assembly laser cutter, you need to check the performance of the driver.
The current strength is measured using a multimeter, for this they take the remaining diode and take measurements with their own hands.
Taking into account the speed of the current, select its power for the laser cutter. For example, in some versions of laser devices, the current strength can be 300-350 mA.
For other, more intensive models, it is 500 mA, provided that another driver device is used.
To make a home-made laser look more aesthetically pleasing and convenient to use, it needs a case, which can be used as a steel flashlight that operates on LEDs.
As a rule, the mentioned device is endowed with compact dimensions that allow it to fit in a pocket. But in order to avoid contamination of the lens, you need to purchase or sew a case with your own hands in advance.
Features of production laser cutters
Not everyone can afford the price of a production-type laser cutter for metal.
Such equipment is used for processing and cutting metal materials.
The principle of operation of a laser cutter is based on the generation of powerful radiation by a tool, endowed with the property of vaporizing or blowing out a metal molten layer.
This production technology, when working with different types metal is able to provide a high quality cut.
The depth of material processing depends on the type of laser machine and the characteristics of the processed materials.
Today, three types of lasers are used: solid-state, fiber and gas.
The device of solid-state emitters is based on the use of specific types of glass or crystals as a working medium.
Here, as an example, low-cost installations operated on semiconductor lasers can be cited.
Fiber - their active medium functions through the use of optical fibers.
This type of device is a modification of solid-state emitters, but according to experts, the fiber laser is successfully replacing its counterparts in the field of metalworking.
At the same time, optical fibers are the basis of not only the cutter, but also the engraving machine.
Gas - the working environment of the laser device combines carbon dioxide, nitrogen and helium gases.
Since the efficiency of the emitters under consideration is not higher than 20%, they are used for cutting and welding polymer, rubber and glass materials, as well as metal with a high degree of thermal conductivity.
Here, as an example, you can take a metal cutter manufactured by Hans, the use of a laser device allows you to cut copper, brass and aluminum, in this case, the minimum power of the machines only outperforms its counterparts.
Drive operation diagram
Only a desktop laser can be operated from a drive; this type of device is a portal-console machine.
The laser unit can move along the guide rails of the device both vertically and horizontally.
As an alternative to the portal device, a flatbed model of the mechanism was made, its cutter moves only horizontally.
Other existing options laser machines have a desktop equipped with a drive mechanism and endowed with the ability to move in different planes.
On this moment There are two options for controlling the drive mechanism.
The first provides movement of the workpiece due to the operation of the table drive, or the movement of the cutter is performed due to the operation of the laser.
The second option involves the simultaneous movement of the table and cutter.
At the same time, the first management model is considered to be much simpler in comparison with the second option. But the second model is still distinguished by high performance.
A common technical characteristic of the considered cases is the need to introduce a CNC unit into the device, but then the price for assembling a device for manual work will become higher.
HELLO DIMONOVTS!!!
Today, I will tell YOU how to make a powerful laser pointer at home.
To do this, we need 17 things:
1- faulty (dead) DVD drive, speed 16-22X (the higher the speed, the more powerful the laser in it is)
PRICE-50-300R
2- cheap Chinese flashlight (for 3 batteries)
PRICE-50R
3- cheap laser pointer "double-barreled" (laser pointer + LED flashlight)
[ 
PRICE-50R
4- soldering iron, power 40W (W), voltage 220V (V) with a thin tip.
5 - fusible solder (type POS60-POS61), pine rosin.
6 - a piece of one-sided fiberglass with dimensions of 35X10mm
7- ferric chloride (sold in radio stores) price-80-100R
8- tool (tweezers, magnifying glass, small screwdrivers, pliers, long nose pliers, etc.)
9- here are the terminal petals
(sold in any electrical store) cost from 10-35R
10 tube of super glue
11- alcohol (can be found in a pharmacy)
12 laser printer
13 - page of any glossy magazine(necessarily glossy, smooth. You can also use photo paper)
14- electric iron (we take at home. Mom, sister, grandmother, wife, until they see)
15- radio components (you can get some from the dead drive itself, in particular the Schottky diode, resistors, capacitors)
list of parts and their rating (ALL PARTS SMD, i.e. surface mount (save space))
chip LM2621
R1 needs to be selected .. the current on the Laser diode depends on it. I have 78kΩ current 250-300mA NO MORE!!! otherwise it will burn!
R2 150kOhm
R3 150kΩ
R4 500 Ohm
C1 0.1uF ceramic, e.g. K10-17
C2 100uF 6.3V any
C3 33uF 6.3V, preferably tantalum.
C4 33pF ceramic, e.g. K10-17
C5 0.1uF ceramic, e.g. K10-17
VD1 any 3 ampere. For example
1N5821, 30BQ060, 31DQ10, MBRS340T3, SB360, SK34A, SR360
L1 on the photo you can see how it looks .. and so, 15 turns on a suitable ring or ferrite frame. You can disassemble either a computer power supply or an energy-saving light bulb, or a charger for a mobile phone, including a car charger for a mobile phone.
All this is not so important, the microcircuit will set everything as it should.
