# Tmack customs



## Tmack

Hey guys. Just opening my own thread to post some of my custom builds. Give me a shout if you like something. These are just some of my personal builds, and builds I've done for cpf friends


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## Tmack

Zasers host. 












Hitting the clouds. 




Zasers. One of my all time favorite for performance and aesthetics.





MS-ENVY 2.6W 445nm 
Great host with tripod mount and innovative heatsinking.













Glow powder and epoxy. Turned out sick! 
MS-SSW 2.9w 445nm. An all-star of custom hosts. Just a monster!





Maglite head 




Readout from a customers 1.7w Tmag. That is some very good stability, and a fantastic runtime. This laser did a 8 minute run, without getting hot. 




Little topless picture. Just a peek! 





C11, Zasers, Maglite beauties.

.








120mw 532nm in a sipik b68





C8 with an extended focus adapter.





Rebuilt wicked laser EVO. M140 1.7w pen!! Momentary side button.





Matching set of MS-V3





King if the maglite. Voltage monitor led. Key switch in the tail cap. Super long runtime!






The cypress. 100% copper host with a interchangeable module design I co-designed.





Grenade host. 2x18650


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## ven

WOW amazing stuff:twothumbs they certainly kick a55 astonishing the green laser pic

Once i have read up a little more on them i may want a laser,just need to be so careful and kept well away from the kids.So will need to think on everything ,very impressed Tmack,top work:twothumbs


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## bshanahan14rulz

That black Zaser looks classy! And that maglite is a beast ^_^

Awesome builds, TMack!


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## TEEJ

I had no idea your talents included these mods. Very nice!

Do you machine the body/heads yourself?


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## nfetterly

Subscribed earlier today. Will keep an eye on this, some interest.


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## PoliceScannerMan

Lasers are awesome. I got rid of mine when I had kids though lol


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## caddylover

that black zaser looks familiar  If anyone needs a second opinion, I can vouch for tmack. I now own the black zaser in the pics, it works great and burns through paper at nearly 10 feet away!!!


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## GhostReaction

I thought the purple one is cool but now that black is off the scale! I m saving up funds, slowly but surely.


caddylover said:


> that black zaser looks familiar  If anyone needs a second opinion, I can vouch for tmack. I now own the black zaser in the pics, it works great and burns through paper at nearly 10 feet away!!!


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## Tmack

TEEJ said:


> I had no idea your talents included these mods. Very nice!
> 
> Do you machine the body/heads yourself?



I wish I could take credit for machining these, but no.  I have a couple very skilled machinist turning my hosts and heatsinks. 

I'm on the soldering iron with the shades B)


Thanks caddylover. I'm happy you're happy. The list of cpf members with my lasers is growing.


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## Tmack

Around 100mw





500, 300 1000mw





Diffraction fun!











I promised my neighbors I'm not an alien. From what comes out of my windows, I don't think they believe me 





All shots are with 3 lasers and diffraction film.


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## Tmack

My edc  
That's blade, light, signal/ fire starter.

Knife and light rotate, but the laser stays in the cycle. 
2.6w MS-Envy.


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## TEEJ

I have no lasers that burn stuff, more like point at stuff. 

What kind of cutting can a souped up pocket laser DO?


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## Tmack

Cutting? You can just about drop a laser in front of electrical tape and cut it haha. 

Will cut a cd case nicely. Making a hole in about a second, you can slowly move the dot and cut it. 

Anything dark and thin it will make short work of. 

Imagine what you can do with a very strong magnifying glass on a super sunny day, just from much further away. 

Scorch your name in a piece of wood from 5-10ft. Ignite materials in seconds. It's pretty amazing. I've accidentally lit many thing on fire testing the beams from across the room 

That laser above I keep in my pocket daily. 2.6w is capable of everything I stated. 

I smoke, and I rarely grab a lighter on my way out


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Cutting? You can just about drop a laser in front of electrical tape and cut it haha.
> 
> Will cut a cd case nicely. Making a hole in about a second, you can slowly move the dot and cut it.
> 
> Anything dark and thin it will make short work of.
> 
> Imagine what you can do with a very strong magnifying glass on a super sunny day, just from much further away.
> 
> Scorch your name in a piece of wood from 5-10ft. Ignite materials in seconds. It's pretty amazing. I've accidentally lit many thing on fire testing the beams
> 
> That laser above I keep in my pocket daily. 2.6w is capable of everything I stated.
> 
> I smoke, and I rarely grab a lighter on my way out





Uh oh.

My inner aspie is telling me I need to explore this.



So, what's the most powerful pocket laser set up?


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## Tmack

9mm blue in a host that's capable of handling the heat. There are small hosts, but your runtime suffers. 
That ms envy is the perfect pocket size with extreme power. It's about 6" long and 1" wide. Takes 2x 18350. 
Beautiful beam, and the entire body is the heatsink. A very smart design. I personally love the performance of this host.


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## Tmack

If you have respect for sheer power, you do need to explore a high power laser. I use /build them every day, and I'm still blown away when I see a beam hit the clouds, or scorch a box 15ft away.


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## Tmack




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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> If you have respect for sheer power, you do need to explore a high power laser. I use /build them every day, and I'm still blown away when I see a beam hit the clouds, or scorch a box 15ft away.




Massive respect.

Tell me about them.


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## Tmack

You have different wavelength that hit the visual spectrum. The brightest lasers fall in the middle around 550nm which is in the green range. So a green 532nm is the brightest per strength. Now brightness and power are totally different. A 445nm is blue and further from the middle of the spectrum, so it's not as bright as a 532nm of the same strength. But, 445nm can be built in the thousands of mw, making it the best for burning. 
The 445nm diode is also what's called a mutimode diode. Meaning it's output is from a series of lines producing the photons. This results in a rectangular beam that will diverge, or expand faster than a single mode diode ( round tight dot). All this means, the greens are for distance, and the blues are for extreme power, and mid range. 
The 405nm (violet) being even further from the middle of the spectrum, is even dimmer, but it does burn well, while keeping a nice round dot because of its single mode characteristics. However this diode can only be had at 1000mw (1w) so the 3000mw(3w) 445nm (blue) still reigns supreme for sheer power. 
On the other end of the spectrum is 638m(light red). This is further away from 532nm making it not as bright, and it's a multimode diode, giving it the rectangular dot, and this wavelength has a very poor divergence. 
The most common wavelength is definitely the 445nm in the custom world. It's beautiful beam, is massively bright and stretches into the sky like a huge light saber, and at a range of about 15ft it capable of serous burning. 
It's also capable of serous damage to your eyes if not careful. 
I could go on forever here lol. 
This is just the tip of the iceberg. But anything you'd like to know I'll be happy to answer to the best of my ability


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## Tmack

While burning is a cool feature about these, the real beauty is in the beam. At the right power, the beam is so defined, and bright. It's just astonishing the beauty of a pure wavelength that is piercing the sky. The color and brilliance is stunning. 
I guarantee your jaw will drop the first time you click on a real laser and see the beam in a fully lit room.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> While burning is a cool feature about these, the real beauty is in the beam. At the right power, the beam is so defined, and bright. It's just astonishing the beauty of a pure wavelength that is piercing the sky. The color and brilliance is stunning.
> I guarantee your jaw will drop the first time you click on a real laser and see the beam in a fully lit room.



I believe you. If the beam hits a window, can it reflect back and blind you, etc?

and

What do these things COST?

:sweat:


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## Tmack

A window will bounce back a percentage of the beam that could potentially do damage yes. You learn to be very careful with your surroundings. 
You definitely need to give them the proper respect. Eye protection is highly recommended for up close use. But just viewing the beam, or star pointing, just be aware of dangerous practices, and you'll save those eyes.


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## Tmack

A fully built maglite with the best lens possible is $350 for a 3w maglite build. 

An envy is about 300 ready to go. 



I can build some flashlight host for a bit cheaper, but the performance suffers.

Fully custom hosts like a anodized zaser of course will cost more.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> A window will bounce back a percentage of the beam that could potentially do damage yes. You learn to be very careful with your surroundings.
> You definitely need to give them the proper respect. Eye protection is highly recommended for up close use. But just viewing the beam, or star pointing, just be aware of dangerous practices, and you'll save those eyes.



I figured. I do a lot of work with other wavelengths (UV, etc) so I have a lot of respect for eye damage, and am pretty much paranoid about my environment when operating things that can ricochet in general.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> A fully built maglite with the best lens possible is $350 for a 3w maglite build.
> 
> A custom host can run more or less depending on host price.
> The ms envy is about $300 ready to go.
> 
> I can build some flashlight host for a bit cheaper, but the performance suffers.
> 
> Fully custom hosts like a anodized zaser of course will cost more.



A pocket sized version, with function as priority one, rather than form....I suppose like your MS Envy, would be about the least expensive w/o compromising performance?


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## Tmack

Yes sir. The ms envy has exceptional performance.. 
Most small hosts just have the heatsink in the head. The envy uses the entire host as a huge heatsink. Very thick sidewall for great runtime. I can get almost the same runtime as a MUCH larger host.


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## TEEJ

Hmmm, you sold me on the 445 nm wavelength and the envy....

Yours is 2.6 watt....is there a reason it could not be 3 watt or 5 watt, etc? What are the limiting factors? (Cells/amp draw? Heat dissipation?) HOW powerful can that go? (In that host)

How much of a difference would there be between say 2.6 w and 3.0 w in use?


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## Tmack

It can go 3.5w but that's effecting the diode life at 2.5a 
I drive mine at 2.4a for around 3w depending on diode efficiency (some are better than others) the ms envy I have now is driven at 2.2a and I'm getting 2.6w which is the best of all world's. You will not notice a couple hundred mw at that power. 
The best setup is a 9mm diode at 2.4a. Tons of power, without sacrificing the life of the diode, or the runtime. 
3min is a long time to run a high power laser, and the envy does that fine. A laser us not like a flashlight. If it's hot, your running it too long. I recommend 2-3 min on a envy or until it's too warm. A host that size normally only a min is recommended, but the envy is that good.


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## Tmack

I can make it 6w with the new $500 9mm diode. But that would be a very short runtime, and a bunch of cash


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> It can go 3.5w but that's effecting the diode life at 2.5a
> 
> I drive mine at 2.4a for around 3w depending on diode efficiency (some are better than others)
> 
> the ms envy I have now is driven at 2.2a and I'm getting 2.6w which is the best of all world's.
> 
> You will not notice a couple hundred mw at that power.
> 
> The best setup is a 9mm diode at 2.4a. Tons of power, without sacrificing the life of the diode, or the runtime.
> 
> 3min is a long time to run a high power laser, and the envy does that fine. A laser us not like a flashlight. If it's hot, your running it too long. I recommend 2-3 min on a envy or until it's too warm. A host that size normally only a min is recommended.





Digesting and processing....

OK, so it sounds so far as though I want an ms envy with 2.4 amp/3 w and 9mm diode at 445 nm, with roughly 2-3 min max run time, heat limited.

When the diode life is impacted at say 2.5 amps/3.5 w, is it significant, or is it like LED where its dropping from 30 years of use to 15 years of use?






----------------------------------------------------




Tmack said:


> I can make it 6w with the new $500 9mm diode. But that would be a very short runtime, and a bunch of cash







PS - ~$500 MORE or, ~ $500 vs ~ $300? 


I assume the runtime is limited due to the doubling of heat produced....


Can these things have MODES? (Hi/Low etc?)


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## Tmack

Going to 3.5w first of all isn't guaranteed at 2.5a. Like I was saying, some diodes are just more efficient than others. So pushing that hard may not benefit, only hurt it. 
The driver is also getting hotter faster. 
The life span is also effected by the amount you use it, the length of each individual runtime, the randomness of the diode. Some just last longer. So I can't say definitively, but it is definitely more harm then good to overdrive like that. 

I wish I had the hard numbers to give you, but because of all the variables, I just can't say. 
I will tell you, if you had two lasers next to each other, one at 2.5a, and one at 2.2-2.4a, you would wonder why anyone would overdrive the diode, for such an insignificant gain. 
They burn just as well/far, and go the same distance. Blue= midrange laser.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Going to 3.5w first of all isn't guaranteed at 2.5a. Like I was saying, some diodes are just more efficient than others. So pushing that hard may not benefit, only hurt it.
> The driver is also getting hotter faster.
> The life span is also effected by the amount you use it, the length of each individual runtime, the randomness of the diode. Some just last longer. So I can't say definitively, but it is definitely more harm then good to overdrive like that.
> 
> I wish I had the hard numbers to give you, but because of all the variables, I just can't say.
> I will tell you, if you had two lasers next to each other, one at 2.5a, and one at 2.2-2.4a, you would wonder why anyone would overdrive the diode, for such an insignificant gain.
> They burn just as well/far, and go the same distance. Blue= midrange laser.



OK, I just needed to know what the trade offs were, being a laser newb.

I can't think of a single practical use for this thing, but, I'm drawn like a moth to a flame.



As you are NOT a newb, I'd follow your advice for the 2.4 am/3 w version as a good idea.


Modes possible?


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## Tmack

No modes possible. Sorry. The drivers I use are specifically made for lasers, with soft start functions. They are the absolute best driver for this application. If they don't offer modes, I'm no driver expert to argue  

Just the one mode is what I prefer. I don't want to assume it's safer being on a low mode and do something I usually wouldn't. 
Diodes are extremely sensitive, so 1 mode may be attributed to that. I know of 1 builder who uses cheap led drivers with modes, and I don't agree with many of his build qualities. I go to every extreme ( sometime overkill) to make sure the diodes live a long happy life


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## Tmack

Oh and it would be more than $500 more as that's Just the diode cost! Insane!


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## TEEJ

That's fine. Just seeing if it could actually be used to POINT at things too, WITHOUT fulmination. (So far, clouds should be OK)




As for $500+ MORE, I guess the 3 w diodes are cheap in comparison, as their cost is not subtracted as a difference to upgrade to 6 w.

Maybe after I'm addicted to 3 w I'll need a 6 w fix...but, for now, a gateway laser should be good.


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## Tmack

Your not joking. A few of the guys I've built for are now full fledged laser addicts!


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Your not joking. A few of the guys I've built for are now full fledged laser addicts!



LOL, so its NOTHING like flashlights then?




PS - Does the TSA care about these things in luggage on flights, etc? (I assume a carry on is verboten, but, in a checked bag with no cells in it?)

Anything I need to know, legal-wise?


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## Tmack

I'm not sure about that. I've had guys fly with them. Of course no battery inside. But I don't want to misinform you. I know customs like to confiscate them when shipping to a country with regulations, but as far as flying with one, I'm not sure. I had a friend say he travels with his by plane, but I'm not sure of laws on that.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I'm not sure about that. I've had guys fly with them. Of course no battery inside. But I don't want to misinform you. I know customs like to confiscate them when shipping to a country with regulations, but as far as flying with one, I'm not sure. I had a friend say he travels with his by plane, but I'm not sure of laws on that.



I'm going to be flying to AZ in May, and, well, I WILL be looking across the Grand Canyon, and, well, it occurs to me that that would be a potentially sweet spot to have this puppy at.

:devil:


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## Tmack

I wouldn't think there would be a problem. I've had laser buddies fly international with their lasers. Just don't keep the cells in or with it. 
It's a flashlight battery tube...... Right?.......

It would be amazing location. 

The blues will go a couple miles before they diverge. 
A green would be cool. They go about as far as you can see! ( but nowhere near the power)

I have 1 half watt green for distance, but about 6 blues. They are by far my favorite wavelength.


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## TEEJ

Hook me up Bro.


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## Tmack

Parts will be on the way tomorrow.  

Consider your cherry popped. ( and every balloon you come across from now on  )


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Parts will be on the way tomorrow.
> 
> Consider your cherry popped. ( and every balloon you come across from now on  )



I've stained your balance sheets with laser cherry popped photons.

Where's that cig?


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## Tmack

Let me light that for you.

My balance sheets always need staining.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Let me light that for you.





LOL

Such a gentleman.

And we did it with the light on too.


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## Tmack

Haha. I'll keep you fully updated on parts arrival, completion, and exact power reading.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Haha. I'll keep you fully updated on parts arrival, completion, and exact power reading.



Thanks!


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## Mike9028

Wow Tmack AWESOME STUFF!!!

Sent you a PM


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> Your not joking. A few of the guys I've built for are now full fledged laser addicts!



I've been pretty good so far. But, I feel a green one calling my name soon


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## Tmack

You have been good...... Don't fight it man.  
Cough pocket burner cough green cough


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## caddylover

haha, we'll see. gotta pay off the Vinh lights next month first


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## will manners

TEEJ said:


> I'm going to be flying to AZ in May, and, well, I WILL be looking across the Grand Canyon, and, well, it occurs to me that that would be a potentially sweet spot to have this puppy at.



Many members at LPF have traveled with lasers in their carry-on (of course without batteries) but I would highly suggest putting them in your other luggage, better safe than sorry. Anything suspicious is much more likely to be confiscated if it's in your carry-on. 

And to those that are interested in starting out in the laser hobby, beware, it will be just as addicting a hobby as flashlights and your wallet will hate you for it :devil: what Tmack has mentioned being possible is really just the tip of the iceberg


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## Craig K

Tmack would these type of lasers ship to Australia or would they get stopped by customs?


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## Tmack

They would get stopped usually. Most companies declare them flashlight, so they get through. 

But Australia has the most strick laser importation laws in the world


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## metalhead69

Very nice Tmack! I will have to do some reading on lasers.


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## TEEJ

So, as green (532 nm) is the brightest, for use AS a pointer, that would make the most sense it seems.

What's your killer app for a green pointer?

:devil:

(Pen sized)


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## Tmack

I can do a 200mw green module, in a variety of different hosts/ pens.


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## Tmack

Keep in mind the picture of the green laser in the first post is 100mw. 

These modules come from China, so the production is longer. Still very high quality. I have a special dealer in China I will only buy from him.

While the blues will diverge in a mile or so, the greens will hit anything you can see.

They just came out with a direct green diode at 1w!!! That's incredible bright. Also $700 just for the diode.


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## TEEJ

Sweet.

So, $700+ is over budget by more than I can rationalize for this function...

How high (mw) can you go in green for use as a long range pointer, w/o the spot setting stuff on fire, say, more than 5' away? (~ 6' away WON'T catch fire, etc...not for burning, for POINTING)

IE: If I need to point at a spot on a structure (Building, bridges, etc...) to show where something needs to be done, in broad daylight, and the box store pointers can't do it so far (Can't see the spots in broad daylight at long ranges), what would you recommend to fix that?


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## Tmack

I can do a green just like the sipik b68 in the first post. At 150mw in broad daylight, I guarantee you'll see the spot. I've shone mine in downtown Baltimore to buildings on the horizon all the way up, and the dot is very visible in noon sun. . My coworkers were astonished! And these will only sting the skin, and light a match. No fire starting. Check out that sipik in post 1. I would just have to order the module from China, but it will absolutely meet your requirements.


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## TEEJ

Sipik -

Performance-wise = perfect

Form factor-wise, too big.

Wicked Laser Pen = correct form factor 

Is that sipik performance available in pen size? (Doesn't have to be THAT pen, but, that form factor?)


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## Tmack

I have a 50mw pen right now that is perfectly visible in the daytime in a regular pen host. 
It's my personal pen, but it could get more use with you.

If your talking about the wicked laser pen in the thread, it's bigger than the sipik.


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## Tmack

The little guy in the middle. Very nice 532nm pen. Plenty bright and visible in daytime.


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## Tmack

I got word my machinist has a few c11 hosts left. These are one of the best flashlight host out there. 2x18350, very large heatsink, and the side clicker. I can run alot of power in these guys, and they are the perfect size. 

They all come with very nice custom focus adapters as well. 
I've sold one to a cpf member, and he's very happy with it.


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## TEEJ

Hmmm, must be the perspective? The pen looked smaller...oh well.

Is 50 mw what the mislabeled 5 mw pens are at?


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## Tmack

Green? If your very lucky you could get one that strong. 

I'd have to see the one you have to take a guess.


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## TEEJ

I wouldn't know what I have, no testing.

:thinking:


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## Tmack

Does it tingle the back of your hand? After 30 seconds?


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## Tmack

When I get home, it'd very sunny and I'll take a picture of the dot in the sunlight. See if it's better.


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## TEEJ

LOL

I PM'd you.


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## Arilou

Tmack said:


> I got word my machinist has a few c11 hosts left. These are one of the best flashlight host out there. 2x18350, very large heatsink, and the side clicker. I can run alot of power in these guys, and they are the perfect size.
> 
> They all come with very nice custom focus adapters as well.
> I've sold one to a cpf member, and he's very happy with it.



I bought that one.  The top is a little bulky, but the heatsink works great. It barely gets warm.

The only issue I've had with it is that there seems to be an intermittent electrical connection somewhere inside. I've had it not turn on. I unscrewed the top, and then put it back together, and it started working again, so I'm not sure what might be loose.

BTW, even with the adjustable focusing lens, it is very hard to hit clouds and see the spot. Most clouds are farther than you'd think.


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## Tmack

Those have a double spring as you probably noticed. One for the button, and one to hit the battery. If it's giving you problems, I'll gladly take a look into repairing it.


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## Tmack

And your right. Hitting the clouds takes big power and low clouds 
Good divergence helps


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## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Those have a double spring as you probably noticed. One for the button, and one to hit the battery. If it's giving you problems, I'll gladly take a look into repairing it.



Yeah, the springs look fine though, not bent or anything. It could just be a tiny bit of oxidation, I'm not sure.


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## hikingman

Tmack said:


> I got word my machinist has a few c11 hosts left. These are one of the best flashlight host out there. 2x18350, very large heatsink, and the side clicker. I can run alot of power in these guys, and they are the perfect size.
> 
> They all come with very nice custom focus adapters as well.
> I've sold one to a cpf member, and he's very happy with it.





Tmack said:


> I can do a 200mw green module, in a variety of different hosts/ pens.



Just curious, just as with TEEJ, I'd be interested in powerful green (mostly pointing) laser. Is that host shown here and 200mw a good combo? 2 x 18350? How about 1 18650? Obviously a bit out of my relm here How much?

Dave


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## Tmack

The green does run off 1 cell. 
This host can't accommodate a green module due to the side button design. 

I can do a similar host with a smaller head. 

Pm incoming


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## TEEJ

In case anyone doesn't know already, Tmack is DA MAN!

He is also probably single handedly addicting me to yet another aspect of this damn hobby....a real pleasure to deal with!




:bow::bow::bow:


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## CUL8R

Tmack said:


> The green does run off 1 cell.
> This host can't accommodate a green module due to the side button design.
> 
> I can do a similar host with a smaller head.
> 
> Pm incoming



This sounds like something I could start with. Would you PM me info also. Battery type, life, host (any pictures?), power (200mw, or ?)


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## TEEJ

T - your PM's are full.


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## Tmack

Cleared. 
Thanks.


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## TEEJ

Just cleared mine, had to, you filled it.

:nana:


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## Tmack

And you mine 
Just remember it takes 2x18350.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> And you mine
> Just remember it takes 2x18350.



Wait, which one, and, what takes the cells positive to the tail?

:thinking:


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## Tmack

The ms envy takes two 18350 with the positive to the tail. 

I'll send it with a drawing to make sure.


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## Tmack

Remember we said it's opposite of a flashlight. 

Most other lasers are like a flashlight, but the driver I used was setup this way. It's all up to what drivers are used. 

Again. MS Envy 
2x18350 with negative towards the light, positive to the tailcap.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> The ms envy takes two 18350 with the positive to the tail.
> 
> I'll send it with a drawing to make sure.



LOL

A drawing might be overkill, I just wanted to make sure I didn't mix your stuff up and do something meant for one, in another, etc.

Negs to the head, pos to the tail, two 18350 IMR button tops...for the ms envy

Is it the same for both lasers?


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## Tmack

In this case they are oriented the same. But the pen is 1x 10440. 

I got shipping confirmation from China this morning on the diode. Consider that one as a gift. The module was almost as much as you gave me haha. But I'm happy to do it. You've been a pleasure to work with.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> In this case they are oriented the same. But the pen is 1x 10440.
> 
> I got shipping confirmation from China this morning on the diode. Consider that one as a gift. The module was almost as much as you gave me haha. But I'm happy to do it. You've been a pleasure to work with.



:kiss:


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## Tmack

Here's another type of Tmack custom  

Have a little work to go, but she's turning out pretty good for my first knife.


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## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Here's another type of Tmack custom
> 
> Have a little work to go, but she's turning out pretty good for my first knife.




I would never have thought to make the handle from bacon, but, now that I see it, its probably perfect for a survival knife.....


But why is that wee tike kneeling on the floor there....


----------



## Tmack

Don't insult the California burl.  oh and it's not stained yet...... ****!


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Don't insult the California burl.  oh and it's not stained yet...... ****!



:mecry:

I LIKED the bacon idea....

...and I'm NOT sure **** Stained would be better.


----------



## Tmack

Sure it wood. (rim shot)


----------



## Tmack

I may do a small run of maglite lasers very soon. 
Would anyone be interested?


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Sure it wood. (rim shot)



**** stained from rim shots....

Right there in front of the baby...sigh. What IS this world coming to....


:sick2:



We can think about mags after I mentally erase horror of the rim shot **** stains off your bacon knife....


----------



## Tmack

Bacon knives, burning lasers, and portable suns for flashlights............ I'm good with it.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Bacon knives, burning lasers, and portable suns for flashlights............ I'm good with it.



VERY good actually.


----------



## Tmack

So anyone interested in a small run of maglite lasers? 
I can get a 1 of each color host that are available immediately. 

1 red
1black
1grey
1blue


----------



## flyback

I am thinking SO hard about one of those maglite lasers, I really am. I'm completely new to lasers though and I just have this fear of accidently bouncing it off of something and blinding a busload of nuns!


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Totally understandable. 
But don't let being over cautious, stop you from getting something, that with the proper safety precautions, can be one if the most amazing things you can own..... Imo  
I promise any laser first timer, when you experience a high power blue laser, you will be absolutely stunned at the power and beauty of it. The beam is gorgeous, and the power is just amazing. 

I had one guy really almost back out because of safety reasons. But he's is SO HAPPY he decided to go ahead with it. And so am I. I love seeing people's reactions to these high power lasers. It's one of the big reasons I love building them.


----------



## TEEJ

Its like anything else that has safety protocols....you don't look into your flashlight lenses when on, you take care of lithium ions, you wear safety glasses that protect you from the range of wavelengths that might be bouncing around.

If there are reflective surfaces, treat it like a gun, and don't shoot unless no one is in line with your shot, or, where a ricochet might go, etc. 

If its really powerful, close-up, don't aim it at anything you don't want to burn...as in, these are probably not great for playing with your cat....unless its been ticking you off a lot lately, etc.

If the nuns are in a bus with closed windows, in all likelihood, you won't blind them....and, really, just in case, nuns don't have much to look at anyway.


----------



## slow2go

I would be. Red or Blue
Let me know.

Ordered Blue........PP sent



Tmack said:


> So anyone interested in a small run of maglite lasers?
> I can get a 1 of each color host that are available immediately.
> 
> 1 red
> 1black
> 1grey
> 1blue


----------



## Tmack

This will ignite materials right through a window. 

I light my friends cigarettes from inside the restaurant  

It'll also burn electrical tape in a glass of water through the glass


----------



## Tmack

slow2go said:


> I would be. Red or Blue
> Let me know.



$350 for a complete. 
I can do either color host. Your call.


----------



## will manners

flyback said:


> I am thinking SO hard about one of those maglite lasers, I really am. I'm completely new to lasers though and I just have this fear of accidently bouncing it off of something and blinding a busload of nuns!



About the safety it is just like anything else that requires absolute attention and concentration while using it. If you treat it as a gun you'll make sure that where you're pointing it is safe to do so. Always wear goggles when viewing the dot closer than 25m. 

That being said, don't think twice. Tmack is a great guy and he'll take care of any of your requests or queries. High powered blue lasers are absolutely amazing and you will NOT regret it. Every time I show them to friends and family they are just awe struck, showing off your toys is half the fun of owning it


----------



## Tmack

Thanks for the input and kind words  
I hope people can see its just a matter of being careful and common sense. 


Blue maglite is spoken for! 
4 left!

1 black 
1 red
1 dark grey 
1 silver

PS. I hear geniuses pick blue on blue  (check the last picture of post 1, my personal extended custom heatsink maglite, with voltage monitor lol I went all out on mine! )


----------



## Tmack

I don't know how many times people from far away have stopped and we have had long conversations about my lasers. If you have your laser and someone sees it they WILL stop to talk to you, and you Will Look like a mad man haha. In one night if walking to the store, I'll be stopped by almost every person that sees it shine in the air. It's definitely not a common thing for people to see outside a science fiction movie. Light a cigarette in front of a crowd of people, and watch them gather around. Those who own one know exactly what I'm talking about


----------



## Mike Sloan

> A fully built maglite with the best lens possible is $350 for a 3w maglite build.



I bought one of Tmacks Mag builds. It came in at over 3 watts of blue awesomeness!!!!! I was testing the focus against a wall 15 feet from me when I started smelling something....yep, burned a nice hole in the drywall! Can easily pop balloons at 20 feet. Have illuminated water towers at 2 miles. It's hard to describe how amazing it is. 
The Mag host is perfect running (2) 26650's in series. Never even gets warm. The quality of parts and "fit and finish" are flawless

Thanks Tmack....will be buying more...
Mike


----------



## Tmack

Thanks so much mike. I appreciate the support very much. You got a very strong diode. 







How about these! 

I've been wanting to build a Nintendo gun for years.


----------



## Tmack

Have 8 of these ready to be shipped to me if there's any interested. 
They would look like the middle one . Very nice host. 

Still 
1 black
1red
1 grey
1 silver 

Maglite hosts too.


----------



## kxhonda

I'm very interested in one of these. Ive been wanting to get into some lasers but have had a pretty hard time sifting through all the bad information out there. You've explained everything so well and it seems like a custom one is the way to go.

A few questions for you:
Do the C11 hosts pictured above fit the same 2.6 watt 445nm blue diode as the Maglites?
The C11 takes 2x18350 correct?
You said the Maglite will accept 32650's?
And ultimately which one would you recommend with cost not being a factor.

Thanks, Eric


----------



## Tmack

I ultimately recommend the maglite. It's heatsinking and ability to very efficiently heatsink the driver makes it run much longer, and have the ability to run more power. 
The side click is forward, so it can be used as Momentary as well. It's just perfection for a high power Blue laser. 

The c11 benefits it is the size. Heatsink is smaller, the driver is much less heatsinked and of course all ghat means shorter runtime and a more aggressive power loss. It's just pocketable. The button is also reverse click, so no Momentary. But yes same power initially, but after 1min it will have far less. 

The cost is $300 for a c11
$350 for maglite v2 

Imo the maglite is the ideal host. 

And 32650 in the maglite if you can charge them. 

I usually offer the 26650 x2 sleeve for customers because more chargers accept them. 
If you have a charger to fit 32650, they are much better batteries for longevity. 

Member jayrob usually has some for sale, along with recommendations for a big charger.  

All maglite are focusing and requires the positive side of the batteries to go towards the HEAD. Improper battery instalation will kill the diode.


----------



## Tmack

With high power blue lasers, custom is the only way to go. They are twice as powerful as anything offered, and in a host like a maglite, the performance in heatsinking is better too. My drivers in my high power version are extensively heatsinked for even longer runtime and longevity of the diode. 
Those who are running high current, and not heatsinking the driver, are building inferior lasers. And I know of companies that do this, not just builders.


----------



## Tmack

Here's a reading of a very efficient diode. The customer was fortunate  

Most diodes fall in the 2.8-3.3w at the 2.4a setting. This turned out to be a strong one 

Ignore the safety glasses on the table. It's really an optical illusion, and they are actually on my face


----------



## CUL8R

But how about the envy? I know its smaller, but is it's heatsinking capable of making it run near the maglite? If I remember correctly you said it should run about $300 also? I'm still undecided, but am leaning towards the envy as my first real laser (but I'll still want a green for distance too).


----------



## Tmack

Near, yes. The max on a envy is about 3 min. The maglite are 3-5min. 

Even though the envy is a nice host, I have 1 left. It is custom machined and has a few imperfections in the finish 

The c11 will go about 2min and is pocket able, but for these very high powered diodes, Maglite are ideal. 

I personally highly recommend getting a maglite while they last. 
There are 4 left. 
But if the size is an issue, the c11 is very nice. 2min easy. You will find, there is no reason to run the laser longer than a min or two. 

But if your not worried about some imperfections, I can go ahead with the envy. 

I just prefer the maglite  
They are SOOOOOO good for this kind of power.


----------



## TEEJ

What are the dimensions / weight of the ms envy compared to the mag version?


----------



## Tmack

The body of the envy is actually heavier than the heatsink of the maglite. And as you know the envy uses the entire body as it's heatsink. The maglite just has more mass at the diode, giving it a slight edge on dealing with the heat. 

The last envy, was the LAST envy for a reason. 
Your envy, as you will see, is in great shape. This one I have left has some decent dings in it, and I don't want to push it on anyone. See where I'm getting?


----------



## CUL8R

Well, I guess I should ask how much a zaser is (like the black one on pg 1 - it's really a beaut!). I haven't asked before because I figure I probably can't afford it. But just more info while I'm deciding which way to go.


----------



## Tmack

The zaser with black anodizing is $400. It's the most expensive host I'm dealing with atm.


----------



## CUL8R

Any other smaller hosts besides the C11?


----------



## Tmack

There's a 501b ultrafires host. It's very small. I will not be putting 3w in one of those  

2w = 30 second duty cycle.


----------



## CUL8R

So about $50 more than the maglite? That really doesn't seem too much for such a great looking host. Are they available? Run times & heatsinking?


----------



## Tmack

Runtime is less. About 2min. They take two 18650. 
They also offer less surface area for driver heatsink. But they are sweet looking. They take two weeks to machine and anodize, then I'll do my dirty work in a week on top of that. 

The reason why it's only 50 more than a mag, is I'm getting a ridiculous deal on these mag hosts. Usually you can't get a used maglite laser for $350


----------



## CUL8R

CUL8R said:


> So about $50 more than the maglite? That really doesn't seem too much for such a great looking host. Are they available? Run times & heatsinking?


Or are you saying just the host is $400?


----------



## Tmack

No complete laser.

It looks better, but does not perform as well.


----------



## Tmack

If you check post one, I can also get the MS-SSW host. 
2x 26650. They would be $400 as well. Same performance as a zaser.


----------



## CUL8R

Who wins on a tie? (time of post)

Sounds like you are saying maglite all the way. But what type of on/off switch is on the zaser. I didn't see it in the pictures. Do any of these lasers have a lockout feature? Despite being ready to retire in about 6 years we now have a 5YO in the house that likes to get into things. She'll officially become our daughter in 2 months . While I keep stuff up or locked in a safe, and I can always remove the batteries, I thought I'd ask. In this case more options are better.


----------



## Tmack

That's going to be your lockout. Removed batteries. I have a 2 year old. I treat these lasers like guns. No batteries in them, and of course show the utmost respect. 

The zasers on off switch is in the tail. It's a forward click metal tailswitch. 

And I do. Maglite ALL THE WAY. If size is not a problem, it's simply the king. 

If size is an issue, and I had a better looking envy, I'd recommend that, the c11, and even smaller the 501b. 

Mr teej got the last good ms envy. 
He got a good diode too.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> That's going to be your lockout. Removed batteries. I have a 2 year old. I treat these lasers like guns. No batteries in them, and of course show the utmost respect.
> 
> The zasers on off switch is in the tail. It's a forward click metal tailswitch.
> 
> And I do. Maglite ALL THE WAY. If size is not a problem, it's simply the king.
> 
> If size is an issue, and I had a better looking envy, I'd recommend that, the c11, and even smaller the 501b.
> 
> Mr teej got the last good ms envy.
> He got a good diode too.



:devil:


According to tracking, I should get the Blue Meany on Mon or Tues.

:rock:


----------



## Tmack

I get excited about it too. I love seeing people's reactions.


----------



## Tmack

If anyone is worried about runtime, we can do one of these


----------



## CUL8R

OK, looks like the maglite. I can't commit now. I still owe Vinh part of the money for the three S200C2vn's I ordered. But that will be sent shortly, and then I'll have the bucks to send you for one of these (if you still have a host available).

That's a pretty massive heatsink on the blue maglite. Doesn't that really throw the balance off?


----------



## Tmack

I use massive 32650 x2 cells that balance it nicely. It's not front heavy at all. With smaller cells it definitely would be. 

No problem. Hopefully there will be one left. I'd love for you to experience one of the best.


----------



## Tmack




----------



## kxhonda

Alright, you've sold me. Mark me down for the dark gray Maglites. 

Also, would these be the proper glasses to get? http://www.survivallaser.com/Eagle_...ard_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p556088_2780808.aspx


----------



## Tmack

Perfect glasses.  

Send paypal to 
[email protected] 

$350 

Do not say laser in paypal. 
In notes just say grey modified maglite  

Lasers are prohibited by PayPal 
I will have parts I don't already have ordered within the hour


----------



## kxhonda

PP sent. Gosh this forum has cost me so much money, but I'm sure looking forward to it.


----------



## Tmack

payment received 

Thanks.! 

Dark grey coming up


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Here's a reading of a very efficient diode. The customer was fortunate
> 
> Most diodes fall in the 2.8-3.3w at the 2.4a setting. This turned out to be a strong one
> 
> Ignore the safety glasses on the table. It's really an optical illusion, and they are actually on my face





Hey, is that MINE?


----------



## Tmack

Haha. That was a mx900 host from a bit ago. 
I hate the host, but the diode was awesome!


----------



## Tmack

3 maglite left

Black
BLACK=SOLD
Silver
Blue=SOLD
Red
RED=SOLD
GREY =SOLD


Still have 8 c11 with assault focus adapters 

 these might be the last mags for a while. Unless I find a new dependable machinist , I'm not sure when I can get more.


----------



## TEEJ

JUST received the ms envy!

:devil:


The light is nicely finished, and looks great!

The beam is adjustable for concentration, so I can defocus it to a wide fat reactangle, or, concentrate it down to a sharp blue bar-like dot...by rotating a disk plate at the head.

In dot sized focus, I can aim it at a dead leaf and burn a hole in it in seconds from 10' away. I didn't try other distances yet, as I am waiting on a new set of laser safety goggles, and they didn't arrive yet, even though I ordered them before I ordered the laser.

The beam is VERY intense, that is one ANGRY little dot of blue light. 

I took some preliminary pictures and measurements, but I'll save most of that stuff for after I get the goggles and do a full review of this laser, and the green laser that will arrive later on.

The light is a little _less_ than 6" long and a little _more_ than an inch thick. It uses a metal tail cap clicky, which is well recessed to help prevent accidental activation (Its a BURNING LASER....accidental activation might be a bad thing...) It has a tripod mount type threaded hole as well.


Amazing work Tmack!

Thank You!


----------



## Tmack

Thanks teej! Very happy to see it arrived safely. 






Here's the maglite v2 that this batch will look like. Brass focus adapter, and the blue of doom!


----------



## GhostReaction

I hate reading this thread! It's prying my wallet everytime.
Those focusable blue, could the beam be focus larger enough to be a deftX?


----------



## TEEJ

I just went outside in the dark with the ms envy. HOLY FREEKIN CRAP!

Its a freeking blue light sabre. Just beautiful. Awesome beam. I tried focusing it in/out to see the effect, and it does get fairly wide if you go that way...a long rectangle shaped beam. The beam fades fastest spread out of course, but set to tight focus, I was able to point out individual stars in constellations to my son, and he could easily tell which one I was pointed at, because he said it looked like the laser was HITTING them.

:devil:


So it is not a blue beamed DeftX substitute, as you would have trouble seeing what's IN the beam...but, if you want to reach out and touch something; nice option. 


A ~ 1 second burst will smoke a dead leaf in "Burn Mode" BTW: makes holes clean through in a flash. 

I have to get to bed, as I need to wake up in a few hours...or I'd set up the tripod and take some pics of this beast shooting stars.


Its 445 nm, ~ 3 watts at 2.4 amps, in an ms envy host, if I didn't mention it all before.



Just AWESOME.


----------



## kxhonda

So cool!! That ms envy is a neat little guy. I might have to grab a small little host for my next one.

Just curious what the eta on the mag-lites will be.


----------



## Tmack

All hosts are ordered and eta to me is three or four days. Diodes / drivers will be here before then. So we're looking at about 7 days to your door give or take.  

I work fast. USPS does not  

I order within the hour of getting payment, I build same day and ship the following.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> All hosts are ordered and eta to me is three or four days. Diodes / drivers will be here before then. So we're looking at about 7 days to your door give or take.
> 
> I work fast. USPS does not
> 
> I order within the hour of getting payment, I build same day and ship the following.



You ARE fast.

I discussed the order on Thur and you _ordered_ supplies to MAKE IT, and I _received it_ on Monday....with Sunday being Easter yet.

:twothumbs


----------



## 357mag1

Tmack,

Any host left?


----------



## kxhonda

You da man!! Don't think I'm rushing ya, just curious is all.


----------



## Tmack

@teej my diode guy can get diodes to me quickly . If I have the host and diode already, I'm super fast  


@ 357 = there are 3 mags, and c11 hosts left.


----------



## nfetterly

pp sent


----------



## Tmack

Parts are already ordered gentlemen. 

(St8 & nfetterly)


----------



## 357mag1

Tmack said:


> @teej my diode guy can get diodes to me quickly . If I have the host and diode already, I'm super fast
> 
> 
> @ 357 = there are 3 mags, and c11 hosts left.



I will take a mag with the blue laser and 3W if that is your most powerful. I have D cells from Jayrob and a charger.

What are the color choices for the host?

Thanks, Scott.


----------



## Tmack

I have black and red left. 

Paypal is [email protected]


----------



## 357mag1

Tmack said:


> I have black and red left.
> 
> Paypal is [email protected]



I will take the Red if that works for you.

I know nothing about lasers except for what I read in this thread. I believe the quoted price was $350 for the most powerful 445nm laser you recommend at this time. I understand there are more powerful diodes and combinations but they entail much more money.

Let me know if the above price is correct and I will send Paypal your way.


----------



## Tmack

That is correct. 

The diodes that are stronger are $500 just for the diode. That includes nothing! No driver (which will need to be special made) 

Red works for me. 
My machinist wasn't too clear what was left. So if red is not available, would you be entirely opposed to black? 

I'm awaiting an email from him now. I want to let you know before you pay. 

But last report from him showed 1 black one red.


----------



## 357mag1

Tmack said:


> That is correct.
> 
> The diodes that are stronger are $500 just for the diode. That includes nothing! No driver (which will need to be special made)
> 
> Red works for me.
> My machinist wasn't too clear what was left. So if red is not available, would you be entirely opposed to black?
> 
> I'm awaiting an email from him now. I want to let you know before you pay.
> 
> But last report from him showed 1 black one red.



I would prefer Red but if Black is all you have left it would be better than not getting one.


----------



## TEEJ

Black is "Tactical"


----------



## Tmack

Of course I'll have red as top priority.


----------



## Tmack

Just did a black one. Liked it alot. Looks very stealth. 

The sleeper of all sleepers. 

"hey a maglite......... Omg! "


----------



## 357mag1

TEEJ said:


> Black is "Tactical"



I'm not very Tactical and according to my wife "Not very Practical" either. Has something to do with too many flashlights.


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Show her the practicality of your monster laser.


----------



## Tmack

Oh and make sure not to say laser in the paypal notes guys. Just the color host, and you cpf name. 

Thanks


----------



## pharmbob

357mag1 said:


> I'm not very Tactical and according to my wife "Not very Practical" either. Has something to do with too many flashlights.



LOL :twothumbs


----------



## GhostReaction

Hey TEEJ, I envy you having an envy! Hope to see beamshots


----------



## TEEJ

GhostReaction said:


> Hey TEEJ, I envy you having an envy! Hope to see beamshots



I have not figured out a good way to shoot them yet. Probably this weekend.


----------



## Tmack

Long exposure.


----------



## Str8stroke

Thanks TMack! I can't wait to take my "Tactical Silver" Tmackdaddy Version 2DIIVIIVI Mag Laser hunting!


----------



## FelmarCorp

Tmack said:


> Thanks teej! Very happy to see it arrived safely.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the maglite v2 that this batch will look like. Brass focus adapter, and the blue of doom!



Can't wait to get this sir 

I may be in for a green one soon, lol


----------



## Tmack

I was just notified by my machinist that the mags are complete, and on their way to me for diode/driver instalation.


----------



## Tmack

ONLY 1 MAGLITE LEFT! 

BLACK. 

Not sure when the next run will be if any. 
Can do standard lens and focus adapter for $300
Maglite V2 is $350 

Still have 8 c11 host with assault and smooth flow focus adapters.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> ONLY 1 MAGLITE LEFT!
> 
> BLACK.
> 
> Not sure when the next run will be if any.
> Can do standard lens and focus adapter for $300
> Maglite V2 is $350
> 
> Still have 8 c11 host with assault and smooth flow focus adapters.



Assault focus adapters?!?!

Sounds scary!




BTW, I was experimenting, and picked a spot on my deck, and burned a few spots discretely at various ranges....the ms envy will burn the wood in seconds at ~ 10', and less than a second closer than that.

Luckily, I chose a shadowed part of the deck to burn holes into.

The funny thing, is I was trying to wipe out a wasps nest...and, let me tell you, this thing is very good on wasp nests...but, there is some collateral damage to what the nest is ON. After the nest went up in flames and the wasps popped, I burned some holes at various ranges for sheets and geegles.




As the mags are even stronger, I can only imagine the power from those puppies.


----------



## Tmack

I've done the same thing with a wasp nest. Extremely effective......... From a distance....


----------



## kxhonda

Ooohh, I have a buddy with some wasp problems. I might have to give that a try lol.


----------



## Tmack

Mr vinh got his maglite. Let's say he's........ Pleased  

I'm happy I can impress, and astound him for a change!


----------



## FelmarCorp

I got my Mag V2 in the mail today...

I'm just getting home...going to go try this monster out...

here we go


----------



## Tmack

Last maglite sold! 

More c11 available. Up to 3w, 2x 18350.


----------



## FelmarCorp

Simply Astonishing !

This laser is CRAZY..hahaha..
I love it.

I didn't want to use it outside because its raining (don't know how waterproof these are)..but I did turn it on in the garage
and toward the backyard/sky from inside the house...its a beautiful beam and it goes a lonnnnnggggg way! My wife never gets
excited when I get new toys such as flashlights...but she was really amazed at how bright this thing is. 

I have flat top King Kongs and bought some magnetic buttons to use on the + end...worked like a charm.
I'm really happy with this purchase.

So what's a good green laser that goes for miles and miles but doesn't get too hot or dangerous?


----------



## Tmack

I'm so happy everyone is enjoying their lasers.  
Please be careful guys. 

A little rain is OK, but the diode and lenses have no seals from water, and water will damage them, so please mind the water. 

I can do 120mw greens in small hosts that will go forever. 
Only thing is, the modules come from China and take 3 weeks to arrive. 

I'm still waiting on TEEJ 's modules FYI. 

Due to the nature of the DPSS (green). They do still get hot at low power. They produce the green wavelength by pumping 808nm laser through a crystal. The crystal reduces the 808nm down when passing through. 

So a 50mw 532nm (green) has a MUCH stronger infrared diode behind the crystal, which produces heat like any higher mw diode.


----------



## Tmack

C11 hosts available for juicing up. 

Offer great heatsinking, a side button, and run on 2x 18350. 

One of my favorite mid-sized hosts.


----------



## Tmack

Maglite hosts will be at my door tomorrow. 
I have most of the diodes and drivers. Only a few left to be delivered from later orders. 

Most will ship out Tuesday, unless ordered very recently. 

I'll distribute tracking as I send them. My machinist took a little longer than expected. 

Thanks for your patience guys


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> ONLY 1 MAGLITE LEFT!
> 
> BLACK.
> 
> Not sure when the next run will be if any.
> Can do standard lens and focus adapter for $300
> Maglite V2 is $350
> 
> Still have 8 c11 host with assault and smooth flow focus adapters.



hi Tmack! 
Just curious...which mag do I have....V2? What makes it a V2?

ps...just ordered a 500mw 532nm Equality


----------



## Tmack

You have the best lens, so yours is just as strong (actually stronger than a good number) but the v1 has a standard lens, and focus adapter. 
V2 has the g2 lens, and custom focus adapter. 

So yours is just lacking the adapter. I decided to change it after our discussion  so you are a part of the v2 revision.


----------



## Tmack

Mags are here. I will build as many as I can tonight and ship out tomorrow. A few diodes still need delivering from the later orders. 

Because some payment didn't have their CPF username. Could those who ordered pm me with there address, so I can tell which username matches which payment. 

Thanks guys. It will save me the trouble of sifting through tons of emails.  

Name 
CPF name 
Color maglite 
Address. 

I would greatly appreciate it.


----------



## Alex1234

I was actually expecting to wait a few weeks. You dont mess around lol.


----------



## Tmack

I order parts minutes after receiving payment, so I just end up waiting on the machinist to pump out my heatsinks.


----------



## Alex1234

What are thoes lasers in your profile ? The hosts are sick


----------



## Tmack

They are "Zasers" take a look at the first post. They are better pictures.


----------



## Tmack

They get thermal epoxy tonight, soldered and tested tomorrow, shipped the following. 

I'm also waiting on the diode for the black host as it was last ordered.

Envy will be going out too


----------



## Alex1234

Is that black one mine ? This thing will be sick. Very sleak stealth looking laser


----------



## Tmack

Yes sir  

Diode is on the way. 
I do love that black


----------



## Tmack

Remember guys. 
Button top 26650, positive towards the head, negative towards the tail cap. 
If the laser gets to warm, give it a break. The rule of thumb is, let it cool for the length of time it was on. That will ensure proper treatment of the diode.


----------



## Tmack

Will have power readings tonight  
And beam shots for fun.

All of them focused on one spot! 
15w of 445nm is going to be intense! 
Maybe I'll throw a few more 445nm in there and make a 25w focus point. Muuhahaha. 


Stay tuned to the news for reports of a black hole in Baltimore  

My neighbors must think im an alien or something.


----------



## Alex1234

Where can i buy some cheap laser glasses for this laser?


----------



## Tmack

Cheap.... Ehhh..... Survival lasers has the eagle pair for $50. 

Amazon has some uviex, but they are not as good as the eagle pair. They are only $10, but use those for what they are. 
I recommend the eagle pair, or noir lasersheilds, filter arg, or DBY.


----------



## TEEJ

Yeah, your eye protection is not really a great place to "save" $20...(Wanna buy some Sushi, Its Half Price!)

Also, be aware that for laser protection, you need the safety glasses to be for the WAVELENGTH of the laser...plus the IR that it might also give off that you can't see.

You can't use one meant to protect you from a green laser to protect you from a red laser, it doesn't.

The light transmittance is another issue. The more light they let in, the better you can see....you only want the LASER light to be blocked, not the entire room to be black (You could not even aim or see what the laser was doing if the transmittance is too low).

The Optical Density (OD) for the WAVELENGTH you will be using is the spec that tells you how well it will protect against the laser. So one pair of glasses might be rated at OD 4 for green and OD 6 for blue, etc....so better for blue than green in that example.



OD 4 is not as good as OD 7, but OD 4 is still better than trying to see through gauze/ointment taped over your eye, etc.


----------



## Tmack

Hey! Someone has done their homework.  

The eagle pair are od5 iirc. 
The noir lasersheilds DBY filter are od7 with 35 vlt. Very nice shades. 
Get style 34 too  look like Oakley. 
They are the best glasses I've owned. Make 3w a faint dot when testing or burning.


----------



## TEEJ

I have the "Style # 39", of those NoIR Laser Shields, cause your Oakley-ish's are lame Bro.

:nana:


----------



## Alex1234

wow i thought a good pair was only like 15 bucks lol. this is not a cheap hobby  but i like seeing so ill get a nice pair


----------



## Tmack

TEEJ said:


> I have the "Style # 39", of those NoIR Laser Shields, cause your Oakley-ish's are lame Bro.
> 
> :nana:



Yeah, you seem like a #39.......... Yup. Definitely........ Bro..... 

What filter you rocking? .......... Nerd. B)
DBY is the way to go if you plan on various wavelength.

TEEJ, have you priced them retail? 
You got a killer deal.


----------



## ven

I am so so tempted Tmack for several reasons,lasers are awesome,dont own one and can only imagine my draw dropping when unleashing the beast,also supporting fellow members innovation as well as being a top chap just have to be a month or 2 away right now as lots on.......

Down side i live in UK so..........and dangerous,2 young ones in house,so extra care taken/hidden/locked away........

Will see


----------



## Tmack

I'll be here . I consider you a friend here, and would love for you to own on. I believe a person like you will respect and bd amazed by the power of these lasers. Its amazing every time I use one.


----------



## ven

Tmack said:


> I'll be here . I consider you a friend here, and would love for you to own on. I believe a person like you will respect and bd amazed by the power of these lasers. Its amazing every time I use one.




:twothumbs


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Yeah, you seem like a #39.......... Yup. Definitely........ Bro.....
> 
> What filter you rocking? .......... Nerd. B)
> DBY is the way to go if you plan on various wavelength.
> 
> TEEJ, have you priced them retail?
> You got a killer deal.



LOL

I DID price them retail, and I think I got brand new ones at ~ 1/2 or less of what I'd seen them around for.

They are DBY, but, it looks like I'd need another pair for reds.


----------



## Tmack

Yeah, I've never seen ones that cover blue and red. I don't think it's possible, or the dby would cover it. They are the widest range I know of. And od7 is the king.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Yeah, I've never seen ones that cover blue and red. I don't think it's possible, or the dby would cover it. They are the widest range I know of. And od7 is the king.



Yeah, my reds are weak anyway...and I was MOST worried about 445 nm anyway.....so, these seemed the best coverage of the blue/green plus IR. The OD 7 is nice, and that's still with 35% transmission.

If you think about it, if they blocked ALL wavelengths, you could not SEE anything...as NO light would get through....so they HAVE TO have a break in the frequency coverage, as that break is all you have to SEE with.


----------



## Tmack

Well completely blocking, and protection from, can be different. There is still blue light getting through your shades, or you would see no dot. If the glasses protected from all wl, not block, the vlt would just suck.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Well completely blocking, and protection from, can be different. There is still blue light getting through your shades, or you would see no dot. If the glasses protected from all wl, not block, the vlt would just suck.



Well, sure, but that dot is pretty damn BRIGHT, so an OD 7 is not enough to stop it 100%...but the rest of the room, well, its less bright than a laser dot.



There's a reason welding helmets let you flip the lens up/down.


----------



## Tmack

Lol yes. 

Wonder what the vlt is on a welding helmet.


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Well completely blocking, and protection from, can be different. There is still blue light getting through your shades, or you would see no dot. If the glasses protected from all wl, not block, the vlt would just suck.



Most materials will floresce under blue light, that is will re-emit some of the light at a longer wavelength. So if you are wearing glasses that block blue light, and you look at the spot from a blue laser, you will see a red-orange spot. It varies a bit with the material being illuminated.


----------



## Tmack

Updates. 

Maglites = all soldered and installed. Soaking lenses in solution now. Will check on their progress later. Hopefully the sealer will dissolve before tonight. Just need to install lenses. 

Black maglite= diode should arrive tomorrow. Will have the lens ready for it. 

Ms envy = same as maglites. All finished but the lens. 

C11= just permanent fixed the driver to the pill, and it's drying now. The driver will be rock solid. Diode will be installed as soon as it's dry. 

Just the last steps for everyone.


----------



## Kid9P

Tmack, are you planning on attending Milky's get together later in May?

I'd really like to check out your laser's, that is some really nice work 


PS: If any of those maglite builds are left over, I'd love to pick one up


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Updates.
> 
> Maglites = all soldered and installed. Soaking lenses in solution now. Will check on their progress later. Hopefully the sealer will dissolve before tonight. Just need to install lenses.
> 
> Black maglite= diode should arrive tomorrow. Will have the lens ready for it.
> 
> Ms envy = same as maglites. All finished but the lens.
> 
> C11= just permanent fixed the driver to the pill, and it's drying now. The driver will be rock solid. Diode will be installed as soon as it's dry.
> 
> Just the last steps for everyone.


what does soaking the lens in solution do ?


----------



## Tmack

I would love to attend a get together  

I can get more maglite if you like. 

Available at the moment are c11 host. A but smaller, but very nice. They make great high power lasers. Would be happy to get one started for you  


Soaking in solution breaks up the sealer left on the lens. The lenses come in a holder that has to be broken off extremely carefully, and then soaked in solution to remove the access glue. If not they will sit in there new homes crooked.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I would love to attend a get together
> 
> I can get more maglite if you like.
> 
> Available at the moment are c11 host. A but smaller, but very nice. They make great high power lasers. Would be happy to get one started for you
> 
> 
> Soaking in solution breaks up the sealer left on the lens. The lenses come in a holder that has to be broken off extremely carefully, and then soaked in solution to remove the access glue. If not they will sit in there new homes crooked.




I look forward to meeting you in person at the Photon Fest!

:buddies:


----------



## Tmack

Nothing special. Imagine brad Pitt with lasers. Just taller.......


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Nothing special. Imagine brad Pitt with lasers. Just taller.......



LOL

More Laser/Fewer adopted kids?


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> C11= just permanent fixed the driver to the pill, and it's drying now. The driver will be rock solid. Diode will be installed as soon as it's dry.


 Ah, good. The one I had was a little loose and developed an intermittent connection. So hopefully that won't happen now.


----------



## kxhonda

Tmack said:


> Updates.
> 
> Maglites = all soldered and installed. Soaking lenses in solution now. Will check on their progress later. Hopefully the sealer will dissolve before tonight. Just need to install lenses.



I've been reading up a lot over at LPF. So does this mean that you are using the G9 lens that comes on the 9mm 445nm diode?
Like this one?





Been doing a lot of reading over there trying figured out what I want to build and was noticing the differences between the G2 lens and the G9 lens.


----------



## Tmack

It's the highest performance lens possible yes 

It out performs the g2 by a small margin.

3 element lens= best beam profile. Trims the edges of the rectangular "dot" 
Olike "g2"= 15-20% increase from 3 element. No trimming. Rectangular dot. 
G2= 20-25% power increase from 3 element. No trimming of dot. Will be rectangular. 
G9=30% increase from 3 element. No trimming. Most efficient lens for power.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> It's the highest performance lens possible yes
> 
> It out performs the g2 by a small margin.
> 
> 3 element lens= best beam profile. Trims the edges of the rectangular "dot"
> Olike "g2"= 15-20% increase from 3 element. No trimming. Rectangular dot.
> G2= 20-25% power increase from 3 element. No trimming of dot. Will be rectangular.
> G9=30% increase from 3 element. No trimming. Most efficient lens for power.



So is there a compromise going with the G9 vs G2?
3+Watt Envy with G9.... Comments?

p.s. it was overcast last night and I was hitting the clouds easily with my Mag V2


----------



## Tmack

Only compromise with g9 is more work, and higher risk of damaging the lens.


----------



## Alex1234

Floods everywhere along I95. Tmack i herd baltimore got slamed. Protect them diodes !!!


----------



## Tmack

My house is flooded 

The ceiling has huge water spots and is dripping. Luckily I had everyone's lasers in a safe place. 
Been dealing with it since I got home.


----------



## Alex1234

Oh thats dont sound good. Hope it ends soon. My house used to flood everytime we got a bad thunderstorm so the township put a huge storm drain in our backyard which solved our issue


----------



## Tmack




----------



## TEEJ

If that's drywall, you will need to get rid of it all before it gets moldy...that's ~ 3-5 days max.

The mold grows first on the back of it, not the side you see. The water evaporates from the side you see, so its not always as wet long enough.


----------



## Tmack

Yeah....... I'm really pissed. I've been mopping my basement with towels for the last three hours. Wtf man.


----------



## stewdogg

Tmack said:


>




Wow that sucks! If I lived closer I would swing by and help with the drywall... my drywall tools are still hot from a weekend of work... I do hate mudding.
GOOD LUCK!!


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Yeah....... I'm really pissed. I've been mopping my basement with towels for the last three hours. Wtf man.



A wet vac, or, a squeegee or, even a mop and bucket might work better than towels?


----------



## Tmack

Thanks a lot guys. Just another headache. :/


----------



## Tmack

Oh the wet vac is running. Mop is too slow.  No squeegee.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Oh the wet vac is running. Mop is too slow. No squeegee.



Go outside and take them from those guys at the corner.....


----------



## Tmack

What their new papers that make the windshield dirtier?


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> What their new papers that make the windshield dirtier?



Wait, your squeegee guys don't even HAVE squeegee's?


----------



## Samlittle

Get a good dehumidifier, after the first mop up it will be the only way to remove the moisture.

You see I found you...

Sorry that you are dealing with flooding though - that's a big OH sit!


----------



## FelmarCorp

Sorry to hear about the leak, Tmack 
Hope everything in the clean up protocol goes well!


----------



## Tmack

I have a very rare opportunity gentlemen. I'm very excited about it. 

I get the chance to fully design a custom host. 
It would be of course polished aluminum, or anodized. 

What i need from you guys, is some ideas/sketches of what you would like to see. 

Size, battery configuration, focusing design. 

It will have to be rear click, and a 2x battery configuration, but as far as aesthetics, I want to have you guys have a part in design. 

I'm also gauging interest in more maglites, and c11. 

Please post any ideas or interest in anything currently being built. 


Also if you haven't confirmed your address and you have a laser being built, please pm me with your name, username, color and type of laser, and address. 

I like to have it sell in one place to reduce any chance of mistakes. 

Thanks guys. Let's see/hear some ideas!

Ps - shop is back up and running. All pending orders will ship by the weekend. Sorry for the delay. 
Unexpected technical difficulties. (massive leak of doom  )


----------



## TEEJ

I'm assuming a laser host....

Hmmm, can it have the copper head to body insert for heat dissipation?



I like pocketable form factors, so two 18350 sized would be up my ally.


----------



## Tmack

A copper module is doable. 

It can even be a interchangeable module, so you could have a module for each wavelength, but 1 "body" to switch to. Like a drop in style.


----------



## Mike Sloan

> had one guy really almost back out because of safety reasons. But he's is SO HAPPY he decided to go ahead with it.



Hey......I remember that
thanks Tmack for not letting me wimp out!
I hate to say this....but this is much cooler than flashlights (I own over 20 VN54 creations). 
Let me know when the Ms Envy's become available. 
Mike

p.s. Blue's are flooders, Greens are thrower's...get both!


----------



## Tmack

Haha, Mike and I have become good friends thanks to lasers. 

I will let you know for sure  

I also have a "Tmack design" coming out shortly I think you'll like even more. 

Actually, I guarantee it will perform, and imo, look better than the envy.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> Haha, Mike and I have become good friends thanks to lasers.
> 
> I will let you know for sure
> 
> I also have a "Tmack design" coming out shortly I think you'll like even more.
> 
> Actually, I guarantee it will perform, and imo, look better than the envy.



$5 more to get it engraved
Let me know when you have pics!


----------



## Tmack

I've had someone else recommend that too. 

I'm really considering it, if you guys would want it. 
I'm pretty good at lettering if I do say so myself  

Wouldn't know what to write though. 

Tmack? (too long) TM (taken  )


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I've had someone else recommend that too.
> 
> I'm really considering it, if you guys would want it.
> I'm pretty good at lettering if I do say so myself
> 
> Wouldn't know what to write though.
> 
> Tmack? (too long) TM (taken  )



TmC for Tmack Customs?



TmC


----------



## Obijuan Kenobe

I contacted you a while back. I am still interested. I had a recent down turn in my family budget, however. 

I was originally interested in a 2x18350 light. The Envy may have been the host?

I am happy to see you are doing so well. I hope to contact you soon again about closing our deal we discussed so long ago.

obi


----------



## Tmack

I'm right here when you need me  i remember very well my friend.


----------



## Tmack

So any ideas guys? 
If you could design any host you want, what would it be? 

My machinist is eager to make it come to life. 

This will be the first run of tmack custom hosts. 

I think ill make a list like vinh does. 

If you want to be on a maglite, c11, or tmack custom, list let me know, so I can get some numbers, and Guage the interest.


----------



## Samlittle

TEEJ said:


> TmC for Tmack Customs?
> 
> 
> 
> TmC



I like it!


----------



## Kid9P

Tmack,

Have you ever given any thought to using an HDS light as a host ?

Not sure what you could fit into that 1x123 host.

I do have a 200 HDS clicky just sitting on a shelf that I haven't used in a while....wink wink


----------



## Alex1234

tmack do you think the beam of a 1.5 watt 445nm is brighter then a 200mw 532nm ?. i know during the day our eyes peak sensitivity during the day is about 555nm but decreases to like 515nm at night making 445nm lasers appear brighter at night


----------



## Tmack

It's so hard to judge the difference. The 445nm will be thick and deep. The 532 will be very thin and intense. 

On paper the 532 is brighter, but because of the thickness, the 445nm looks brighter in person. 

I have a 500mw 532nm, and it's right on part with 3w of blue.


----------



## Tmack

Kid9P said:


> Tmack,
> 
> Have you ever given any thought to using an HDS light as a host ?
> 
> Not sure what you could fit into that 1x123 host.
> 
> I do have a 200 HDS clicky just sitting on a shelf that I haven't used in a while....wink wink



I have never really considered one as I'm not at all familiar  

I'd have to take a look.


----------



## Tmack

All 3w maglites are finished! 
Ms envy as well. 
C11 is almost finished as well as the black maglite. Will ship everything by Saturday. 

Thanks everyone. 

So who's next?


----------



## Alex1234

:twothumbs


----------



## FelmarCorp

PM en route to you sir...


----------



## TEEJ

Does this mean I have a little package on the way?


----------



## Tmack

That little pen has been frustrating me soo badly! 

Would there be a problem in using the b68 sipik host. 
It would be a much better value, and still absolutely small enough for a pocket.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> That little pen has been frustrating me soo badly!
> 
> Would there be a problem in using the b68 sipik host.
> It would be a much better value, and still absolutely small enough for a pocket.



Hmmm....

Do you have a comparison pic of the two hosts?


----------



## Tmack

I can take one tonight for you. 

But let me see if I can work something out with another pen I have. Its a copper one  

Just occurred to me, I have some i can modify. 

I'm keeping your departure date in mind too.  

I want canyon pictures!


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I can take one tonight for you.
> 
> But let me see if I can work something out with another pen I have. Its a copper one
> 
> Just occurred to me, I have some i can modify.
> 
> I'm keeping your departure date in mind too.
> 
> I want canyon pictures!



LOL

It would have to arrive by May 7 to make it...I'll be in AZ May 8, etc.

I would prefer a pen form factor for the green one, as it is, I carry a lot of stuff around with me as it is because of what I do for a living, and, I try to keep the mass and bulk down. When stuff is too large, it gets left in the truck, and a light I don't have on me is one I'm less likely to use.

If I was getting something larger, I would then typically max out whatever power it could handle, etc...so whatever I AM lugging around would at least be optimal in performance. (IE: I'd rather carry 2 pounds of 10,000 lumens than 2 pounds of 1,000 lumens/more watts per pound, etc)



The copper pen sounds promising.


----------



## Alex1234

How much would a blue pen cost ?


----------



## Tmack

After building a blue pen, I wouldn't feel comfortable selling one. If adjustment need to be made....... Well there can't be adjustments made lol. They are an incredibly tight press fit. The last one I built needed a spring adjustment, and it was near impossible to get back into. 

The green modules are a different story, as they are complete already and just need to be slid in. 

I could make one for sure, but I don't want to sell a product that can't be serviced. 

I can however get a custom pen machined for you, with a set screw for servicing. I'll talk to someone and get some prices for you.


----------



## nfetterly

Custom Body
2x18350, aluminum body - ribbed to be able to hold onto
Copper head ??

I really like the idea of multiple heads for different wavelengths.


----------



## Alex1234

Got my new batteries for my mag laser today  charged and ready :devil:


----------



## Tmack

Just finished yours up. 200mw stronger than expected.  

Button top right!


----------



## Alex1234

There button top  . So its putting out 1700 mw ?


----------



## Tmack

yes sir


----------



## Alex1234

Awesome !!!


----------



## Tmack

Your will also run very long. At that setting, the driver needs no heatsink, but,, ,, I treated it like a 3w driver and heatsinked it to the body. 

You'll have to let me know how long till it gets warm lol. 

And guys remember , if it too warm, give them a break. THESE ARE NOT LIKE LIGHTS, AND CANNOT GET SUPER HOT! 
BATTERIES = POSITIVE TO THE HEAD, NEGATIVE TO THE TAIL.


----------



## Alex1234

Thats really awesome. Extra long duty cycle ftw  whats the best way to clean the front lens if it gets dirty ?


----------



## Tmack

Well you want to really avoid that. Even if it looks like there is anything on it, remember it's microscopic. But if it gets so bad where you feel like output is effected, dip a q-tip in high quality isopropyl, then roll it on your arm, the swab the lens with one side, then dry with the other. It will probably take about 10 times before you help it more than hurt it. Lol. It's hard to get perfect. 

But again, please avoid this as it's very risky to have the diode be exposed. 

If the laser is taken apart, there's always risk of damaging the diode window, or electrical connections, so clean and disassemble at your own risk


----------



## nfetterly

Custom designed Laser 
14500 powered, EDC....


----------



## Tmack

I like that Neale. I have a 2w pen, but it's a gutted wicked laser EVO. 
Its got a momentary side button, so it's freaking dangerous! 

For an edc, I could go all copper  

Keep ideas coming. 
Follow Mr Fetterly guys.


----------



## stewdogg

How about 3-14500 next to each other to keep the length down.
Is there a way to do a custom safety in the light? Maybe a button/switch to turn on power to the laser then a button to actually turn the laser on... 
Maybe some kind of custom cover (aluminum or non burnable material) on the front of the laser that has to be removed before use? Suppose you would need a light on the side of the laser letting you know that it is on if using a cover... lots of ideas I didn't say they are good


----------



## Alex1234

Do you know if a flashlight boot cover will cover over the apature. I saw someone did that on youtube to protect the lens


----------



## Tmack

Yes it will on your particular focus adapter.


----------



## Tmack

If you stretch on it may fit on the maglite v2 as well since they have a wider adapter.


----------



## Alex1234

I have a bunch of them


----------



## Tmack

Now don't forget to take it off! It will smoke and stain the lens. 



GUYS, WHEN BURNING, STAY AT LEAST A FOOT AWAY TO AVOID SMOKE HITTING THE LENS. IT WILL RUIN IT. 

AGAIN. NO SMOKE ON LENS!


----------



## Alex1234

I learned that the hard way with a optotronics 150mw green pen  i never do that again


----------



## Tmack

Optotronics very nice! So you stained it? 

POSITIVE TO THE HEAD, NEGATIVE TO THE TAIL CAP FELLAS.


----------



## FrogmanM

Great thread, I'll be checking back in 'round early June to see about ordering a MS Envy or a TMack Custom host (2X 18350)

-Mayo


----------



## Alex1234

Iv bought 5 or 6 lasers from optrotronics and all have failed on me. The first one never stayed in tempo. Divergice was bad for a green laser. About 3 mrad. I emailed him so i did an exchange for another 150mw pen and the did the same. But i delt with it. After about a month the circut bored the switch is on came lose and twisted in the laser. I take the batteries out and the foam ring around the battery spring poped out. I put the foam back turned the spring with my hand twisting back the circuit bored. I then but in the batteries in and it worked for 1 sec and stoped. It was an esd and aparently the warenty dident cover that. A year later i bought a 55mw pen and it started at 55mw but after 10 sec dropped to like 20mw. Sent it back got another one whuch did the same thing. I was mad so i got my money back. Then i gave the 150mw a try again and it worked ok but with a lot of mode hopping. Then i stained the lens with smoke. I stay clear from them now . Im sure there portable lasers are top notch though.


----------



## Tmack

Wow. Very unusual. Especially to happen repeatedly. 

Well my mag will treat you well 

Current owners can vouch for them.


----------



## Alex1234

this mag sounds like a tank:devil:


----------



## Tmack

The entire head is full of aluminum lol. And the driver is permanently bonded to the inside of the battery tube, so it's very heat efficient. Still be conscious of heat, but this laser will run longer and safer than almost any laser out there using similar cooling solutions. 
That is mostly why I introduce this style to you flashlight guys. Most of you are used to longer runtime, and more substantial size, so the mags are a perfect fit. 

They are indeed the tanks of the laser hosts. 

I can't wait to introduce some really custom hosts. 

I'd like to do batches like vinh, but I don't have a customer base that allows me to do that yet. 

I know you guys are going to love them, so hopefully you'll spread the word. 

Vinh is very impressed with his, and I know you will be too.


----------



## Alex1234

can you make a 808nm or 980nm ir laser for invisible burning ?


----------



## Tmack

I sure can. "why is my shoe smoking?" lol. 

They come from China though, so take longer, but I can do around 1.5w of 808. 

The parts are sourced from different places, but definitely doable. Extremely dangerous though. 
You can be getting hit by reflection and not even know until it's way too late.
You won't even know to blink or close your eyes.


----------



## Alex1234

hmmm i dident even think about that. i don't want to go blind what about a 300 or so mw of 650nm thats not to expensive maybe in a 18650 host ?


----------



## TEEJ

If you leave OFF the IR filter from a visible spectrum laser, you could have an IR laser that has a "tracer beam".


----------



## Tmack

I could do 500mw of 638nm (lighter brighter red) for a good price in a 501b host. Nice and pocket sized. I can also do 1w 445nm in that host fir a great pocket burner with 1x 18650. 
Possibly 1.5w. With two cells 2w easily.


----------



## Tmack

TEEJ said:


> If you leave OFF the IR filter from a visible spectrum laser, you could have an IR laser that has a "tracer beam".



Lol only 532nm and DPSS wavelength like 473nm (baby blue) have ir, but still funny.


----------



## Alex1234

id like a quote on the 500mw 638nm laser. have always wanted a classic red burner


----------



## Tmack

Could probably go around $200.


----------



## Tmack

Just did a 1w 638nm but it was driven very hard. . 

There's a new red diode out rated for higher power, but of course it costs more


----------



## Alex1234

omg now i want the 520nm green laser. theirs so many wavelengths to choose from now !!!. direct laser diode  no crystal to worry about and i think there much more stable

this is neat
http://www.o-like.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=321


----------



## Tmack

There's a 1w 520nm diode out 
Only $700!  just for the diode


----------



## Alex1234

i hope when my mag gets here i wont spend more money i don't have. im tapped out until Thursday lol. it was very hard to spend $250 on a laser because of past experiences with lasers but blue is my favorite color and i just had to and im sure custom lasers quality far exceeds Assembly line mass produced lasers so i feel more comfortable with it. im also buying from someone 100 miles away and not 2000 miles away like china


----------



## Tmack

Lol I hear that. That's the reason I started building. Tired of junk.


----------



## Alex1234

i want to buy a 50mw 10440 green laser pen from lazerer so bad because its so small and only 28.99 but i dont want to buy it wait a whole month only to have it not work or only work for a week.


----------



## Tmack

Yeah they are driven very hard. They are only meant to be 5mw, but the manufacturer cranks on that potentiometer so much. 

I cam get legit 100mw modules that aren't cranked up but they take a long time to get here as well.


----------



## Alex1234

How much would a pen 100mw 532nm build cost ?


----------



## Tmack

Depending on the quality of the pen, $80-100 somewhere around there.


----------



## Alex1234

I like that price. What kinda pen hosts are available


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> How much would a pen 100mw 532nm build cost ?





Tmack said:


> Depending on the quality of the pen, $80-100 somewhere around there.



I like that price as well. 

So that would be blue...100mw isn't all that much though right? Could it burn some dark things from close up? 

Interested!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> 120mw 532nm in a sipik b68



Is the first photo the same laser as the second photo? 

If so, what kind of price would that be? Looks pretty dang bright for a dusk photo!


----------



## Alex1234

Its a 100mw of green not blue


----------



## Tmack

Correct. 100mw of blue would light a match, but that's all. 

I'm going to get with my machinist and get final prices on some budget style lasers. 

About 100 - 120mw green. 
And some 1w blues in small hosts. 
All under $250 being the absolute maximum. 
More around $200. 

I really specialize in blue, because it's a customer favorite, but green is no problem.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack are you/did you ship my mag prority mail ?. Will i need to sign for it ? Im like never home


----------



## Tmack

No signature confirmation.  should be there Monday or Tuesday.


----------



## Alex1234

awesome thanks


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> No signature confirmation.  should be there Monday or Tuesday.



Mine too?


----------



## Tmack

Yours too.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Yours too.


----------



## Alex1234

http://www.o-like.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=333

tmack would you think this would be to much of a risk? laser looks of good quality. i love the host


----------



## Tmack

The lipstick host!  I know those lasers well. Olike is hit or miss. I've heard good things, and I've heard horror stories. 

I can build a 520nm. 
Not for that price, but it will be stronger. Up to 300mw but the cost would be around the same or more than a 3w. Just in a small host. So cheaper than a maglite. 

Remember, those 520nm have the same divergence as a blue. So your not going to get super distance, just super brightness. 

Only 532nm gets the mega throw.


----------



## Tmack

I just got a 1w violet diode. 

Super burning, with the distance of a single mode. 
Dream come true! I'm in love with 1w 405nm  just amazing!


----------



## Alex1234

i remember i bought a 20mw green laser pen from destructive gear years ago and it had a divergence of .5 mrad. i measured it over and over because i did not believe it it was insane how little it diverged over distance. someone stole it from me though. man was i pissed


----------



## Tmack

Sounds like you've had plenty of lasers. 
Let me know how mine stacks up


----------



## Alex1234

i also ordered this Survival laserswww.survivallaser.com/Eagle_Pair__190-540nm___900-1700nm_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p556088_3653067.aspx


----------



## Alex1234

http://www.malkoffdevices.com/maglite-accessories/talon-crenellated-bezel-for-maglite-blue
is is possible to take off the bezel of the mag light and put this on?


----------



## Tmack

Great glasses. And yeah it should work fine. Just be super careful the heatsink doesn't spin when you remove the bezel. As long as the new bezel has a lip to hold the heatsink your good.


----------



## Kid9P

Tmack,

I'd love a blue laser, but I'm not looking for a large host.
Do you have any other host options in the works?

Thanks


----------



## Tmack

Lots of smaller hosts for ya. 

501b is a nice one. 
I can get them in blue, red, violet and camo. Nice pocket sized. 

Or we can go custom.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Yours too.



Shipping notice?


----------



## Tmack

I had to go get a different pen, and also had to use a thinner module to get it to fit. I was working on it till the wee hours 

I'm sending it this morning along with a few others. Hopefully it will make it. 

That will be the last green pen I ever make unless new hosts come out. It cost me a good amount to get it done


----------



## Tmack

Sorry teej. If you weren't a good friend, I would have given up for sure.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Sorry teej. If you weren't a good friend, I would have given up for sure.



Aw shucks.

:grouphug:


Thanks, I really appreciate you going through all that!

When I see you at the Photon Fest, the beer's on me!



Hmmm, you're also doing a laser show....

OK, beer and food's on me.




And let me know if I owe you $


----------



## Tmack

Thanks for understanding man. I knew it wouldn't be easy but yikes! Any greens from here on will be in a 501b host . Still very small. 
I'll show you the ins and outs of the internals when we meet. You'll see how tough those pen builds are. 

I'm really looking forward to meeting you and my other friends. Put some faces to the usernames.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Thanks for understanding man. I knew it wouldn't be easy but yikes! Any greens from here on will be in a 501b host . Still very small.
> I'll show you the ins and outs of the internals when we meet. You'll see how tough those pen builds are.
> 
> I'm really looking forward to meeting you and my other friends. Put some faces to the usernames.



That's what I love about stuff like that...the faces to go with the names/screen names is always great.

Of course, I already know you're "Like Brad Pitt, with lasers, only taller, so, no surprises.

I look more like a peach pit than Brad Pitt, but, ya gotta play the hand you're dealt, y'know?


----------



## Tmack

Oh have you seen my picture?  

Please tell me your bringing the envy for pictures.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Oh have you seen my picture?
> 
> Please tell me your bringing the envy for pictures.



I'll give a blanket yes, but, what pictures?

At Photon Fest (yes) or the Grand Canyon (Yes if I can w/o arrest, etc..)


----------



## Tmack

The grand canyon! 
Shining it isn't illegal, only importing.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> The grand canyon!
> Shining it isn't illegal, only importing.



I'm also worried and wife interference. 

We were taking a walk the other day, and she asked what a rectangular dark area was on the gable end of a house were were passing, as in was it a hole/missing part, or a dark grate for a vent, etc?

I shined a tight beamed light at it and said, its a grate.

She got all mad at me because I "shined a light at someone's house w/o their permission".

I said I only shined it at a spot at their attic vent, and not in their windows, etc, and she said it doesn't matter, its still wrong.

It doesn't bode well for firing lasers into the Grand Canyon if she's around.











sigh, I'll miss her.....


----------



## Tmack

Hahaha. Ohhhh man..... 
That'll have me smiling all day.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Quick question: I live less than a mile from an international airport. Obviously I would never shine a laser at or near a plane, but could I get in trouble for just shining one in the sky being that close?


----------



## Tmack

I know guys that are in your same situation. As long as the beam isn't hitting, or in the direct path of the aircraft, you should be OK.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> I know guys that are in your same situation. As long as the beam isn't hitting, or in the direct path of the aircraft, you should be OK.



Probably so but it sure does make me nervous :-(

As far as eye protection, is it only needed for close distances? If I wanted to shine a high-powered laser at a building or something several hundred feet away could I look at the dot?


----------



## Tmack

Sure. I only use protection when burning up close, or testing on a lpm, etc. 
Shining even a distance half that you'll be fine. 
You can look at the dot from across the room. But if you hit a white wall, you'll know it. 
The entire room glows blue, and anything fluorescent will start to glow like crazy. 
You'll find things fluorescent you never knew were lol.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> Sure. I only use protection when burning up close, or testing on a lpm, etc.
> Shining even a distance half that you'll be fine.
> You can look at the dot from across the room. But if you hit a white wall, you'll know it.
> The entire room glows blue, and anything fluorescent will start to glow like crazy.
> You'll find things fluorescent you never knew were lol.



Really? Wow I thought you could look at the dot like ever...I need to re-read some laser safety threads...


----------



## Alex1234

i got the laser is there a laser delay after i hit the button ?


----------



## Tmack

How long?


----------



## Alex1234

never mind i had to put a small magnet spacer on the battery closest to the head. i did buy the button top ones so idk lol. but it works now. wow this thing was worth every penny. i love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## stewdogg

When I started getting into flashlights I started down in the commercial EDC world. My first flashlight was the Sunwayman V10r ($80) I then went on to find the perfect EDC light going through many different flashlights before I moved on to the Mac's Ti EDC XML and then on to build a customized V10rTi (thanks to this forum). I then moved on to the bigger modded light from the modders of this very fine forum. Nowadays new emitters excite me more then the new flashlight coming out does.
So, in explaining my road to flashlight addiction do you have a plan to reel me in to an addiction of lasers? I don't know what's what yet in the world of lasers. What is entry level for the laser game (cost for what you get)? I like the offerings you have but finding the cost of $250-300 hard to come to terms with for my first laser purchase.
Thanks!!


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> never mind i had to put a small magnet spacer on the battery closest to the head. i did buy the button top ones so idk lol. but it works now. wow this thing was worth every penny. i love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!



Come on man. Scared the crap out of me Hahaa


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> never mind i had to put a small magnet spacer on the battery closest to the head. i did buy the button top ones so idk lol. but it works now. wow this thing was worth every penny. i love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!



Photos dude! Please ;-)


----------



## Alex1234

im going to have to hold off on burning till i get my shades because im already seeing spots and squiggly lines


----------



## Tmack

Cardboard box doesn't strain your eyes too bad. Just burn from 5ft away.


----------



## Mike Sloan

stewdogg said:


> When I started getting into flashlights I started down in the commercial EDC world. My first flashlight was the Sunwayman V10r ($80) I then went on to find the perfect EDC light going through many different flashlights before I moved on to the Mac's Ti EDC XML and then on to build a customized V10rTi (thanks to this forum). I then moved on to the bigger modded light from the modders of this very fine forum. Nowadays new emitters excite me more then the new flashlight coming out does.
> So, in explaining my road to flashlight addiction do you have a plan to reel me in to an addiction of lasers? I don't know what's what yet in the world of lasers. What is entry level for the laser game (cost for what you get)? I like the offerings you have but finding the cost of $250-300 hard to come to terms with for my first laser purchase.
> Thanks!!



I say....go big early (maybe not in a bar scene)....but my first laser was Tmacks 3W Mag 455nm. Once you see it...you will be glad you made the purchase! My second laser was a 500mw 532nm green. Now I'm waiting for Tmacks "make-over" of the 3W Envy. Hopefully I will be done after that


----------



## Tmack

stewdogg said:


> When I started getting into flashlights I started down in the commercial EDC world. My first flashlight was the Sunwayman V10r ($80) I then went on to find the perfect EDC light going through many different flashlights before I moved on to the Mac's Ti EDC XML and then on to build a customized V10rTi (thanks to this forum). I then moved on to the bigger modded light from the modders of this very fine forum. Nowadays new emitters excite me more then the new flashlight coming out does.
> So, in explaining my road to flashlight addiction do you have a plan to reel me in to an addiction of lasers? I don't know what's what yet in the world of lasers. What is entry level for the laser game (cost for what you get)? I like the offerings you have but finding the cost of $250-300 hard to come to terms with for my first laser purchase.
> Thanks!!





Well the cost for what you're getting comes down to the diode. 
With a driver your well over 100$ 
Then of course if using a maglite, there's a custom machined hockey puck of aluminum as a heatsink, then is the completely gutted maglight, with modification to accept the 26650 cells. Then the labor, and RISK OF RUINING A VERY EXPENSIVE DIODE, WHICH IS HORRIBLY EASY. just a static shock will kill these outside their home. 
And talk about careful soldering. No $6 emitters here. Lol. 

What you get is like nothing you've ever experienced. The beam looks like it's touching the stars. You can easily point out an individual star and everyone around will know which one. 
This beam can be seen in a fully lit up room. (not outdoor broad daylight though) it's a beautiful blue that's the most pure color you can get. 
The burning is also a fun feature. Through glass, under water, this thing will burn you initial in wood through a window easily. 
Friend outside the restaurant and needs to light his cigarette, no problem, light it from your booth lol. Pesky creatures in your fishtank, no problem, burn them through the glass underwater. 
Need a camping tool. Signaling, campfire, fun, etc. 
They are just astonishing. 

Check out vinhs reactions a couple posts back in the fdt thread. 
He treats his like a gun. 
"I never held something so powerful " is his exact words.


----------



## Tmack

Here's my special maglite. 
5 color voltage monitor, mega heatsink. Just a beast.


----------



## Tmack

That's a heatsink!


----------



## Tmack

Take that clouds!


----------



## Mike Sloan

> Check out vinhs reactions a couple posts back in the fdt thread. He treats his like a gun.
> "I never held something so powerful " is his exact words.



Thats a good way to put it! Coming from flashlights, the Mag host is awesome. You get the power/runtime of "2" 26650's and the massive cooling from a big hunk of polished aluminum. My son described the beam as something out of a Science fiction movie!


----------



## Tmack

It just makes you smile when something over 10ft away starts smoking  
Or doing a balloon drive by. Lmao! 
Car dealerships beware!


----------



## Tmack

Oh sorry. Vinh's post about his laser is in the "lights you want me to mod" thread.


----------



## Alex1234

this laser burning everything. if you focus it on wood it makes a popping sound. the divergence is actually better then i thought is would be


----------



## Tmack

Put some electrical tape in a glass of water. Hit it from the side of the glass. Tell us what happens. Lol. 

Or burn something from behind glass. 
(but not the arcade machine where you knock off the hanging prize. Don't go doing that! Lol trouble! )


----------



## Alex1234

i tried it with black duck tape and it was popping under water and burning through it. that was cool


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> i tried it with black duck tape and it was popping under water and burning through it. that was cool



Video? Come on pleeeease ;-)


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> i tried it with black duck tape and it was popping under water and burning through it. that was cool



LOL

Pics or it didn't happen.


----------



## Tmack

You try


----------



## Tmack

The cypress. 100% copper


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> The cypress. 100% copper


----------



## kxhonda

Got home after work and found a package waiting for me. I ripped open the package and grabbed my king kong 26650's. Threw them in and nothing happened. Dang flattop cells lol. Tried to find the little magnets I had bought a few days earlier but no luck. I ended up soldering a little bead on the positive side of the cell. Threw them in again and OMG!!

This thing is crazy! Literally everything within 3-4 feet smokes instantly. Doesn't matter if its white or black. I already burnt some wasp nests from about 15 feet away, and oh yea fly's are no match for it lol. Well enough for now, going to go play with it some more! Gonna try to get some pics but all I have is my iPhone5 for a camera so they prob wont turn out.


----------



## Tmack

Awesome guys! I'm happy that you're happy.


----------



## Tmack

Tmack said:


> The cypress. 100% copper



Pretty huh teej?

Thing weighs a ton! Lol 
Has a completely modular design like I was talking about. I helped design this one with my other machinist. Came out beautiful.

.





There can be a interchangeable module for each wavelength, and one body. So a full, red, violet, green, blue, set in one small case.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Pretty huh teej?
> 
> Thing weighs a ton! Lol
> Has a completely modular design like I was talking about. I helped design this one with my other machinist. Came out beautiful.
> 
> .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There can be a interchangeable module for each wavelength, and one body. So a full, red, violet, green, blue, set in one small case.





That looks amazing, nice job!

Too bad I'm out of $ AND going on vacation at the same time...and I don't get paid for vacation time.





It LOOKS like a heat dissipation Monster.


----------



## Str8stroke

The Silver Mag Bullet has arrived. She looks poised and ready for action. Charging up the King Kongs. Should be fully charged by dark. Yippie. Ready to see what she can do. Good part is wife thinks its just another Maglite. I had to tell her not to use this one to look for her lost earrings on the wood floors!


----------



## Tmack

It is the ultimate sleeper lol. Positive towards the head. And make sure they have enough button to contact the host.


----------



## kxhonda

I will say its hard on the eyes. I had my glasses on pretty much the whole time I was messing with it, but staring at that little dot def made my eyes feel a little funky.


----------



## Tmack

I'm glad you guys take it seriously. The day you get cocky, is the day you get slammed in the eye.


----------



## Tmack

Pictures guys!


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I'm glad you guys take it seriously. The day you get cocky, is the day you get slammed in the eye.



Then you end up one eyed cocky?


----------



## Tmack

I've seen it a thousand times. 
So many cockies. Sometimes I wake up screaming. 
"Ahhh no more cocky " 
Sorry flashback


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I've seen it a thousand times.
> So many cockies. Sometimes I wake up screaming.
> "Ahhh no more cocky "
> Sorry flashback



Your new Sig?


----------



## Tmack

Might as well. We do love our phallic light sources


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Might as well. We do love our phallic light sources



That DOES explain the ribbing on them.....


----------



## Kid9P

Tmack said:


> Lots of smaller hosts for ya.
> 
> 501b is a nice one.
> I can get them in blue, red, violet and camo. Nice pocket sized.
> 
> Or we can go custom.




Love to see a pic


----------



## Tmack

They are about 5" long. 
Your choice of focus adapter.


----------



## stewdogg

Are the differences in focus adapters just for looks or do they serve a purpose?


----------



## slow2go

Just got my Mag Light....
All I can say is....... WOW.... I need to find some wide open spaces and air it out.
Shot it into the pool at 30 yards.... Lit up the whole pool.
I will respect it as you can just sense the power.
Thanks to Tmack


----------



## Tmack

The difference in focus adapters ate just cosmetic. 


Excellent  
Gotta love the reflection off the water. Be careful though.


----------



## Alex1234

beamshot outside. not bad for 1.7 watt. 3 watt would be over kill for me


----------



## Tmack

Nice and violet. That particular diode has a beautiful wavelength. Its closer to 445nm. The 3w are closer to 450nm


----------



## Tmack




----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Sure. I only use protection when burning up close, or testing on a lpm, etc.
> Shining even a distance half that you'll be fine.
> You can look at the dot from across the room. But if you hit a white wall, you'll know it.
> The entire room glows blue, and anything fluorescent will start to glow like crazy.
> You'll find things fluorescent you never knew were lol.



Some things will fluoresce with 445nm, but if you really want to see fluorescence get 405 nm. 

Problem with 405nm is it's hard to see the beam, and especially don't use cheapo safety glasses with 405nm. I have some that are fine for 445nm, but let through way too much 405nm light.


----------



## Tmack

Yes. Glow in the dark paint and a 405nm are made for each other. 
The host with the glow epoxy in the grooves was charged with a 405nm. 

Some people actually have a hard time focusing on 405nm light. It makes your eyes strain, and looks out of focus.

They just released a 1w 405nm diode I recently built in my purple zaser. 1w of a single mode diode makes for a great burner, especially in 405nm. 1w is nice and bright even that far from the middle of the spectrum .


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Some people actually have a hard time focusing on 405nm light. It makes your eyes strain, and looks out of focus.



Oh yeah, you'll really want eye protection for 405nm. Even looking at the spot from an 80mw laser makes my eyes hurt after a while.

Try 405nm with peanuts, apple juice, notebook paper, highlighter pen, the security strips in dollar bills, and see the colors.

Also you can draw on thermal paper, like receipts and shipping labels. If the laser is too powerful it will start to burn almost immediately though.


----------



## Alex1234

what and where is this photon fest


----------



## Tmack

New Jersey may 31


----------



## cardo

To paraphrase John Prine: 'There's a hole in Daddy's pocket where all the money goes.' I just saw Tmack's posts on the Blade Forums and had to follow the lead over here. Looks like there's going to be something other than knives putting holes in my pockets.


----------



## Tmack

Haha. I think i just released my pocket plug on a zero tolerance 0560 hinderer design blackwash folder. 
Join the "hole in pocket" club. 

We "hip" guys are many.


----------



## Tmack

Maybe stonewashed? What do you guys think?


----------



## Alex1234

question can my standard focus lens be changed to the g2 or g9 or whatever its called by just unscrewing it? if not then no worries


----------



## Tmack

It sure can. You would be right around 2w. But your wouldn't notice much. 

Your lens is for better focus.


----------



## Mike9028

Tmack said:


> They are about 5" long.
> Your choice of focus adapter.



How much $ for one of these?


----------



## Tmack

I can do 2.5w for $250


----------



## Tmack

1.7w for $200


----------



## Bimmerboy

Subscribed.

Greetings from a future customer.


----------



## Alex1234

omg the the g2 lens is 44 dollars... ill stick with my standard lol

http://www.survivallaser.com/G-2_Lens_Assembly/p556088_3921921.aspx


----------



## Tmack

Yeah they are expensive :/ 
The 3 element (yours) is good for focusing to a finer spot though. 

And with all the glorious 445nm power, it won't be noticeable to sacrifice some for a better spot. 

Its when power is the number one concern, that I use the g2. 
It allows the most light through. The 3 element trims of the edges, making the dot a little more uniform.


----------



## Tmack

Bimmerboy said:


> Subscribed.
> 
> Greetings from a future customer.



Let me know when you'd like to get started


----------



## Alex1234

I found a generic 5mw green laser I had and wanted to see if I could get to the potentiometer screw and I did so I started to turn it left then right and found if you go to far in either direction the laser gets dim. i found the sweat spot which i would guess is about 25mw now. I was hoping for more but ill take it


----------



## Tmack

Always be careful with those pots. 
Your lucky that one just dims. Some just die. Believe me


----------



## Alex1234

What do you think of sci fi lasers. http://www.sflasers.us/. Prices are good.


----------



## Tmack

The owners name us eithen. Its in Israel. Customs can be tricky. But he's good. 

Green/red yes.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack what kinda host can you make a 520nm laser in ? I really like this color


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> The owners name us eithen. Its in Israel. Customs can be tricky. But he's good.
> 
> Green/red yes.
> Blue - no driver heatsink, and fit and finish is a little rough, but they work.



Tmack ,
How are Jet Lasers "blues"? What kind of focusing lens do they use ?


----------



## Tmack

Jet lasers has amazing greens. 
You need to buy a beam expander to focus anything they have. 

The owner name is grey, and he's another great guy. 

Blues are always better custom. 
Greens (532nm) are better company. 

That's the golden rule.

Mike your maglite will outperform the jetlaser 4w because of the focus. And the mags have better heatsinking. Jetlaser just has a hip host.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> tmack what kinda host can you make a 520nm laser in ? I really like this color



I can make 520nm in a 501b. Very nice. The color is gorgeous


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> Jet lasers has amazing greens.
> You need to buy a beam expander to focus anything they have.
> 
> The owner name is grey, and he's another great guy.
> 
> Blues are always better custom.
> Greens (532nm) are better company.
> 
> That's the golden rule.
> 
> Mike your maglite will outperform the jetlaser 4w because of the focus. And the mags have better heatsinking. Jetlaser just has a hip host.



I wasn't considering a blue from Jet Lasers...just curious. Regarding the "beam expander"....would that apply to the greens? My Equality 532 seems to focus really tight. 
What is the max you can do on the 520....500mw?


----------



## Tmack

1.4w but very expensive! 
$700 diode alone. No host, no driver, no lens.

I can do 200-300 mw much more reasonable. Same cost as a 445nm 3w just about, but doesn't need quite the heatsinking.


----------



## Alex1234

tmank im deff in for a 200-300 mw 520nm in a 501b host. I just need to save up the money first. i have 300 dollars worth of lights for sale over in the marketplace


----------



## Tmack

Great choice. You guys are really starting off with a bang! 
I'm impressed of your knowledge just by what you ask about, and want. 

Seems like true rookies say. 
" where can I get like a 5w green/red to burn? "


----------



## Omenwolf

Tmack your inbox is full, trying to send you a pm.


----------



## Tmack

Sorry about that. Open and ready


----------



## TEEJ

Btw....I'm at the grand canyon, and its still snowing.

I tried to take some laser pics last night during a break, but, oddly, at night in the grand canyon, with the other side about 18 miles away, and them not having any lights on....I have no CLUE as to if the pics will show anything at all.



I had to promise the wife to NOT bring a laptop or other things that might allow me to do work while on vacation....and to not shine lights etc.

So no tripod or prep time....just whip it out and hit the shutter. (445 nm and 532 nm)

I won't be able to upload till ~ 5/18 or so when I get back.


----------



## Tmack

I hope some turn out well. 

No way the 445nm doesn't show beam


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I hope some turn out well.
> 
> No way the 445nm doesn't show beam



Beam yes....context not so sure.


----------



## Alex1234

i did a simple heat test with my 1.7w mag. used a ir thermometer on the top part of the head. i tried to measure the heat sink next to the focus adapter but i think the mirror finish on it reflected it


0:0082 degrees1:0083 degrees2:0085 degrees3:0087 degrees4:0089 degrees5:0091 degrees6:0092 degrees7:0094 degrees8:0095 degrees 

crazy awesome heat sinking. note the heat sink around the focus adapter was warmer then where i measured throughout the test. thats why i stopped at 8 min as it was getting toward the hot side of warm.
i bet if my control temp was in the low 70s it would have run fine for over 10 min.


----------



## Tmack

Holy crap 8 min! 
I'm impressed!! Wow! 

Just don't make a habit of it, as the driver may be hotter than you can feel/measure....... But....... Wow!


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> i did a simple heat test with my 1.7w mag. used a ir thermometer on the top part of the head. i tried to measure the heat sink next to the focus adapter but i think the mirror finish on it reflected it
> 
> 
> 0:0082 degrees1:0083 degrees2:0085 degrees3:0087 degrees4:0089 degrees5:0091 degrees6:0092 degrees7:0094 degrees8:0095 degrees
> 
> crazy awesome heat sinking. note the heat sink around the focus adapter was warmer then where i measured throughout the test. thats why i stopped at 8 min as it was getting toward the hot side of warm.
> i bet if my control temp was in the low 70s it would have run fine for over 10 min.



You will get partly reflected room temp with an IR reading on a shiny surface. 

If you have flat black tape for example, a strip of that on the parts you want a reading of will be a lot more accurate.


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Holy crap 8 min!
> I'm impressed!! Wow!
> 
> Just don't make a habit of it, as the driver may be hotter than you can feel/measure....... But....... Wow!



You mentioned that the driver has a thermal shut down. How hot can it get before that happens?


----------



## Tmack

I'll check the exact temperature with the designer. 
At 1.8a it would take a while before it got too hot. 
The maglite also has the driver heatsinked to the host.

The 3w run at 2.4a of course accelerating the heat buildup, so a 8 min run is not advised driver shut down or not. The diode is more sensitive to heat than the driver. Its just a precautionary measure just in case it's left on. Not a reason to run it long.


----------



## Alex1234

I think 8 min is the absolute max the 1.7w mag should be run. But to be safe id say no more then 6 min.


----------



## Tmack

I'm very happy you did that test.  
It ensures I'm doing my job with proper heatsinking. So thanks you very much my friend.


----------



## Alex1234

http://www.sflasers.us/SF501B_532nm_Green/p2035127_12002399.aspx

these went in stock yesterday and sold out today but managed to snag one  54.99 for 100mw of green is a steal !!!


----------



## Tmack

They come with legit lpm graphs too. 
Very nice. 
Hosts are OK, but internals are good stuff


----------



## Alex1234

So i did the heat test again but this time the control temp of the aluminium heat sink around the focus adapter was 60 degrees not 82. its a lot cooler tonight. i also took teej advise and put a piece of black tape over the mirror finish of the heat sink right next to the focus adapter to get a better reading and it worked really well

0:0060 degrees1:0068 degrees2:0070 degrees3:0073 degrees4:0076 degrees5:0078 degrees6:0080 degrees7:0081 degrees8:0084 degrees

the head was still cool at 8 min btw lol  the heat sink was barley warm at all. oh and output stayed rock steady through out the test because i had it all the way defocussed so i dont burn my wall:devil: and so i could look at the spot


----------



## Tmack

Lol 84 degrees. If you asked me to guess the temp of the heatsink under the same circumstances, I would have miserably failed


----------



## Alex1234

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KAqlEoQKrU

can you make something like this


----------



## Tmack

Absolutely. I know the guy who made that one lol. He once had a multi-line blue diode. Crazy stuff. Styropyro. Cool guy. 

But yeah. I can get those diodes, and similar host extremely easily.


----------



## Tmack

The diode I'd use is a b1 which is stronger. 200-300 mw. 
His was a old-school osram. 115mw maybe less. I didn't wait to see if he metered it lol. I knew that was Styropyro instantly.


----------



## Alex1234

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSRn4l4yAm4 this one. plp520 b1

if you can work up a price for one im all ready lol


----------



## Tmack

What host would you like my friend


----------



## Tmack

The green would be awesome


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> The green would be awesome



Im in interested too! What lens and battery? How many mw can you push out of the diode? I think Eitan is getting [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]170mW-300mW[/FONT]


----------



## Tmack

I can get 200-300 mw. 
1x 18650 
G2 lens. 

These would be $260 

Insanly bright. Beautiful color. 
The beam is thicker than a 532nm, so it's really special to have a direct diode green. 
It makes 532nm look yellowish. 
This is a forest green. 
And man that anodization looks great. 

That picture is of a 4 laser set I'm building for a local guy.


----------



## hikingman

Tmack, I am about to order the eFest 800mAh IMR's and they come flat top and button top. Either way for c11 host?


----------



## Tmack

Button


----------



## atisvt99

Tmack said:


> This is a forest green.
> And man that anodization looks great.
> 
> That picture is of a 4 laser set I'm building for a local guy.



Cool look'n set... I'll bet the local guy is stoked.


----------



## hikingman

Thanks friend!


----------



## Alex1234

Ill take one 200-300mw 520nm in that green host. Thats cool Ill paypal tonight. How bright would this be compared to my 1.7w 445nm mag


----------



## Tmack

Brighter. No doubt. By how much, depends on your ability to perceive certain wavelengths, so I can't say exactly, but it will be brighter  

I'll put the word in for the host now


----------



## Tmack

Does anyone else want a green anodized 501b. It will be much better to download them in one batch. I can knock off a little from each order. 
I can issue a little refund to Alex if we get more orders.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Does anyone else want a green anodized 501b. It will be much better to download them in one batch. I can knock off a little from each order.
> I can issue a little refund to Alex if we get more orders.



dang no more love for the 520nm lol


----------



## Tmack

If they saw one or research it like you, they would think otherwise. 
It's a very coveted wavelength. 
Like I said. You have good taste


----------



## Alex1234

its just so cool that its direct diode so no Crystal to worry about and its more stable. so the divergence is not the best. personally i think having the lowest divergence is over rated. we cant perceive divergence shining it into the sky anyway. it seams like a few years ago every company was trying to compete with having the lowest divergence laser. now it seams like the company are more competing over power of there lasers


----------



## Mike Sloan

Alex1234 said:


> its just so cool that its direct diode so no Crystal to worry about and its more stable. so the divergence is not the best. personally i think having the lowest divergence is over rated. we cant perceive divergence shining it into the sky anyway. it seams like a few years ago every company was trying to compete with having the lowest divergence laser. now it seams like the company are more competing over power of there lasers



Im very new to this laser stuff...and have 2 lasers: a 3W 445nm and a 500mw 532nm. The beam on the 445 is thicker and more substantial looking. But, from my limited experience, the better divergence from the 532 allows it to reach out and touch stuff better. I still get a kick out of seeing the "dot" on low lying clouds. Some have said that the 520nm direct green's divergence false in the middle between the 532 and 445. Be interested In observations from those that have this laser. Be nice when the 1W diode becomes affordable.


----------



## Tmack

The b1 520nm diode will fall in the middle. But the 1w has just about the same as a 445nm according to my diode guy. He's got side by side pictures and if no color were shown, you couldn't distinguish between the two. 
They have the ghost box and everything. 

They are just extraordinarily bright!


----------



## TEEJ

OK, I'm Baaaaaack.



Unfortunately, when its pitch black out, and you shine a laser at something ~ 18 miles away....you can't really see anything but the beam itself. (The grand canyon is about 18 miles wide where I was shooting across it).

2D pics just can't express the shear enormousness of the chasm...even when looking at it in person, there is no sense of scale.

My wife was asking me about a small deer or foot path at the bottom the first time she looked at it...and I told her that was the Colorado River, and not a narrow foot path. At the distances involved, you have no sense of scale at all...and the details, such as the flowing water, etc, were invisible...and that's in broad daylight.




Anyway - The Laser Beams Shot across the Grand Canyon, and, a bonus set shot in Sedona to a red rock cliff a few miles away.

GC:






Control





445 nm shot at near cliff






445 nm shot to far side of canyon







532 nm shot to near cliff






532 nm shot to far side of canyon






Sedona:






Control






445 nm shot at cliff 1






532 nm Shot at cliff







445 nm shot at cliff 2




Bonus Shot - 




DeftX shot at cliff 













*PS - I HATE FLICKR, its too hard to post pics from anymore, and I think I'll have to find a new host for my pics.

*
:hairpull::hairpull:


----------



## Alex1234

i use photobucket. works great


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> i use photobucket. works great



I was using PB, and switched to Flickr years ago, I now have to figure out how to migrate THOUSANDS of pics to PB.

:thinking:



PS - 




Always wear safety glasses when using Tmack Lasers. (If you could see attached pic, it would have been funny)


----------



## Alex1234

TEEJ said:


> I was using PB, and switched to Flickr years ago, I now have to figure out how to migrate THOUSANDS of pics to PB.
> 
> 
> 
> :thinking:
> 
> 
> 
> PS -
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Always wear safety glasses when using Tmack Lasers. (If you could see attached pic, it would have been funny)


my samsung s3 takes awesome beamshots in night mode so i just upload them to my photobucket app. then i go resize them on the full site then i copy the direct link to the 
'insert image option'


----------



## Tmack

Teej! Your killing me! 
I use my phone, share through tapatalk through my album. Copy paste


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Teej! Your killing me!
> I use my phone, share through tapatalk through my album. Copy paste




LOL

I could not even know which pics I was looking at on my phone.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack, I think one day I'll want one of your lasers, however, first I need to get hooked on lasers like I did on flashlights. I don't have a laser at all. I'm wondering what is the least expensive laser that you would recommend? Most bang for your buck type laser? I have no color/power preference, I trust you blindly. I'm really thinking no more than $50 but I would _really_ value your input. Thanks!


----------



## Tmack

Ebay seller "overfeel" has a "5mw" focus 532nm laser. It will be between 30-100mw of green and will go a very long way. About $30. A fantastic gateway laser  lol. 

It's inexpensive, and the module isn't half bad. 
It looks like a small flashlight. Do not get the pen style . 
He also has a 405nm (violet) that pretty good too. 

He inside the United States, fast shipping, can't go wrong my friend. 

Let me know when you want power!


----------



## Alex1234

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Tmack, I think one day I'll want one of your lasers, however, first I need to get hooked on lasers like I did on flashlights. I don't have a laser at all. I'm wondering what is the least expensive laser that you would recommend? Most bang for your buck type laser? I have no color/power preference, I trust you blindly. I'm really thinking no more than $50 but I would _really_ value your input. Thanks!




http://www.sflasers.us/SF501B_532nm_Green/p2035127_12002399.aspx right here 55 dollars for 100mw of green is unheard of i have one on the way  very good quality and takes 18650 batteries. there sold out now but they will have then in a week of so. you can preorder one


----------



## stewdogg

Alex1234 said:


> http://www.sflasers.us/SF501B_532nm_Green/p2035127_12002399.aspx right here 55 dollars for 100mw of green is unheard of i have one on the way  very good quality and takes 18650 batteries. there sold out now but they will have then in a week of so. you can preorder one



I have one of these on the way as well... host painted green.


----------



## stewdogg

So, Tmack why don't you want to mess with the cheaper/less powerful lasers? Is the market already flooded with these and you don't want to step on toes? Not enough room for profit? Not that it's any of my business... Just curious as it seems like you could draw a bunch of flashaholics to the world of lasers that way.


----------



## Tmack

The companies that make them, buy crazy amounts of cheap hosts, and Chinese modules so, while my product may be better quality, their us much cheaper. I don't want people thinking I'm just over charging. 

Like sflasers. His hosts aren't as good as mine but his price is unbeatable. 

So I stick with the customs. 

This us only the case with 532nm. 

638nm (red) I can build any power, 405nm (violet) etc.


----------



## TEEJ

OK, I got the pics from the Grand Canyon and Sedona up in that thread above.


----------



## Tmack

Man that envy is a beast. (deft x too!)


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Man that envy is a beast. (deft x too!)




The envy IS a BEAST.



If I defocus it a lot, its essentially a flashlight with a rectangular blue beam.

If I focus it tightly, its a flashlight with a rice sized blue beam that makes things burst into flame.




The Green Pen is sweet too BTW, I used it a lot to point out wild life and petrographs and glyphs, etc.....in broad daylight (Even broad daylight in Arizona when its ~ 105º), even when really far away. (I did a lot of "OK, see the green dot? OK, now look under it/where the spot is circling, under that crevice/ledge, etc...see the critter/drawing/sedimentary layer?" So I didn't put the spot ON anything I might hurt/blind, etc)


I was afraid to use the *blue beast* as a pointer, as I worried I'd set a forest/pronghorn antelope or lizard on fire, or destroy an ancient petrograph, etc.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> Ebay seller "overfeel" has a "5mw" focus 532nm laser. It will be between 30-100mw of green and will go a very long way. About $30. A fantastic gateway laser  lol.
> 
> It's inexpensive, and the module isn't half bad.
> It looks like a small flashlight. Do not get the pen style .
> He also has a 405nm (violet) that pretty good too.
> 
> He inside the United States, fast shipping, can't go wrong my friend.
> 
> Let me know when you want power!



ORDERED! 

Thanks! I can only imagine this ending in a purchase from you, THANK YOU for the tip.


----------



## Mike9028

Spectacular pics TEEJ. Thanks for sharing. I'm seriously considering a Zaser now


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Ebay seller "overfeel" has a "5mw" focus 532nm laser. It will be between 30-100mw of green and will go a very long way. About $30. A fantastic gateway laser  lol.
> 
> It's inexpensive, and the module isn't half bad.
> It looks like a small flashlight. Do not get the pen style .
> He also has a 405nm (violet) that pretty good too.
> 
> He inside the United States, fast shipping, can't go wrong my friend.
> 
> Let me know when you want power!



can you give me the link. iv been searching on ebay for 15 minutes lol


----------



## SkOrPn

ThirstyTurtle said:


> ORDERED!
> 
> Thanks! I can only imagine this ending in a purchase from you, THANK YOU for the tip.



Not sure how you found it, but the only focusable 5mw green 532nm I find at overfeel's store is the standard 301 laser you see all the time at ebay. And he is selling it for $17, not $30. The 303's are better anyway for the same price. Is overfeel taking these 301's and upgrading them himself with better components maybe? I'd prefer one of them JD-850's with the tail switch instead and then mod it myself. Or anything else with a tail switch, lol...

@Tmack, I have a request for help, if you can please. I need a pen/tube style green laser, or something that has the same circumference from tip to tail, a.k.a tube. I want it green and long shooting (for Astronomy), and something I can put together myself (I'm a retired electronics tech). Not looking to impress anyone, but I do want it bright (50mw+) so I can use it for sighting in crossbows and rifles during the day, but it needs to be perfectly flat along the entire shaft to properly sit in the crossbow track. I built my own laser recently (for this purpose) using a cheap AAAx2 Garrity led flashlight (tail cap switched) and a dollar store 5nm red (bullet style for pets) and I modified it for more output and refocused it (came out OK), but I do not like how the host casing came out (Its not perfectly flat from tip to tail). So its a glorified cat toy and allowed me to get familiar with the workings of a laser. I also want it to have an on-off switch, possibly tail cap type as I hate side-mounted momentary switches. Not interested in burning, just good night distance, green, bright enough to see it shining on a target during the day, and with IR filtering. Probably enough on time in order to get the crossbow sighted in quick enough, 5 minutes give or take, is this possible? Might use it to help sight in some rifles and AR's as well but have not figured out the mounting for that purpose yet. $50 in parts max (is this too cheap?). I do not want to spend hundreds on a laser, but I do like the idea of feeding my DIY/modding skills. I do not care about battery type or battery life as I can charge anything, and I also have hundreds of Lithiums (both AAA/AA) in cold storage. I like the size of the common ebay/DX/Optotronics pens (all look physically the same to me, except for actual light output of course), but if you have an idea for something in the 16340 or 18650 range those would be the thickest host casing I could use I think. I assume the thicker the better the heat dissipation and thus longer on times, just like LED flashlights. Remember, must sit flush inside a crossbow's arrow track groove which is why I'm thinking pen or smooth tube style.

I also recently purchased the 5mw True Green Pointer from DX (the lazy method) for exactly this purpose (since my own build did not meet my needs) and I was going to clean up the electronics, resolder all the components, possibly upgrading the module/driver for more powah and/or on time, and refocus it, but that was over 6 weeks ago and it never arrived. I'm not buying from them again if I can help it. Anyway, I have built flashlights before and have all the tools necessary, thermal interface materials (tim), dremels, hundreds (if not thousands lol) of dremel attachments, A complete esd workstation and a near complete workshop (no machining equipment unfortunately), so I believe I can build a laser myself, so long I don't have to machine anything, lol. I can sand and paint myself as well. Just not sure what to look for in a half decent module, driver, host, switch etc that also meets my affordability requirements.

Any ideas would be very much appreciated. Thank You! 

SkOrPn


----------



## Tmack

Fast tech modules are marked as 5mw but are from 30-60mw dependably. They are also $6 
Buy a bunch to play with  
Careful with potentiometer adjustments. It can kill it or run it too hot. 
For a host . Home Depot  defiant led pen. Rear button. Same diameter all the way up. 

If you need help on the specifics, I'm here. 
I think we're up to $15 

Although this would tickle your diy bone, the ones on ebay will be just as strong. They all use the same kind of module.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

SkOrPn said:


> Not sure how you found it, but the only focusable 5mw green 532nm I find at overfeel's store is the standard 301 laser you see all the time at ebay. And he is selling it for $17, not $30. The 303's are better anyway for the same price. Is overfeel taking these 301's and upgrading them himself with better components maybe? I'd prefer one of them JD-850's with the tail switch instead and then mod it myself. Or anything else with a tail switch, lol...



Ya the $17 one is the one I got. It met Tmack's description aside from the price. I hope it's alright! 

Any thoughts Tmack?


----------



## Alex1234

i was wondering if it was that one as well?


----------



## Tmack

That's it. The black one. 532nm. They lowered their price I see.


----------



## Alex1234

ordered lol 17 dollars why not


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> That's it. The black one. 532nm. They lowered their price I see.



HELL YES! so excited. I was a bit intoxicated last night when I was ordered it so I was worried I screwed up. 

I need to brush up on my "laser safety" now...


----------



## TEEJ

Mike9028 said:


> Spectacular pics TEEJ. Thanks for sharing. I'm seriously considering a Zaser now



That ability to reach out and touch distant targets with a laser is the same thrill you get as when you do it with a throwy flashlight or a rifle, etc.


----------



## Str8stroke

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Tmack, I think one day I'll want one of your lasers, however, first I need to get hooked on lasers like I did on flashlights. I don't have a laser at all. I'm wondering what is the least expensive laser that you would recommend? Most bang for your buck type laser? I have no color/power preference, I trust you blindly. I'm really thinking no more than $50 but I would _really_ value your input. Thanks!



I thought the same thing a while back. My opinion is now, Spend the money and get one of the "Tmag" lasers. Drop the cash & be done and enjoy the show! I am not into lasers. But now I guess I am. :twothumbs Put it this way. The blue beam this puts out is something you will awe over. It will make you giggle. I would suggest getting 2 King Kongs to run just the laser. I first thought I would only play with the laser every now and then, so I could use some of the batts out of my lights. NOPE! I just ordered a pair just for the laser. 

I won't even talk about frying your name into the top of your kids wooden play set from 10 feet away! (Not while they are on it!) Or, popping a balloon that was stuck up in a tree. I was thinking. The mall needs these to get the balloons out of the rafters at night. Put the safety glasses on and HAVE FUN!! 

Tmackdaddy is straight up. Fast shipping. Very helpful as well. Good luck.

EDIT: Not to mention, I like to support the folks on here. I prefer to send my money to a fellow member. Even if it were to cost just a tad bit more.


----------



## Tmack

I absolutely love to hear you guys are happy with your lasers. It's even more special to me that it's your first real laser experience. You guys sure dive in when you like something. Buy the best right off the bat  


Tmag. Hahaha love it! 

With the 445nm, my prices are more than competitive. I see used 3w maglite going for what I sell mine for. And I know for a fact they are not built as good as A TMAG.  

I appreciate it so much you guys giving me feedback, and the kind words. It means a lot to me that I give you a great product that will be fun, powerful, and last. 

All smiles over here.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I absolutely love to hear you guys are happy with your lasers. It's even more special to me that it's your first real laser experience. You guys sure dive in when you like something. Buy the best right off the bat
> 
> 
> Tmag. Hahaha love it!
> 
> With the 445nm, my prices are more than competitive. I see used 3w maglite going for what I sell mine for. And I know for a fact they are not built as good as A TMAG.
> 
> I appreciate it so much you guys giving me feedback, and the kind words. It means a lot to me that I give you a great product that will be fun, powerful, and last.
> 
> All smiles over here.





Yeah Bro.





I think its like the newbs who first get a dx light to "dip their toe into the water", vs a V54 flashlight as their first purchase.


I look at it this way, those who have more experience don't get the el cheapos, as they KNOW that there are better choices....

so, I assume its more efficient to skip the el cheapos and go for what I would get if I knew what I was looking for.


----------



## Tmack

Even my girl is following that theory. I'll be looking at something to buy, and I'll have a cheaper or more expensive (obviously better  ) option. 

" just get the good one, you'll regret it if you don't....and I don't want to hear it when you want the good one after the cheap one " 

 mission accomplished.


----------



## SkOrPn

Tmack said:


> Fast tech modules are marked as 5mw but are from 30-60mw dependably. They are also $6
> Buy a bunch to play with
> Careful with potentiometer adjustments. It can kill it or run it too hot.
> For a host . Home Depot  defiant led pen. Rear button. Same diameter all the way up.
> 
> If you need help on the specifics, I'm here.
> I think we're up to $15
> 
> Although this would tickle your diy bone, the ones on ebay will be just as strong. They all use the same kind of module.



Thank you very much on that Home Depot score. I will pick up a 2 pack when I go to HD next. Also, I was thinking of picking up a SDLaser 303 with a APC module. I was told by someone at youtube who's been taking them apart that all his 303's with APC modules have an IR filter. Do you know if the Fast Tech modules are also filtered? I heard that the New Wish modules are not filtered? Is that true or false?

One last question, what is the highest mW output that a pen style host can handle, and how much for one at 150-200mW? Is that too much heat for a pen host? 



ThirstyTurtle said:


> Ya the $17 one is the one I got. It met Tmack's description aside from the price. I hope it's alright!
> 
> Any thoughts Tmack?


Yeah, I'm sure its just fine. However, I was told for the same money that the SD303 is slightly better. With that said, no one mentioned why, lol...
This is it at ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SD303-532nm...9367?pt=US_Laser_Pointers&hash=item565e25be87

The ones at ebay all come with APC modules, and I think all the APC greens have IR filtering but I could be wrong as I do not own one myself, yet. I just like the host itself which looks the same on both the 301 and 303. I also REALLY like the JD-850's because they have a on-off tail switch.
Review of 303 http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/dx-sd-303-200mw-review-60421.html


----------



## Tmack

A pen can hold a lot. It just effect the runtime. 

I have a 1700mw pen  

The new wish are not filtered. You will jot find a stand alone module that is. Only after in the host can you get a filter on it. 

100mw means you have about a 500mw 808 driving the DPSS system. 532nm get deceptively hot because the power output, is way less than what it takes to create the green light. 

You could go 50-80mw and it would be visibly the same, while saving the heat.


----------



## SkOrPn

Whoops, the Defiant LED Pens are no longer available. Wow what a great deal missed, only $1 in feb for 2 CREE flashlights. oo:


----------



## Tmack

They still have them, maybe just not as cheap. If not, just find a sturdy body light, and have a go. May need some copper foil to be a spacer. That's what I use if the tube is too big.


----------



## SkOrPn

Tmack said:


> They still have them, maybe just not as cheap. If not, just find a sturdy body light, and have a go. May need some copper foil to be a spacer. That's what I use if the tube is too big.


Yeah their website said its not in my state (zip 87059), and its a store pickup only item, and I think exclusive to Home Depot.



Tmack said:


> A pen can hold a lot. It just effect the runtime.
> 
> I have a 1700mw pen
> 
> The new wish are not filtered. You will jot find a stand alone module that is. Only after in the host can you get a filter on it.
> 
> 100mw means you have about a 500mw 808 driving the DPSS system. 532nm get deceptively hot because the power output, is way less than what it takes to create the green light.
> 
> You could go 50-80mw and it would be visibly the same, while saving the heat.


OK, so what exactly would you recommend I build (since what you said went over my head, lol)? My crossbow has a plastic rail, so heat must not get warm enough to start melting plastic (my bow is $600 bucks so no melting is a plus). I really liked the Defiant pens but I can't find it anywhere. They looked quite thick too, which is nice... What about the JD-850? The only reason I'm not getting that is because it has a ring in the middle that looks like it may be a slightly larger circumference then the rest of the host. Maybe I should just get a few of them Chinese pens, like the one I ordered that never arrived, but this time from a US seller and then just work with those, lol. They look really thin to me though. I think you can find them as low as $5 a pop. If you have another host in mind please share.

Also, I might as well ask since this is your custom thread (I just now realized I'm being rude asking for help to build my own, please forgive me). what would you charge for a custom built 100-200 mw pen, with or without clip and a tail switch? I tried the Garrity lights already and the outside housing is exactly the same size as the Bullet style lasers with 11.9mm modules, however the light host was to thick and would not accept the module (inside diameter was slightly under 11.9), so I spot welded them together. Which is why its not perfectly straight, lol.

EDIT: I think the 301 you mentioned earlier is the best bet as it looks perfectly flat tail to tip.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack, I was just wondering what makes a custom laser so much better than a production model? What I really mean is, is there more to a laser than the power? 

Like on a V54 light you get a good tint, heat-syncing is improved, current path is improved, emitters are centered, and it's tuned for the best beam profile. 

Are there similar considerations for lasers? Like "tuning" for throw or better tints or something? 

Finally, what kind of amperage draw do you lasers have? I know it varies a lot by the mW but could you give some rough figures? Trying to get an idea if battery requirements (if any) and heat output from a custom high-powered laser, thanks!


----------



## Tmack

The advantages of going custom are very similar to a vn light. 
My components are extremely beefed up. The driver is heavily hears inked along with the diode. 
Alex123 just tested a 1.7w mag for 8min and it didn't go over 100 degrees. 
Try that with a 1.7w company laser. You'll be looking for a new laser. Most say 60 seconds or less duty cycle. 
The drivers in company lasers are not heats inked at all. They almost free float inside the gist giving no thermal path at all. 
All this means I can run a higher current and still have a more reliable system. 
The diodes and drivers are also way higher quality. The companies buy bulk diodes and cheap drivers. 
I buy nichia, osram diodes (best name beands) and driver built especially for laser diodes. Not converted led drivers to save money. 
My lasers also use superior optics. The companies often use acrylic lens that WILL MELT. if they do use glass it's not as efficient as my ar coated optics. 
And my lasers will be serviceable. I can go in and replace anything, whole mist company lasers can't even be cracked open. 
Then there's the aesthetic options, and customizability. 
Custom focus adapters, wider range of battery configuration . 
And I do tune for best focus. Adjusting the hight of the module for ease of focus. 

And the biggest reason. You get customer service from someone who cares about your satisfaction and safety 

A high power 3w driver us set at 2.4a nowhere near a monster light


----------



## Alex1234

just curious what stage is my 520nm laser on. i was not sure how long it takes to get the hosts in or if they need to be machined?


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> The advantages of going custom are very similar to a vn light.
> My components are extremely beefed up. The driver is heavily hears inked along with the diode.
> Alex123 just tested a 1.7w mag for 8min and it didn't go over 100 degrees.
> Try that with a 1.7w company laser. You'll be looking for a new laser. Most say 60 seconds or less duty cycle.
> The drivers in company lasers are not heats inked at all. They almost free float inside the gist giving no thermal path at all.
> All this means I can run a higher current and still have a more reliable system.
> The diodes and drivers are also way higher quality. The companies buy bulk diodes and cheap drivers.
> I buy nichia, osram diodes (best name beands) and driver built especially for laser diodes. Not converted led drivers to save money.
> My lasers also use superior optics. The companies often use acrylic lens that WILL MELT. if they do use glass it's not as efficient as my ar coated optics.
> And my lasers will be serviceable. I can go in and replace anything, whole mist company lasers can't even be cracked open.
> Then there's the aesthetic options, and customizability.
> Custom focus adapters, wider range of battery configuration .
> And I do tune for best focus. Adjusting the hight of the module for ease of focus.
> 
> And the biggest reason. You get customer service from someone who cares about your satisfaction and safety
> 
> A high power 3w driver us set at 2.4a nowhere near a monster light



TMACK FTW !!!!


----------



## SkOrPn

@Tmack, can you recommend any drop-in module manufacturers that are considered premium with IR filters built in? Or does that not exist?


----------



## Tmack

Stand alone modules can't be filtered. The filters are installed in the host  
Try ebay seller tech hood. 
He's got nice green modules.


----------



## SkOrPn

Tmack said:


> Stand alone modules can't be filtered. The filters are installed in the host
> Try ebay seller tech hood.
> He's got nice green modules.


Thank you again Tmack.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Thanks for the explanation, Tmack! 

I have a follow-up question about optics. Is the only "optics" part of a laser the lens and/or focusing device? If you removed the lens and/or focusing device from a laser would it be a super tight beam or not as good as with optics?


----------



## Tmack

Yes that is all. If you remove it, then you will have a huge wall of light. I create the focal point with the optics. I adjust the hight or depth of the module in the heatsink, which determines the max focus on either direction.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> Yes that is all. If you remove it, then you will have a huge wall of light. I create the focal point with the optics. I adjust the hight or depth of the module in the heatsink, which determines the max focus on either direction.



Okay cool! So without the optic it's like an LED without an emitter? Just a wall of light coming out the front huh? That sounds dangerous lol


----------



## Tmack

It's much safer really. Being it's not focused, the mw per any given area is much less  

Imagine a huge rectangle of blue.


----------



## Tmack

Still not SAFE though lol


----------



## Tmack

The super mag from about 10ft still bellowing smoke in a windy alley. This thing amazes me every time I take it out.


----------



## Alex1234

how many watts ?


----------



## Tmack

3.2w 
Built in voltage monitor. 
Key switch arming in the tail cap. 
That's right! You need keys for this hot rod


----------



## Tmack

It's got a 5 color voltage monitor led. I cycle through the color to get the red for the picture. 
It runs of 32650's, so I've actually never seen it anything but blue (full) haha. 
It's got some serious capacity. I just ran it for just over 5 min, and it was still cool like it wasn't ran at all. 
The driver is fixed to a semicircular slab of aluminum inside the tube, so it's running cool as well.


----------



## Alex1234

how much did that build cost ?


----------



## Tmack

A whole bunch. 

The host with voltage monitor and keys was about $300, then the diode, driver, other small mounting hardware, $250, the heatsink $125, the lens $50.

This is the laser the other lasers in the case talk about at night


----------



## SkOrPn

Tmack said:


> This is the laser the other lasers in the case talk about at night




I'm sure the other lasers talk about this laser morning, noon and at night. lol


----------



## TEEJ

SkOrPn said:


> I'm sure the other lasers talk about this laser morning, noon and at night. lol



The laser's parent's tell the little lasers stories about how THAT laser will incinerate them if they don't stay in bed like they're supposed to....


----------



## Tmack

Haha. It's the boogeymag........ V2  

When I'm ready to upgrade, and the cost of the diode comes down, she's getting the new 5-6w 445nm diode.


----------



## Alex1234

Is it even possible to look at the spot of a 5 watt blur laser on a white wall ?? My eyes strain with my 1.7 w


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> Is it even possible to look at the spot of a 5 watt blur laser on a white wall ?? My eyes strain with my 1.7 w



Possible, sure, painful and damaging, yes.

The spots are not for looking at at these levels...they are for burning holes in things and/or shining up into the (Aircraft-free) night sky and ooohing and aaaahing at the amazing beams. (I also shot it across the Grand Canyon, etc)



(I am assuming that "blur laser" = BLUE Laser, as in 445 nm death ray)



I have a 3 w 445 nm (Tmack's ms envy), and I wear laser shields to look at the spot indoors, as a painted wall is simply too reflective to bear...even NOT white...the spot is just that intense...at 3 watts, let alone at 5 watts.


I HAVE used the Angry Blue Brute to point out stars, and it has a really fat powerful blue beam compared to the green (532 nm), as it has more divergence, but those I was pointing stuff out to said it looked like the beam was ON the star being pointed at.

Its a lot like having an amazingly long bright blue dowel to poke the stars with.


----------



## Tmack

"see that one, poke, poke, " 

5w would be just....... Painful lol, awesome, but horribly painful. 
Od7 or go home  
Haha.


----------



## Alex1234

I would rather have the most visible spectrum laser like the 520nm so you only need 200 -300mw to have a crazy bright laser not 3W and risk burning everything it touches


----------



## Tmack

I need to post some pictures of my 500mw 532nm. 
The beam looks like a glowing green string it's so well defined. 
It's my only company laser. 
A laserbtb hl532nm rated for 300mw putting out a 507me peak. 
This was back when laserbtb was a stellar place to buy from. However that's not the case anymore it seems


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> I would rather have the most visible spectrum laser like the 520nm so you only need 200 -300mw to have a crazy bright laser not 3W and risk burning everything it touches



LOL

The "risk" of burning everything it touches" is the GOAL.



So, sure, if its for indoor POINTER use, yeah, overkill is possible/likely over a certain point, especially if the things being pointed out to others, include others not wearing eye protection, etc.


When I was outdoors in the desert, in bright noon day sun, and pointing out wildlife/petrographs, etc, the souped up green laser I was using was not over kill as a pointer....as every ones eyes are fully day adapted, and the harsh sun was already stopping down pupils, etc...AND a bright dot HAD to be BRIGHT to be observable on the light colored desert surroundings....especially at the distances involved. My green pen is actually pen sized and putting out ~ 80 mw...and that works well for that use.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

TEEJ said:


> LOL
> 
> The "risk" of burning everything it touches" is the GOAL.
> 
> 
> 
> So, sure, if its for indoor POINTER use, yeah, overkill is possible/likely over a certain point, especially if the things being pointed out to others, include others not wearing eye protection, etc.
> 
> 
> When I was outdoors in the desert, in bright noon day sun, and pointing out wildlife/petrographs, etc, the souped up green laser I was using was not over kill as a pointer....as every ones eyes are fully day adapted, and the harsh sun was already stopping down pupils, etc...AND a bright dot HAD to be BRIGHT to be observable on the light colored desert surroundings....especially at the distances involved. My green pen is actually pen sized and putting out ~ 80 mw...and that works well for that use.



So your 80mw green is visible in direct sunlight from a distance? The beam or just the dot? Either way that's impressive! What kind of distance are we talking?


----------



## TEEJ

ThirstyTurtle said:


> So your 80mw green is visible in direct sunlight from a distance? The beam or just the dot? Either way that's impressive! What kind of distance are we talking?



Just the dot, not the beam. The beam itself is all but invisible even at night unless there's stuff in the air the beam lights up on the way through it.

Outdoors, at 30 meters or so, you can see the green dot very clearly. I did not try it farther than that, but, I'd extrapolate that the observable range would be farther by a lot actually...and that's in broad desert day light.

I used to have a 5 mw red for the same purpose, and it was barely visible in day light, at all, and when using it in broad day light, its observable range was perhaps 30' - 50' if the spot was in a shaded area, and maybe 20' otherwise, max.

Indoors or in the dark, even the 5 mw made a visible dot up to maybe 100 - 200', whereas the 80 mw in the dark made a dot visible hundreds of meters away (I don't have an exact measurement, but, when shining it into the Grand Canyon, at night, it hit cliffs quite a distance away quite hard, with a very obvious bright spot on them).


The 445 nm (Blue) 3 w though, has a beam you see even in full day light. If the 532's beam was a thin string, the 445's beam was a rice sized profile (Imagine a grain of rice laying on the table, so you saw its length and width, THAT'S what the beam profile looks like, analogous to an aspheric flashlight's projection of the LED, except this would be a "rice grain shaped LED"....)

I call it a rice grain, as that's about the size, but, its a long rectangle the grain would fit into if that makes sense.



At night, the 445 is a freakin light sabre.







532 nm Shot at near cliff in Grand Canyon, from South Rim

You can see the dot very clearly, and, a little wisp of beam.


Unfortunately, I don't have a control shot during day light of the same shot....but, its a long way off.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Thanks for all of that explanation! I would've thought the beam from your green would be quite visible at night but I don't yet have a laser in hand (first one arrives today) so we'll see then. 

Good shot, how far would you estimate the cliff is in that photo? Looks to be like 10' away as big and bright as the dot is.


----------



## Tmack

You can see the beam of that pen. It's not very solid like one with more power, but it's definitely visible.


----------



## TEEJ

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Thanks for all of that explanation! I would've thought the beam from your green would be quite visible at night but I don't yet have a laser in hand (first one arrives today) so we'll see then.
> 
> Good shot, how far would you estimate the cliff is in that photo? Looks to be like 10' away as big and bright as the dot is.



The sense of scale is impossible to convey at the canyon, EVERYTHING is so massive, that your references are skewed badly.

An example, when my wife first looked down, she saw what looked like a small foot or deer path at the bottom, she figured it was maybe wide enough of a dirt track for one person but not two side by side. It was the Colorado River.




A Zoomed in pic my wife took at ~ that impression:







The far side of what you are looking at is ~ 18 miles away.

The lower part of the pic is about ONE MILE lower than the camera....if measured straight down.

So anything you see at the bottom is a minimum of one mile away, just to get down to the same altitude. If you then add in the hypotenuse to go laterally out to what you see, you can quickly CALCULATE that stuff is really far away (Pythagorean Theorem, etc), but by eye, your brain is telling you it CAN'T be THAT far away!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Wowza! That's nuts! So how far would you estimate the laser pic is?


----------



## Tmack

I actually did the burro ride down the canyon. 8hours on a mule lol. Was an unforgettable experience. I will take my son on the same trip as soon as he's old enough to appreciate it. 
A mile drop is just hard to even imagine. But the sheer beauty of the whole place is something everyone should see. 
I remember it was 0 degrees at the top of the trails, and by the time we got to the Colorado River, we were wearing sweatshirts.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I actually did the burro ride down the canyon. 8hours on a mule lol. Was an unforgettable experience. I will take my son on the same trip as soon as he's old enough to appreciate it.
> A mile drop is just hard to even imagine. But the sheer beauty of the whole place is something everyone should see.
> I remember it was 0 degrees at the top of the trails, and by the time we got to the Colorado River, we were wearing sweatshirts.



Yeah, they said ~ 40º drop in temp once you get to the bottom. I believe it, its over a mile lower. It was ~ 105º in Phoenix maybe 2,000' above sea level, and it was snowing and sticking at the Canyon South Rim during the day/dropping to the 20ºs at night.

So, for the green laser dot's cliff shot distance, I'm afraid I can't reliably guess other than to say hundreds of meters minimum.

:shrug:

If I had my laser range finder or the ability to tell where I was on google maps, etc, I might have a shot, but, I did try, and its too hard to tell.






By eye, while this was not the same shot...the distance to the cliff the people are standing on would be ball park to the laser shot distance. This shot was zoomed in, so the area between the camera and the cliff is not visible, but, there's NOTHING anywhere in the pic you can see that you'd be able to hit with a rock, (Thrown from where the camera was) etc.


----------



## Tmack

Grab a few hundred mw 532 and you'll be guessing in miles not meters. 
My 500mw hasn't let me down yet. If I can see it, I can hit it. 
I'm still more of a 445nm fan, but the "throw" of a 532nm is amazing.

They said the canyon acts like a big incubator, reflecting and traping the sunshine, making it warmer at the bottom, and cooler at the rim.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi, I'm actually newer to the flashlight hobby than to lasers, since I have had lasers since I was a teen-ager (a 0.5 mw Edmund Scientific Helium-Neon). My most recent purchases were a 3.0 watt and 3.7 watt 445 nm laser from someone on eBay (Johnson's Aquatics, I believe; it was months ago). 

I would love a higher quality laser, such as the super high-end Mag build with voltage monitor, but it would have to have demonstrable advantages over my 3.7 watt. The 3.7 has a solid 1 lb+ copper heat sink (I asked for that, and paid a little extra for it). A 5-6 watt laser, in a very high quality build, would be "just the ticket". It could join my 1.1 million candela DEFT-X. Any idea when such a build would drop to less than $500-$600 or so?


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Grab a few hundred mw 532 and you'll be guessing in miles not meters.
> My 500mw hasn't let me down yet. If I can see it, I can hit it.
> I'm still more of a 445nm fan, but the "throw" of a 532nm is amazing.
> 
> They said the canyon acts like a big incubator, reflecting and traping the sunshine, making it warmer at the bottom, and cooler at the rim.



I'm not doubting what it can reach, even at only 80 mw, but, what I could resolve. Things get proportionally smaller in my field of view as they get farther away, and the point of diminishing return is when the dot is simply too small to see at a given distance.

Its the rail road track effect...look at a pair of tracks receding off into the distance...even though the rails are the same distance apart a mile away from you, you may not be able to tell there is ANY distance between them, or even see them.



As the 445 nm has greater divergence, the spot grows with distance, and that helps to compensate for the "rail road track effect"...as the track WIDENS farther away.


----------



## Tmack

No idea when the diode will drop in price. 
The 5w diode alone is $500 
The price you saw was for my personal 3w mag build.


----------



## Tmack

TEEJ said:


> I'm not doubting what it can reach, even at only 80 mw, but, what I could resolve. Things get proportionally smaller in my field of view as they get farther away, and the point of diminishing return is when the dot is simply too small to see at a given distance.



And that's why I love the 445nm. It reaches far enough that I can still see what I'm hitting


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> And that's why I love the 445nm. It reaches far enough that I can still see what I'm hitting



LOL

YUP.

I like that if things are in your way, you can burn a hole though them to see past them.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No idea when the diode will drop in price.
> The 5w diode alone is $500
> The price you saw was for my personal 3w mag build.



OK, from what I've read on this forum, your builds are much higher quality than the ones I've received from eBay. It sounds as though yours can be run almost continuously. For the ones I've purchased on eBay, even the one with the massive copper heatsink, I can't run it for more than a minute without letting it cool down for a minute or two. 

I'll wait until the 5-6 watt 445 nm diode drops to less than $300 or so before I spring for a 5-6 watt 445 nm build from you. THAT should be really impressive!

However, with that said, do you have any 532 nm builds, which can run almost continuously, use 18650 batteries, and are 500 mw or higher? My highest power 532 nm is around 100 mw, and uses two AA batteries. As has been said in this forum, the green lasers have more apparent brightness, and lower divergence, than the blue-violet ones.


----------



## Tmack

I currently can't do 532nm builds at that strength because the modules are not compliant with my host design . Only up to 200mw and even then it's a hassle acquiring the them. 

The 5-6w diodes I can readily get anytime. I will keep everyone posted when they fall in price. It's only a matter of time.  

My builds are built with mainly heatsinking in mind. So I can get a much better runtime than other lasers out there. My drivers, diodes are installed with thermal pathway, heat dissipation as my first priority 

The thing about copper, is it takes longer to heat up, but it also gets rid of heat slower. 
So if you have an aluminum heatsink that can efficiently transfer the heat away from the diode, then get rid of it by way of surface area, it can outperform the copper, because it can eliminate the heat quickly while it's being transfered away. The copper holds on to the heat longer, so it can't get rid of it fast enough to keep up. 
In both instances it's a loosing battle, because the heat building is faster than the heat elimination, but on a larger scale, and with the right design, aluminum can be superior. 
On a small scale where surface area is not as abundant, or can't be achieved by fins etc, the copper is more efficient because in both cases, your just depending on the mass to take care of the heat. 

Hope that made some kind of sense. Lol
There may be some scientific way to disprove my thoughts, but this is from building with all shapes and sizes copper and aluminum heatsink


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I currently can't do 532nm builds at that strength because the modules are not compliant with my host design . Only up to 200mw and even then it's a hassle acquiring the them.
> 
> The 5-6w diodes I can readily get anytime. I will keep everyone posted when they fall in price. It's only a matter of time.
> 
> My builds are built with mainly heatsinking in mind. So I can get a much better runtime than other lasers out there. My drivers, diodes are installed with thermal pathway, heat dissipation as my first priority
> 
> The thing about copper, is it takes longer to heat up, but it also gets rid of heat slower.
> So if you have an aluminum heatsink that can efficiently transfer the heat away from the diode, then get rid of it by way of surface area, it can outperform the copper, because it can eliminate the heat quickly while it's being transfered away. The copper holds on to the heat longer, so it can't get rid of it fast enough to keep up.
> In both instances it's a loosing battle, because the heat building is faster than the heat elimination, but on a larger scale, and with the right design, aluminum can be superior.
> On a small scale where surface area is not as abundant, or can't be achieved by fins etc, the copper is more efficient because in both cases, your just depending on the mass to take care of the heat.
> 
> Hope that made some kind of sense. Lol
> There may be some scientific way to disprove my thoughts, but this is from building with all shapes and sizes copper and aluminum heatsink



Thank-you for the detailed explanation. You are right; the copper heat sink seems to stay warm longer than the aluminum one. It also makes the host "top heavy", so it would be a good mace (not what I was looking for, however).

Do you have any current builds with 200 mw 532 nm diodes, which can be run almost continuously, and use 18650 batteries? Sorry if I missed an earlier post where you listed them.


----------



## Tmack

I'll see what I can get together that can run as long as possible. If I were to use the right host, your runtime would be very long. 
I'll do some testing tonight to see what kind of heatsink size to module power ratio numbers, and I can be more specific  my recent requests have been for 532nm pens. Lol now this is a build more to my liking


----------



## star_c_star

I look forward to it!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack i got that 301 ebay laser from overfeel bu have no idea what way to put the battery in help lol


----------



## Tmack

Positive to the tail cap


----------



## Tmack

Everyone with a pending order will ship out Monday / Tuesday 
My machinist was a little backed up this go around  
All diodes are in my possession, so the expensive stuff is in hand. Sorry for the wait guys.


----------



## Alex1234

thanks yup its about 75mw  17 bucks lol


----------



## Tmack

Hell yeah. Can't beat that!

May not last toooo long, but hey, $17! Might last 10 years lol who knows.


----------



## Alex1234

This is what makes me mad. Iv bought about 4 lasers from optotronics for a premium price to try and get a quality laser and every laser had mode hoping and stability issues. I buy a 17 dollar laser from ebay and it stays in prefect tempo and the output stays rock steady. What tbe heck lol


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Damn. An I thought opto was awesome. That why I started building


----------



## Alex1234

I lit a red wood match when i focused it in about a second


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> thanks yup its about 75mw  17 bucks lol



Dang! I got mine today, can't wait for the dark, I wonder if mine is as powerful as yours...can I measure current at the tailcap and guess anything from that?


----------



## Tmack

Not one bit ;p


----------



## Alex1234

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Dang! I got mine today, can't wait for the dark, I wonder if mine is as powerful as yours...can I measure current at the tailcap and guess anything from that?



if you can smoke a leather wallet instantly without focusing it then its like mine


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> if you can smoke a leather wallet instantly without focusing it then its like mine



Lol

Every freekin light seems capable of smoking my wallet. ..


----------



## Alex1234

TEEJ said:


> Lol
> 
> Every freekin light seems capable of smoking my wallet. ..


----------



## Alex1234

tmack what kinda power do you think this is putting out. its sold by "overfeel" its 110 dollars. maybe its 200 mw lol
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5mw-532nm-M...4507?pt=US_Laser_Pointers&hash=item2a23fee7eb


----------



## Tmack

No! 
He posts those prices for people who just think more money = better. 

DO NOT BUY,! 
IT THE EXACT SAME MODULE. ITS THE ONLY ONE HE HAS.


----------



## Alex1234

i had a feeling


----------



## Alex1234

how many mw is his uv lasers ?


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> i had a feeling



In case its not obvious yet...eBay is full of scammers, cheaters and liars, and they're the NICE ones.



Its like you learn that "-fire" is a sign of trouble....so is "eBay"


You really have to know what you're doing to swim in that sea w/o the sharks getting you.

Even if you know the mw, etc, you don't know if there's an IR filter, if the solder will hold, etc.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> how many mw is his uv lasers ?



His 405? Or does he have actual uv? 
405 is near uv. They are ehh. Not bright at all. 
I cam build 1w 405. And they are single mode diodes. Which means no rectangle. Nice round dot with much better divergence. 
So you can burn from a good distance. Hard to make up for the sheer power of 3w of 445nm, but 405 technically burns better than 445nm at the same power. And much further. I just wish there was a 3w single mode 405  

As far as over feel. The only thing he has worth a Damn is the 532nm. 
Sorry dude. Call it a win with the green, and don't buy another 3 darts to throw at the balloon. Because this time you'll lose


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

TEEJ said:


> In case its not obvious yet...eBay is full of scammers, cheaters and liars, and they're the NICE ones.
> 
> 
> 
> Its like you learn that "-fire" is a sign of trouble....so is "eBay"
> 
> 
> You really have to know what you're doing to swim in that sea w/o the sharks getting you.
> 
> Even if you know the mw, etc, you don't know if there's an IR filter, if the solder will hold, etc.



Truth! I was willing to take a leap with Tmack's suggestion and I'm glad I did! For $17 I got a laser that's infinitely better than any I've ever used (only used the little red ones that run on 3 or 4 button cells) and has certainly peaked my interest in lasers! 

As I said about Vinh's lights, I feel like these things need sound effects. 

Tmack, it would be SO fitting to add a lightsaber sound to some of your higher-powered lasers for turn on and shut off...please consider!


----------



## Tmack

I have done "phaser" builds with the phaser replicas that do have sound effects. Super expensive, but it's fun running around with a phaser that can actually burn lol.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> if you can smoke a leather wallet instantly without focusing it then its like mine



Mine smokes a wallet within 2 seconds with the beam all the way tightened. 

Is all the way tightened considered the most focused?


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> I have done "phaser" builds with the phaser replicas that do have sound effects. Super expensive, but it's fun running around with a phaser that can actually burn lol.



That's badass!!! And videos?! Or at least photos?


----------



## Alex1234

this is why i never buy from ebay. never know what you will get. i bought the green because you knew it was decent  

btw do you know if this has the same module as the one i just got?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Military-5m...4299?pt=US_Laser_Pointers&hash=item2a3024a4db


----------



## Tmack

I don't even have to look lol. Yup. They all use the "5mw" Chinese modules.


----------



## Tmack

$400 host! But it has sound effects 

This is a picture from the guy I get the hosts from. Freaking awesome. 
The guy who bought it doesn't use it at all. It's in a glass case. It's seen batteries 2 times he says.

It was a fun build. If anyone has the dough, I'd be happy to make another


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I don't even have to look lol. Yup. They all use the "5mw" Chinese modules.



when you say "5mw" do you mean it actually does 30mw to 100mw like the like ovefeels 301 laser?


----------



## Alex1234

that phaser is epic !!


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> when you say "5mw" do you mean it actually does 30mw to 100mw like the like ovefeels 301 laser?



It such a crap shoot. It could do 5. Could do 2. Could do 102mw. They could vary that much from the same place. They are coming from people who call 445nm green, have no idea what mw or nm means.


----------



## Alex1234

lmao!!!


----------



## TEEJ

LOL

I know what you mean...its all greek to them, but, they learn what sells.

Secret Surveillance of eBay Laser/Lighting Technical Research Department:

What other say they have?

They say 3400 mah.

They say 4000 lumens.

They say 200 mw.

They say range is one mile.

They say Aerospace Aluminum.

They say HA 3 Anodizing.



OK, whatever they say, make ours say we have more....people like more.

Yes Sir.


Sir, its working, our 4 million megawatt million mile range 10 million mah 10 million lumen combination laser/flashlight/dessert topping with HA 10 anodizing and aerospace nano aluminum is selling so fast we can't keep up with production!

Excellent, we were able to afford to put more money into product research!

What did the research find?

Double all the numbers in the ads, and triple the price immediately!


----------



## Tmack

I'll take two


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I'll take two




The HA10 anodising burns waaayyy better than HA9 anodising.




BTW - Did you noticed the PF21 thread is up?

People I talked to are really excited to see your laser show.


----------



## Tmack

I saw. As of right now it's a go  

Damn don't hype it too much lol. Just a little beam sequence. And image sequence. 
Little fog and it's pretty awesome. The projector behind you, throws spirograph images, and the one in front has you sitting in tunnels, boxes, liquid ceiling. I don't have music software or anything. But a stereo wouldn't hurt. Lol.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I saw. As of right now it's a go
> 
> Damn don't hype it too much lol. Just a little beam sequence. And image sequence.
> Little fog and it's pretty awesome. The projector behind you, throws spirograph images, and the one in front has you sitting in tunnels, boxes, liquid ceiling. I don't have music software or anything. But a stereo wouldn't hurt. Lol.



LOL

Bring a boom box and mp3 player or something?

I take it you have the fog?


And if it helps, this crowd is easy, there will be lights, and they like lights.


----------



## Tmack

I do have fog.  
Everyone to see it likes it. I just don't want people to think it's a sit down popcorn show.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I do have fog.
> Everyone to see it likes it. I just don't want people to think it's a sit down popcorn show.


----------



## double0thirteen

Hi Tmack,

What options do I have with a blue laser with a single 18650?

p.s. hopefully I can PM after this...


----------



## Tmack

I can do up to 1w off one cell. 
A c11 would work well. But I can get triple the power from 2 18350's just as convenient imo


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I can do up to 1w off one cell.
> A c11 would work well. But I can get triple the power from 2 18350's just as convenient imo



I say go with doubled 18350 instead of 18650.



Its the same length as an 18650, with twice the voltage. Its less mah, but you don't USE a laser the way you use a flashlight...its only on for seconds at a time typically, maybe a few minutes at a time max, etc.

I have his 445 nm that takes two 18350, and, Tmack hit it out of the park.


----------



## Mike Sloan

TEEJ said:


> I say go with doubled 18350 instead of 18650.
> 
> 
> 
> Its the same length as an 18650, with twice the voltage. Its less mah, but you don't USE a laser the way you use a flashlight...its only on for seconds at a time typically, maybe a few minutes at a time max, etc.
> 
> I have his 445 nm that takes two 18350, and, Tmack hit it out of the park.



Hi teej,
Is the laser you are referring to the "Envy?"


----------



## newbie66

[Deleted]


----------



## TEEJ

Mike Sloan said:


> Hi teej,
> Is the laser you are referring to the "Envy?"



Yes Sir, the MS Envy Tmack did.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Hi Tmack!
Could you give more details on your Cypress host (size, battery config, max power, interchangeable heads, price).


----------



## Mike Sloan

Thanks TEEJ......I love the "form factor" of the envy! A true pocket rocket


----------



## Tmack

Cypress. 2 18350's about 6" long 1" (thinner than envy" ) 
Weighs a ton! I could go for $400. She's an expensive host.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Can you get the Cyprus done in polished aluminum? Will it do 3 watts at 445nm?


----------



## Tmack

Cypress means god of copper or something lol so that would be super custom.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> Cypress means god of copper or something lol so that would be super custom.



Was hoping that was a Mrcrouse host and he could do it in aluminum. I like the form factor. Can you do 3 watts in that host?


----------



## Tmack

Nah its not a crouse. But I can have crouse do it. He's great at replicating. I'm in closer contact with him than the cypress guy.  

You know what would be cool. Have one host body, and four interchangeable modules with different wavelengths. That why I designed the module that way. But that can be an after thought later.


----------



## Tmack

And 3w is always doable, it's just how long can it run


----------



## Alex1234

tmack can you make a laser with modes ?


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> tmack can you make a laser with modes ?



I dun thin so....not with reliability/price concerns.


----------



## Alex1234

the coolest thing on earth would be a 3w 445nm infinity variable ring in a 2 18350 host  in my dreams thought


----------



## Alex1234

I still cant get over how good this 17 dollar laser is that i got on ebay from overfeel !!! Its a simple small cheap host thats solid and works  i think it might even be closer to 80 or 90mw  i did a torture test aswell. It stayed in perfect tempo for 2 min and 40 seconds then it got dimmer and the beam split but thats not bad  its so good i ordered 2 more !!!!. This addiction is not going to make my wallet very happy


----------



## Obijuan Kenobe

Alex1234 said:


> I still cant get over how good this 17 dollar laser is that i got on ebay from....[someone ELSE!?].



Clearly off topic.

Post those recommendations in your own thread.

obi


----------



## SkOrPn

Hey Tmack, have you ever pointed your 3.2w at low lying clouds at night? Man that must be an amazing sight... I would be worried about shining something so powerful up into the sky, but would love to see what it does.


----------



## thedoc007

star_c_star said:


> Do you have any current builds with 200 mw 532 nm diodes, which can be run almost continuously, and use 18650 batteries?



I'm possibly interested in this also...not sure whether you were planning to PM or post, but I'd appreciate if you did the latter.


----------



## SkOrPn

thedoc007 said:


> I'm possibly interested in this also...not sure whether you were planning to PM or post, but I'd appreciate if you did the latter.



I could be wrong, but didn't Tmack mention that he does not do under 500mw builds? Or did I misunderstand him a few days ago? lol


----------



## thedoc007

SkOrPn said:


> I could be wrong, but didn't Tmack mention that he does not do under 500mw builds? Or did I misunderstand him a few days ago? lol





star_c_star said:


> Do you have any current builds with 200 mw 532 nm diodes, which can be run almost continuously, and use 18650 batteries? Sorry if I missed an earlier post where you listed them.





Tmack said:


> I'll see what I can get together that can run as long as possible. If I were to use the right host, your runtime would be very long.
> I'll do some testing tonight to see what kind of heatsink size to module power ratio numbers, and I can be more specific  my recent requests have been for 532nm pens. Lol now this is a build more to my liking



So, hopefully he will come up with something that works well.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack doesn't yet do 532 nm (green laser) builds of more than 200 mw. I believe he said that he will start using the 1 watt 532 nm diodes when they drop in price (they are currently $500 or so).

For the 445 nm diode, I am eagerly awaiting his first builds with the 6 watt diodes, when the diodes drop to $300 or less!


----------



## Tmack

That would be a hell of a laser  

A guy made a very low power triple diode laser. All the beams were combined and infinitely variable. So you could archive literally ANY COLOR. PINK, TURQUOISE, ORANGE, ANYTHING even white boiling red green blue. 
But expensive is not the word, and it was a total of 300mw. Needed tons of fog to see the beam. Still insane.


----------



## Alex1234

Whats the duty cycle going to be on my 520nm ? I would think longer then the same mw of 532nm due to the direct diode?


----------



## Tmack

Absolutely. I'm thinking a few minutes. The heatsink on those are very deep into the host. 
I was checking my packages and they are all in Baltimore at my local post office. Holiday is screwing us up. Can't speak I'll of the veterans, but gimme my mail! B


----------



## Alex1234

My fiat lux tx25c2 v2t PDTc is still at my local post office lol  darn holiday


----------



## FelmarCorp

Luke Skywalker came by and showed his lightsaber...courtesy of Tmack :thumbsup:

This thing is just Awesome/Rad/Cool/Neato/Insane/Sweet/FarOut/Amazing/Tubular







next to a green one I got-


----------



## Tmack

That's the mag right?


----------



## Tmack

Luke is a great customer from a while back............. in a galaxy far far away.

Lol you know I've never seen any of them. Just tiny bits and pieces from references.


----------



## FelmarCorp

Tmack said:


> That's the mag right?



Oh yes...
everyone that sees it ...they are simply amazed! Its the talk of the town :twothumbs


----------



## Tmack

that is my favorite thing to hear. So glad you're enjoying it my friend.


----------



## Tmack

Great shots btw. Captured the beam beautifully.


----------



## FelmarCorp

Tmack said:


> Great shots btw. Captured the beam beautifully.



Thanks!

Just used my LG G2 smartphone...not a bad shot for a cell


----------



## Tmack

That's what I always use. It hit or miss lol


----------



## Tmack

Here's hikingmans new baby. Fresh off the soldering iron.


----------



## Tmack

Also finished up a red, green, blue, violet set.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack, your PM inbox is full FYI


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Obijuan Kenobe said:


> Clearly off topic.
> 
> Post those recommendations in your own thread.
> 
> obi



Definitely off topic but Tmack's suggestion got me hooked and I'm now working to figure how to fund a Tmack laser! It was a good gateway laser haha!


----------



## Tmack

Open and ready. 

Alex1234 has both. Your green, and one of my 445nm . 
He'd be the best guy to give you an opinion on how they differ from a flashaholics pov


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234, any chance you could give a quick beamshot comparison of the eBay 532nm vs. your Tmack 445nm? I'd be SUPER appreciative!


----------



## Alex1234

no problem ill post them in 20 minutes


----------



## Tmack

I'm loving the avatar.


----------



## Alex1234

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Alex1234, any chance you could give a quick beamshot comparison of the eBay 532nm vs. your Tmack 445nm? I'd be SUPER appreciative!








this is pretty close to see with my eyes. in real life there both ever so slightly brighter


----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> this is pretty close to see with my eyes. in real life there both ever so slightly brighter



Really? Your 445nm isn't brighter in real life. Maybe it's my phone screen


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Really? Your 445nm isn't brighter in real life. Maybe it's my phone screen



I said they are brighter in real life. the camera really has trouble picking up the green beam i think its because its really thin. 

i broke the focus adapter kinda on my ebay green. i unsrewed it to much and when i put it back to infinity focus which is all the way tight the beams divergence was 4 times it was before. so i unscrewed it all the way and i twisted the threads the adapter was on all the way down and that fixed the divergence. i have 2 more coming so im good


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


>



whats the power of the green and blue one. and which has the brightest spot ?


----------



## Tmack

The greens spot is more intense. The blue is 2.7w and the green is 190mw. 
Yours is right at 202mw and will ship tomorrow


----------



## Alex1234

omg  i guess the beam of the green is brighter then the 2.7w blues beam aswell ? if thats the case my 1.7w mag stands no chance in terms of brightness


----------



## Tmack

I don't know about no chance lol. That's a lot of power. 1700mw is a ton! But 200mw of green is about on part with a 3w plus.


----------



## Alex1234

how much does the set of 4 cost ? if i was made of money id buy a set lol


----------



## Tmack

I just did a test of my 2w 445nm and your green. The beams are close, but the spot of the green is way more intense. And the color is just gorgeous. So beautiful. I think it's my favorite color of wavelength. I love the power of blue, but the Foret green is just....... Mmm.


----------



## Tmack

I did them for around $200 a piece, plus or minus on each. He had me put together a case, charger, batteries on top of that.


----------



## FelmarCorp

Tm-

which laser is this-





I'd be interested in getting one..


----------



## Tmack

That's a 120mw 532nm. 
I can make one in a 501b if you like.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

I'm still interested in buying a custom 532 nm build with the 200 mw diode, using 18650 batteries and a very good heat sink (for diode and drive) so it could be run continuously.

By the way, I just saw that someone on another thread said that the 1 watt green laser diodes are down to $200. Is that true? I thought they were far more expensive.

It would be phenomenal to have a custom build with a 6 watt 445 nm, and one with a 1 watt 532 nm. However, aren't both diode prices still rather high?

Finally, have you done any custom builds with high powered Ultraviolet laser diodes, especially shortwave? That would probably illuminate fluorescent rocks and minerals (I have quite a few) with more intensity than my 60 watt LW/SW combo lamp.


----------



## Tmack

The 1w 520nm are around $700
The 6w 445nm is about $500

The 445nm will be great for fluorescent things. As well as 405nm. You can write on the glow boards with both very well.  The 405nm of course is shorter, so it works best. 
I can do 1w 405. Shine a 445nm in the room and you will quickly find everything fluorescent lol. Don't have to point it at the object. The ambient light will be more than enough


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> I'm still interested in buying a custom 532 nm build with the 200 mw diode, using 18650 batteries and a very good heat sink (for diode and drive) so it could be run continuously.
> 
> By the way, I just saw that someone on another thread said that the 1 watt green laser diodes are down to $200. Is that true? I thought they were far more expensive.
> 
> It would be phenomenal to have a custom build with a 6 watt 445 nm, and one with a 1 watt 532 nm. However, aren't both diode prices still rather high?
> 
> Finally, have you done any custom builds with high powered Ultraviolet laser diodes, especially shortwave? That would probably illuminate fluorescent rocks and minerals (I have quite a few) with more intensity than my 60 watt LW/SW combo lamp.





Just pointing out that for minerals, etc, you may need as low as 100 nm - 390 nm, depending on the specimen, to fluoresce it. The glow sticks/powder etc, sure, you can charge them fast with any intense light, but, the lower the freq (Lower nm) the higher the energy, and, the faster/stronger the charge. SHORTWAVE UV is usually considered to be 100 -280 nm for example. MIDWAVE UV is from 280 - 315 nm, and LONGWAVE is 315 - 390 nm or 400 nm depending on who you're talking to, etc. Most people I hang with consider 395 nm the top of what would be "UV".


----------



## Tmack

405nm is considered "near uv" and it should get your rocks off


----------



## star_c_star

I wasn't sure that the 445 nm's that I have were causing fluorescence, but I was beginning to suspect it. NOW I know that they are! So you can make things fluoresce even with wavelengths slightly longer than Ultraviolet. Interesting, but it makes sense. There is no dramatic difference between violet and Long Ultraviolet wavelengths, except in terms of what the human eye can "see". 

The 1w 405 nm sounds interesting. What would a custom build cost, using 18650 batteries, and what are the build options? Really good heat sinking would be nice, so it could be run a few minutes at a time. Also, would it be possible to place a filter on it to remove almost all of the visible light?


----------



## Tmack

There may be a better option with a low wavelength led. 
But I use glow powder mixed in epoxy to accent hosts and a 405 charges it like it was made for that purpose.


----------



## Tmack

No filters I know of. 
But I could do a 1w 405nm in a c11. That would be a great heatsink, and a great laser. 
Could go the same price as a 3w 445nm. $300. The diode and driver setup are about the same price.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> Just pointing out that for minerals, etc, you may need as low as 100 nm - 390 nm, depending on the specimen, to fluoresce it. The glow sticks/powder etc, sure, you can charge them fast with any intense light, but, the lower the freq (Lower nm) the higher the energy, and, the faster/stronger the charge. SHORTWAVE UV is usually considered to be 100 -280 nm for example. MIDWAVE UV is from 280 - 315 nm, and LONGWAVE is 315 - 390 nm or 400 nm depending on who you're talking to, etc. Most people I hang with consider 395 nm the top of what would be "UV".




I understand about the different UV "ranges", since I have a 60 watt LW/ 60 watt SW combo fluorescent lamp. It also had an option for 60 watt MW UV, but adding the third option would have made the light's high price and large size rise to ridiculous levels. When I started exploring fluorescence a few decades ago, I don't remember Midwave as being an option, so it may be relatively new. Most minerals respond to SW, some to LW, and a few to both (with different colors). If there is something special about the fluorescence capabilities of MW, that neither SW or LW possesses, I will eventually purchase a separate MW lamp.

However, there is a "coolness" factor in having a 1 watt UV ( or near UV) laser, even though only some rocks and minerals would fluoresce.

Eventually, we may be able to purchase a tunable laser diode to explore the entire UV spectrum, assuming that a laser diode is tunable at all.


----------



## Str8stroke

Forget laser mineral fluoresce. lets talk laser mineral annihilation! I think that is what the TMag was built to do!


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Tmag. 
I think you guys have given her a name. I've heard it enough to stick. I love it


----------



## Tmack

If you guys wanna have some fun, get a glow board, or glow paint, and draw with your 445nm and under wavelength lasers. It's a blast. 
They even make a t-shirt that a little 405 pen would be great for.


----------



## TEEJ

You guys are confusing the fluorescence of minerals with the fluorescence of glow in the dark stuff/blacklight poster type stuff....its not involving the same wavelengths.

A mineral that releases fluorescence at 280 nm is not going to be fluoresced by a 405 nm laser...its just not how it works.


Another clarification, while there are short, mid and longwave UV classifications, MOST mineral that will fluoresce at say 365 nm will ALSO fluoresce at 280 nm and so forth, as long as the wavelength is SHORTER (Lower nm #) than it needs. SOME minerals will ONLY fluoresce at certain bands, and shorter or longer will NOT work.


The reason is that certain components, iron for example, kill the effect, and, also, can trigger it....so too much or too little of a particular element in the mineral can make it glow or make it not glow...unless the UV is exactly right to get that not too much/not too little window, etc.

But, again, MOST will glow as long as the wavelength is short ENOUGH (Low nm #).


405 nm is LONGER than 365 nm, so if the mineral NEEDS 365 nm to fluoresce, then, 405 nm will not work....and so forth.


Does that make sense?




Discussion of UV laser diodes:


http://www.toptica.com/products/laser_diodes.html


http://www.roithner-laser.com/pricelist.pdf


http://compoundsemiconductor.net/cs...Nichia-introduces-UV-laser-and-365-nm-LE.html


http://iopscience.iop.org/1347-4065/42/11A/L1318

http://www.lexellaser.com/laser_95s...aXay5INz9VWDFMDInKx8s7DulsvaGPmao0wIRPE_D_BwE


----------



## Tmack

Oh yes, my mistake. I know the 445nm and under work great for glow in the dark, and florescent plastics and fabrics. 
The minerals I have no clue about obviously  

I'll leave the technical aspects of.............. Everything to teej  

I just put em together. He probably knows much more than I do about lasers and wavelengths, no smartassery intended


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Oh yes, my mistake. I know the 445nm and under work great for glow in the dark, and florescent plastics and fabrics.
> The minerals I have no clue about obviously
> 
> I'll leave the technical aspects of.............. Everything to teej
> 
> I just put em together. He probably knows much more than I do about lasers and wavelengths, no smartassery intended





LOL

Its the difference between the Samurai who USES his sword in battle, and the cutler who MAKES his samurai sword.

Each excels at their niche, albeit, if they had to swap roles, it would typically go badly.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> LOL
> 
> Its the difference between the Samurai who USES his sword in battle, and the cutler who MAKES his samurai sword.
> 
> Each excels at their niche, albeit, if they had to swap roles, it would typically go badly.



Exactly! I use lasers and high-end flashlights, but would not attempt to build either one. 

In performing research on CandlePowerForums, I have tried to learn who performs the best laser and flashlight builds, and let that guide my purchasing.

As to the Samurai who uses his sword, and the one who makes the sword, let's not forget those who make movies about Samurais. Those rarely are made well. "Seven Samurai" was done well, and a few others I could name. 

What about movies about people who use lasers? Could Star Wars qualify, with the Jedis being the equivalent of Samurais? Finally, I haven't yet seen a movie that is mainly about people using high end flashlights. It probably would only appeal to the people on this forum, but I could be wrong.


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> Exactly! I use lasers and high-end flashlights, but would not attempt to build either one.
> 
> In performing research on CandlePowerForums, I have tried to learn who performs the best laser and flashlight builds, and let that guide my purchasing.
> 
> As to the Samurai who uses his sword, and the one who makes the sword, let's not forget those who make movies about Samurais. Those rarely are made well. "Seven Samurai" was done well, and a few others I could name.
> 
> What about movies about people who use lasers? Could Star Wars qualify, with the Jedis being the equivalent of Samurais? Finally, I haven't yet seen a movie that is mainly about people using high end flashlights. It probably would only appeal to the people on this forum, but I could be wrong.



No one in the audience would know that things called "High end flashlights" existed. Even movies about fairly popular hobbies, like ping pong, don't do that well as they are even too small a niche.



It would be analogous to making a movie about collecting stamps or something to the average movie goer.


For example, "high end flashlights" have appeared in many many movies, historically, with ordinary flashlights being held in the hands of the actors for their shots, but powerful search lights being directed in place of those anemic beams in the movie (So it would show up on film...). Only more recently in movies are actual high performance flashlights being used AS flashlights....but, NO ONE who is not a flashaholic even notices that the flashlights seem very bright...as, ironically, its STILL attributed to special effects when they see it.


So, a movie ABOUT flashlights would require an awful compelling story to sell...and I have ideas as to what that might be...but can't discuss it. 

I could see lasers as being more exciting than flashlights, as, while they HAVE preconceived impressions of what a flashlight is, lasers are still exotic, and, therefore more easily worked into a plot contrivance.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No filters I know of.
> But I could do a 1w 405nm in a c11. That would be a great heatsink, and a great laser.
> Could go the same price as a 3w 445nm. $300. The diode and driver setup are about the same price.



I would prefer a larger host, such as a MagLight, with more "mass" for heatsinking. In that case, I would probably spring for another 3w 445 nm (I already have two, but they can only be run for short periods). Eventually, as promised, I'll spring for a 6w 445 nm build, a 200 mw 532 nm, or a 1 watt 532 nm.


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> I would prefer a larger host, such as a MagLight, with more "mass" for heatsinking. In that case, I would probably spring for another 3w 445 nm (I already have two, but they can only be run for short periods). Eventually, as promised, I'll spring for a 6w 445 nm build, a 200 mw 532 nm, or a 1 watt 532 nm.



Tmag FTW.


----------



## Tmack

We can always do another one of these


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> We can always do another one of these



Wow, that looks like one giant heat sink. Is that the infamous Tmag? 

If not, what batteries does it use?


----------



## Tmack

That's in my personal Tmag. 

The standard ones have up to the bottom groove, and they don't have the driver pocket cutout you see here. 

The standard heatsink works extremely well. My recent customers can vouch for them. 
But I wanted to make mine with virtually no duty cycle. 
I imagine it would get hot after a while, but I haven't experienced it. Lol


----------



## Tmack

The ferrari salesman has to have a nitrous injected one for himself right? 

Mine uses 2x 32650's 
But since they are hard to find, and hard to charge, I fit the Tmag v2 with a sleeve for 2x 26650's


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The ferrari salesman has to have a nitrous injected one for himself right?
> 
> Mine uses 2x 32650's
> But since they are hard to find, and hard to charge, I fit the Tmag v2 with a sleeve for 2x 26650's



OK, what would the standard heatsink version cost, with a 3w 445 nm laser diode? I'll have to buy the 26650's and a charger.

In the future, would it be possible to upgrade this to 6w? Would I need the version with the high-end heatsink to handle the greater power, or a different host with space for more batteries?


----------



## Tmack

I can upgrade it at anytime to the big boy. I make all my lasers completely serviceable. 

The Tmag v2 is $350 

No more cells are needed. It would just need an upgraded diode, heatsink, and driver.


----------



## star_c_star

Wow, that heatsink isn't enough for the 6w laser diode? I can't wait to see the one that is good enough!

OK, I'll spring for it. Please PM me with how to make the $350.00 payment for the 3w 445 nm build with this host and standard heatsink.

Are there any options, such as the focusing mechanism, that I need to select?


----------



## Tmack

No the one I showed will be enough. 

The standard one will need to be upgraded. 

The standard one is flush with the bezel. That would be what your getting.


----------



## Tmack

New stock of maglite are ready to be built  

1 black
1 purple 
2 red
2 blue. 

Third run of Tmag v2 is officially here.


----------



## Tmack

C11 and 501b are available as well


----------



## star_c_star

OK, I just PayPaled you the money. I'd like a red maglite host (as in red-hot). The color would differ from my other flashlights, which are typically black, so I won't accidentally set something alight instead of lighting it up.

If I wanted to upgrade to the high-end heatsink, so it could be kept when upgrading to the 6w Diode, how much extra would that cost? Or is it even available?


----------



## Tmack

It can be machined. It costed me about $150 polished and shipped.


----------



## star_c_star

OK, that's a little too rich for me at the moment. I'll buy that heatsink if it is needed for your 6w 445nm builds, when the 6w diode drops to more affordable levels.


----------



## Tmack

No problem my friend. Red Tmag coming up


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack if i decided to upgrade my mag at somepoint to the 3W diode with just the standered lens how much would this be ?


----------



## Tmack

That's about $180
:/
That's swapping the motor and trans.


----------



## Alex1234

Wow thats a lot nm lol. Ill prolly buy a 638 nm from you next once i find some money


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No problem my friend. Red Tmag coming up



I just ordered an XTAR SP2 charger and two FOURSEVENS 26650 batteries, so I should be ready when the Red Tmag arrives.


----------



## Alex1234

star_c_star said:


> I just ordered an XTAR SP2 charger and two FOURSEVENS 26650 batteries, so I should be ready when the Red Tmag arrives.



Are they button top cells? Flat top cells require a small magnet spacer to contact the positive contact. I bought stated button top cells for mine and they were flat top and i needed a small spacer to make contact


----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> Are they button top cells? Flat top cells require a small magnet spacer to contact the positive contact. I bought stated button top cells for mine and they were flat top and i needed a small spacer to make contact



Their pictures show that they have a small button at their top. Thank-you for the warning.


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> The 1w 520nm are around $700
> The 6w 445nm is about $500
> 
> The 445nm will be great for fluorescent things. As well as 405nm. You can write on the glow boards with both very well. The 405nm of course is shorter, so it works best.
> I can do 1w 405. Shine a 445nm in the room and you will quickly find everything fluorescent lol. Don't have to point it at the object. The ambient light will be more than enough



Is that price for the diode, or for a complete laser?

I have 405nm and 445nm lasers. 445nm will cause fluorescence with certain things, eg highlighter pen. The fluorescence from 405nm is much more noticable, just about everything is fluorescent at that wavelength.

Also be aware that 405nm is more of an eye hazard. It is much brighter than it looks, and not as easy to see the beam.


----------



## Tmack

Those are just the diode


----------



## TEEJ

Arilou said:


> Is that price for the diode, or for a complete laser?
> 
> I have 405nm and 445nm lasers. 445nm will cause fluorescence with certain things, eg highlighter pen. The fluorescence from 405nm is much more noticable, just about everything is fluorescent at that wavelength.
> 
> Also be aware that 405nm is more of an eye hazard. It is much brighter than it looks, and not as easy to see the beam.



Just about everything is not actually fluorescent at 405 nm. Some things will be fluorescent in the near UV range, such as 405 nm, but, there are a lot of things that don't fluoresce at all at 405 nm, that will at say 390 nm or under. Most things are not actually fluorescent though, at all.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> Just about everything is not actually fluorescent at 405 nm. Some things will be fluorescent in the near UV range, such as 405 nm, but, there are a lot of things that don't fluoresce at all at 405 nm, that will at say 390 nm or under. Most things are not actually fluorescent though, at all.



OK, so some things will fluoresce in the near UV range, such as 445 nm and 405 nm. Do some materials only fluoresce at wavelengths below Extreme UV, i.e., below 100 nm? 

If so, we need to wait for Tmack to start building X-Ray and Gamma ray lasers. Those would require really powerful batteries and diodes that don't yet exist, plus amazing heat sinking and electronics. I'm not holding my breath!


----------



## Tmack

The Tmag gamma line is due for release in about a week. 

You'll need special glasses to avoid turning into a giant, ugly, stupid, green monster though. 
Good news for teej. He would just turn green


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> OK, so some things will fluoresce in the near UV range, such as 445 nm and 405 nm. Do some materials only fluoresce at wavelengths below Extreme UV, i.e., below 100 nm?
> 
> If so, we need to wait for Tmack to start building X-Ray and Gamma ray lasers. Those would require really powerful batteries and diodes that don't yet exist, plus amazing heat sinking and electronics. I'm not holding my breath!



LOL


I want an 18350 powered X-Ray machine that comes with a sturdy clip.


----------



## Tmack

Updated Tmag V2 availability 

Black 1
Red 1
Blue 2 

$350 for 3w setup. G2 lens brushed knurled 1" focus adapter 

C11

Black 5 

Focus adapter options 

Assault 
Smooth flow
1" knurled 

$300 3w setup 
$260 1.7w 


501b 

Available 

Black
Blue 
Red
Violet 
Camo 

Green can be done, but will require extra anodizing. 

Focus adapters 

Assault 
Smooth flow
Knurled 

Pricing varies from $200 and up depending on options and wavelength.


----------



## star_c_star

In reading earlier parts of this thread, I stumbled across the 520 nm green laser diodes. 

Do these lasers look even "brighter" to the eye than the 532 nm ones? 

Also, what is the maximum power that is offered for the 520 nm?


----------



## Tmack

Maximum is 1w, but is horribly expensive. $700 diode. 

I just built a couple 200mw 520 and they came out beautiful. 

520nm and 532nm are about the same brightness visually.


----------



## atisvt99

Tmack said:


> I did them for around $200 a piece, plus or minus on each. He had me put together a case, charger, batteries on top of that.



"he" is a pretty happy camper now... Took delivery of everything last night! The set is sweet! Build quality is awesome... I'm stoked! 

- justin


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Maximum is 1w, but is horribly expensive. $700 diode.
> 
> I just built a couple 200mw 520 and they came out beautiful.
> 
> 520nm and 532nm are about the same brightness visually.



Do you yet have any 520 nm or 532 nm builds that use an 18650 battery, and have good enough heat sinking to run almost continuously? I have some extra AW 3400 mAH protected 18650's, hence the question.


----------



## Tmack

The c11 takes a single 18650 and has a nice big heatsink. I use it for 3w builds. A 200mw 520 would be very well managed, but I wouldn't say continuous. But I don't see it getting hot around 5mins or more.


----------



## Tmack

Those diodes are the same price as a 3w, actually a bit more, but I can do the same pricing as a 3w c11. 
$300 

Normally I use the 501b hosts for this diode so it would have been cheaper. But this c11 will be the way to go if you want long runtime.
I don't think you will find this diode in such a substantial host anywhere else. It would be an awesome build.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Those diodes are the same price as a 3w, actually a bit more, but I can do the same pricing as a 3w c11.
> $300
> 
> Normally I use the 501b hosts for this diode so it would have been cheaper. But this c11 will be the way to go if you want long runtime.
> I don't think you will find this diode in such a substantial host anywhere else. It would be an awesome build.




That sounds very tempting. 

What are the options, such as focusing mechanism, host color, etc?


----------



## Tmack

Black host, side click 2 18350's 
Your choice of focus adapter. 

I love these hosts. Just the right size. About 6.5" long give or take. Great heatsink.


----------



## Tmack




----------



## ThirstyTurtle

What's the cheapest 2w 445nm you can do? 

I know a 1w is around $200 and a 3w is around $300


----------



## Tmack

Right in the middle


----------



## atisvt99

I now need to stay out of this thread... or I'm gonna be spending more money on stuff that I didn't get after the first (almost) $1k I spent with you!! Lol


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Black host, side click 2 18350's
> Your choice of focus adapter.
> 
> I love these hosts. Just the right size. About 6.5" long give or take. Great heatsink.



These can run with one 18650 battery also, right? 

Which focus adapter would you recommend for a 200 mw 520 nm diode build?


----------



## Tmack

Yup 1 cell. I love the middle one. The assault. Just looks intricate. They are very nicely done.


----------



## Tmack

Puts your fingers away from the aperture as well.


----------



## Arilou

TEEJ said:


> Just about everything is not actually fluorescent at 405 nm. Some things will be fluorescent in the near UV range, such as 405 nm, but, there are a lot of things that don't fluoresce at all at 405 nm, that will at say 390 nm or under. Most things are not actually fluorescent though, at all.



Many biological substances will fluoresce at 405nm, so you will see some flourescence from food, wood, cotton, where the dog peed, and most of the dust particles in your home. Also many paper products and laundry detergents contain whiteners which will fluoresce at this wavelength. It is true that some things don't fluoresce at 405nm, but quite a lot of things do.


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Those are just the diode



Out of curiousity, how much would a 6 watt laser cost, and what kind of host and power supply would it require?


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yup 1 cell. I love the middle one. The assault. Just looks intricate. They are very nicely done.



OK, I'm convinced. PM me, and I'll PayPal you for the C11 host, 200 mw 520 m diode, and the assault focus option. 

Keeping fingers away from the laser is important, although 200 mw shouldn't cause much discomfort. I like the intricate appearance also. It makes the laser look almost "alien."

Now I'll have to wait for the 6 watt 445 nm diode and the 1 watt green diode lasers to drop in price before purchasing some more builds (or so I'm trying to tell myself).


----------



## Tmack

Well the 

$500 diode
$50 almost customized driver
$200 for a super beefed up maglite host with my monster heatsink
$20 for mounting, and driver heatsink materials 
$45 lens 
Plus 2x 32650 cells. 

Just an estimate.


----------



## star_c_star

You missed the charger for the 32650 cells.


Geez, that's about what I paid for my second DEFT-X.

When the entire 6 w build drops to around $500 or so, I'll probably weaken and buy one. As Tim Allen said "More Power!"


----------



## Tmack

Lol but man..... 6w! Ahh. Would be stupid. 
I know a guy that combined enough 445nm to get 15w. It would make things burst into flames. He could cut paperclips instantly.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Lol but man..... 6w! Ahh. Would be stupid.
> I know a guy that combined enough 445nm to get 15w. It would make things burst into flames. He could cut paperclips instantly.



I was just thinking that paper clips are just too damn long...


----------



## star_c_star

Paper clips are also reflective, so unless you cover them with an opaque substance, you might get a quick tan.


----------



## Tmack

Reflective or not, they absorbed enough heat to cut! 
He also passed a pencil in front and instant flames. 
He wants to mount it on a ar 15 lower.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> Reflective or not, they absorbed enough heat to cut!
> He also passed a pencil in front and instant flames.
> He wants to mount it on a ar 15 lower.



Video?!


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> OK, I'm convinced. PM me, and I'll PayPal you for the C11 host, 200 mw 520 m diode, and the assault focus option.
> 
> Keeping fingers away from the laser is important, although 200 mw shouldn't cause much discomfort. I like the intricate appearance also. It makes the laser look almost "alien."
> 
> Now I'll have to wait for the 6 watt 445 nm diode and the 1 watt green diode lasers to drop in price before purchasing some more builds (or so I'm trying to tell myself).



PayPal sent for the C11 host.


----------



## Tmack

All your parts are already ordered my friend. Thank you.


----------



## Tmack

Only 3 c11 left to be built. 

These are probably the best mid sized flashlight hosts I've ever built. These are not like maglite and can be bought from a store and modified. Don't know when/if more will come.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Lol but man..... 6w! Ahh. Would be stupid.
> I know a guy that combined enough 445nm to get 15w. It would make things burst into flames. He could cut paperclips instantly.



How did he focus them on the same spot? Did he create some type of mounting apparatus?

Would it be possible to set up five 3 watt 445 nm diodes in one host, with a focusing apparatus that would keep them aimed at the same point, from close up to far away? THAT would be impressive (also very expensive and incredibly complicated too).


----------



## Tmack

It's called knife edging. It uses mirrors that pass through on one side, and reflect on the other. So the diodes are lined up sideways, and the mirrors are in front at 45 degrees. That makes 1 solid 15w beam. 

Yes it's extremely complicated. The end result would be in no way handheld. (depending on your definition) 
But essentially yes, this could be done. 
He used the old diodes. 

With the new ones 2 would do 12w. 
Heat is a huge issue, so is powering them. 
I've wanted to do a double diode handheld for a long time, but I need to be there with the machinist.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Reflective or not, they absorbed enough heat to cut!
> He also passed a pencil in front and instant flames.
> He wants to mount it on a ar 15 lower.



What would he need the AR15 for?

It would be redundant, as he could already fry them with the laser.


----------



## Tmack

Haha. He just wanted to mount it on the ar platform. He must have had the same though as you.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> What would he need the AR15 for?
> 
> It would be redundant, as he could already fry them with the laser.



The bullets would be used in case the target was armed with a mirror, or a good reflective coating.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

star_c_star said:


> The bullets would be used in case the target was armed with a mirror, or a good reflective coating.



Okay, haha that's awesome. Although that would SUCK if someone bounced your laser back at you with a mirror


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack,

What is the UI of the C11 host? Does it have a side clicky _and_ a rear clicky? If it's only the side clicky, is it momentary only or constant on-constant off? I see that it runs on 2x18350's but _can _it run on 1x18650? What kind of amp draw does your 3w 445nm put on the cells?

Thanks!


----------



## Tmack

It's a constant side click. 
2.4a is the driver current 
1x18650 isn't enough voltage for the 3w setup. 
I can do 1w with 1 cell.


----------



## Alex1234

I got my sci fi lasers 532nm 501b laser today  I just compared it to my 17 dollar ebay laser and its a tic brighter. my power certificate said 97mw average and 112.5mw peak power. i would guess my ebay laser is around 80mw based off this. my ebay wins hands down in the divergence category having a spot 4 times smaller then the smallest spot i can get with the sci fi laser. but the ebay laser has a crap ton of beam splatter while the other one has no splatter at all. i defocused it and while the first few seconds its on has weird mode hopes it goes right into perfect tempo. perfect circle  the ebay one has an oval spot with clutter everywhere lol. only thing is the focus adapter is very very lose but for 54 bucks its not a bad laser. host is pretty cheap as well


----------



## atisvt99

So I drove up to meet TMAck on Wed after work and pick up the 'set' that he built for me. :thanks: I spent over 4 hours 'playing' in his living room! haha...


Awesome guy, lots of knowledge, and some *very* cool toys... 


So my setup includes: 4 custom built 501b hosts, color coordinated (or pretty damn close to) the appropriate wavelength, good quality cells to run them all, a snazzy 'smart' charger, and a nice padded case to carry everything in! And as you can see, the case is big enough to carry my only other laser (a funky looking chinese 445), my LaserBee LPM, spare batts, etc... it all fits nice n' snug.


Here's a pic of the finished product:







About to turn these things on inside the house:






Not much to see in the 'beam' department inside:






Let's go upstairs to the master bathroom and open a window:






Finally some good beam shots:


















I let the quartet cool down for a few, and rearranged just a bit:






Pretty distinct color separation, and I'm using a relatively inexpensive Panasonic point-and-shoot:












I've got the specs in an email somewhere... Perhaps TMack will see this thread and chime in if he remembers... I know the 445nm came in at 2.7-2.8W, the 405nm was around 950mW, and the 520nm might have been around 180-185mW? I don't recall on the 638nm... Maybe 500mW... 


Thanks again to TMack!!


- justin


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Wow, Justin you lucky dog! That's fantastic for you, you really dove right in didn't you? Haha love the photos and I'm drooling over here.


----------



## Tmack

There's my buddy Justin! 
Glad to see you here man. 

I appreciate the pictures very much. 

Your really going to like this community too. Lots of great guys, and even a gal or too.


----------



## caddylover

great pics! Looks like you're a busy man these days , Tony!


----------



## TEEJ

Arilou said:


> Many biological substances will fluoresce at 405nm, so you will see some flourescence from food, wood, cotton, where the dog peed, and most of the dust particles in your home. Also many paper products and laundry detergents contain whiteners which will fluoresce at this wavelength. It is true that some things don't fluoresce at 405nm, but quite a lot of things do.



Correct, a lot do, but, most don't.

The fibgerglass and silica dust doesn't fluoresce, but the celulose fibers typically do. Most of the dust in a home is typically silica based, albeit the cellulose is more easily seen due to its size being closer to our 100 um resolution limits.


----------



## Alex1234

im going to have my 520nm 5o1b laser delivered today  mine came in at 202mw !!!


----------



## Tmack

The beam will be wider than your 532nm I'm sure you know. They will be thin and intense. This will be thicker. 
Btw, had an identical one out before I sent yours, and it was clearly hitting the low lying clouds.  

Very nice.


----------



## star_c_star

Any estimates on when my 3 watt 445 nm Mag Host and 200 mw 520 nm C11 host will be ready? 

I don't expect them in the near future, since I ordered them within the past couple days. A ballpark figure is good enough for me.

One can never have enough neat toys, and each new one's arrival is always a reason for celebration. These will be my best built lasers as well.


I suspect I'll order a 6 watt 445 nm build within a year. It may not be powerful enough to slice a paperclip (seemingly you need 15 watts or so to do that), but it should be noticably more powerful than a 3 - 3.5 watt build.


----------



## Tmack

Parts will be to me in a couple days, built as soon as they arrive, then a few days to get to you  

Everything is already in route to me.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> The beam will be wider than your 532nm I'm sure you know. They will be thin and intense. This will be thicker.
> Btw, had an identical one out before I sent yours, and it was clearly hitting the low lying clouds.
> 
> Very nice.



its weird my ebay laser has much more punch shining it past 400 feet or so then my tmag. the blue spot once out to 500 to 1500 feet starts to struggle while the green dot is much easer to see day and night. im sure that's because of the divergence difference. the other weird thing is the beam of the blue is way more visible then my ebay green but past 200 feet or soo the green dot is tighter and more intense so its weird. im going to guess that's because the blue beam Is so much wider then green needle thin beam.


----------



## Tmack

You got it. 

Think of it in flashlight terms. 

Thrower vs flooder. 

The thin 532nm will travel further. The 445nm will put more light on the target, but not reach as far. 
Mw has little to do with it.  

The 520nm is somewhere in the middle of the two regarding divergence.


----------



## TEEJ

Yeah, I see it as the BEAM is more visible on one, the SPOT more visible on the other.

I CAN focus the 445 nm down to a rice sized dot though, but the focus is DISTANCE based, so if I focus it close up, and then shine at something far away, I'd have to re-focus it to see the spot on the distant target.


----------



## Alex1234

Which way does the battery go in for my 520nm ?


----------



## Tmack

Positive to the head. Negative to the tail.


----------



## Alex1234

Cool just like my tmag and most flashlights. It seams the custom lasers are neg at the tail and company lasers are the opossite


----------



## Mike9028

I ordered a C11 3w 445nm a couple days ago. 

Which protective glasses are most of you on here getting? I found these two listed below: 

http://www.survivallaserusa.com/index.aspx?pageid=1667092&prodid=11309188

http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...rd_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_7862033.aspx


----------



## Tmack

Yup. Most module lasers are opposite. The company direct diode lasers are mixed.


----------



## Tmack

Eagle Pair are great.


----------



## Alex1234

The color is amazing and the divergence is better then any 532nm iv ever seen  it has better divergence then my ebay laser  i thought it was broke when i got it as the heat sink was all lose and spinning but i tighted it so its good now. Then after playing with it a bit i tryed a different battery and put it in the wrong way . Turned it on for not even a second cuz i realized it. I thought i killed it. Then i put it in the right way and it still worked. Thank god !!! I must be carful with that.


----------



## Tmack

Wow. Thank god is right! 
Very glad it's made it safe. 
I love the color too man. That shade is beautiful


----------



## Alex1234

To my eyes the 445nm beam is 2 times brighter then my 520nm. The greens dot is only brighter to me past about 30 feet. Its still brighter then all my 532nm thought abd it makes them look yellow. Best color ever  i cant believe the divergence eather. Insanly small divergince


----------



## Alex1234

my dragon lasers 200mw 532 that i fried works full power for about 3 seconds then dies. i compared it to my 520nm and the sparton blows away the 520nm like its nothing which worry's me? could that half second of battery reversal i did lower the output but not kill it ? or maybe my sparton 200mw is more then 200mw. the 520nm is brighter then my 112mw sci fi green by about 40% and it burns better so i would think the 520nm is around 200mw based of this but its weird. the spartan right at turn on makes all my lasers even my tmag look weak.


----------



## Tmack

The Spartan is almost for sure over spec. Especially for the first burst. They give you the constant lpm reading. Your seeing the peak. I had a 1w spartan and it peaked at over 1.5w. 

I think your ok. 
And just remember even though 520nm is more visible, you have many times the power in the Tmag.


----------



## Alex1234

cool  its not easy playing with my sci fi lasers 501b and your 220nm 501b because the battery goes positive toward the tail cap on the sci fi laser so i have to think when putting the batteries in lol. there even the same host although the quality of your host is by far superior


----------



## Alex1234

i did a divergence test on my lasers to show how crazy small the divergence is on the 520nm  i measured at 80 feet


*divergence test**Aperture **80 foot distance **divergence*Sci Fi lasers 501b 532nm1mm40mm1.59 mradebay laser (overfeel)1.5mm25mm.96 mradTmag 445nm 1.7w with standard focus3.5mm.27mm (bar length:45mm, bar width: 10mm took the average.98 mradTmack 520nm 501b3.5mm8.5mm took average like tmag as beam is not round.22 mrad


----------



## nfetterly

crosbyja79 said:


> - justin



DON"T CROSS THE BEAMS....

Oh sorry, blast from the past....


Seriously, nice review, great photos and makes me feel like a heel for not reviewing the one I bought...(later, later...)


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> i did a divergence test on my lasers to show how crazy small the divergence is on the 520nm  i measured at 80 feet
> 
> 
> *divergence test**Aperture **80 foot distance **divergence*Sci Fi lasers 501b 532nm1mm40mm1.59 mradebay laser (overfeel)1.5mm25mm.96 mradTmag 445nm 1.7w with standard focus3.5mm.27mm (bar length:45mm, bar width: 10mm took the average.98 mradTmack 520nm 501b3.5mm8.5mm took average like tmag as beam is not round.22 mrad



That's pretty crazy! The crazy thing though is that the eBay laser has better divergence than the sci-fi laser. I considered buying one from Sci-fi or Blord on laserpointerforums but there's just too many people with lasers dying really quickly on there for me to be comfortable with it. Plus I trust a CPF person like Tmack much more!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack, what are your typical smaller hosts? 

I've seen throughout the thread that you've done C8's, C11's, 501b's, Sipik B68's. I've also seen the Zaser (which looks to big for me to consider "smaller") and the MS-ENVY (not sure of the size of that one). 

Are there any other options if we were looking for a 445nm 2w-3w?


----------



## Tmack

As far as "smaller" that's about it for the flashlight hosts. 

Of course custom, could be thousands of options. Put spendy


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> As far as "smaller" that's about it for the flashlight hosts.
> 
> Of course custom, could be thousands of options. Put spendy



What's your favorite of those smaller flashlight hosts?


----------



## Tmack

C11, c11, c11!........ Lol 
 
I'd consider it the best 2 18350's flashlight host ever turned into a laser. 
Great sized heatsink, still fits in a pocket, side switch is perfect. 
I just love them. 
The 501b gets hot too quick, the c8 has the tail click as well as a smaller heatsink. 

The c11 performs like a big boy, but is compact enough to still fit in a pocket. 

Really I'd call it mid sized. 
The 501b and c6 are small. 

Zaser is large

Maglite is the big daddy


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> C11, c11, c11!........ Lol
> 
> I'd consider it the best 2 18350's flashlight host ever turned into a laser.
> Great sized heatsink, still fits in a pocket, side switch is perfect.
> I just love them.
> The 501b gets hot too quick, the c8 has the tail click as well as a smaller heatsink.
> 
> The c11 performs like a big boy, but is compact enough to still fit in a pocket.
> 
> Really I'd call it mid sized.
> The 501b and c6 are small.
> 
> Zaser is large
> 
> Maglite is the big daddy



Tmack and Mack Daddy?


----------



## Tmack

Tmag daddy??


----------



## Tmack

And thank you again Alex for doing more testing on my builds (mainly because they produced great results  ) 

I'm really in disbelief the 520nm has better divergence than the sci-fi 501b. 
I'm very pleased


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> And thank you again Alex for doing more testing on my builds (mainly because they produced great results  )
> 
> I'm really in disbelief the 520nm has better divergence than the sci-fi 501b.
> I'm very pleased












*lasers are on the porch shining at a shed door behind the left picture. the big spot is the sci fi lasers 532nm 501b and the small dot is the tmack 520nm 501b!!! Thats what im talking about *


----------



## Tmack

And how far are the lasers in that picture? 

Are you sure the 532nm is focused perfectly?


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> And how far are the lasers in that picture?
> 
> Are you sure the 532nm is focused perfectly?



Ya it looks like the sci-fi needs to be focused differently. I'd return it with that crappy of a "hot spot".


----------



## Alex1234

between 80 and 90 feet. the 532nm is the smallest it will get. it has a very very thin beam at the aperture so i dont think there focus was on distance but more on burning.


----------



## Alex1234

the divergence of the sci fi laser is still about 1.5 mrad which a lot are. it just looks crappy compared to a laser doing an insane .20 mrad


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack - what time are meeting up at PF21?


----------



## Tmack

For distance focus, you want it to infinite. No focal point at all. It's the same diameter beam throughout. 

If you get about 30' from a target, and focus till its as small as possible, that will be infinite. 
Another way at night, is to just point into the sky and focus till the beam is the thinnest and brightest.


----------



## Tmack

TEEJ said:


> Tmack - what time are meeting up at PF21?



I've been recruited by my vice president to do some work on her house this weekend  
I'm afraid I'm a no show.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I've been recruited by my vice president to do some work on her house this weekend
> I'm afraid I'm a no show.






:mecry:


Hopefully, you can find your cajones again before PF22?

:kiss:


----------



## Alex1234

the weird thing is i cant get a focal point with the sci fi lasers. no matter where i turn the focus adapter the beam always gets larger coming out of the laser. i took another set of pics and this time i stood at the shed as my dad turned the knob and i yelled stop when i hit smallest focus on each laser

top is the ebay laser overfeel
middle is the 520nm 
bottom is the sci fi laser


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> the weird thing is i cant get a focal point with the sci fi lasers. no matter where i turn the focus adapter the beam always gets larger coming out of the laser. i took another set of pics and this time i stood at the shed as my dad turned the knob and i yelled stop when i hit smallest focus on each laser



I mean i know the divergence may not be HORRIBLE but I definitely think it should be better than it is. Seems like something internally isn't set up right. Something is too close or too far from something else I think haha. You should contact sci-fi and send your pics, see what they say.


----------



## Alex1234

i think it might have to do with the style focus lens it has. from experience i know the thinner the beam at the aperture the worse the divergence on the other hand if you have a very thick beam at the aperture the divergence will be awesome. you cant have an uber thin beam at the aperture and a awesome divergence at the same time. it just does not work that way. i actually dont mind the mediocre divergence. it has a very very clean prefect tempo spot. and even tho the spot of the ebay laser is brighter comparing the beams at night the sci fi lasers beam is a tic brighter and fuller although very close  those ebay lasers are a steal


----------



## Alex1234

crosbyja79 said:


>



tmack is there any way I could get one of these focus adaptors ? I actually thought I mine was going to come with this one


----------



## Tmack

Not a problem  I can't remember if we discussed them, but I trust you. I'll send you one asap  

You can also interchange with your Tmag to keep from burning yourself


----------



## Alex1234

awesome.  thanks


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> You can also interchange with your Tmag to keep from burning yourself


 To late for that...


----------



## Alex1234

I also have good news for my Spartan green laser. contacted dragon lasers they said its a $30 dollar fix. they sent me a rma


----------



## Tmack

Very nice. 
I've always had good experience with them. 
But I also had a "hulk ulyra" die on me, but they replaced it.


----------



## Tmack

I just received my picatinny mount laser. Comes in a at insane 5mw!  
Soon to be upgraded to 120mw 532nm 
Or a 200mw 520nm.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I just received my picatinny mount laser. Comes in a at insane 5mw!
> Soon to be upgraded to 120mw 532nm
> Or a 200mw 520nm.



id go 520nm


----------



## Tmack

After your results it seems logical lol


----------



## Alex1234

My tmack 520nm vs my 1.7w tmag  80-90 feet... This one turned out very good


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> My tmack 520nm vs my 1.7w tmag  80-90 feet... This one turned out very good



Dang I didn't realize how much of a "line" the purple is. Is 445nm that spread out?


----------



## Alex1234

yup thats the one bad thing about 445nm is the classic bar shape. thing is if i put my hand on the 445nm beam there it would start to sting its that strong


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Alex1234 said:


> yup thats the one bad thing about 445nm is the classic bar shape



Well it's a small price to pay for ::Jeremy Clarkson voice:: POOOOWWWEEERRRRRRRRRRR!


----------



## Alex1234

i read that in his voice lol


----------



## Alex1234

My laser collection is growing 






I was also surfing lpf and came across someone recommending a 1AAA powered 5wm geen laser pen on fact tech that actually does 50-60mw for only $8.54. so i ordered 2 of them and a cheap pair a laser shields.

https://www.fasttech.com/p/1030000 this is the laser


----------



## Tmack

I'm digging the case


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I'm digging the case



i love the case  i got it with custom anti static foam to prevent esd's...i know im crazy. before i had my sparton and a Fire fox ff4 in here. i sold the ff4 after i burned my self with it. ill stick with led


----------



## star_c_star

I just received two 26650 4000 mAh batteries, for my upcoming Tmag V2 build. These FourSeven batteries were supposedly button tops, but the button is almost the width of the battery and of minimal height. I suspect I'll need a spacer to make contact in the Tmag V2 build.

This is probably a stupid question, but why not use a washer as a spacer instead of a magnet? I have some washers that have almost the same diameter as the 26650's I just received. It seems to me that the washer(s) would be much more stable as well, and very unlikely to change position and cause a short.


----------



## Tmack

I recommend a little blob of solder. 
I'd be afraid the washer or magnets would shift and hit the battery tube.


----------



## inetdog

A washer can move more easily from vibration and battery bounce than a magnet.
Now a custom fabricated fibre washer with a conductive metal center would probably be more reliable, but it would not come out with the battery nearly as well.


----------



## star_c_star

OK, I'm beginning to understand the problem. 

How about a magnetic spacer placed inside a rubber washer, and attached to it? That would act as a spacer and would prevent the metallic part from touching the sides.


----------



## Alex1234

i have fallen in love with 520nm  tmack can you do a 520nm in a different host like the c11? i want more 520nm lasers !!!


----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> i have fallen in love with 520nm  tmack can you do a 520nm in a different host like the c11? i want more 520nm lasers !!!



Tmack can do 520 nm in a C11 host, since I just ordered a 200 mw 520 nm build from him in that host.

Eventually the 1 watt 520 nm diodes will drop in price, and I'll probably get a Tmag host with that diode. People in this thread seem to believe 520 nm looks better than 532 nm.


----------



## Alex1234

that will be my next buy once i save up a bit.


----------



## atisvt99

nfetterly said:


> DON"T CROSS THE BEAMS....
> 
> Oh sorry, blast from the past....
> 
> 
> Seriously, nice review, great photos and makes me feel like a heel for not reviewing the one I bought...(later, later...)



Haha, I said the same thing as I was setting them up! 

Thanks for the comment... Obviously couldn't have done it without the hard work of our man Tmack!  I ordered my first V45 light from Vinh... so after all the dust settles (in my bank account) from these toys, the 2 dozen batteries I ordered, and all the other wish wash, I'll look at one of these C11 hosts that T is so fond of... The 501b does heat up fast for sure... my 445nm is only good for about a minute, 15 seconds... Still not bad, but I'd like something with a little longer run time. I might do a higher powered 445nm and another (higher powered, if possible) 520nm in C11 hosts... who the hell knows!

Need to cool the $pending a little for now as my other 'hobbies' are kicking into gear for the summer...


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Well the
> 
> $500 diode
> $50 almost customized driver
> $200 for a super beefed up maglite host with my monster heatsink
> $20 for mounting, and driver heatsink materials
> $45 lens
> Plus 2x 32650 cells.
> 
> Just an estimate.




What type of duty cycle would a 6 watt 445 nm build have, using this configuration? Also, could it run off 2 x 26650 batteries?


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> What type of duty cycle would a 6 watt 445 nm build have, using this configuration? Also, could it run off 2 x 26650 batteries?



Tmack, I am only asking for a rough estimate of the duty cycle, since I know that you haven't yet built one of these powerhouses.

Also, I suspect that I'll be tempted to buy it relatively soon.


----------



## Alex1234

*6W 445nm Build !!!!!!*
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53GJJHwQ8BA

Two words come to mind... HOLY SH#t !!!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

star_c_star said:


> What type of duty cycle would a 6 watt 445 nm build have, using this configuration? Also, could it run off 2 x 26650 batteries?



I have no idea about the duty cycle but I think even a 6w laser would only pull like 4 amps off the batteries which even 2x16340 wouldn't have a problem with probably, and certainly anything bigger or any IMR cells would have no problem. So yes, 2x26650 could definitely power a 6w laser.


----------



## Mike9028

Hey Tmack,

Do you know where I can get NOIR OD7 glasses?


----------



## Mike Sloan

http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...5_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_11309188.aspx


Mike9028 said:


> Hey Tmack,
> 
> Do you know where I can get NOIR OD7 glasses?



Have vs you seen these? Work good for me!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Mike Sloan said:


> http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...5_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_11309188.aspx
> 
> Have vs you seen these? Work good for me!



I plan on ordering the over-the-glasses version of those!


----------



## Tmack

Sorry for the delay response guys. 

The 6w duty cycle us gard to call. I over heatsink the crap out of the......... All my builds whenever possible lol. 

So I'm thinking a few minutes. 


And Alex, you let me know what host you like my friend. I'm sure we can do something really cool.


----------



## Alex1234

i really want to try out the 638nm lasers. hows the beam visibility compared to 445nm and 532nm ?

is the red really this bright at night.


----------



## Tmack

It is. I love the red beam. Just looks classic. The divergence is horrible though. The worst "dot" out of the wavelength. But the beam is beautiful


----------



## Tmack

It is not as bright as a 445nm to me. But I hear people perceive the wavelength different either on the high end or low end being brighter to any given person.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Sorry for the delay response guys.
> 
> The 6w duty cycle us gard to call. I over heatsink the crap out of the......... All my builds whenever possible lol.
> 
> So I'm thinking a few minutes.
> 
> 
> And Alex, you let me know what host you like my friend. I'm sure we can do something really cool.




Several minutes runtime with the monster heatsink isn't bad at all, since the diode output is being doubled.

Is is possible to use either 2 26650 or 2 32650 batteries in the 6 watt build? I know that you put a sleeve in the Tmag host for the 26650 batteries. Is it removable so you can switch to the larger batteries?

I'm close to giving in and requesting the 6 w build, and am currently just exploring all options on it.


----------



## Tmack

The sleeve is not removable. I didn't want it bobbling around in there. But the 6w will be fine with 2x 26650's . The current demand is not high at all.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The sleeve is not removable. I didn't want it bobbling around in there. But the 6w will be fine with 2x 26650's . The current demand is not high at all.




What would be the cost for the 6 watt build, using 2 x 26650's? Who knows, there are probably others besides me in this thread that would buy one. 

Getting the best and most powerful is never cheap. I paid around the same amount for my second DEFT-X (the 1.1 million candela one). 

How long would you have to wait for the parts, especially the monster heatsink?

At least I'll have my Tmag 3w 445 nm and C11 200 mw 520 nm builds to keep me happy during the wait.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack did you get my pms ?


----------



## Tmack

I'm going to talk to everyone required in the collaboration to get a final price. This is also high risk on my part. I'm dealing with a $500 diode that I can kill with a slight turn of my wrist on the power supply, a simple static shock, etc. Prepare to hear me cry if I kill one! Haha. 

But if I can get 2 or 3 at once, I can surely drop the price a bit. 
The very rough estimate from before may be close. I'll know better when I get a couple replies. 

$500 diode
$50 driver 
$200 host
$20 mounting, etc extra materials 
$45 lens 
+ labor 

But I strongly believe this may be the best 5-6w 445nm you'll be able to get. 
Definitely the longest running. 

I'll see what my machinist, and driver guy cam do, and I'll get prices posted asap. 

You guys are getting me all excited  

Maybe I'll go ahead and turn my monster mag into a 6w  
Sooner than I thought at least.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> tmack did you get my pms ?



No my inbox was full. Please send again. I'm sorry my friend.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I'm going to talk to everyone required in the collaboration to get a final price. This is also high risk on my part. I'm dealing with a $500 diode that I can kill with a slight turn of my wrist on the power supply, a simple static shock, etc. Prepare to hear me cry if I kill one! Haha.
> 
> But if I can get 2 or 3 at once, I can surely drop the price a bit.
> The very rough estimate from before may be close. I'll know better when I get a couple replies.
> 
> $500 diode
> $50 driver
> $200 host
> $20 mounting, etc extra materials
> $45 lens
> + labor
> 
> But I strongly believe this may be the best 5-6w 445nm you'll be able to get.
> Definitely the longest running.
> 
> I'll see what my machinist, and driver guy cam do, and I'll get prices posted asap.
> 
> You guys are getting me all excited
> 
> Maybe I'll go ahead and turn my monster mag into a 6w
> Sooner than I thought at least.



I didn't mean to rush you! But yes, a price drop due to several simultaneous purchases wouldn't bother me at all.

Frying a $500 diode hadn't even occurred to me. Can't you get insurance for that (probably a stupid question, but I had to ask)?


----------



## Tmack

No sir. It's all very nerve racking. I make sure to discharge myself before handling them. 

Even the builds now is much worse than a $6 led lol. 

Just a slight ramp in power when testing, a slip up soldering, soldering too long, static shock, impact without being inside the heatsink can all kill it. Even getting a small piece of foreign material on the diode windows will destroy a very expensive diode.


----------



## Tmack

Oh and no rush. I'm always in a hurry  that's just how I am. 
(except when soldering a few hundred dollars  )


----------



## Alex1234

lasers seam more nerve racking to build then flashlights. leds are dirt cheap though


----------



## Tmack

Waaaay more. 
I've built both. 
I won't even worry about killing a led. 

But the diodes I normally work with are many times the cost. 

Just a little too much solder, and $100 - 200 is gone. Nog fixable, just gone. I can only save the little copper retainer.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack,
How is the beam quality (convergence) of the 6 watt compared to the 3 watt diode?


----------



## Tmack

A touch worse. But the lens will still get it to a pinpoint like the 3w. At a further distance it will be a slightly longer dash. 
Double the power helps negate that problem too.


----------



## Tmack

It's a very small amount worse. If you didn't have them side by side, I'd be surprised if you noticed. B


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Is there a standard configuration for your Tmag? Does "Tmag" infer specific wavelengths or powers?


----------



## Tmack

Standard configuration for the Tmag v2 

3w 9mm 445nm diode @2.4a 
G2/g9 lens. 2x 26650 cells. 

That pretty much default for a "v2" 

I guess any maglite setup is a Tmag. 
But the v2 is the latest 3w setup.


----------



## atisvt99

Alex1234 said:


> i really want to try out the 638nm lasers. hows the beam visibility compared to 445nm and 532nm ?
> 
> is the red really this bright at night.



There's no editing here... just a 'night-mode, flash-off' shot with my little Panasonic point-n-shoot camera... Keeping in mind that the 'night-mode' is going to leave the shutter open for a bit longer - therefore allowing a little more light in. The beams are not quite that thick/defined when you're just waving them around. Maybe I can take some 1080p video with the same camera and throw it up on the interwebs somewhere for you!

IMO, the red is the least visible of the set... the 520 is bright (perhaps the most visible to our eyes? I think I read that somewhere), and the 445 is stupid bright as well, but it is also a very 'powerful' beam as well!

I'll work on some vids for y'all


----------



## Mike9028

Mike Sloan said:


> http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...5_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_11309188.aspx
> 
> Have vs you seen these? Work good for me!



They look great but I was thinking they might be too dark. Are they?

I'm getting a 3w 445nm.

Sounds like most people go with these ones.. http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...rd_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_7862033.aspx

Or I was thinking maybe this pair.. http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...nm_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_7862041.aspx


----------



## Alex1234

crosbyja79 said:


> There's no editing here... just a 'night-mode, flash-off' shot with my little Panasonic point-n-shoot camera... Keeping in mind that the 'night-mode' is going to leave the shutter open for a bit longer - therefore allowing a little more light in. The beams are not quite that thick/defined when you're just waving them around. Maybe I can take some 1080p video with the same camera and throw it up on the interwebs somewhere for you!
> 
> IMO, the red is the least visible of the set... the 520 is bright (perhaps the most visible to our eyes? I think I read that somewhere), and the 445 is stupid bright as well, but it is also a very 'powerful' beam as well!
> 
> I'll work on some vids for y'all



its weird during the day my 1.7w 445nm mags beam is over twice as visible compared to my 520nm 200mw. but at night with night adapted eyes there about the same with a slight edge toward the blue. maybe my eyes are more sensitive to 445nm.


----------



## Tmack

That's the case alot of times. 

Some people pick up the low end of the spectrum better, while others the high.


----------



## Tmack

Almost 2000mw might play a part too


----------



## Tmack

Oh! 
I have discovered a new nichia diode. 

A 462-470nm 
Actually putting out some power too. 
1-2w of a beautiful light blue. 

Since I found it, a few guys have bought and tested it, proving the numbers and wavelengths are indeed what they are claimed.

Little more pricey because it's new. $200 diode.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> its weird during the day my 1.7w 445nm mags beam is over twice as visible compared to my 520nm 200mw. but at night with night adapted eyes there about the same with a slight edge toward the blue. maybe my eyes are more sensitive to 445nm.



I find the beams are comparable, but the 520nm spot/dot is brighter to me. More intense .


----------



## Mike9028

Will my 3w 445nm be able to focus like this one in the vid...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgoCn0wYLTY


----------



## Tmack

My lasers have about 10 times the focusing range of the sky lasers. 

From a 10ft wide flashlight type, to a pinpoint.
Even wider at further distance


----------



## Tmack

Your laser will destroy that little hl445 lol. 
And that laser would be toast at 2.5min. 
(yes I'm talking trash  )


----------



## Mike9028

Haha, SWEET!!!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I find the beams are comparable, but the 520nm spot/dot is brighter to me. More intense .



thats why i first thought what i did hurt the output. i just compared the beams down stares with a dark brown carpet as a background. if i stand at the lasers and look right down the lasers like like shooting a pistol then the beams seam similar brightness but if i stand like 10 feet in front of the lasers and look straight at the beams at a 90 degree angle i cant even see the green beam but the 445 is clear as day. we should trad eyes


----------



## Tmack

Haha. I had a guy sell all his 638 and 650, and buy 405nm. Even at 500mw he couldn't see any beam at all. He said the 405 was as bright as 445nm to him. 

I see red well, but I can't even focus on 405nm. Even at a pinpoint, it looks very out of focus.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Oh!
> I have discovered a new nichia diode.
> 
> A 462-470nm
> Actually putting out some power too.
> 1-2w of a beautiful light blue.
> 
> Since I found it, a few guys have bought and tested it, proving the numbers and wavelengths are indeed what they are claimed.
> 
> Little more pricey because it's new. $200 diode.




yes please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Tmack

You've got good eyes for blue too. The difference would probably be very clear.


----------



## Alex1234

my 445nm at night with night adapted eyes . the beam is so bright at first i have to squint. its like a bright glowing line lol. i dont get that feeling at all with the 520nm but the green beam is still twice the brightness to my eyes as my 112mw 532nm


----------



## Tmack

I have that 1.7w pen. Same diode as your mag. The m140. It's a bit more violet. (meaning a 3w will be a lighter blue and even more visible) but I compared that 445nm and your 520 and the complete opposite happened. The 445nm I shined first (which I'm about as used to as seeing inside of my eyelids) then I shined the 520nm and had to squint lol. 
The blue beams was brighter, but the green SPOT was painful.


----------



## Alex1234

maybe i should get your highest power blue in a envy host


----------



## Tmack

No more envys  
Can do something similar though. Very easy to duplicate.


----------



## TEEJ

To me, the 445 is a more visible beam due to inherently more divergence. ..so a pencil - like bright blue beam is more visible than a thin green thread - like beam, etc.

So, sure, your cones may like 532 a wee bit more, but, the 445 just gives more TO love.


----------



## Tmack

I actually prefer a little more action than an envy. A couple ribs, or host lines. 
You definitely notice the beam will be a lighter blue. 
Not as light blue as the new nichia, but more like 450nm


----------



## Tmack

TEEJ said:


> To me, the 445 is a more visible beam due to inherently more divergence. ..so a pencil - like bright blue beam is more visible than a thin green thread - like beam, etc.
> 
> So, sure, your cones may like 532 a wee bit more, but, the 445 just gives more TO love.



I do try to warn people of this too. 
A thicker beam will always appear brighter. 
The thinner may be more intense, but with all that beam, your going to perceive it as brighter


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/fs-stainless-steel-rl-118-kit-62510.html


something like this would be beyond cool. even if its not super powerful. i want to go for something super compact


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No sir. It's all very nerve racking. I make sure to discharge myself before handling them.
> 
> Even the builds now is much worse than a $6 led lol.
> 
> Just a slight ramp in power when testing, a slip up soldering, soldering too long, static shock, impact without being inside the heatsink can all kill it. Even getting a small piece of foreign material on the diode windows will destroy a very expensive diode.




To avoid frying the diodes on my


C11 200 mw 520 nm build

Tmag 3 w 445 nm build

and especially my Tmag 6 w 445nm build


I intend to put small labels on them to show the battery + and - directions!


I would assume that ESD will not affect the diodes in the finished host, right, so I don't need to worry about static electricity on the host?


----------



## Tmack

No. Once they are installed, esd is not an issue


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/fs-stainless-steel-rl-118-kit-62510.html
> 
> 
> something like this would be beyond cool. even if its not super powerful. i want to go for something super compact



I like those too. Would be a cool 1w 405nm build. Or 532nm module build


----------



## Alex1234

what about 445nm build ? dtr did a 1.5w 445nm build.


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/fs-stainless-steel-10440-kit-awesome-45919.html or smaller lol 10440

could you build a custom super small 445nm ?


----------



## Tmack

I did a 2x10440 pen set before. 
1 cell can only produce about 1w. But for something that small. 1w us plenty. B


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No. Once they are installed, esd is not an issue




I didn't think it was, but had to ask. 

I'll be putting my Tmack builds in a Pelican case, with pick n pluck foam. I've noticed that the foam places a lot of static charge on larger metallic objects when they are removed from it, and someone on this thread used static-free foam just to be safe.

It seems the regular padding is OK.


----------



## Alex1234

If you can find a 10440 or a 1 16340 host that you can get 500mw to 1000mw of 445nm id so buy that. Im i asking to much ? Im just not sure how small these things can be built.


----------



## Tmack

I'll see what I can do. They can go pretty small. Just lower powers because of heat.


----------



## Alex1234

thanks


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> I'll see what I can do. They can go pretty small. Just lower powers because of heat.



In for details!


----------



## Tmack

I was thinking of doing a custom line. 
I would offer all desired battery configurations. 

1x16340/18650 
1x18650 /2 18350 
1x26650/2x 26650 

All hosts would essentially have the same design, just be different sizes. 
It could have a removable module, so if you wanted your 445nm in a pocket sized host, no problem, if you want to switch to a long runtime host no problem.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I was thinking of doing a custom line.
> I would offer all desired battery configurations.
> 
> 1x16340/18650
> 1x18650 /2 18350
> 1x26650/2x 26650
> 
> All hosts would essentially have the same design, just be different sizes.
> It could have a removable module, so if you wanted your 445nm in a pocket sized host, no problem, if you want to switch to a long runtime host no problem.



You mean a sort of laser drop in?


----------



## Tmack

Yes sir


----------



## Tmack

They would fit in any of the "tmack" hosts. 

So you could buy 1 body, and 4 modules. 

Or 1 module , and different sizes of bodies.


----------



## Tmack

I could really get prices down if you just wanted modules. 

And all you'd do is screw it in to change.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I could really get prices down if you just wanted modules.
> 
> And all you'd do is screw it in to change.



Is screwing it in hard to screw up?


----------



## Tmack

Lol I'd hope so. 
It bottoms out at the correct position. I designed the cypress module, and anyone could do it. Impossible to screw up  easy to screw in


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Lol I'd hope so.
> It bottoms out at the correct position. I designed the cypress module, and anyone could do it. Impossible to screw up  easy to screw in



LOL

As long as the screwing in is easy and the screwing up is hard....it would be a sweet idea.


----------



## Tmack

Even if you didn't go all the way down, it wouldn't hurt anything. If you can screw on a tail cap, your good. 
I only goes in one way, no polarity issues.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Even if you didn't go all the way down, it wouldn't hurt anything. If you can screw on a tail cap, your good.
> I only goes in one way, no polarity issues.



You only go one way?


----------



## Tmack

I'm sorry to disappoint teej. 
I can't help it. I was born this way. 
No wonder you were disappointed I couldn't make it to the party


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I was thinking of doing a custom line.
> I would offer all desired battery configurations.
> 
> 1x16340/18650
> 1x18650 /2 18350
> 1x26650/2x 26650
> 
> All hosts would essentially have the same design, just be different sizes.
> It could have a removable module, so if you wanted your 445nm in a pocket sized host, no problem, if you want to switch to a long runtime host no problem.



I like the idea!

However, I'm having some trouble visualizing the 6 w 445 nm diode, with the monster heat sink, as a removable module. If you could do that, it would be very impressive, just not pocket-sized.


----------



## Tmack

Oh no. The 5-6w would be permanently fixed for best heat transfer. No switching that.


----------



## Tmack

I could have the monster heatsink drilled out and threaded, but I want optimal heat transference. I will be pressing that module in. No set screw like usual.


----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack

All but the orange host are 2x18650 
The orange is 1x18650 or 2 18350

These are extremely high quality, and anodized beautifully. 

All are available, and ready to ship to me for building. 
Just pick one and choose a wavelength, we can work something out


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


>


Why hello there, aint you just a thing of beauty  i like this more then mirror finish. now i just have to decide what wavelengh... hmmm


----------



## Tmack

I knew you'd like that.


----------



## Alex1234

Can you get the 520nm diode higher then 200mw? And whats the strongest 445nm you could put in there


----------



## Tmack

3w 445nm 

And 200mw is the going rate  
I may be able to get a bit higher, but because if diode efficiency, I never guarantee the exact power. 

The exact same setup can differ quite a bit.

What I can do is drive it a bit harder. 
Yours is at 450ma. I can do 550ma . 
Maybe get 250mw or so.


----------



## Tmack

Knowing your collection, I'd get the 3w. 
You have lots of green. 

Or red. In that size host I could do 1w red. Or 1w violet too.
Lol  so many choices!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> All but the orange host are 2x18650
> The orange is 1x18650 or 2 18350
> 
> These are extremely high quality, and anodized beautifully.
> 
> All are available, and ready to ship to me for building.
> Just pick one and choose a wavelength, we can work something out



The C11 host that I ordered still has better heatsinking than these new hosts, right? 

My concern is mainly with the duty cycle, so I don't accidentally burn out a diode.


----------



## Tmack

The c11 is about the same as a zaser I'd be confident saying. 
If you feel it's getting to warm (not hot) just give her a break. 

I know people who let their lasers get burning hot, and they don't die. NOT RECOMMENDED! lol. So just be conscious of the heat. The c11 with 3w is good for a few minutes. But don't go off time. Go off feel. 
Yours is 200mw so you'll be fine for a good while


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> The C11 host that I ordered still has better heatsinking than these new hosts, right?
> 
> My concern is mainly with the duty cycle, so I don't accidentally burn out a diode.




Otherwise, I'd go with the new orange host for my 200 mw 520 nm build.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The c11 is about the same as a zaser I'd be confident saying.
> If you feel it's getting to warm (not hot) just give her a break.
> 
> I know people who let their lasers get burning hot, and they don't die. NOT RECOMMENDED! lol. So just be conscious of the heat. The c11 with 3w is good for a few minutes. But don't go off time. Go off feel.



I ordered the C11 host for the 200 mw 520 nm diode, but if the orange host offers sufficient heatsinking I would be tempted to switch.

My ordered 3 w 445 nm build was a Tmag v2.

When available, I'll order the 6 w 445 nm in (whatever you call the Maglight build with the super heatsink).


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Knowing your collection, I'd get the 3w.
> You have lots of green.
> 
> Or red. In that size host I could do 1w red. Or 1w violet too.
> Lol  so many choices!



the 1w red is interesting. how visible is the beam at night say compared to my 520nm and mag


----------



## Tmack

The c11 offers more heatsinking. The mass of the heatsink is very substantial in the c11. 

If you want the longest runtime possible, is stick with it.


----------



## Tmack

Btw there's only one of each host I posted. 

Alex has spoken for the current orange, but another can always be made. 


The 1w red would be about as bright as your 520nm. 
To my eyes lol.


----------



## Tmack

Would match nicely too. 
Be nice if we had a 600nm diode. Would really match.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The c11 offers more heatsinking. The mass of the heatsink is very substantial in the c11.
> 
> If you want the longest runtime possible, is stick with it.



Tmack, OK, I'll stick with the C11.

Could you bump up my 200 mw 520 nm C11 build to 250 mw or so, considering that the heat sink is so good?

Also, what is the progress on my C11 and Tmag v2 builds? Have the parts yet arrived? No rush, just eager to receive the new toys.


----------



## Alex1234

cool a 1w red in the the orange host it is. that way ill have a 445nm, 520nm 532nm and a 638nm  i wish 589nm was cheaper its so beautiful. i assume the divergence is really bad on the 1w red ?


----------



## Tmack

Yes. The dot is pretty ugly. Beam is beautiful though. 
Nice thick red classic beam. 
Well, 650nm is the classic red. 638nm is lighter. More visible.


----------



## Tmack

May be above 1w. 

There's a new 638nm. Rated for 700mw. So driven properly I could probably get around 1.2w or so. But we'll call it 1w plus


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Tmack, OK, I'll stick with the C11.
> 
> Could you bump up my 200 mw 520 nm C11 build to 250 mw or so, considering that the heat sink is so good?
> 
> Also, what is the progress on my C11 and Tmag v2 builds? Have the parts yet arrived? No rush, just eager to receive the new toys.



The driver has been preset on yours. 
The 50mw extra will not increase visible brightness. You'd need a meter to tell at all. And the added current just results in more heat. 

That's why I tell you guys I can do 200mw 520nm. If 250mw were optimal power vs temperature, I would sell them as such.  

(I hope that didn't come off wrong) 
Sorry if it did  

But the power ratings that are default for certain setups are tried and true. Going higher will result in lower runtimes, diode life etc. 

If you were gaining 150mw then a small bump up is worth it. Just 50mw, nah. Better off saving the heat my friend.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The driver has been preset on yours.
> The 50mw extra will not increase visible brightness. You'd need a meter to tell at all. And the added current just results in more heat.
> 
> That's why I tell you guys I can do 200mw 520nm. If 250mw were optimal power vs temperature, I would sell them as such.
> 
> (I hope that didn't come off wrong)
> Sorry if it did
> 
> But the power ratings that are default for certain setups are tried and true. Going higher will result in lower runtimes, diode life etc.
> 
> If you were gaining 150mw then a small bump up is worth it. Just 50mw, nah. Better off saving the heat my friend.




I understand, and prefer that you are conservative with the diode power in each build.

If I want more power, I'll wait until the 1 watt 520 nm is available at a lower price, and see a much higher power output.


----------



## Tmack

Oh and all parts are in Baltimore as of this morning. 
Hosts are prepped and waiting for them  
Should ship out within a day or two


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

For those of us that like "more power" from our lasers (although not at the expense of frying the diodes in seconds), I have the following general question.

What is the highest power diode available, from good manufacturers, in each wavelength? 

Having a list in the format

1. wavelength1, power1, price1
2. wavelength2, power2, price2
etc.

would be useful, even if we have to wait a while for prices to drop.


----------



## Tmack

445nm = 5-6w = $500 
520nm = 1w = $700
405nm= 1w= $200
638nm = 1w=$200

Those are not the diodes rated powers. Their rated powers are lower than what we hobbyist can get out of them. 

And the prices are with driver ready to lase. Strictly diode price would really be less useful information to you guys


----------



## BloodLust

Was already considering a laser and by chance, came across this thread. Those are awesome, tmack!
Now to decide which.

Looking for the max power I can get with a reasonable operating runtime/temperature.

I do have an old school dive laser but it definitely won't burn stuff. I want something that can ignite things.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> 445nm = 5-6w = $500
> 520nm = 1w = $700
> 405nm= 1w= $200
> 638nm = 1w=$200
> 
> Those are not the diodes rated powers. Their rated powers are lower than what we hobbyist can get out of them.
> 
> And the prices are with driver ready to lase. Strictly diode price would really be less useful information to you guys



Thank-you!

In a couple years or so, when the 5-6 watt green laser diodes appear, those beams will appear BRIGHT (to the human eye)!


----------



## Tmack

Tmag v2 all the way. 

3w blue 445nm. In a maglite. 

That's the most power, and longest runtime possible.


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Thank-you!
> 
> In a couple years or so, when the 5-6 watt green laser diodes appear, those beams will appear BRIGHT (to the human eye)!



They will be bright for a few seconds. Then your eyes would melt. ...... Worth it.


----------



## Tmack

BloodLust said:


> Was already considering a laser and by chance, came across this thread. Those are awesome, tmack!
> Now to decide which.
> 
> Looking for the max power I can get with a reasonable operating runtime/temperature.
> 
> I do have an old school dive laser but it definitely won't burn stuff. I want something that can ignite things.



Either a Tmag v2 
Or if size is an issue, the c11 is another one available. Both personal favorites of mine. 

If you want to go custom, take a look at the pictures above.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Are you still exploring the 6 watt 445 nm build option, and how expensive it will be?

You have at least one guaranteed sale (me)!


----------



## Tmack

Yes sir. Just waiting on my driver guy to respond. Host is no problem. I just need a very heavy duty higher current driver.


----------



## Tmack

I'm going to have to run more power to my power meter lol. It's capable of reading a 20w laser, but atm it's setup to read up to 5w. I'll be needing more voltage for it to keep up with these monsters. ....... Awesome


----------



## Tmack

I'm talking to my machinist now. 

The interchangeable module project is a go!! 

Just need a base design for the hosts body. 

What do you guys like. 
Wider head? . Same diameter the whole way? Ribbed? Smooth? 

Sketch something!


----------



## Tmack

What do you guys think. 
You'd actually focus from the base of the heatsink.


----------



## BloodLust

Tmack said:


> Either a Tmag v2
> Or if size is an issue, the c11 is another one available. Both personal favorites of mine.
> 
> If you want to go custom, take a look at the pictures above.




Thanks for the response.
Do any of your models come with a momentary on switch/button?
I would hate to accidentally leave this thing on.
Since it's not something to be kept on for long periods, I wouldn't mind keeping the switch pressed.


----------



## Tmack

No I'm sorry. 

I'd rather have to click it for switching on. That way it's not turned on when handing it to someone, or bumping the button. 

All my lasers have on off buttons. I've never had anyone accidentally leave it on. Believe me, you'd know if it was on. Lol 
The entire room is blue,  
Or if something is within 10-15ft, you'll smell it burning


----------



## TEEJ

In the drawing. ...on my phone at least, it looks like a screw driver?


----------



## Tmack

OK... .. It was just an idea to focus from a different place. 

Yes the battery tube looks like a screw driver.


----------



## Tmack

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cp58pB8ixWM

Here's some lumia. 

Made a warped disc with epoxy and an acrylic disc.


----------



## Tmack

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks48Xl6p-Wg

Here's my beam projector. A hit at parties.


----------



## Tmack

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aV-YhqC9zFc
This is a lumia box I made. Used a 1/3 rpm motor and the acrylic disc.


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f50/oclaro-700mw-638nm-diode-hl63193mg-88900.html

Tmack is this the new 638 diode your going to use in my laser. Dtr got it to 1100 mw


----------



## Tmack

Yup


----------



## Tmack

Only 1 c11 left guys


----------



## Tmack

Mags 

1 black 
2 blue
1 red
1 purple 
1 polished. 

The polished is....... Mmmmm!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Mags
> 
> 1 black
> 2 blue
> 1 red
> 1 purple
> 1 polished.
> 
> The polished is....... Mmmmm!




Do I need to reserve a Mag for my 6 watt 445 nm build now, or can I wait? 

If I have to reserve one, I'll go with the polished.


----------



## star_c_star

As long as its not mirror finished, which could be slightly dangerous with a powerful laser.


----------



## Tmack

We can always polish one. They are much easier to get than the c11. 

It's just the incandescent ones are what we use, and they are apparently getting harder to find. 
But no worries. I'll have a polished one for your 6w


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> As long as its not mirror finished, which could be slightly dangerous with a powerful laser.



Alot of laser hosts are mirror finish. 
It'd be tough to get the light from the aperture to bounce off something, then off the host, then in your eye. 

If anything is going to be mirror finish, rather it be the laser haha.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> We can always polish one. They are much easier to get than the c11.
> 
> It's just the incandescent ones are what we use, and they are apparently getting harder to find.
> But no worries. I'll have a polished one for your 6w




That will look cool, especially since the monster heat sink at its front will look more like a regular extension. The heat sink is already polished.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack are you going to use the 3 element lens or g2 lens on mine ?


----------



## Tmack

You got it. I've been wanting to get mine polished, but I also like the blue. Also was thinking go all black.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> tmack are you going to use the 3 element lens or g2 lens on mine ?



I prefer a 3 elements to compensate for the divergence and spot quality. 
With that setup, you need it.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I prefer a 3 elements to compensate for the divergence and spot quality.
> With that setup, you need it.



you think you can still get over 1w with the 3 element lens ? 

it does make a big improvement in divergence and spot quality but hopefully we can still get over 1w


----------



## Tmack

I think we'll be OK. 
Even with a 3 elements in the old diode, I could get very close. 
With this new diode, it should be just what we need.


----------



## Alex1234

*its humid today so the beams of my 520nm and 445nm show up much better to take some beamshots *








*Both lasers were not perfectly focused in the left picture. i focused them as best i could in the right picture.*


----------



## Tmack

Look at that 445nm  lots of violet in there. 
Looks beautiful. 

When you get a 3w you'll see how more blue it is.


----------



## Alex1234

i saw one of styropyro videos of a 450mw 635nm laser and he said it was brighter then his 1w arctic. by that logic wouldn't a 1w red be brighter then my 1.7w 445nm??? im confused lol but this has me really excited. i also saw on lpf that people say 1w of 638 is insanely bright.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

orange lasers exist?

Just curious that's all, obvousky they won't be the brightest ever, green is, but I was just wondering as I don't see them around (my fav colour) but I see yellow and red, and even white!!! Every colour but orange, is it just not possible?


----------



## Tmack

You'll have to judge when you get it.  

I have built many 500mw out of the old diode and they were pretty bright. 

This will be the first time I use this new diode.


----------



## Alex1234

CyclingSalmon14 said:


> orange lasers exist?
> 
> Just curious that's all, obvousky they won't be the brightest ever, green is, but I was just wondering as I don't see them around (my fav colour) but I see yellow and red, and even white!!! Every colour but orange, is it just not possible?


http://www.dragonlasers.com/Yellow-Laser-Pointers.html. they have this laser its close to orange


----------



## Tmack

My favorite color too. 
Some helium neon lasers can get close, but we're talking a couple mw. 

The wavelength would be around 600nm for a nice orange. 

It's possible, but they haven't figured a use for it. The other wavelengths are used in complex scientific machines, or just entertainment purposes. For whatever reason, our typical orange just isn't used.


----------



## Tmack

White is the correct mixture or r, g, b all in one beam. 

Both my projectors do white. It's pretty amazing.


----------



## Alex1234

Will my red laser be focusable? The host looks like a fixed focus laser or do i twist the head ?


----------



## Tmack

Definitely will focus. The head will turn. 
All of my lasers will focus unless it's a 532nm module.


----------



## TEEJ

Just a quick share:

I was over at my folks place last night, and they had some stink bugs on the windows.

My mom was trying to get them with a paper towel, but the odor and "ick factor" was a problem....so I asked her why she didn't just use a 3 watt 445 nm laser to zap them?


She looked at me, and said "I am going to bet you're about to hand me one, aren't you?"


I said I might.


10 minutes later, we had zapped them all, and, for some reason, they didn't spray when zapped, which surprised me.


The only down side was a small hole in one window screen which got smoked on a bad shot. (She's a retired octogenarian chemist who's worked with lasers at the lab, etc, but, she doesn't see as well as she used to....and the entire time my dad is warning to avoid reflective surfaces, etc, as he's a retired engineer with similar background...)


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Too awesome. My friends and family have also learned to expect anything when I'm around


----------



## Alex1234

one 18650 or two 18350s for my red?


----------



## Tmack

1x18650 .


----------



## Tmack

Canadian customs just DESTROYED one of my lasers. 

The customer was intent on having batteries in the same package despite my warnings. 

They pried out the diode, twisted the driver till it broke loose. 

I can't be mad. I knew the consequences. 
Now instead of rebuilding and just having the customer order batteries, he wants me to try again :shakehead : 
Isn't that the definition of crazy?


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> White is the correct mixture or r, g, b all in one beam.
> 
> Both my projectors do white. It's pretty amazing.




If you could build a laser to project a BLACK beam, now THAT would be amazing. 

It would be proof of supernatural abilities.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack, any experience with flying with lasers? 

I'm heading out west next week and want to take my two lasers. I'm not so worried about my eBay laser as it's quite small and I think I can just carry it in my backpack (maybe without batteries?) no problem. 

However, the C11 with the pointy focus adapter looks like a weapon...can the adapter be easily removed and just left at home? Should I check the laser or carry it on? With or without batteries? 

I'm worried if I check it that it will get stolen as I've heard has happened with high-end flashlights which is why you should just carry them. 

Thanks!


----------



## Tmack

I have no experience flying with one. The focus adapter can be removed sure. Just don't get ANYTHING inside it module. It will destroy it when it melts to the window. I would recommend checking it. 

Teej traveled with his ms envy. Maybe he can help


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Canadian customs just DESTROYED one of my lasers.
> 
> The customer was intent on having batteries in the same package despite my warnings.
> 
> They pried out the diode, twisted the driver till it broke loose.
> 
> I can't be mad. I knew the consequences.
> Now instead of rebuilding and just having the customer order batteries, he wants me to try again :shakehead :
> Isn't that the definition of crazy?




what the heck. how can they just rip the laser apart. do they have a right to do that? thats bs


----------



## Tmack

Yeah it is bs. It was considered a high powered laser not allowed to be imported to a normal citizen with no legitimate reason.


----------



## Alex1234

I thought high-powered lasers were legal to own in Canada


----------



## Tmack

I guess not import. 
For whatever reason, the thing is ruined.


----------



## Tmack

Was an awesome laser too. 
A 700mw 405nm in a dominator host.


----------



## Alex1234

id be cussing out the customs department lol


----------



## Tmack

Yeah I'd love to. Lol.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> I have no experience flying with one. The focus adapter can be removed sure. Just don't get ANYTHING inside it module. It will destroy it when it melts to the window. I would recommend checking it.
> 
> Teej traveled with his ms envy. Maybe he can help



So if the focus adapter is removed is the module naked to the world? I assumed the adapter just attached to the standard focus knob but since I don't yet have it in hand I'm not sure


----------



## Tmack

The standard focus knob is pressed inside the new custom one. 

You could remove the lens from the adapter and screw it in to the module though. That would protect it.


----------



## Tmack

It'll make more sense when you're holding it


----------



## Tmack

You had me terrified btw. I thought an order got lost somehow. I was frantically searching paypal for a name!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> You had me terrified btw. I thought an order got lost somehow. I was frantically searching paypal for a name!



My bad, Tmack! I feel sort of bad as I was hoping to give you my business but I couldn't pass up a like-new laser for a used price. But who knows, maybe this will lead to a Tmag down the road as the eBay laser led to the C11


----------



## Tmack

Haha no worries. I'm just happy you got one. I know you've been wanting one, and if the previous owner couldn't enjoy it, I know you will. 

You seem very enthusiastic, and willing to learn about lasers. 

I'm happy it's going to a good home, rather than just sit. In the end, you got a brand new laser and that makes me happy. Regardless if it came directly from me or not


----------



## Alex1234

you will love a tmag... epically long duty cycle  3w or more of 445nm to me is overkill. my 1.7 watt is stupid bright. that said im most likely gong to get one anyway after my red


----------



## Tmack

Shortly my new line of fully interchangeable hosts will be out soon. 

We are thinking of making the v3 Tmag with the same options. 
So you could have a pocket host, and a maglite that would accept the same module carrier. 

Full line of "drop in" hosts. 

Would be from 1x16340 all the way up to 2x 26650. 

I will be selling sets with 1 body, and 4 carrier with r, g, b, v diodes. 
So you could have a full set, for MUCH cheaper.


----------



## Alex1234

TEEJ said:


> Just a quick share:
> 
> I was over at my folks place last night, and they had some stink bugs on the windows.
> 
> My mom was trying to get them with a paper towel, but the odor and "ick factor" was a problem....so I asked her why she didn't just use a 3 watt 445 nm laser to zap them?
> 
> 
> She looked at me, and said "I am going to bet you're about to hand me one, aren't you?"
> 
> 
> I said I might.
> 
> 
> 10 minutes later, we had zapped them all, and, for some reason, they didn't spray when zapped, which surprised me.
> 
> 
> The only down side was a small hole in one window screen which got smoked on a bad shot. (She's a retired octogenarian chemist who's worked with lasers at the lab, etc, but, she doesn't see as well as she used to....and the entire time my dad is warning to avoid reflective surfaces, etc, as he's a retired engineer with similar background...)



could you hear there insides boiling ?


----------



## Alex1234

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Alex1234

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Tmack said:


> Shortly my new line of fully interchangeable hosts will be out soon.
> 
> We are thinking of making the v3 Tmag with the same options.
> So you could have a pocket host, and a maglite that would accept the same module carrier.
> 
> Full line of "drop in" hosts.
> 
> Would be from 1x16340 all the way up to 2x 26650.
> 
> I will be selling sets with 1 body, and 4 carrier with r, g, b, v diodes.
> So you could have a full set, for MUCH cheaper.


----------



## Tmack

I've got the green light from the machinist. 

I just need to sketch the final design. If you guys have any suggestions, let them rip! 
Sleek? Ribbed? Size? Let me know! 
You'll be in on designing your own lasers. 

We've also got a host coming that focuses from the base if the head. Lots of my ideas are coming to life! Very exciting!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I've got the green light from the machinist.
> 
> I just need to sketch the final design. If you guys have any suggestions, let them rip!
> Sleek? Ribbed? Size? Let me know!
> You'll be in on designing your own lasers.
> 
> We've also got a host coming that focuses from the base if the head. Lots of my ideas are coming to life! Very exciting!




maybe something stainless steel or shiny aluminum that's small that has a pocket clip 16340 battery. that's my dream host


----------



## TEEJ

I went to AZ from NJ and back with the 3 w 445 nm MS Envy and the 80 mw 532 pen....

I did not do carry on, as carry on is MOST likely to be taken as a potential weapon (Lets face it, would you rather face a guy holding a nail clipper (Which they have been known to confiscate as a "weapon", or, a 445 nm 3 w laser?)

As checked baggage, as long as it doesn't look like it might blow up the plane, etc....its not like you'd go get it and attack the pilot, etc. 

I do not KNOW if they scanned it and thought it was "ok" or not, just that both lasers made it, intact.

I DID remove the batteries, and I put cells in another part of the luggage...and I did take off the caps, etc, so the tubes were open, and it did not LOOK like it was "operational".

I did the same with some flashlights, for the same reason. If scanned, the familiar looking flashlight profiles would blend with the laser profiles (My assumption), reducing attention to a "Metal tube" in the suitcase.


That said, said suitcase arrived on the baggage carousel back in NJ, wrapped in packing tape, as the zippers had been ripped off the fabric of the rest of the case - so if anything small and unsecured was present, it would probably be laying in a cargo hold somewhere. I might be missing a few 18350 for example.

So, if packing a laser, if it looks like a pen, bring some pens and put it with them and a pad of paper. If not, pack it with whatever it sort of is similar too, so a quick glace at the scanner gives a quick summary of what it is you want them to assume.

As , they sometimes randomly open people's stuff, there's simply no protection from them stealing whatever they want to other than morality. Overall, my stuff makes it OK....so, statistically at least, they are moral.


----------



## Tmack

There was reports of a guy burning holes in the airplane seats with a 445nm. 
They landed the plane after burning was smelled. 
He tried to get rid of the two lasers he had in the restroom, but they were immediately found. 

Complete morons like this are why we pay the consequences with importing lasers, etc. 

This is partly why I like to sell on forums. I know we don't really "know" each other, but I feel like I can trust my customers here more when we talk almost daily.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> I've got the green light from the machinist.
> 
> I just need to sketch the final design. If you guys have any suggestions, let them rip!
> Sleek? *Ribbed?* Size? Let me know!
> You'll be in on designing your own lasers.
> 
> We've also got a host coming that focuses from the base if the head. Lots of my ideas are coming to life! Very exciting!



::Garth voice:: "ribbed for hear pleasure"


----------



## star_c_star

ThirstyTurtle said:


> ::Garth voice:: "ribbed for hear pleasure"



She'll be singing "You light up my life".


----------



## Tmack

Don't hit the button on this one hunny!


----------



## Mike9028

How's my C11 3w 445nm coming along?


----------



## Tmack

Will be finished tonight my friend .


----------



## Alex1234

anticipation is the worst lol. I just try to occupy my time with my current lasers and or other hobbies. Weather is a huge hobby of mine. Iv been tracking the MCS that hit Nabraska yesterday and its one its way to pa and md tonight into the morning with heavy rain and wind. Even so once my red laser ships ill be a bitting my nails lol


----------



## Tmack

Yahhh! Storm! Lol hope I don't flood


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack have you done any builds with the lower power single mode 445nm and 635m diodes ?


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Mike9028 said:


> How's my C11 3w 445nm coming along?



What's the duty cycle on this laser, Tmack?


----------



## Tmack

You'll get about 2-3 minutes. 
Don't go off time though. 
Go off warmth. If it's getting too warm (not hot) give it a break.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> You'll get about 2-3 minutes.
> Don't go off time though.
> Go off warmth. If it's getting too warm (not hot) give it a break.



Pretty much same thing as a vn light then huh?


----------



## Mike9028

Tmack said:


> Will be finished tonight my friend .



Sweet! That was fast. So sounds like there's a chance I could have it by the weekend if it goes in the mail tomorrow?  
My safety glasses should be in by Friday so I'm all ready to go.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> Tmack have you done any builds with the lower power single mode 445nm and 635m diodes ?



Yes I've done both. They need fog to really have the beam be impressive. But the dots are perfect circles. 

The awesome thing about the 1w 405nm is they are single mode. !!! 

I LOVE THEM.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Have you started on my Tmag v2 3 w and C11 200 mw builds yet?

Also, do you supply anything such as instructions with your builds, such as which way the batteries should go?


----------



## Alex1234

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8kMlStHxec\\

i wish i could have modes on my lasers. this is so cool.


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> Have you started on my Tmag v2 3 w and C11 200 mw builds yet?
> 
> Also, do you supply anything such as instructions with your builds, such as which way the batteries should go?



Yup. Will be securing everything with thermal glue tonight. Letting cure overnight, and finish soldering . 
Cells go in positive toward the head. 
Negative to the tail cap.  

I can write something down for you too.


----------



## Alex1234

I wish lasers had reverse polarity protection !!!


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8kMlStHxec\\
> 
> i wish i could have modes on my lasers. this is so cool.



Those are modified led drivers. 
The drivers I use may be 1 mode, but are specifically made for a laser diode. 

I also do not like modes because it creates a false sense of safety at lower modes. I prefer one mode.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> I wish lasers had reverse polarity protection !!!



A guy actually came up with that! 
It took up a bunch of space, and actually cost you a little amperage, but in a laser you can afford to use a little more. The space is a problem though.


----------



## Alex1234

will my red be positive toward the head and neg at the tail ? do you have the host and diode and parts on hand or will your order the diode and parts after i send payment ?


----------



## Tmack

It will be positive to the head as usual. 
I let my machinist know it's been spoken for. 
I will send him payment as soon as you do  

I have to do that in case someone changes their mind. 
I've bought parts and got stuck with them before. But it will not take long. Everything is ready to be shipped.


----------



## Tmack

That laser is going up on page 1. It's going to be a nice one. 
A 1 off for sure. Nobody else has that one.


----------



## Alex1234

do you have any more pictures of that host?


----------



## Tmack

Negative  
Those where from the machinist. 
I've started exclusively using one guy. His work is flawless. 
I've seen many custom host makers. He is BY FAR THE BEST. It looks like it was from a manufacturer. You'll see. 
And the anodizing. 

This guy did my marble zasers. Take a look on page one how great they look. This guy is very talented. 
He will be doing my new interchangeable line of hosts. 
And anodizing them as well. 

Your not going to believe the quality of this host. 
And you got it for the same price as a flashlight host. I got a crazy deal on it. 
You couldn't touch that host for that price, not even without anodizing. We caught it at a good time.


......... Host. Host. Host haha


----------



## Alex1234

the thing is i almost feel you should put a 445nm in there as i feel the 638nm may not be worthy enough for this epic host with its horrific divergence. lol but i need the red so i have blue green and red lasers . im sure im just being paranoid and this thing will be a beast


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yup. Will be securing everything with thermal glue tonight. Letting cure overnight, and finish soldering .
> Cells go in positive toward the head.
> Negative to the tail cap.
> 
> I can write something down for you too.



Thank-you!

Both of my current custom laser builds have the cells facing positive to the head. 

They won't be used once yours arrive, but at least it makes it easier to remember.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Is the C11 positive to the head? For that matter are ALL of your lasers positive to the head? This eBay laser is the only thing I've ever had that is positive to the tail.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


>



i might get a 3w blue in this host in the future that thing looks beastly


----------



## Tmack

That's A beautiful host. 

3w in that would be really nice. The anodizing looks great.


----------



## Tmack

Mostly everything I make is positive to the head yes.  

Only under special circumstances is it the other way.


----------



## Alex1234

iv always wondered something what happened to sky lasers. i know they are now laserbtb. i remember they were very recommend a while back then the name changed to laserbtb and then people stopped liking them 
.
did something happen to kill there reputation?


----------



## Tmack

They are,,, OK,,, now. I have a 500mw green from them. 
Just international shipping is a deterrence. And their hosts leave some to desire. Lacking heatsinking, and........ Style. Lol.


----------



## Alex1234

so if i bought one customs has a higher chance of taking it then normal


----------



## Tmack

Any laser coming from outside the US has that chance.


----------



## TEEJ

You can OWN a higher power laser....its when it crosses a border or a security check point (TSA), it can be seized if they notice it, etc.

When Tmack sends me a package from Baltimore to NJ, no one looks at it....so, I don't have to worry about if it will be intercepted by customs, TSA, etc.

If I order from overseas, etc...they might intercept it, and, that might be that.


----------



## Tmack

Some countries could care less. Some countries it may get through. 
Some countries like Australia would rather sell you a nuke


----------



## TEEJ

I think Australia is the worst, ever.

Stuff FROM china, to here, can get snaggled up for months though, a real PITA.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Some countries could care less. Some countries it may get through.
> Some countries like Australia would rather sell you a nuke



Haha !!! I take it they dont like lasers lol


----------



## Tmack

Not one bit. I've seen Australian guys pay triple to guarantee delivery.


----------



## Alex1234

Another plus for custom builds no dealing with shipping from overseas


----------



## Tmack

I'd like to put my custom builds up against comparable company lasers  

Wicked laser claims unlimited duty cycle.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I'd like to put my custom builds up against comparable company lasers
> 
> Wicked laser claims unlimited duty cycle.



Unlimited duty cycle ummm no lol. There such a scam and there prices are retarded high.
the only host i like is the evo


----------



## Tmack

Couldn't have said that any better  

My 1.7w EVO is one of my favorite lasers. 
I had someone interested in it, but I don't know if I can bring myself to sell it. It's the only custom focusing EVO with that kind of power.


----------



## Alex1234

This is whats weird and i just dont understand. this is very close to how my eyes perceive the brightness of the beam and spot of my 445nm and 520nm the blue beam is way brighter then the green beam but the green spot is way brighter then the blue spot so you would think the green beam would be brighter. i guess the bigger beam size really has an effect on beam visibility with spot intensity a non factor if that's the case the red should be pretty awesome  

its just so weird the beam of the weakest spot is way brighter then the beam with the much more intense dot.


----------



## Tmack

I found that weird too. 
Maybe all that power reacts different to the particles it's hitting in the air?


----------



## Tmack

Very early prototype for the heatsink focusing host. 
This is just the mechanical theory being tested. Different aesthetic option can be added later. 

It's really awesome to see my ideas come to life.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I found that weird too.
> Maybe all that power reacts different to the particles it's hitting in the air?



i guess that's possible. the other difference is if i unfocused both to say a 6 foot spot at 100 feet on trees even though they seam close in brightness i can see no real detail of the leaves and branches almost like theirs no penetration of color. the green on the other hand penetrates into the tree very well and you can see all the leaves and branches and everything more clear and defined.


----------



## TEEJ

Divergence typically means the beam is spreading, and, just like a flashlight and the inverse square law, the more you use up lighting up stuff BETWEEN the light and its target, the less is left to HIT the target.

So, yes, if you get great air glow, you get less dot glow.

IE: More glow = less throw.


----------



## will manners

Alex1234 said:


> This is whats weird and i just dont understand. this is very close to how my eyes perceive the brightness of the beam and spot of my 445nm and 520nm the blue beam is way brighter then the green beam but the green spot is way brighter then the blue spot so you would think the green beam would be brighter. i guess the bigger beam size really has an effect on beam visibility with spot intensity a non factor if that's the case the red should be pretty awesome
> 
> its just so weird the beam of the weakest spot is way brighter then the beam with the much more intense dot.



This is very normal. It is just the way particular wavelengths are perceived. Where the blue end of the spectrum is more susceptible to Raleigh scattering. The same effects of the green spectrum applies to the red end of the spectrum. 

Eg. If you have two lasers of identical power, one is blue the other is red. The blue laser's beam will appear much brighter than the red laser. However the red lasers dot will appear much brighter. This effect becomes more apparent the further away the laser dots are viewed.

From distances greater than 20m the dot of my 50mW green laser appears brighter than the dot of my 3W blue laser.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

How about a portable PULSE laser?

I don't know how easy something like that would be to build. However, it would recharge from a capacitor or battery bank, and fire one high intensity shot. You would then have to wait for it to recharge again.

The pulse wouldn't be very powerful, but it would be more than a typical diode laser!


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> How about a portable PULSE laser?
> 
> I don't know how easy something like that would be to build. However, it would recharge from a capacitor or battery bank, and fire one high intensity shot. You would then have to wait for it to recharge again.
> 
> The pulse wouldn't be very powerful, but it would be more than a typical diode laser!



It probably would be MUCH bigger than even your largest Mag host, but hopefully I'm wrong.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


>


----------



## Tmack

Payment received. 

I can look into a pulse laser. I could run it extremely high.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack do you know what that small dot looking thing is right below the tailcap? or is that the head lol


----------



## Tmack

It's probably the set screw


----------



## Tmack

Yup definitely the set screw. And that's the head


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

will manners said:


> This is very normal. It is just the way particular wavelengths are perceived. Where the blue end of the spectrum is more susceptible to Raleigh scattering. The same effects of the green spectrum applies to the red end of the spectrum.
> 
> Eg. If you have two lasers of identical power, one is blue the other is red. The blue laser's beam will appear much brighter than the red laser. However the red lasers dot will appear much brighter. This effect becomes more apparent the further away the laser dots are viewed.
> 
> From distances greater than 20m the dot of my 50mW green laser appears brighter than the dot of my 3W blue laser.



Maybe because the beam is so bright in your face it is making the dot appear dimmer than the green. Just think, if the dots were identical in brightness and color, but one laser had a really bright beam "blinding" you and then other had no visible beam at all, I bet the no visible beam laser's dot would appear way bright. Just my $0.02


----------



## Mike9028

Hey Tmack, 

Are high drain 18350's OK in the C11 3w 445nm? All I have are high drains for my Vinh lights or do I have to buy protected??


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Mike9028 said:


> Hey Tmack,
> 
> Are high drain 18350's OK in the C11 3w 445nm? All I have are high drains for my Vinh lights or do I have to buy protected??



Ditto, I planned on using AW IMR 18350's. I assume it's not problem and that it's still only going to pull 2A but it doesn't hurt to ask.


----------



## Tmack

Any button top ate fine


----------



## Mike9028

Tmack said:


> Any button top ate fine



That's what I thought but I just wanted to make sure as this is my first real laser. 

Can't wait to light my tiki torches from inside the house.


----------



## Tmack

Haha. That will be awesome. 

Yours clocked in at 3.14w too. 

The c11 520nm hit 215mw 

And the mag is drying. I will test as soon as it's dry.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Haha. That will be awesome.
> 
> Yours clocked in at 3.14w too.
> 
> The c11 520nm hit 215mw
> 
> And the mag is drying. I will test as soon as it's dry.



Hi Tmack,

Have you yet tested the power of my Tmag v2 445 nm and C11 520 builds?


----------



## Mike9028

Tmack said:


> Haha. That will be awesome.
> 
> Yours clocked in at 3.14w too.
> 
> The c11 520nm hit 215mw
> 
> And the mag is drying. I will test as soon as it's dry.



Saweeet! Thanks for the update!


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Payment received.
> 
> I can look into a pulse laser. I could run it extremely high.




I would NOT recommend looking into the pulse laser....


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> I would NOT recommend looking into the pulse laser....



It would have been much worse if he hadn't been wearing Laser safety glasses.

Is that image from I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN?


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> It would have been much worse if he hadn't been wearing Laser safety glasses.
> 
> Is that image from I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN?




No, Breaking Bad......excellent series BTW.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> Have you yet tested the power of my Tmag v2 445 nm and C11 520 builds?




Tmack,

No rush, but will my Tmag v2 445 nm and C11 520 nm builds be shipped tomorrow or Saturday?


----------



## Tmack

Your c11 was the 215mw 

I'll have power reading on the Tmag tonight 

And it will go out tomorrow my friend.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Your c11 was the 215mw
> 
> I'll have power reading on the Tmag tonight
> 
> And it will go out tomorrow my friend.



Thank-you!

And when you start designing and building a pulse laser, I'll probably buy one of those too. The 6 w build is probably a lot closer than that!


----------



## Tmack

Some lasers diodes have pulse stats on their data sheets. They are very much higher power than the constant max power. I just need to find some kind of pulsing driver. 

Some of the cheap led drivers have strobe, but that's a poor man's pulse lol.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Some lasers diodes have pulse stats on their data sheets. They are very much higher power than the constant max power. I just need to find some kind of pulsing driver.
> 
> Some of the cheap led drivers have strobe, but that's a poor man's pulse lol.



For these diode pulses, what type of wattage are we talking about, and for what duration?


----------



## Tmack

Well there's some ir diodes that are say 500mw constant max, and 1w pulse max. Just a for instance. 

So the constant power may be able to be doubled. The runtime will also increase of course because of its taking a break every off cycle of the pulse. 

Laserbtb has some pulse pens. I just have NO IDEA, how or where to get a pulse driver.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Well there's some ir diodes that are say 500mw constant max, and 1w pulse max. Just a for instance.
> 
> So the constant power may be able to be doubled. The runtime will also increase of course because of its taking a break every off cycle of the pulse.
> 
> Laserbtb has some pulse pens. I just have NO IDEA, how or where to get a pulse driver.





http://www.omnipulsetechnology.com/news/news.htm

http://www.omnipulsetechnology.com/products/pulsed_laser_diode_drivers/index.html


----------



## Tmack

Oh interesting. Never heard of those guys. 

I have some reading to do


----------



## Tmack

The maglite also hit 3.11w


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack how many mw was this red laser ?


----------



## Tmack

500mw


----------



## Alex1234

cool so mine will be double that


----------



## Tmack

Yup yup. 

I built a 1w before, but it was a very over driven 500mw diode. 
It shifted the color to a dark red. 
Yours will still be bright and light red.


----------



## Alex1234

http://www.oclaro.com/product_pages/HL63163DG.php

were getting closer and closer to an orange laser. 

I wish this was such thing this as a 2w single mode 600nm laser


----------



## Tmack

I know a gas laser guy that got a 609nm line out of his helium neon laser. 

Check out multi-line argon lasers. 

You can get 5 wavelength from one beam. 

Add a film the split up the beam and you'll get a rainbow of blue. 

From 532 to 473 and 3 wavelengths in the middle. 

It's pretty amazing. Add a diffraction grating and watch the magic. 

A guy even made a 2 line handheld. !! 

Out of that little AA host you like. 

Guess who? Styropyro. Lol


----------



## Tmack

He got 4 diodes from a sample he received. Probably the most impressive diode I've ever seen.


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/476nm-480nm-direct-diode-handheld-laser-build-86689.html 480nm laser from an engineering sample. how does this guy get this stuff. i wish he was my neighbor


----------



## Tmack

That's the one!


----------



## Alex1234

i saw his 6w 445nm video. i would feel scared to turn that on. you simply could not turn that on in a dark colored room. everything it touches would burn lol.

Its not even practical to own imo. things could go wrong in a hurry with that monster. although the beam at night would be past stupid bright lol


----------



## Tmack

Yeah. Definitely one to be careful with. But for me it's a must!


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/s...-pl450b-leadlight-host-video-added-82910.html
tmack could you possibly duplicate this ??? Id really love a lower power single mode 445nm


----------



## Tmack

If I can find a leadlight no problem


----------



## Alex1234

If you do how much would this cost about?


----------



## Tmack

I'll have to price the host and driver. I'll get that for you asap.


----------



## Alex1234

Thank you !!!. I can show my friends a color laser they did not know existed without making them blind . Its also easy on the eyes. My 520 and tmag are hard on my eyes inside. After a few min i just cant even look at them anymore.


----------



## Mike9028

Alex1234 said:


> Thank you !!!. I can show my friends a color laser they did not know existed without making them blind . Its also easy on the eyes. My 520 and tmag are hard on my eyes inside. After a few min i just cant even look at them anymore.



Are you wearing safety glasses?


----------



## Alex1234

I dont own any. I odered them a week ago but im still waiting for them to ship. I bought a cheap pair off fasttech until i can save up for some eagle pair. Iv been mosty trying to aviod using them at close range. Iv barly did any burning test as its very uncomfortable


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yeah. Definitely one to be careful with. But for me it's a must!



The 6 watt 445 nm build is a must for me as well.

It would be noticeably more powerful than a 3 watt build, but the same amount of caution should work for both.

Now if we were talking 100 watt or more, or a powerful infrared laser, I also would be afraid to turn it on!


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> The 6 watt 445 nm build is a must for me as well.
> 
> It would be noticeably more powerful than a 3 watt build, but the same amount of caution should work for both.
> 
> Now if we were talking 100 watt or more, or a powerful infrared laser, I also would be afraid to turn it on!



When I was much younger, I use to build solar furnaces with Fresnel lenses. My largest one used a 4 foot by 4 foot lens. That focuses 16 square feet of sunlight, perhaps a kilowatt of energy, into a tiny spot. It would cut through thin steel instantly, melt a nickel to slag, etc.

I should have been wearing arc welding glasses when using it, but did not. I didn't know. So, I had spots in front of my eyes for minutes afterwards.

Of course, it wasn't as portable as a battery-powered laser, and the energy source wasn't always available.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

I think my 3w C11 will arrive today but my glasses won't be he for 2 weeks :-( 

I guess it'll be sky pointing for the time being...and maybe burning stuff without looking haha


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> When I was much younger, I use to build solar furnaces with Fresnel lenses. My largest one used a 4 foot by 4 foot lens. That focuses 16 square feet of sunlight, perhaps a kilowatt of energy, into a tiny spot. It would cut through thin steel instantly, melt a nickel to slag, etc.
> 
> I should have been wearing arc welding glasses when using it, but did not. I didn't know. So, I had spots in front of my eyes for minutes afterwards.
> 
> Of course, it wasn't as portable as a battery-powered laser, and the energy source wasn't always available.




You mean one like this?









This pic was taken last weekend at the Photonfest.

It set that stump on fire in seconds.


It could get things to ~ 3,000º, and melt steel, etc.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> You mean one like this?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This pic was taken last weekend at the Photonfest.
> 
> It set that stump on fire in seconds.
> 
> 
> It could get things to ~ 3,000º, and melt steel, etc.



Yes, exactly like that, except that I had to build a simple framework for it.

Otherwise, as you see, one person cannot easily focus it.

Eventually, we'll have portable Laser builds of this power, 100 watts and higher.


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> Yes, exactly like that, except that I had to build a simple framework for it.
> 
> Otherwise, as you see, one person cannot easily focus it.
> 
> Eventually, we'll have portable Laser builds of this power, 100 watts and higher.



The only way for one person to focus it is if - in addition to the frame, it was mounted in a rolling stand, akin to the ones used for portable chalk/white boards, that allow the frame to be pivoted and rotated. That would allow one person to be able to roll it into place, and pivot the lens as needed.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

TEEJ said:


> You mean one like this?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This pic was taken last weekend at the Photonfest.
> 
> It set that stump on fire in seconds.
> 
> 
> It could get things to ~ 3,000º, and melt steel, etc.



Whoa! Why have I never heard of these things?! AWESOME!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Just got my 445nm 3w C11!

This thing is nuts. Photos:

Very bright hallway with lots of windows where I'm standing:





Burned a hole in my tape dispenser in 3 or 4 seconds (sand comes out now):





2 questions:
1) what is the little hole on the opposite side of the switch for? Looks like a charging port. Presumably nonfunctional if that's what it is. 
2) anyway to "tighten" up the focus ring? It's nice that it's so easy to turn but it spins without me even touching it...


----------



## Tmack

I think that is a /was a charging port. 

Teflon tape works well. Just a couple wraps and she should get tight, but stay smooth. 

I'm glad she arrived safely  
Please be careful my friend. Enjoy!


----------



## Tmack

Oh and cstar! Wtf man. Your in Maryland? 

We could have just met up.  

I sent it today though. 

Tmag and c11 520nm coming at ya.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> I think that is a /was a charging port.
> 
> Teflon tape works well. Just a couple wraps and she should get tight, but stay smooth.
> 
> I'm glad she arrived safely
> Please be careful my friend. Enjoy!



Brilliant I have tons of teflon tape as I just finished my first plumbing job a few weeks back (added a BIRM filter and sand filter to my water softener). 

Glasses won't be here for two weeks so until then I will use this sparingly.


----------



## Tmack

Be careful not to get any in front of the lens of course


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack you think that cool focus adaptor will fit my sci fi lasers 501b ? If so how much would it cost to buy a second one from you ? Reason i ask is i could then stand them on the head like all my flashlights.


----------



## Tmack

Same lens same adapter. I could set one up for ya buddy. I'll see about getting more. I'm out but it's a easy fix


----------



## Tmack

$8 will cover it.


----------



## Alex1234

Its cool that a lot of builds use the same parts


----------



## Tmack

Soon that will be even more true. 

You'll be swapping hosts and wavelengths like drill bits  

My machinist is getting the prototypes finished now


----------



## Mike9028

Hi Tmack,

Did mine ship yet?


----------



## Alex1234

It sounds so feeaking cool but it also sounds expensive. I feal like 638 now, next day now i feel like 445. What would be cool too is a 405, 445, 520, and a 638 all in one headheld. 4 beams blasting out the front


----------



## Tmack

Mike9028 said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> Did mine ship yet?



Just got back from the post office


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Oh and cstar! Wtf man. Your in Maryland?
> 
> We could have just met up.
> 
> I sent it today though.
> 
> Tmag and c11 520nm coming at ya.



I'm very near Bethesda, MD.

About how many days should it take to arrive?


----------



## Tmack

2 I'm thinking.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> 2 I'm thinking.



Does that include Saturday?

Also, if you have a tracking number, please PM me.


These 2 should hold me until the 6 watt 445 nm build is available.


----------



## Alex1234

star_c_star said:


> Does that include Saturday?
> 
> Also, if you have a tracking number, please PM me.
> 
> 
> These 2 should hold me until the 6 watt 445 nm build is available.



you will get it on Monday


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack, could you explain to me a little about what "power" (mw) is for a laser? 

What I mean is, is it a measure of overall "stuff" coming out the front like lumens or beam "intensity" like candela? 

I'm wondering if my 3w 445nm is 3w when it's a tiny dot AND when it's a giant horizontal line. I'm also wondering if a 200mw 532nm and a 200mw 445nm pull the same amount of current from batteries, for similar reasons. 

Thanks!


----------



## Tmack

Mw is the TOTAL power/photons coming out of the front. That's why lasers are so dangerous. When focused, every mw is hitting that tiny spot. When unfocused, it's much less power per square inch.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Cool thanks! So it's basically like lumens but is focusable to have crazy high "candela" values. 

So I was just out playing with my C11 at dusk and after being on for 10-15 seconds it cuts off? If I switch it off an back on it starts right back up but only for another 10-15 seconds. Head never even got warm...what's up?


----------



## Tmack

Let it completely cool. It sounds like the thermal protection is kicking on. 

The rule with duty cycles is you let it rest as long as it was run. 

If you've been running it, there's still residual heat that hasn't had a chance to cool.


----------



## Tmack

If it continues to happen, send it back and I'll gladly take a look.


----------



## Alex1234

Lasers are addicting  theres so much you can do with difderent diodes and hosts. Single mode lasers of different colors. High power multimode lasers. Extreamly exotic hosts... So many possibilies so little cash  i want them all


----------



## Tmack

You've got the bug.  It's easy to catch isn't it lol


----------



## Mike9028

Tmack said:


> Just got back from the post office



Cool. My Eagle Pair glasses came today. Just waiting on the laser  

Glasses look and feel good. Came in nice case as well.


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/j...s-tmack-im-addicted-heavy-pictures-89672.html

So i decided to join lpf  My wallet is not happy


----------



## Tmack

Another great forum. 
Lpf and cpf are my two home sweet home.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

So I keep seeing people refer to single mode diodes, what does that mean? It doesn't mean single mode as in one power level right? Like a single mode flashlight? I'm thinking it refers somehow to the divergence right? Like aren't 532nm diodes single mode and that's why the divergence is so tight?


----------



## TEEJ

Alex1234 said:


> http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/j...s-tmack-im-addicted-heavy-pictures-89672.html
> 
> So i decided to join lpf  My wallet is not happy



LOL

Wallets are happiest when empty, or maybe that's for the wallet's owner?



I rep'd you over there...enjoy!


----------



## Tmack

A single mode diode has a nice clean round fit. Multimode is the rectangle


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack did you have a chance to price that single mode blue pen ?


----------



## Tmack

Can't find a leadlight  

The last time I saw one for sale was months ago.


----------



## inetdog

Tmack said:


> A single mode diode has a nice clean round fit. Multimode is the rectangle



A good practical answer.
A more technical answer is that in a single mode there is only one light path and standing wave pattern between the two mirrors that is stimulating emission.
In a multimode there are different light paths which have different geometry and therefore different wavelength/frequency. Only light paths with greater than unity gain will actually result in laser action.


----------



## TEEJ

inetdog said:


> A good practical answer.
> A more technical answer is that in a single mode there is only one light path and standing wave pattern between the two mirrors that is stimulating emission.
> In a multimode there are different light paths which have different geometry and therefore different wavelength/frequency. Only light paths with greater than unity gain will actually result in laser action.



Which is, of course, that when you cross the beams it results in annihilation.....


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Can't find a leadlight
> 
> The last time I saw one for sale was months ago.



tmack it dont need to be a lendlight. I can compromise if there are other options available


----------



## Tmack

How about a blue 501b?


----------



## Tmack

Would be around $220 or so. Maybe a tad less.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

I just received the C11 and Tmag V2 builds and am having a bit of an issue.

The C11 works incredibly well with one AW 3400 mAh 18650 battery. It is awesomely bright.

The Tmag v2 does not turn on. I placed two FOURSEVENS 4000 Ah 26650's in it,with positive ends facing the head, as specified. The batteries are at 4.20 and 4.21 volts, respectively. They are being pressed in by the tailcap spring with enough force that I don't think a spacer is needed. What should I do next? I know it works, but don't want to experiment too much.

They are both very high quality builds, were packed well enough to survive a war, and the package looks perfectly OK. So I don't think they were subject to any major jarring.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> I just received the C11 and Tmag V2 builds and am having a bit of an issue.
> 
> The C11 works incredibly well with one AW 3400 mAh 18650 battery. It is awesomely bright.
> 
> The Tmag v2 does not turn on. I placed two FOURSEVENS 4000 Ah 26650's in it,with positive ends facing the head, as specified. The batteries are at 4.20 and 4.21 volts, respectively. They are being pressed in by the tailcap spring with enough force that I don't think a spacer is needed. What should I do next? I know it works, but don't want to experiment too much.
> 
> They are both very high quality builds, were packed well enough to survive a war, and the package looks perfectly OK. So I don't think they were subject to any major jarring.



I may have determined the problem. There is a plastic ring where the positive button on the top battery needs to fit, with the flashlight electrical contact slightly lower. The button top on these batteries is slightly bigger than the ring. I probably do need a narrow spacer!


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> I may have determined the problem. There is a plastic ring where the positive button on the top battery needs to fit, with the flashlight electrical contact slightly lower. The button top on these batteries is slightly bigger than the ring. I probably do need a narrow spacer!



That works! A tiny magnet on the positive electrical contact solved it.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Would be around $220 or so. Maybe a tad less.



Shoot lol i was hopping for somthing in the $130 to $180 range. I thought a lower power build would be much cheaper.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Does that include Saturday?
> 
> Also, if you have a tracking number, please PM me.
> 
> 
> These 2 should hold me until the 6 watt 445 nm build is available.



Tmack mailed my two builds yesterday, and they arrived in less than 24 hours. We are only located around 40-50miles apart, so it isn't too surprising.

The C11 520 nm 200 mw build projects a very bright spot, easily visible hundreds of feet away in sunlight.

The Tmag V2 build with the 3 watt 445 nm diode is almost a work of art, with a shiny almost spotless heat sink. The focusing system cuts off less of the bar shaped beam than the systems on my other two 3 watt custom builds, and the projected image is "cleaner", so more energy so projected. The focusing knob also is rock solid; it does not wobble.

Also, the heat sink gets warm quicker than in my two previous 3 watt builds (but still takes a couple minutes or so), showing that it is drawing the heat away from the diode more effectively. This is a very good thing. It also cools off quicker.

Now I need to "play" some more with them (very carefully).


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

star_c_star said:


> Tmack mailed my two builds yesterday, and they arrived in less than 24 hours. We are only located around 40-50miles apart, so it isn't too surprising.
> 
> The C11 520 nm 200 mw build projects a very bright spot, easily visible hundreds of feet away in sunlight.
> 
> The Tmag V2 build with the 3 watt 445 nm diode is almost a work of art, with a shiny almost spotless heat sink. The focusing system cuts off less of the bar shaped beam than the systems on my other two 3 watt custom builds, and the projected image is "cleaner", so more energy so projected. The focusing knob also is rock solid; it does not wobble.
> 
> Also, the heat sink gets warm quicker than in my two previous 3 watt builds (but still takes a couple minutes or so), showing that it is drawing the heat away from the diode more effectively. This is a very good thing. It also cools off quicker.
> 
> Now I need to "play" some more with them (very carefully).



PHOTOS! PHOTOS! PHOTOS!


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Well here's a photo comparison of my two lasers. As you can see, the Tmack laser renders the eBay laser virtually invisible... 

Tmack C11 3w 445nm and eBay ~50mw 532nm:


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Thank-you!

These two builds are far higher quality than the other production (Wicked) and custom lasers I have.

The Tmag v2 Maglite build is incredible.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Any news on the 6 watt 445 nm build?

Is it months away?


----------



## Tmack

Ahh I wouldn't say months. 
Maybe a few weeks  
But I also have a place I can get the diode a bit cheaper. 

I think I have the driver sourced. And the heatsinks are ready to be made anytime. 

Just give me a few more days to hear back from this new diode source. It could save a good amount of money for everyone. 

Very happy it got to you soooooo fast lol. Pretty much expected, but still nice. 
Glad you got the little positive problem worked out. That little ridge messed with me the first time I built these too. I almost had a heart attack  
Bet you were getting worried too. 

Those mags are the heatsinking king for sure. 
Glad I can compete with the companies


----------



## Alex1234

star_c_star said:


> Tmack mailed my two builds yesterday, and they arrived in less than 24 hours. We are only located around 40-50miles apart, so it isn't too surprising.
> 
> The C11 520 nm 200 mw build projects a very bright spot, easily visible hundreds of feet away in sunlight.
> 
> The Tmag V2 build with the 3 watt 445 nm diode is almost a work of art, with a shiny almost spotless heat sink. The focusing system cuts off less of the bar shaped beam than the systems on my other two 3 watt custom builds, and the projected image is "cleaner", so more energy so projected. The focusing knob also is rock solid; it does not wobble.
> 
> Also, the heat sink gets warm quicker than in my two previous 3 watt builds (but still takes a couple minutes or so), showing that it is drawing the heat away from the diode more effectively. This is a very good thing. It also cools off quicker.
> 
> Now I need to "play" some more with them (very carefully).



Dam that was fast !!!


----------



## Mike Sloan

star_c_star said:


> That works! A tiny magnet on the positive electrical contact solved it.



Solder blob on positive contact works great, as well.


----------



## Tmack

That's what I do. I know it's not going anywhere. But the cool thing about the Tmag is that little ridge around the positive terminal will stop the magnet from sliding. If it does hit the battery tube and the positive at the same time, it will kill the diode. But because of that ridge, I'm pretty sure it close to impossible.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> That's what I do. I know it's not going anywhere. But the cool thing about the Tmag is that little ridge around the positive terminal will stop the magnet from sliding. If it does hit the battery tube and the positive at the same time, it will kill the diode. But because of that ridge, I'm pretty sure it close to impossible.



and there's quite a bit of pressure on the batteries because of the strong tail-cap spring so nothing budges. also wouldn't that ridge act as a physical reverse polarity protection as the neg side of the battery is flat ?


----------



## Tmack

Yup. But please don't try! Haha


----------



## Alex1234

i just looked down the battery tube and the plastic sleeve would prevent the magnet from hitting the sidewall even if it did move.


----------



## Tmack

Another failsafe, great  

Just don't let them allow you to be careless


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,


The more I play with the C11 520 nm build, the more I like it. The C11 is as high quality as the Maglite used in Tmag v2. The C11 side switch is better. And, of course, the C11 is more portable. I still would prefer the Tmag v2 for any really powerful laser diode, due to its big heat sink.



Do you have any remaining C11 hosts? If so I'd like one with a 1 watt red diode, using 1 18650 battery. My current most powerful red laser is 5 mw.


----------



## Tmack

1 left 

1w red with 1x18650 is no problem


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> 1 left
> 
> 1w red with 1x18650 is no problem




What is the price?


----------



## Tmack

Same as the 520nm. The diodes are the same price. Well close. The 520nm is a tad more.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Same as the 520nm. The diodes are the same price. Well close. The 520nm is a tad more.



OK, please PM me with the payment information. 


These C11's are really nice, and I just received among your best 520 nm and 445 nm builds. Might as well add a red C11 to the collection before the C11's are gone.

Now to wait for the 6 watt 445 nm, and the 1 watt or higher 520 nm.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> OK, please PM me with the payment information.
> 
> 
> These C11's are really nice, and I just received among your best 520 nm and 445 nm builds. Might as well add a red C11 to the collection before the C11's are gone.
> 
> Now to wait for the 6 watt 445 nm, and the 1 watt or higher 520 nm.



PayPal sent.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

What do you do when you have dust on the front focusing lens of one of your laser builds?

It doesn't worry me as much on the lower power builds. On the higher ones, especially 1 watt or higher, the dust might be cooked on the lens. Blowing air from a rubber bulb, my usual method, doesn't work in that case.

Do you have any recommended methods to remove it?


----------



## Tmack

The blower is best. If that doesn't work, a qtip with isopropyl will work but there's an art to that for sure. It'll take about 10 tries to get the streaks out. 

To install the lenses I first have to break them free of their retainers, soak in alcohol, the I use a microfiber to dry and clean. When installed it's just a matter of keeping them clean. 

When unfocused, you'll always see those artifacts, but if it's super dirty, you can try the qtip method. 

Dip in iso, dab it on your hand, then spin the qtip on the lens gently, the spin the dry side. 

But, to make sure it's the lens in the first place, spin it. If the dirt spins it's the lens. If it's stationary, it's the diode window. That is much more fragile, and I don't recommend touching it no matter what. Blowing off is fine. 

Another way to check is to switch lenses. 

And remember, some diodes like the 520nm b1, will just have artifacts when unfocused no matter how clean. 
Those diodes have some irregularities in the "ghost box" that I first thought was debris myself. But after switching lenses and cleaning the window, I researched and found its just the nature of the diode. 

Being your lasers are so new, I'd be very surprised if they actually need to be cleaned. Unless they have been stained from burning. 

Another note. 

DO NOT BURN CLOSER THAN 6" OR IN A MANNER WHERE SMOKE CAN ENTER THE LENS. 
IT CAN PERMANENTLY STAIN THE LENS, AND THEY ARE $45 OPTICS.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The blower is best. If that doesn't work, a qtip with isopropyl will work but there's an art to that for sure. It'll take about 10 tries to get the streaks out.
> 
> To install the lenses I first have to break them free of their retainers, soak in alcohol, the I use a microfiber to dry and clean. When installed it's just a matter of keeping them clean.
> 
> When unfocused, you'll always see those artifacts, but if it's super dirty, you can try the qtip method.
> 
> Dip in iso, dab it on your hand, then spin the qtip on the lens gently, the spin the dry side.
> 
> But, to make sure it's the lens in the first place, spin it. If the dirt spins it's the lens. If it's stationary, it's the diode window. That is much more fragile, and I don't recommend touching it no matter what. Blowing off is fine.
> 
> Another way to check is to switch lenses.
> 
> And remember, some diodes like the 520nm b1, will just have artifacts when unfocused no matter how clean.
> Those diodes have some irregularities in the "ghost box" that I first thought was debris myself. But after switching lenses and cleaning the window, I researched and found its just the nature of the diode.
> 
> Being your lasers are so new, I'd be very surprised if they actually need to be cleaned. Unless they have been stained from burning.
> 
> Another note.
> 
> DO NOT BURN CLOSER THAN 6" OR IN A MANNER WHERE SMOKE CAN ENTER THE LENS.
> IT CAN PERMANENTLY STAIN THE LENS, AND THEY ARE $45 OPTICS.




I don't need to clean my new lasers, especially since I now know that you always see some imperfections in the unfocused laser image. When they are projected hundreds of times bigger they look worse than they really are.

The lenses of my older laser lenses had gotten dirty, and my cleaning technique was not as good as the one you mentioned. 

Is it best to use 100% isopropyl alcohol?


----------



## Tmack

Highest percentage possible


----------



## Tmack

Parts are on the way


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack
A buddy of mine is interested in a blue laser....say 1w in a 501B host. What could you do that for?


Mike


----------



## Tmack

I can do a 1w 445nm in a 501b 1x18650 for $200


----------



## Mike Sloan

I will let him know


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack whats the highest power you can get from the 445nm and 638nm single mode diodes ?


----------



## Tmack

About 200mw.


----------



## Alex1234

ill have to wait till i save up to get another laser. the 638nm build and the pair of eagle pair safely glasses i just bought hurt my laser funds lol. i was thinking about a single mode 445 in a 501b but i want a cool crazy host for it in a similar size or smaller. something i can just toss in my pocket a go lol. it will be a few weeks before i can buy put if you find something let me know  Its a really cool diode i think

btw were can i get some laser glasses for my 638nm ? wish one pair could cover them all


----------



## Mike Sloan

These cover the 635nm spectrum. Don't know of any that cover everything?

http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...nm_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_7862077.aspx


----------



## Alex1234

Mike Sloan said:


> These cover the 635nm spectrum. Don't know of any that cover everything?
> 
> http://www.survivallaserusa.com/Eag...nm_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_7862077.aspx



thanks i did not even notice them. ill try to find something a bit cheaper but i may get them anyway


----------



## Alex1234

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180992534507 

tmack i loled hard at this. remember when i asked you if this laser was brighter because it was like 110 dollars well now its $17 like the other ones. now hes selling a 660nm pen for 115 dollars lmao
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5mw-650nm-R...-beam-5-Caps-2-Battery-Gift-Box-/181296234701


----------



## Tmack

Haha. See! Beware! These are all the same laser just about. 
The people shopping on eBay that think expensive = better will buy it too. Without research, asking around, nothing.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack what's the smallest host you can do without being crazy expensive and what kind of power can you get from a 532nm or 445nm in that small host? 

I too would love something a bit portable that can be slipped in a pocket. My eBay laser is a great size for that but obviously lacking everywhere else.


----------



## will manners

Maybe a custom copper pen build? :devil:







(btw, thats not my photo, heres the original http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/c...0-all-sold-87174-post1281341.html#post1281341 Am I aloud to post links to other forums?)


----------



## Tmack

I am the distributor of those hosts. I'm good friends with their maker. 
The thing is, once built, they are not serviceable, so I will not sell them as complete lasers. 
I sell them to builders, but not to my customers that want functioning complete lasers. 
They are extremely tight press fit, and super tight to work with. I built a r, g, b, v, set, and because it took so much pressure to get the modules in, the positive contact spring shifted. I needed to go in and fix it, but couldn't extract the module without damaging the host, driver etc. I had to eventually have a tool machined and extracted the modules, but still ruined all the hosts. 
After that fun, expensive experience, I decided I would not build these for my customers. 
All my builds are completely serviceable, and upgradable.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Yesterday, I discovered that even my 215 mw C11 520 nm build can slice through something like a leaf. The focusing mechanism on it can reduce the beam to pinpoint width a foot or so away.

It is not like the 3 watt Tmag v2 build for sheer power, but impressive even so.


Are your focusing mechanisms interchangeable at all, in case we wanted to purchase other types and styles from you, and change them ourselves?


----------



## Tmack

Yup  lots of styles to choose from. I'll post pictures tonight. 

But your Tmag focus adapter will fit on the c11 and vice-versa 

Yeah I found the 520nm would smoke light colored wood easily.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yup  lots of styles to choose from. I'll post pictures tonight.
> 
> But your Tmag focus adapter will fit on the c11 and vice-versa
> 
> Yeah I found the 520nm would smoke light colored wood easily.




Would the only warnings when changing the focus adapters (or removing one) be :

1. Don't lose the spring underneath the adapter.

2. Don't touch the diode window under the adapter, and try to avoid getting any dust on it.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Is there a certain distance at which the 445 can be focused the narrowest? I'll be getting glasses today and can find out for myself but I'm wondering if it's the tightest at 1 foot or 5 feet or maybe it doesn't matter and you can focus it to the same size at any distance.


----------



## star_c_star

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Is there a certain distance at which the 445 can be focused the narrowest? I'll be getting glasses today and can find out for myself but I'm wondering if it's the tightest at 1 foot or 5 feet or maybe it doesn't matter and you can focus it to the same size at any distance.



I have three 3 watt 445 nm builds, with three different focusing mechanisms. 

No matter which one I use, focusing closer up will make the spot smaller, with more energy. You can hear a "pop" when something bursts into flame at the point of focus close up (even painted bricks; the paint bursts into flame in a tiny area). The "Pop" sound tells me that the focus is perfect, and I almost never hear it past 4-5 feet or so.

More distance makes the focused spot bigger, with less energy over a given area, hence a lower temperature.


----------



## Tmack

At 1' the dot is a pinpoint. 
5' a tad bigger. Youll see  

And when chanfing the lens, you got it covered . Just dont over tighten, or you might hit the diode window. Might .


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> At 1' the dot is a pinpoint.
> 5' a tad bigger. Youll see
> 
> And when chanfing the lens, you got it covered . Just dont over tighten, or you might hit the diode window. Might .



Sweet thanks! So 1' is a great burning distance then. I plan on engraving some things once I have my goggles. I'm not sure what yet but by God I'm burning words into _something_!

Tmack, any examples of your engraving? I think I saw somewhere in this thread that you've engraved in wood some...


----------



## Tmack

Lol i did my entire soldering table with hot rod flames. 

The picture you saw I was just testing.


----------



## Tmack

You have to engrave something where people will never figure out how you did it. 
Like behind glass.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> You have to engrave something where people will never figure out how you did it.
> Like behind glass.



Okay that sounds awesome and I love that idea! 



Tmack said:


> Lol i did my entire soldering table with hot rod flames.
> 
> The picture you saw I was just testing.



I don't think I've seen any photo...is it somewhere in the thread?


----------



## Tmack

It was just a picture of a black maglite smoking a table. You couldn't see the table because of all my junk on it lol. 

I solder and build on a big spool. One day I took a 445nm and did full flames on the entire face. I'll have to take a picture. Give me an excuse to clean off my workstation. Man its a mess. If you guys saw my shop, you'd wonder how I build anything. 
Packages, bubble wrap EVERY WHERE. piles of loose parts spring, hosts. 

I also forge knives. Tons of forge tools, and machines. 

And I make paracord bullwhips too lol. So thousands of feet of paracord. 

Ughhh. Makes me tired thinking of it.


----------



## Tmack

Here's my first knife before I finished the steel of course. Still quite rough I this picture


----------



## Tmack

And here's a few whips. 

60 percent shot loaded, 12 plait herringbone, on top of 6 plait, on top of 4 plait. Steel rod handles. These things are monsters.


----------



## TEEJ

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Sweet thanks! *So 1' is a great burning distance then*. I plan on engraving some things once I have my goggles. I'm not sure what yet but by God I'm burning words into _something_!
> 
> Tmack, any examples of your engraving? I think I saw somewhere in this thread that you've engraved in wood some...





I'd back off a it more...as smoke drifting up can ruin the lens.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

TEEJ said:


> I'd back off a it more...as smoke drifting up can ruin the lens.



Thanks for the tip. When burning a little after work today I ended up only being with 1' when burning horizontally so there was really no way for smoke to get in the lens. I'll be extra careful with such an expensive "toy".


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Besides the focusing attachments, will you ever offer Beam Expanders for some of your laser builds?

They expand the beam but keep it narrow for great distances, like firing the beam through a telescope.


----------



## Tmack

Distance doesn't really matter. Smoke can drift in at 3 ft. (not as concentrated, but still) 

It's just common sense how your holding it. 

My cypress lights cigarettes every day from closer than 1', and is doing fine  im just conscious of how I stand and hold everything.


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> Besides the focusing attachments, will you ever offer Beam Expanders for some of your laser builds?
> 
> They expand the beam but keep it narrow for great distances, like firing the beam through a telescope.



If an aftermarket version is made to fit my setups I'll be happy to  
I made a custom one from a monocular, but other than that, I know of no optics for a custom application. 

I hear some expanders fit the lens barrels I use. I'll have to look into it.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Why don't these have a protective lens just like a flashlight so if smoke or other debris got in there it would just dirty up a plain old piece of glass?


----------



## TEEJ

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Why don't these have a protective lens just like a flashlight so if smoke or other debris got in there it would just dirty up a plain old piece of glass?



My guess it might reflect the beam back into the laser (Glass on one side/black on the other = mirror) and cause a time warp and total annihilation of the known universe/ruin the laser.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> My guess it might reflect the beam back into the laser (Glass on one side/black on the other = mirror) and cause a time warp and total annihilation of the known universe/ruin the laser.




Would total annihilation of the known universe void the warranty on the laser build? 

Or would it show that Tmack made the build somewhat more powerful than he thought, so that the user was getting a bargain?


----------



## Tmack

Teej got the nail on the head. Haha. 

And more surfaces to pass through equals less powa! 

Plus, you'd need a pretty nifty system to still focus.


----------



## Tmack

Still though, lenses are easily replaced. $45 is better than a couple hundred.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Still though, lenses are easily replaced. $45 is better than a couple hundred.



That is exactly my opinion. 

So, be careful, but if the focus system gets "smoked" and can't be cleaned, order another one.


----------



## Tmack

If yours gets stained, dirty etc. 
I can have a new on to you pretty quickly


----------



## TEEJ

My worry would be that the second it was "smoked enough" it would = mirror and reflect the beam back into the laser...and, the more smoked, the more reflection.

As it would be DURING burning that this is MOST likely to happen, you would have glasses on that did not show you much in the way of the smoke, etc, and, it would be easier to darken the lens in the course of the burn, and, reflect the beam back into the laser progressively worse, during the burn itself.

How much divergence would a lens add as well?


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Will a high-powered laser pointed at a security camera ruin the camera? I only ask because I've seen it in movies, wondering if it's really possible. Not planning a bank heist or anything.


----------



## TEEJ

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Will a high-powered laser pointed at a security camera ruin the camera? I only ask because I've seen it in movies, wondering if it's really possible. Not planning a bank heist or anything.



I could see it burning out the pixels in the sensors even with a strong overload, and, of course, if at burning intensity, the lens would focus the beam right on the sensor and burn it.


----------



## Tmack

All I know is don't point it into a phone or expensive camera as it will instantly ruin it. 
Security, I don't know  

Good point teej. I don't know if the dark smoke stain would absorb, or reflect, but why chance it. And if the stain was getting to the point where it was almost opaque, there's nowhere fir the photons to go but back into the diode. 

I heard if a guy doing laser photography and shined one laser into another lol. Killing one and severely damaging the other.


----------



## Tmack

I'll be getting a small stock of sinner custom hosts to build. I'll post pics as soon as they arrive. You guys are going to like these. 
Same guy that made the ms envy host.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> All I know is don't point it into a phone or expensive camera as it will instantly ruin it.
> Security, I don't know
> 
> Good point teej. I don't know if the dark smoke stain would absorb, or reflect, but why chance it. And if the stain was getting to the point where it was almost opaque, there's nowhere fir the photons to go but back into the diode.
> 
> I heard if a guy doing laser photography and shined one laser into another lol. Killing one and severely damaging the other.





Well, think of how you make a mirror. All you do is blacken one side of a piece of glass, and, its now a mirror.


The same applies to being in a lit up house, and looking outside through a window when there's no light outside (Its night for example....)....all you see is reflections of what's in the house....you can't see outside due to the mirror effect on the window at night.



If the blackening is on the outside of the lens (Where the smoke came from), and the clear part of the glass is inside the laser (Where the beam is coming from), the beam is essentially hitting a mirror.


If the beam hits a mirror, it reflects back into the device.....where, if IIRC, very bad things happen.


:sick2:


----------



## Tmack

Damn mirror lenses!!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I'll be getting a small stock of sinner custom hosts to build. I'll post pics as soon as they arrive. You guys are going to like these.
> Same guy that made the ms envy host.



!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cant wait


----------



## Tmack

Copper heads, 
Ms ssw 
Cypress 

Will be in stock and ready to be built.


----------



## BoCoMo

Tmack said:


> Copper heads,
> Ms ssw
> Cypress
> 
> Will be in stock and ready to be built.



As soon as I am able (new member) I will be giving you a shout to find out about laser options. Very cool builds!


----------



## Tmack

No problem my friend  
I'll be right here. 

Welcome  
This is a great community. Lots of interesting, intelligent, fun people. 

If you like, my email is 
[email protected]


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Here are a couple videos of a 3w 445nm C11 burning. This is before I had my glasses so I don't think the laser is focused as tight as possible. After burning a little yesterday while wearing my glasses I realized how much power this thing has when all the way tight. The camera makes the laser look purple but it's perfectly blue in real life.

Leather Wallet:




Tape Dispenser:




Aftermath (sand leaks out now, haha):


----------



## Tmack

Awesome. I love pictures of my customers toys! 

Lol have to plug up that tape dispenser.  

And yeah that dot gets super tight under 5' range. 

If you hit cardboard pretty close, it'll spit smoke out of the opposite side instantly. You can run it across slowly and the spot is so tiny, it'll almost cut without burning. 

Try putting something black inside a glass of water, and burn it from through the glass. Be careful, but it's awesome to burn underwater.


----------



## Tmack

Some diffraction fun.





This was only 3 lasers.










100mw 532nm 
200mw 405nm.
240mw 638nm 





500mw 532nm 
550mw 638nm
1700mw 445nm


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Tmack said:


> Lol have to plug up that tape dispenser.



Yup, luckily it practically fixes itself, just tore off a piece of tape and voila!

PS_the last photo I posted of the hole in the tape dispenser doesn't show up for me in Tapatalk, does it work for everyone else?

Cool thanks! 

The diffraction looks awesome! Do you have any little adjustable mirrors to bounce a beam around the room? I saw a really cool photo once of someone bouncing a beam of a really placid pond at dusk and it looked awesome!


----------



## Tmack

I'm using tapatalk. I can see it.


----------



## Tmack

Get a handful of makeup mirrors, and rub the back with acetone. You'll have a nice front surface mirror that won't distort, and weaken your beam. 

I found little vertical mounts on ebay to stand them up, and it's fun to bounce them all over. 

For those diffraction pictures, I was using plug in lab lasers with built in fans, so my runtime was unlimited. 

I used 1 line diffraction grating, the place a grating in front of each beam the first film made. 
Mix colors and enjoy. 
Throw a little glycerin on a oil burner and the beams get intense.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

When you release the 6 watt 445 nm Maglite builds, with the monster heat sink, what focusing adapter will you recommend?

Perhaps you could find an optional monster focusing system, to take full advantage of all that power.


----------



## Tmack

It will have its own focus adapter to perfectly match the heatsink.


----------



## Tmack

It's one of the nicest adapters I've ever used. 


Btw, today 
Alex1234 orange host came in. Just waiting for a couple red diodes and drivers. Most likely tomorrow.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> It's one of the nicest adapters I've ever used.
> 
> 
> Btw, today
> Alex1234 orange host came in. Just waiting for a couple red diodes and drivers. Most likely tomorrow.



Wow, that adapter is beautiful! It looks as though it is as wide as the heat sink.


----------



## Tmack

Oh but it is! 

It's made from all one piece of aluminum. Makes focusing a dream.


----------



## TEEJ

That is HUGE. 

Is the rest of the mag just to store cells in?


----------



## Tmack

It houses the rest of the goodies. 
The heatsink is just for the diode. 
I had a pocket milled out to hold a driver on the part that inside the head.


----------



## Tmack

And with the monster 32650's, it's not front heavy at all. It balances right about at the switch.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

So does that beast have really long duty cycle? Like 10 minutes or something?


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Btw, today
> Alex1234 orange host came in. Just waiting for a couple red diodes and drivers. Most likely tomorrow.



 could you take same pictures of this beauty ?


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> And with the monster 32650's, it's not front heavy at all. It balances right about at the switch.




Tmack,

Where do you find the 32650's and a charger? 

I would prefer to avoid *****fires.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> And with the monster 32650's, it's not front heavy at all. It balances right about at the switch.




Tmack,

What about the runtime and balance with this heat sink, a 6 watt 445 nm diode, and 2 FOURSEVEN 4000 mAh 26650 batteries?

I now have six of them, and was hoping to keep four of them reserved for the 6 watt build.

If the 32650's have much greater capacity, I can get four of them, but would prefer name brand batteries and a name brand charger. From what I remember, your 32650's have 7000 mAh capacity.


----------



## Tmack

I got the Fei long 32650's 
From ebay a while back. 

I know cpf member jay rob has them for sale too.  

However the 26650 should provide plenty runtime, as well as good balance as well. They are no aaa


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I got the Fei long 32650's
> From ebay a while back.
> 
> I know cpf member jay rob has them for sale too.
> 
> However the 26650 should provide plenty runtime, as well as good balance as well. They are no aaa



OK, thanks, I'll stick with the 26650's.

I just did a quick search of CandlePowerForums, and found that my XTAR SP2 charger can handle 32650's as well (although its not official). So I already had a charger for them but didn't know it.


----------



## Tmack

I actually rigged up an old ultrafire charger with leads and magnets to charge all my extreme sized cells large or small. Works great.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 your going to love the orange host. 
I prefer it over a ms envy. 
The machining quality is absolutely perfect. The anodizing is perfect. I look at this guy's work, and can't believe it's done in someone's personal little hobby workshop. 
He will be the one doing the line of modular hosts, as well as the mid host focusing piece. 
If anyone wants something COMPLETELY custom, just send a sketch, and we can do basically any design you like. As long as it's not some crazy cnc necessary host, this guy can do any lathe design you like, and any color you like. 
Splash, marble, speckled, solid, two tone, fade, etc.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Alex1234 your going to love the orange host.
> I prefer it over a ms envy.
> The machining quality is absolutely perfect. The anodizing is perfect. I look at this guy's work, and can't believe it's done in someone's personal little hobby workshop.
> He will be the one doing the line of modular hosts, as well as the mid host focusing piece.
> If anyone wants something COMPLETELY custom, just send a sketch, and we can do basically any design you like. As long as it's not some crazy cnc necessary host, this guy can do any lathe design you like, and any color you like.
> Splash, marble, speckled, solid, two tone, fade, etc.


----------



## Tmack

I'll should have pictures and readings tonight my friend


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I'll should have pictures and readings tonight my friend



more


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Good. That means I'm doing my job!


----------



## Alex1234

I cant believe you get these build so quick


----------



## Tmack

I'm usually just waiting on stuff to get to me. I remember when I first started, I would have to really plan everything, maybe desolder something because I did something in the wrong order , and just being timid when messing with hundreds of dollars of parts that will be useless if you sneeze on them lol. 
I'm much more efficient now. I have better equipment. More confidence. 

Unless it's some super complicated, or tiny build, I can turn them out pretty quickly. 

No one has ordered anything that had to be machined when ordered yet, so the lasers I sell here are done within a week or two. 

On a couple occasions, I had the host and diodes in hand. Those went out next day. 

I'm incredibly impatient. So I hate making people wait for me.


----------



## Alex1234

Ill send 8 dollars for the other focus adaptor tonight


----------



## Tmack

No problem  I have it ready to go for you


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> No problem  I have it ready to go for you



there going to look cool on both my 501b lasers  where do you get them ?


----------



## Tmack

My machinist make them. 
I can send one for your maglite too if you like.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> My machinist make them.
> I can send one for your maglite too if you like.



sweet no more burning my fingers lol


----------



## Tmack

So you want 2 then?


----------



## Tmack

Just to clarify.


----------



## Alex1234

do you have 3. one for my green 520nm and one for my sci fi lasers and one for my mag. how much would that be


----------



## Tmack

Hmm. I only have two for now. But I can always get more. I'll get an extra on my next order. 

Lol I order from this guy every couple days, so it shouldn't be long. If it is, I'll order it by itself.


----------



## Tmack

I can also get the assault adapters like the c11. The pointed ones if you like that.


----------



## Alex1234

two is good for now


----------



## Tmack

They are interchangeable anyway.


----------



## TEEJ

Is there a way to make the focus on the ms envy harder to rotate? 

It's a bit easy to knock out the focus at present.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

TEEJ said:


> Is there a way to make the focus on the ms envy harder to rotate?
> 
> It's a bit easy to knock out the focus at present.



Tmack told me to use teflon tape on my C11 and it worked perfectly. Took the focus adapter off, wrapped the thread 3 or 4 times and reinstalled. It's perfect now! Worked amazingly well.


----------



## Tmack

Yup yup. Teflon tape works great.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

I have a minor dilemma with my 3 watt 445 nm Tag v2 build.

There is now a speck on the laser diode which appears several inches across when I expand the beam to several feet across. Rotating the focus adapter does not move the spot.

It may have come from my rubber air blower. I cannot easily blow it off the window, even though I can easily see it with a 10x magnifier.

Any suggestions on how to (carefully) remove it, or is it better to leave it on?


----------



## Tmack

OK. Remove the lens. 
Get some high percentage isopropyl, and a qtip. 

Dip in alcohol and dab on your wrist. Spin the qtip gently on the window. Then spin the dry side of the qtip. 

Let air dry for a few seconds. 
Check the raw output with no lens to see if it's gone. 
It may take a dozen tries, but it'll work if it's not already stained. 
If it's not going anywhere, just leave it. 
If it ends up really melting, we can try to decan the diode, but that'll require getting it to me.


----------



## Tmack

It doesn't sound like it's big enough to effect output. 
Some of my personal diodes have these just like your describing. I don't really worry unless they are huge, or effect the way it looks when the spot is much smaller. 

If the cleaning doesn't work, I wouldn't worry  

That glass has nothing to do with producing light. It's just a cover.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> It doesn't sound like it's big enough to effect output.
> Some of my personal diodes have these just like your describing. I don't really worry unless they are huge, or effect the way it looks when the spot is much smaller.
> 
> If the cleaning doesn't work, I wouldn't worry
> 
> That glass has nothing to do with producing light. It's just a cover.




Thank-you! That is to to know. No, it certainly does not affect output. If I were using the laser as a slide projector the spot would affect the images, but luckily I am not.

My only worry was that the spot would cook and spread smoke or something similar over the diode window.


----------



## Tmack

If it hasn't yet, then I'd be inclined to think it wouldn't, but you never know what kind of crap gets on your lens. Lol 

If you look at a brand new diodes raw output, it will have a couple spots that look like pond ripples. The image is just blown up south, and microscopic debris looks significant.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> OK. Remove the lens.
> Get some high percentage isopropyl, and a qtip.
> 
> Dip in alcohol and dab on your wrist. Spin the qtip gently on the window. Then spin the dry side of the qtip.
> 
> Let air dry for a few seconds.
> Check the raw output with no lens to see if it's gone.
> It may take a dozen tries, but it'll work if it's not already stained.
> If it's not going anywhere, just leave it.
> If it ends up really melting, we can try to decan the diode, but that'll require getting it to me.



I carefully tried this approach, and it did improve the spot. 

There were other dust specks put on the diode window, but I got rid of them after several attempts.

Jeez, I felt like I was performing surgery. Cleaning the focusing lenses is nothing compared to this.


----------



## Tmack

Lol you definitely want to be super gentle. 
Once you get it, it's cake, but even I go very slow, and be sure no dust will get in. I have dozens of special tweezers, clamps, all kinds of tiny tools.


----------



## Tmack

Will be building my first oclaro 638nm tonight. 
Can't wait to see one first hand. 
First red to hit over 1w safely and be able to last. 
I'll be giving my impressions for sure. 
Running 1.4a in a 638nm feels wrong!!! 

I feel like I just added a 200 shot of nitrous to a corolla  

These new red diodes are no corolla though lol. 

I'm hoping to get about 1.3w with a g2, then clean up the dot with a 3 element lens to get around 1.1w all said and done. 

We'll see in a few hours! 

If they are anything like the 1w single mode 405nm, they will be amazing! 

My machinist also started making nice dummy cells. So if you see a 2 cell host you like, but want a diode that only needs 1 cell, no problem


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Will be building my first oclaro 638nm tonight.
> Can't wait to see one first hand.
> First red to hit over 1w safely and be able to last.
> I'll be giving my impressions for sure.
> Running 1.4a in a 638nm feels wrong!!!
> 
> I feel like I just added a 200 shot of nitrous to a corolla
> 
> These new red diodes are no corolla though lol.
> 
> I'm hoping to get about 1.3w with a g2, then clean up the dot with a 3 element lens to get around 1.1w all said and done.
> 
> We'll see in a few hours!
> 
> If they are anything like the 1w single mode 405nm, they will be amazing!
> 
> My machinist also started making nice dummy cells. So if you see a 2 cell host you like, but want a diode that only needs 1 cell, no problem




Will my 1 watt C11 build be using one of these new red laser diodes?


----------



## Tmack

Yes it will. These are brand new diodes. I'm curious to see the spot. Is it better than the old reds. 
The light red beam is beautiful I do know. Your going to have a great collection there. As does Alex1234.


----------



## Tmack

You guys just need some 405nm! 

I don't think you know the greatness of 1w and SINGLE MODE! 
All the power of 1000mw, but with the beam specs of a 532nm. Nice tight and circular. 
Yeah the 405nm is not as bright, but talk about focused to a pinpoint. 
Makes a 445nm dot look like a blimp. Haha. And the short wavelength also burns more efficient than 445nm.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Lol you definitely want to be super gentle.
> Once you get it, it's cake, but even I go very slow, and be sure no dust will get in. I have dozens of special tweezers, clamps, all kinds of tiny tools.



It may be best choose the focusing adapter you like, and stick with it. 

Changing them frequently permits a lot more dust to get in.


----------



## Tmack

More chance of touching, dropping etc.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> You guys just need some 405nm!
> 
> I don't think you know the greatness of 1w and SINGLE MODE!
> All the power of 1000mw, but with the beam specs of a 532nm. Nice tight and circular.
> Yeah the 405nm is not as bright, but talk about focused to a pinpoint.
> Makes a 445nm dot look like a blimp. Haha. And the short wavelength also burns more efficient than 445nm.



One my too buy list are


3w 445nm in cypress host 
1w 405 
Single mode blue and red 
maybe another 520nm

this will take awhile though as i have no money


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> You guys just need some 405nm!
> 
> I don't think you know the greatness of 1w and SINGLE MODE!
> All the power of 1000mw, but with the beam specs of a 532nm. Nice tight and circular.
> Yeah the 405nm is not as bright, but talk about focused to a pinpoint.
> Makes a 445nm dot look like a blimp. Haha. And the short wavelength also burns more efficient than 445nm.



Already ordered.  How long does it take to get those 405nm diodes?


----------



## Tmack

Your diode I already have. Came in at 1005mw btw. I'm waiting for more c11 to come in. 
But the important part is sitting on my table waiting for a home


----------



## Tmack

Just found a third knurled adapter Alex if you want it. 
Be $24 for all three.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> You guys just need some 405nm!
> 
> I don't think you know the greatness of 1w and SINGLE MODE!
> All the power of 1000mw, but with the beam specs of a 532nm. Nice tight and circular.
> Yeah the 405nm is not as bright, but talk about focused to a pinpoint.
> Makes a 445nm dot look like a blimp. Haha. And the short wavelength also burns more efficient than 445nm.




The main thing I am awaiting is the 6 w 445 nm build. 

After that, perhaps a 1 watt 520 nm build.

Tmack, any idea why only the 445 nm diodes are available at 3 watts or higher?


----------



## Alex1234

im bored so i felt like doing a ebay green laser torcher test. im at 16 min and counting  started around 40mw now around 15mw at 16 minutes


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> You guys just need some 405nm!
> 
> I don't think you know the greatness of 1w and SINGLE MODE!
> All the power of 1000mw, but with the beam specs of a 532nm. Nice tight and circular.
> Yeah the 405nm is not as bright, but talk about focused to a pinpoint.
> Makes a 445nm dot look like a blimp. Haha. And the short wavelength also burns more efficient than 445nm.



That sounds very tempting, but it will be even better when they are available at 3 watt or more. Same with the 520 nm, although even the 1 watt 520 nm would be VERY bright.


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> The main thing I am awaiting is the 6 w 445 nm build.
> 
> After that, perhaps a 1 watt 520 nm build.
> 
> Tmack, any idea why only the 445 nm diodes are available at 3 watts or higher?



They can take it....same reason that the others are a watt or so or less, they can't take more than that yet. Only the 445 nm version can take more, and, soon a version that can take a 6 watt load for the 445 nm version will be available at a (less insane) price, etc.


----------



## Alex1234

lol 25 min and this little green laser is still kicking lol. its warm though


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> They can take it....same reason that the others are a watt or so or less, they can't take more than that yet. Only the 445 nm version can take more, and, soon a version that can take a 6 watt load for the 445 nm version will be available at a (less insane) price, etc.



Yes, I am looking forward to the (less insane) price, with the (almost insane) heat sink! I already have the 26650 batteries and a charger for them.

In the early 1980s, I was at a Science Fiction convention, and I was talking with some MIT students. We were dreaming of the day when a portable diode laser would be available, similar to the laboratory non-portable ones. How time, and technology, flies!


----------



## Alex1234

thats crazy lol. the advancement in technology sense then is mind boggling. very easy to see this with led's aswell


----------



## Tmack

Did it die yet!? 
Lol

How are you gauging power? By eye?


And they make a 120mw single mode 450nm 
And a 120mw single mode 638nm.

But it's something about the strength of the crystals. The 445nm can just take more strain.


----------



## Alex1234

Just ran this ebay laser for 38 minutes straight lol. it started around maybe 40mw or so and toward the end it was around 15-20 mw but i just let it cool and its back around 40 maybe 50mw. i thought it would die at 3 min lol


----------



## Tmack

I won one of those in an auction for $3 lol. I ripped it apart for the module. Mine was putting out 55mw.


----------



## Tmack

Damn it never died! Impressive! 
They must not be pushing too hard.


----------



## Alex1234

laser is still a pos. there is so much flickering and theirs lose parts inside of it so i emailed overfeel for an exchange for a different one all together.

if i dont tighten down the tailcap all the way its more like 70mw for about a min then dims lol

http://www.ebay.com/itm/532nm-5mw-G...werful-Adjustable-Focus-Charger-/400551707797. this one looks like the lazerer host


----------



## Tmack

980mw with as clean a "dash" as i can get  

It's still the typical 638nm dash spot, just more powerful than the old diodes. 

Divergence is the same. 
At under 5' it gets incredibly small, but at longer distance, it's just like the mistubishi diodes. I just love the bright *** red beam! Looks great. Especially in this host.


----------



## Tmack

Here with a little assistance from its own burning smoke  
Something about a red beam.


----------



## Tmack

Here's Arilou's 1w 405nm. 





Both will ship tomorrow. 

Star, yours is next of course. Waiting on the diode and focus adapter. Your host just came in.


----------



## Alex1234

:thumbsup::devil::bow::santa::wow::goodjob::thanks::lolsign:


----------



## Alex1234

was 980mw the max or the average ? it looks beast


----------



## Tmack

It's held stable at 980mw. The reds and violets are very stable. They hit a quick peak, then hold solid for a long while. 
The 445nm decrease slowly, partly from heat though. 

In my hallway, it was blinding red.


----------



## Tmack

Had to show you guys this. These are diode packages from just recently. They were just the ones I haven't thrown away, and we're on the surface of my piles of packing materials. Lol. 
Where does the time/lasers go! 
Each had 2-5 diodes a pop. Lol I'd love to know what my diode guy drives


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Here's Arilou's 1w 405nm.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Both will ship tomorrow.
> 
> Star, yours is next of course. Waiting on the diode and focus adapter. Your host just came in.



Thank-you!

Soon I'll have a red laser to add to my green and blue.


----------



## TEEJ

If this is the cypress host, it looks, from here at least, a lot like a copper ms envy. Is that about what its like in person?

If so, I know what host I like for the next beast.




PS - I did the teflon tape thing, and, it helped a lot...its still a bit imprecise left/right once in position though. It seems the part that threads into the ADJUSTER has some play. I tried to tighten it, but I think the rotation to adjust unscrews the thread from the adjuster.

Advice?


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> It's held stable at 980mw. The reds and violets are very stable. They hit a quick peak, then hold solid for a long while.
> The 445nm decrease slowly, partly from heat though.
> 
> In my hallway, it was blinding red.



how does the spot and beam brightness compare to the 1w 405nm ? if 555nm is the most visible part of the spectrum then 638nm should be brighter as its closer to 555nm then 405nm


----------



## Tmack

Yeah the red I'd definitely brighter. But the 405nm burns like crazy. 
I was sweeping it across a cardboard box VERY fast, and it was instantly spitting out smoke. The divergence is also much better than 445nm, so that makes it focus much better. 

The red is a long wavelength, so it does not burn well. The long wavelengths are reflected more. The short are absorbed.


----------



## Alex1234

TEEJ said:


> If this is the cypress host, it looks, from here at least, a lot like a copper ms envy. Is that about what its like in person?
> 
> If so, I know what host I like for the next beast.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PS - I did the teflon tape thing, and, it helped a lot...its still a bit imprecise left/right once in position though. It seems the part that threads into the ADJUSTER has some play. I tried to tighten it, but I think the rotation to adjust unscrews the thread from the adjuster.
> 
> Advice?


this is the cypress host.
http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/build-review-orginial-cypreus-ii-638nm-1w-now-complete-88344.html


----------



## Tmack

Isaac pushed the crap out of the old mitsu diode. 
When those are pushed they drift towards a dimmer 650.


----------



## Tmack

Teej. You need to tighten the hell out of the lens to adapter connection. That way it won't loosen up when you focus. 
Ones that give me trouble, I put a drop of super glue on. Let completely dry, and it's not going anywhere. 

If your adapter is loosening from the lens, you may have too much resistance on the lens to host connection. 
I can hand tighten my lens to adapter connection, and it won't come loose when focusing. 

Sounds like you like it too tight baby.


----------



## Tmack

If there is such a thing


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Yeah the red I'd definitely brighter. But the 405nm burns like crazy.
> I was sweeping it across a cardboard box VERY fast, and it was instantly spitting out smoke. The divergence is also much better than 445nm, so that makes it focus much better.
> 
> The red is a long wavelength, so it does not burn well. The long wavelengths are reflected more. The short are absorbed.



i might just get a 405nm next


----------



## Tmack

Think as fast as you can sign your name. That's how fast I was sweeping. And it was spitting smoke 3" out of the cardboard. NUTS! 
And I use a 445nm to light my cigarettes every day hahaha. I have a good gauge of burning power. 

I need to try max burning distance with the two. See which one wins out.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Isaac pushed the crap out of the old mitsu diode.
> When those are pushed they drift towards a dimmer 650.



sounds like there are some issues with this host and its not to user friendly as dtr bend the host trying to take out the module. maybe sinner fixed the issues


----------



## Tmack

This was before I helped designed the removable module. 
It's completely different now. 
The whole module, driver, contact board assembly comes out in one piece. So no worries anymore. 

After I built the first one, (before Isaac lol) I immediately complained about a few issues. Then sinner heard about issacs problems. He then came to me asking how I would refine it. 
And the result was a removable module assembly


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack FTW. i really really want a 3w 445nm in a cypress just with i had the money lol


----------



## Tmack

He mentioned me........ In one little post......... Lol 

But its cool. Happy to help. 

This is where my interchangeable design started. So it works out in the end


----------



## Alex1234

Whats your recommended duty cycle on my red


----------



## Tmack

I wouldn't go much over 3 minutes. 
1-2 minutes to preserve the diode. 
It could handle more for sure, but that's your call


----------



## Alex1234

ill stick with 2 minutes then


----------



## Tmack

I never see the need for more than 1min personally. Just remember, the shorter the runs the longer it will live


----------



## Alex1234

trust me i wont be doing any long run tests with the smaller lasers. i only did it with the mag because it was a 1.7w but heatsinked like the 3w mags and its huge  i felt comfortable with doing that test.


also do you think the 1w 405 would burn better then my 1.7w mag due to the single mode and shorter wavelength characteristics?


----------



## Alex1234

I dident realize how good the cypreus looked until i saw this picture of it. looks like im selling my tk61vn lol


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

TEEJ said:


> If this is the cypress host, it looks, from here at least, a lot like a copper ms envy. Is that about what its like in person?
> 
> If so, I know what host I like for the next beast.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PS - I did the teflon tape thing, and, it helped a lot...its still a bit imprecise left/right once in position though. It seems the part that threads into the ADJUSTER has some play. I tried to tighten it, but I think the rotation to adjust unscrews the thread from the adjuster.
> 
> Advice?



I took the threaded rod out of both the focus adapter and the laser body, wrapped the whole thing in teflon tape so it's a tight connection on both sides.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Thank-you!
> 
> Soon I'll have a red laser to add to my green and blue.





Tmack,


OK, I'm tempted by the 1 watt 405 nm C11 build with 1 18650 battery, and the usual focus adapter.

What would it cost?


If I purchase it, I'll have 3 C11 builds, a 215 mw 520 nm , a one watt 638nm, and a one watt 405 nm. I'll have to label them somehow! 

Those, plus my 3.11 watt 445 nm Tmag v2 build, and upcoming 6 watt 445 nm Tmag Super, should finish my laser collection (maybe) until more powerful diodes become available.


Speaking of the 6 watt, any further news?


----------



## Tmack

The 1w 405nm is the same price as the other c11's  

I'll have to check on the current c11 status. More were ordered, I just have to see what's up. 

The 6w final prices will be posted soon


----------



## Tmack

And Alex, the 1w 405nm I think would burn better than your 1.7w. 
Not by a crazy amount.


----------



## Alex1234

Thats pretty cool


----------



## Tmack

They say 1w of 405nm burns like 2w of 445nm, so not by much at all. 
405nm just burns differently. Seems like faster because of the shorter wavelength. 

Or maybe it's because I'm more impressed a 1w is burning so well lol.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The 1w 405nm is the same price as the other c11's
> 
> I'll have to check on the current c11 status. More were ordered, I just have to see what's up.
> 
> The 6w final prices will be posted soon




The 1w 405 nm in the C11 host would appear to be a good, pocketable, burner. The C11 heat sink is pretty substantial as well.

Should I wait until the C11 availability is clearer before paying you?


The Maglites seem to be better suited for the 3 watt and higher diodes, due to their large heat sinks and large battery capacities. Otherwise, I like the C11's with one 18650 battery and the tapered focus adapter.


----------



## Tmack

My host guy just ordered 10 more c11's. I'll just wait to hear on their status before taking payment  
I talk to him almost daily so you'll know soon


----------



## Tmack

1w 405nm might be the best pocket burner. 1 cell, lower amperage, lower power, but with great burning.


----------



## BoCoMo

Alex1234 said:


> I dident realize how good the cypreus looked until i saw this picture of it. looks like im selling my tk61vn lol



This looks awesome!


----------



## Tmack

I carry a 3w 445nm one of those every day  

He also makes a flashlight in that host. As soon as he finishes I'll be getting one so I have matching edc sets. 

After a few weeks the patina sets in and it turns a duller finish which I like. 
If you want it to stay new looking, a clear coat would have to be added, or you'd have to polish it once and a while. 
This is one of the best designed hosts out atm. I love them. 

I'll have some in stock soon.


----------



## TEEJ

Would that cypress have the same duty cycle/heat sinking as the ms envy?


----------



## Tmack

Longer. The copper is very efficient. 

I can run my 3w very long. And it has a substantial driver heatsink. Much larger than the envy.


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> They say 1w of 405nm burns like 2w of 445nm, so not by much at all.
> 405nm just burns differently. Seems like faster because of the shorter wavelength.
> 
> Or maybe it's because I'm more impressed a 1w is burning so well lol.



It depends on the material. There is some heating associated with fluorescence. When something absorbs 405nm and re-emits a longer wavelength, the difference in photon energy becomes heat. So, in some cases, 405nm can burn "white" surfaces better than a longer wavelength where the light is scattered with minimal absorption. For dark-colored targets, it doesn't make much difference.


----------



## Alex1234

I send money for the focus adaptors


----------



## Tmack

How many did you want again? 
They cost me $8 a pop from my machinist  

Actually. Your a great customer. I'll do two for one


----------



## Alex1234

Ill take 3 of them. I sent 8 dollars already. How much more should i send


----------



## Tmack

Just send another 8 and I'll give you the third for free


----------



## Alex1234

Sweet


----------



## Alex1234

Ok just sent another 8 dollars  im not a huge fan of the small regular focus adaptors. They put your hand very close to the lens and laser beam and you cant stand it up on the head. These wider adapters eliminate all thoes problems


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> 1w 405nm might be the best pocket burner. 1 cell, lower amperage, lower power, but with great burning.



Tmack,

Is the focus adapter I have for the C11 520 nm build the best for focusing the 1 watt 405 nm into a tiny spot?

It works very well for the 520nm, and I'm sure it will work well with the 1 watt 638 nm. But again, what about with the single-mode 405 nm?


----------



## Tmack

Yup same one works best. New c11's are due in next week


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/my-new-462nm-laser-torch-89747.html 

I WANT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## TEEJ

Click the link below:






I just experimented with the camera in video mode for the 3 watt 445 nm MS ENVY, and, I think it shows this will work.



Tell me if you like an effect I tried. I was mostly trying to see if the beam showed up on the video or not....but it was misty out, and it made the beam pop really nicely.


I am going in for surgery in the AM, so I may not get out again for a bit....but, I look forward to feed back.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234. Yeah I showed the guys that diode, and I'm itching to build one. 

Looks like styropyro got a really high nm. Very blue.

We can do a host like that no problem. And the diode us now readily available. Little pricey.


----------



## Tmack

Teej. 
Can't view flicker


----------



## Alex1234

i think i like that host better then the cypreus. looks so beastly


----------



## Tmack

It's a big one  I can show it to my machinist if you like.


----------



## Tmack

I can say the cypress is much smaller and probably has a better duty cycle because of the design. Ehgimus does floating drivers.


----------



## Alex1234

would it be cheaper then the cypreus host?


----------



## Tmack

To have it replicated no. Ehgimus hosts are 1 off.


----------



## Alex1234

hmmm now i like the cypreus more lol it has more things going for it.


----------



## Tmack

When you hold the copper in your hand, you'll be happy you chose it. The weight is incredible. So heavy! And it's got a very thick driver heatsink which is also copper. I run mine 5 minutes daily and it's flawless. My edc lol. It's on my right hip every day, runs long, and hasn't lost a mw.


----------



## TEEJ

Is is CYPRESS, like the tree, or CYPREUS?, like the island


----------



## Tmack

The designer said it's the god of copper?? I'm not even sure the correct spelling. You've probably seen me spell it 5 different ways


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> The designer said it's the god of copper?? I'm not even sure the correct spelling. You've probably seen me spell it 5 different ways



Im starting to really like the Cyprus. The fact that it is "pocketable" and can handle a 3W diode is awesome. The drop in "swap" option is interesting. Do we have a price on the Cyprus?
Im sure this was mentioned, but what batteries does the Cyprus use?


----------



## Tmack

Takes 2x 18350 
And complete 3w is $400


----------



## TEEJ

Hmmm, Venus was the god of copper, Cyprus was the major source of copper to the Romans. ..?

Call it the CuMack.


----------



## Mike Sloan

> I just experimented with the camera in video mode for the 3 watt 445 nm MS ENVY, and, I think it shows this will work.



TEEJ,
That was probably the best video I have ever seen that (accurately) depicts the 445nm beam!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> When you hold the copper in your hand, you'll be happy you chose it. The weight is incredible. So heavy! And it's got a very thick driver heatsink which is also copper. I run mine 5 minutes daily and it's flawless. My edc lol. It's on my right hip every day, runs long, and hasn't lost a mw.



Isn't the Tmag v2's duty cycle is at least as good as this, since the Tmag is much bigger?


Also, have you considered a copper monster heat sink for the 6 w 445 nm build? The same shape and characteristics as your current monster heat sink, but made of copper instead of aluminum. 

THAT could probably work with a 24 watt diode (if one existed)! Of course, it would be incredibly top-heavy, unless you put a copper ring at the Maglites's base.


----------



## Tmack

See the thing about copper is it takes longer to heat up which is great. But it takes longer to get rid of the heat. So when your dealing with that much aluminum, with the cooling fins, it's actually more efficient than massive copper. 

The aluminum can heat up and get rid of the heat faster than the copper at that size, especially with modifications to the surface area. 

While with both metals it's a loosing battle ( time to build heat vs dissipate heat) the aluminum is more efficient because it can get rid if the heat faster. 

In small hosts were only mass is determining your runtime, copper wins because it takes longer to heat, and getting rid if it isn't really a factor because it's building so fast.


----------



## Tmack

I should have about 4-5 cypress in stock soon. As well as the 
Copperhead and Ms ssw. 
All beautiful.


----------



## Tmack

The ms ssw 2x 26650 
Cypress 2x18350 or 1x18650 
Copperhead 2x18350 or 1x18650


----------



## Tmack

Glow powder and epoxy.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> See the thing about copper is it takes longer to heat up which is great. But it takes longer to get rid of the heat. So when your dealing with that much aluminum, with the cooling fins, it's actually more efficient than massive copper.
> 
> The aluminum can heat up and get rid of the heat faster than the copper at that size, especially with modifications to the surface area.
> 
> While with both metals it's a loosing battle ( time to build heat vs dissipate heat) the aluminum is more efficient because it can get rid if the heat faster.
> 
> In small hosts were only mass is determining your runtime, copper wins because it takes longer to heat, and getting rid if it isn't really a factor because it's building so fast.




Thank-you for the explanation.

Are copper and aluminum the only metals one could use effectively for laser build heat sinks, at least while keeping the prices to a relatively sane level?


----------



## Tmack

Yes. The only better option is silver. $$$$$


----------



## Mike Sloan

> Cypress 2x18350 or 1x18650



How does the driver handle the different voltages (8.4v/4.2v)?


----------



## Tmack

I mean it could use different configurations for different builds. 

The only situation you can use either configuration is on a 638 500mw build, but the extra voltage us converted into heat quickly. 

For example :

A 1w 445nm = 1x18650 
3w 445nm = 2x18650

Really the only times your going to need two cells is on the high powered blues. 

So if you like a host that requires two cells, but want a 1cell diode/driver, a dummy cell must be used. I can provide them upon request. 

I needed to use one on my 1w 405nm in my marble zasers.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Got it.....man you are fast at responding!


----------



## Tmack

Lol I'm always on


----------



## Tmack

I think it's very irritating when you have a question about what your spending your money on, and it takes days to answer. 

I'm horribly impatient, so I don't want anyone to have to wait on me.


----------



## Mike Sloan

That is why I am using you "exclusively" for my future laser purchases. I am currently having an issue with (another/respected) international company


----------



## Tmack

Again! That's ridiculous. 
Not jet?


----------



## Alex1234

i was able to exchange the ebay overfeel laser for a different one no questions. overfeel has great customer service. all responses have been under 12 hours  same with olike. i tryed to place an order last night for 2 250mw 650nm lasers and the credit card gateway was down so i emailed Susie and got a response this morning saying she with send a paypal request  first order from olike so i hope it goes well

http://www.o-like.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=278
http://www.o-like.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=344


----------



## Tmack

Oh like is hit or miss. Their reds ate usually legit.  

Sci-fi has some decent 650nm. 
I have one. 240mw. Not very visible, but it's single mode, so nice and clean .


----------



## Alex1234

can you see the beam at night in the sky ?


----------



## Tmack

Barely. Very very faint. 
Hopefully yours will be on spec, because you need every mw you can get with the 650nm


----------



## Alex1234

when i get them can i send them to you to be lpmed ?


----------



## Tmack

No problem


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Barely. Very very faint.
> Hopefully yours will be on spec, because you need every mw you can get with the 650nm



Tmack, will the 1 watt 638 nm C11 build you are preparing for me project a clearly visible beam?


----------



## Tmack

Yes. 1w 638nm has a great beam.  
You'll be projecting blue, green, red very clearly in the night sky. 

Soon violet  
The violet will be the least visible, but I still love it. It's just a special wavelength.


----------



## Tmack

3 new c11's just arrived if you'd like to get going on the 405nm cstar


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> 3 new c11's just arrived if you'd like to get going on the 405nm cstar



OK, I'll PayPal you the same amount as for the two other C11's.

I'm starting to build a nice laser family. Luckily they are all pretty bright.


----------



## Tmack

Lol pretty bright. 
How insulting  

No problem. Same as usual. 
I'm in love with matching collections. Your is the first set of c11 I've seen. Love it. 
Why don't you send all your bezels back to me one day for color code anodizing


----------



## Tmack

Oh I have tons of colored tiny rubber bands. I'll throw in a few if each so you can tell the difference if you want.


----------



## Tmack

Payment received. Thank you 
Star.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Oh I have tons of colored tiny rubber bands. I'll throw in a few if each so you can tell the difference if you want.



PayPal sent.

Yes, please, I could use a color coded means of identifying them. The color code anodizing would be the best approach, and I'll probably do that some day.

Wait a sec! You still have two of them. Can any color code anodizing be done at this point, or is it too late?


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> PayPal sent.
> 
> Yes, please, I could use a color coded means of identifying them. The color code anodizing would be the best approach, and I'll probably do that some day.
> 
> Wait a sec! You still have two of them. Can any color code anodizing be done at this point, or is it too late?



Like, just the tailcap?


----------



## Tmack

Only 1 is with the machinist atm. 
I also found a nice clean single wrap of colored electrical tape works well, and looks good.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Like, just the tailcap?



If it is possible to fully anodize the latest two now, tell me the damages, and I'll send it to you.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Only 1 is with the machinist atm.
> I also found a nice clean single wrap of colored electrical tape works well, and looks good.



OK, the colored electrical tape sounds good, as long as it looks good.


----------



## Tmack

So no anodizing for now? 

You can always get them completely anodized whenever you like. 

A splash anodized set of c11 would be...... Mmmmm!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> So no anodizing for now?
> 
> You can always get them completely anodized whenever you like.
> 
> A splash anodized set of c11 would be...... Mmmmm!



How many of the two C11's, yet to be mailed out, can you anodize?


----------



## Tmack

Only 1 is with the machinist. 
It might be better to do all at once. There's an initial cost to setting up all the anodizing equipment. So if all were done at the same time, it would save money.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Only 1 is with the machinist.
> It might be better to do all at once. There's an initial cost to setting up all the anodizing equipment. So if all were done at the same time, it would save money.



OK, I'll wait, and use the electrical tape in the meantime.


----------



## TEEJ

Mike Sloan said:


> TEEJ,
> That was probably the best video I have ever seen that (accurately) depicts the 445nm beam!



Thanks!

I was starting to think no one could see the video.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> PayPal sent.
> 
> Yes, please, I could use a color coded means of identifying them. The color code anodizing would be the best approach, and I'll probably do that some day.
> 
> Wait a sec! You still have two of them. Can any color code anodizing be done at this point, or is it too late?



Tmack,

Do you have an estimate on when the 1 watt 638 nm C11 build will ship?


----------



## Tmack

Should ship out tomorrow.


----------



## Alex1234

http://biglasers.com/gx5-high-power-green-laser 

tmack do you know anything about this site and these lasers ?


----------



## Tmack

Lol yeah. Flush your money down the toilet. You'll be less pissed off. 

Fake power claims, you'll be lucky to get the right wavelength. 

Jetlasers 
Dragon lasers 
Laserbtb
Cni 

Are the ONLY sites I'll deal with if I absolutely must use a company.


----------



## Alex1234

especially when they claim unlimited duty cycle on all there laser lol


----------



## Tmack

Lol i didn't know that! 
I saw them back when I was first getting into lasers. Looked too good to be true and they absolutely were.


----------



## Tmack

24/7 continuous operation without fear of damaging the diode due to heat. 
Wow! 
Only laser to offer that is the "Hercules" from laser glow. 
It has a built in fan, and is a few thousand dollars for 800mw. 
About the length of a baseball bat too.


----------



## sinner-cpf

I feel the need for threadjacking , pardon me.

Cypreus (Latin) = _made_ 'of copper
The newest released are the Cypreus-IIb-EDC-18650








Cypreus-Flashlights: 





These and a few more hosts , will be exclusively available at Tmack Customs for CPF members. Thanks.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Should ship out tomorrow.



Tmack, 

since the 1 watt C11 red laser build will ship today, did you yet measure the beam's power?


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

sinner-cpf said:


> I feel the need for threadjacking , pardon me.
> 
> Cypreus (Latin) = _made_ 'of copper
> The newest released are the Cypreus-IIb-EDC-18650
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cypreus-Flashlights:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These and a few more hosts , will be exclusively available at Tmack Customs for CPF members. Thanks.



Good Lord that's pretty! I'm sure it's pretty pricey though...


----------



## TEEJ

Sinner - Beautiful work!

At least we now know how to spell it.


----------



## Alex1234

I want both !!!! i want i want i want !!!


sinner-cpf said:


> I feel the need for threadjacking , pardon me.
> 
> Cypreus (Latin) = _made_ 'of copper
> The newest released are the Cypreus-IIb-EDC-18650
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cypreus-Flashlights:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These and a few more hosts , will be exclusively available at Tmack Customs for CPF members. Thanks.


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/phobo-stream-1-000-mw-1w-638nm-w-magic-75993.html

tmack i like this Magic Driver... it dont matter which way the battery goes in it will still work. how does that work lol


----------



## Tmack

He open sourced that too so anyone can use it. 

But space and some extra current are a bit of an issue. 

In a large host it can be used. I just don't know anyone who makes them for sale, and I'm not setup to make drivers.


----------



## Tmack

Star. Your 638nm came in at 957mw.  after being cleaned up the best I could. 
Still typical 638nm dash, but with a different lens, it would be worse.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> He open sourced that too so anyone can use it.
> 
> But space and some extra current are a bit of an issue.
> 
> In a large host it can be used. I just don't know anyone who makes them for sale, and I'm not setup to make drivers.



oh so RDH made the driver ? making drivers sounds hard


----------



## Tmack

Rdh makes one, (usually revolutionary design) and open sources it, giving out the schematics so anyone can replicate it. Very nice of him. He could market that reverse polarity driver to big companies, but chooses to just give back to the community. Very noble.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Star. Your 638nm came in at 957mw.  after being cleaned up the best I could.
> Still typical 638nm dash, but with a different lens, it would be worse.



i assume the battery in my red will be neg at the clicky and do you have the tracking.


----------



## Tmack

Yeah, I've had to repair drivers. Talk about steady hands. 
Imagine soldering the letters on your screen of your phone. 
Alot if times smaller.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> i assume the battery in my red will be neg at the clicky and do you have the tracking.



I actually was in an area at work I couldn't get to the post office. 

But as I type this I'm sitting in the post office parking lot  

Yours is on the way. Sorry for the delay my friend 

9114901230803092781390
Abington.  

Custom 638nm 
3x brushed knurled adapters


----------



## Alex1234

awesome


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Star. Your 638nm came in at 957mw.  after being cleaned up the best I could.
> Still typical 638nm dash, but with a different lens, it would be worse.



Thank-you! 957 mw is close enough to 1 watt so that no human could tell the difference without testing equipment.

The one watt 405 nm C11 build is next. Will that be in a week or two?

Finally, the one I REALLY am awaiting is the 6 watt Tmag Super Heat Sink build. Any more information?


----------



## Tmack

I have everything sourced but the driver. I've been trying to get a hold of angelos, my usual driver guy. He makes them, and has other people distribute them, so he can be hard to get in touch with. 
I just sent a message to one of his distributors to see what up, about 2 minutes ago. 

Trust me I'm as excited, and eager as you are to have a 6w handheld in my collection.  

Ahh it's going to be incredible. 
I mean, we're already used to massive amounts of power, but doubling what we have is just ridiculous  

Really going to have to be careful with that one. 

I'm thinking of getting key switches for them standard.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I have everything sourced but the driver. I've been trying to get a hold of angelos, my usual driver guy. He makes them, and has other people distribute them, so he can be hard to get in touch with.
> I just sent a message to one of his distributors to see what up, about 2 minutes ago.
> 
> Trust me I'm as excited, and eager as you are to have a 6w handheld in my collection.
> 
> Ahh it's going to be incredible.
> I mean, we're already used to massive amounts of power, but doubling what we have is just ridiculous
> 
> Really going to have to be careful with that one.
> 
> I'm thinking of getting key switches for them standard.




Careful is right!

With the Tmag v2 3 watt build, you can easily place your fingers in front of the beam when focusing it. So far, it's only happened once to me, when I wasn't paying full attention. It stings enough to trigger an instant reaction, so the pain is only momentary, with no skin damage.

With the 6 watt build, the focus adapter on the giant heat sink makes it practically impossible to burn yourself. It looks as though you can adjust the focus from the side of the heat sink. That is good, since the 6 watt beam has twice the power.

Key switches sound like a good idea, too, as long as your customers can get a replacement if they lose their keys.


----------



## Tmack

Oh that's no problem. Any of those style keys work. I have ones for my Tmag and laserbtb 532nm and are interchangeable. 

Just 1 extra step to prevent accidentally activating the beast.


----------



## Alex1234

i figured out why my 520 was flickering the heat sink came lose again. anyway i can tighten it more?, its hard to get grip on the heatsink


----------



## Alex1234

tmack is this a good lpm.. seams like a good one for the money http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/radiant-x4-lpm-masses-illumination-supply-86296-6.html


----------



## Tmack

Tighten your heatsink? You mean the bezel? 
DO NOT SPIN THE HEATSINK! 
You will sheer off the wires. 

You can add a oring between the heatsink and bezel just like a flashlight would have a oring between the glass and bezel. That should seat it firmly. But when it left me, the heatsink was seated perfect. Hmm.


----------



## Tmack

That lpm has a 30 response time. Which means it takes 30 seconds to get the full peak reading. By the time 30 seconds pass, the graph will be on the downfall, so you won't get the true peak. 

It's ok for 100$ but it's not entirely accurate. 

It's a thermopile sensor, which is,,,, ok. 

A good accurate lpm will run around $500


----------



## Tmack

Ohhhhh wait you mean on the 501b. I forgot you had that host. 

Just go to radio shack, and grab some artic silver. It's a paste that will hold it tight for you. 

On a c11 don't spin the heatsink. Lol sorry.

I love the way those 501b go together. 

Much different than the sflasers.


----------



## Alex1234

When i say tighten im only turning it like 2 mm. Its good now though


----------



## Tmack

Good! Please let me know whenever you have a problem with any laser. Mine or not. I'd hate to see someone try to fix one, and break something on any laser.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> That lpm has a 30 response time. Which means it takes 30 seconds to get the full peak reading. By the time 30 seconds pass, the graph will be on the downfall, so you won't get the true peak.
> 
> It's ok for 100$ but it's not entirely accurate.
> 
> It's a thermopile sensor, which is,,,, ok.
> 
> A good accurate lpm will run around $500




Im comfused does that mean when i put the laser on the senser it wont start reading until 30 seconds ?


----------



## Tmack

It will start reading, but it takes 30 seconds to reach the peak. 

It climbs from 0 to whatever the reading is. That's a long time! Your laser has already started to weaken by then. 

My ophir has a 0.8sec response time. 

Ophir = 0.8 to 100% reading 
Radiant = 30 sec to 95% reading 

Plus the radiant doesn't pickup and fluctuations. It makes the laser looks way more stable than it is. 
The ophir shows any little spike in power. 

Just hobbyist vs professional meter. 

I've seen thermopile sensors up to 30% off in calibration. 
I've also seen them close to deal on too. 

I've had mine calibrated by Trevor. The Lpf lpm guru lol.


----------



## Alex1234

Darn i new it was to good to be true lol


----------



## Alex1234

Are the laserbee meters any better ?


----------



## Tmack

Same
They are thermopile too. 
30 seconds .

Doesn't mean they're bad. Just means they aren't as accurate as faster sensors. 

I have to have a serious meter. 
But a thermopile may be all you need. 

I had a laserbee for a while. 
When I got my ophir I compared. 
The laserbee was a little low on some wavelengths, and closer to correct on others. 
The way the thermopile takes readings is not consistent will all wavelengths. 

I'm sure someone can explain it much more technically than I can.


----------



## Tmack

There is a 15 second laserbee with a smaller thermopile. It maxes at 3.2w 

I really didn't use my laserbee much. I started building and that's when I had to upgrade. 
If your not building and selecting the correct currents to run your diodes, you really won't use a lpm much. 
Sometimes cool to have though.


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/review-radiant-x4-lpm-pic-heavy-89416.html after reading this review i decided to order one with blue case. for me its really all i need and i think the data logging would be cool to watch . lpm's like these seam very delicate so i will make sure i read the manual first lol. i also understand i need to defocus the laser so i dont burn the sensor


----------



## Tmack

Super delicate. Remember never touch the sensor either. 

And since you know the values of your current lasers, you can kind of calibrate it yourself.


----------



## Alex1234

when it says it works on 5v power supply does that mean if i just plug it into my computer that will power the sensor and display? i guess my laptop is 5v. can i just use a usb phone charger adapter to plug into a wall.:thinking: i guess the adapter has to be 5v. i dont want to blow up my meter lol


----------



## Tmack

I'm not sure how the radiant ate powered. 
My laserbee took a 9v 
My ophir takes 2x9v 
And 1x9v for the display.


----------



## Tmack

Lol every time you drop your lasers, or run them hard, you will always lpm after if your anything like me. 
I'm always paranoid I'll loose some output, but I never have haha.


----------



## Alex1234

believe me i will i can see that coming. the first laser going on the meter is my 520nm 501b as im paranoid i lost power from when i put the battery in backwards.


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah. Hopefully your ok. If it didn't severely get reduced, I'm sure it's still good. 

Normally they just die, or live. 
I've heard if just small power losses but never experienced one first hand.


----------



## Alex1234

im 99% sure its ok. the spot is quite blinding at night and the beam is double the brightness of my sci fi lasers 532nm that came in at 110mw so 200 mw sounds dead on


----------



## Tmack

From your pictures it looks super bright too. I'm sure it's still 200mw


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

What is an approximate ETA on my C11 build with the 1 watt 405 nm diode?


Of course, I'll have three of your builds by then to occupy my time. but I forward to having three identical C11's with entirely different beams.

Is there a fourth C11 I could add, such as one with a yellow beam?


----------



## Tmack

No more wavelengths  
I was thinking about your collection, and a 3w c11 would make it complete. 
R, g, b, v set of c11 would be badass. 

And I sent those rubber bands for you. 3 of each color. 

The host is on the way for the 405nm. I should have it to you by Friday or sooner depending on when I get the c11


----------



## Tmack

There's a lighter blue diode, but that one's a bit pricey. 
The 462nm diode. Up around 1.5w of a beautiful light blue. 
Nichia is coming out with amazing diodes very often lately.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> There's a lighter blue diode, but that one's a bit pricey.
> The 462nm diode. Up around 1.5w of a beautiful light blue.
> Nichia is coming out with amazing diodes very often lately.




First, what does this 462 nm diode cost?

Next, would this 1.5 w blue diode run on one 3400 mAh 18650 protected battery, or would you need two 18350's?


----------



## Tmack

You need 2x18350. 
Price varies on setup and options. 

Pm incoming


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> You need 2x18350.
> Price varies on setup and options.
> 
> Pm incoming



I forgot to ask; is it single mode?


----------



## Tmack

No. The most powerful single mode is the 1w 405nm, by far too. 

The other single modes are only a couple hundred mw.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No. The most powerful single mode is the 1w 405nm, by far too.
> 
> The other single modes are only a couple hundred mw.




OK, then I'll stick with my current three C11 builds, until a new laser diode with a different color and its own distinct advantages becomes available.

That shouldn't take too long.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> OK, then I'll stick with my current three C11 builds, until a new laser diode with a different color and its own distinct advantages becomes available.
> 
> That shouldn't take too long.




When laser diodes of 3 watts and above become available in different colors, I'll start to assemble a collection of Tmag v2's. At the moment I only have one, with a 3.11 watt 445 nm diode.

The Tmag Super at 6 watts is still probably my next acquisition.


----------



## Tmack

That'll be my next one too. 
I may build one of the ms ssw for myself with the 462-470nm diode though. 
Beautiful color. 

But the 6w is a sure thing.


----------



## Alex1234

I would like a price for a 462nm build just so i have an idea


----------



## Alex1234

just so im 100% sure the battery for my red goes negative at tail cap and positive at the head ?


----------



## Tmack

Yup. Same as the rest.


----------



## Alex1234

i got the laser and this thing is awesome. its brighter then i was expecting. the divergence is pretty bad though worse then i was expecting but it kinda gives it a unique characteristic.

the focus adapters are great  but it does not work with my 520nm 501b when i thread on the lens and put it on the laser if i tighten on the laser all the way it still needs to go farther to get infinity focus


----------



## Alex1234




----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> i got the laser and this thing is awesome. its brighter then i was expecting. the divergence is pretty bad though worse then i was expecting but it kinda gives it a unique characteristic.
> 
> the focus adapters are great  but it does not work with my 520nm 501b when i thread on the lens and put it on the laser if i tighten on the laser all the way it still needs to go farther to get infinity focus



I also received my 1 watt 638 nm C11 build. I love the beam color!

The diode divergence is pretty bad, but the beam can still start dry leaves smoking at 4 feet. Outdoors, even in direct sunlight, the focus adapter places a very thin red line at great distances (at least 100 - 200 feet or so). 

When defocused and aimed at the ceiling, it gives a dark room a "hellish" appearance, good for telling horror stories and for other activities.

So, it has its weaknesses, and its strengths.

When a single mode 1 watt 638 diode becomes available, I may be tempted to return my C11 to Tmack for a diode replacement. On the other hand, I may just want to get both!


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234. That's ok. All you do is, add a drop of super glue to the threads of the adapter, then thread the lens in but only go in a few turns. 
That will give you the length you need to make up. 
 

Glad you guys like the color and brightness. 

That divergence isn't great, but I love the thick red beam!


----------



## Alex1234

Awesome will try that when i get home


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Alex1234. That's ok. All you do is, add a drop of super glue to the threads of the adapter, then thread the lens in but only go in a few turns.
> That will give you the length you need to make up.
> 
> 
> Glad you guys like the color and brightness.
> 
> That divergence isn't great, but I love the thick red beam!




You can make the beam *appear *either thick, thin, or in between. 

Since the beam is shaped like an infinitely long sword, it is thin when viewed "edge on", and thick when viewed "surface on" (if there is such a phrase). Just rotate the laser.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Alex1234. That's ok. All you do is, add a drop of super glue to the threads of the adapter, then thread the lens in but only go in a few turns.
> That will give you the length you need to make up.
> 
> 
> Glad you guys like the color and brightness.
> 
> That divergence isn't great, but I love the thick red beam!




Tmack,

The beam from the C11 one watt 405 nm build should have very low divergence, right, even lower than the 520 nm diode?


----------



## Tmack

Yes. Being a single mode, it very clean, and low. 

Even the raw output (no lens) is a nice circle. 

It's a very special diode.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Are there 500 mw 532 nm or 520 nm diodes available, and if so, at approximately what prices?


----------



## Tmack

There are 500mw 532nm modules, but they don't fit in any of the custom hosts. 
We would have to make something very custom. The module itself is around $300 iirc

Next step is 1w 520nm.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> There are 500mw 532nm modules, but they don't fit in any of the custom hosts.
> We would have to make something very custom. The module itself is around $300 iirc
> 
> Next step is 1w 520nm.



The 1 watt 520 nm would be very impressive, but I suspect it is still more expensive than the 5-6 watt 445 nm diode.


----------



## Tmack

Oh yes, much more


----------



## Tmack

Little update 
I may have found us a driver!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Little update
> I may have found us a driver!



Great news! 

I suspect that my next Tmack purchase will not be a C11 host, but something much bigger.


----------



## Tmack

Ready for the next level of nerd?


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Little update
> I may have found us a driver!










I hear this one is EXCELLENT!


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Great news!
> 
> I suspect that my next Tmack purchase will not be a C11 host, but something much bigger.




Tmack, 

Any additional news about the driver?

and no, TEEJ, I don't mean the Dustin Hoffman driver from "Rain Man" or "Scent of a Woman".


----------



## Tmack

Yup! A new batch just for these diodes is being made hopefully as we speak. 

Expect to get from 5-6w from an average efficiency diode. 

About 4a. And I'm working with the machinist to get all the details figured out. (best placement of the driver, etc. ) 

I'm excited


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yup! A new batch just for these diodes is being made hopefully as we speak.
> 
> Expect to get from 5-6w from an average efficiency diode.
> 
> About 4a. And I'm working with the machinist to get all the details figured out. (best placement of the driver, etc. )
> 
> I'm excited




Obviously, I'm interested as well. 

I already ordered a Pelican 520 case, which should have enough room for the Tmag v2, the 3 C11 builds, the Tmag Super 5-6 watt, and future Tmack builds.

Please reserve the polished Maglite for me, with matching monster heatsink.


So, we only have a couple weeks wait for the 5-6 watt build?


----------



## Tmack

Yes sir. I know it's painful to wait, but playing with this much power (and expensive diode) I want everything perfect.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yes sir. I know it's painful to wait, but playing with this much power (and expensive diode) I want everything perfect.




I have no problem waiting a few weeks to avoid potential problems.


The C11 1 watt 405 nm build should be arriving soon, and should provide suitable entertainment.


----------



## Tmack

I'm just waiting on the host for that. 
Your diode came in at 1012mw 
Very stable. 
Love these diodes!


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> Any additional news about the driver?
> 
> *and no, TEEJ, I don't mean the Dustin Hoffman driver from "Rain Man" or "Scent of a Woman"*.









In _Rainman_ - Dustin Hoffman says "I'm an Excellent Driver", in the scene shown.

In _Scent of a Woman_, there is no Dustin Hoffman, that was Al Pacino.


----------



## Tmack

I was patiently waiting for that.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I was patiently waiting for that.



As a Driver Expert, you were certainly qualified to just jump in at ay time.....


----------



## Tmack

Oh no. Movies that extremely old, I'll let guys of your generation field the corrections.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Oh no. Movies that extremely old, I'll let guys of your generation field the corrections.



If so, then WHAT were you patiently waiting FOR?

:devil:


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> In _Rainman_ - Dustin Hoffman says "I'm an Excellent Driver", in the scene shown.
> 
> In _Scent of a Woman_, there is no Dustin Hoffman, that was Al Pacino.




Sorry, you are correct. I always get the two actors confused, and have never seen the movie Rainman.

Still, the better driver would have been Al Pacino, who plays a blind veteran in Scent of A Woman. In one of the best scenes, he is driving a Ferrari, and stopped by a Cop, who never suspects the driver is blind.


Perhaps he was a beta tester for Tmack's new 6 watt build, but forgot to wear his laser safety glasses.


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> Sorry, you are correct. I always get the two actors confused, and have never seen the movie Rainman.
> 
> Still, the better driver would have been Al Pacino, who plays a blind veteran in Scent of A Woman. In one of the best scenes, he is driving a Ferrari, and stopped by a Cop, who never suspects the driver is blind.
> 
> 
> Perhaps he was a beta tester for Tmack's new 6 watt build, *but forgot to wear his laser safety glasses.*




Perhaps. I think this was the shot before makeup fixed Pacino up for the Ferrari scene:


----------



## Tmack

Hoowaa

Pachino is overrated.


----------



## Mike Sloan

TEEJ said:


> Perhaps. I think this was the shot before makeup fixed Pacino up for the Ferrari scene:



Los Pollos Hermanos!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Earlier in this thread, you showed a Star Trek phaser replica converted to a laser host.

A few years ago, someone on eBay sold quite a few of these. When I enquired about the laser's power, it was only something like 20 mw, and I lost interest.

In my opinion, the laser in the phaser host should be at least 3 watts so that the phaser would be a REAL conversation piece. Imagine starting a campfire or frying an uninvited insect with one of those, sound effects included!

Has technology advanced enough in the past few years to permit such a novelty?


----------



## Tmack

I can put about 2w in that bad boy  
Sound effects included lol.


----------



## Tmack

Oh and the wonderful Usps had your c11 on a loop around its origin state. It should be here today, or tomorrow. I have the diode already. Just over 1w


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I can put about 2w in that bad boy
> Sound effects included lol.



I'll probably wait until you can squeeze 3 watts into it.


My neighbors are used to seeing me in my yard using my Maglite "flashlight" to fry carpenter ants, burn wasp nests, etc. 

The laser phaser might be a little much, unless you can turn off the sound effects when desired (especially at night).


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> I'll probably wait until you can squeeze 3 watts into it.
> 
> 
> My neighbors are used to seeing me in my yard using my Maglite "flashlight" to fry carpenter ants, burn wasp nests, etc.
> 
> The laser phaser might be a little much, unless you can turn off the sound effects when desired (especially at night).



Might's well wait for the 6w 445 nm.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> Might's well wait for the 6w 445 nm.



You'd probably need a much bigger host, a phaser rifle prop, for that.

Now THAT would produce some conversation.


----------



## Tmack

The phaser itself can't handle more than 2w because lack of heatsinking. Just a novelty really. Quick little bursts. And a very very expensive novelty.


----------



## Bigblue

I don't know anything about lasers. I've seen some pics of burning holes to a tape dispenser and paper cup. Can a laser actually light up wood kindling? If yes, how long will it take? It would be a cool trick to show the kids for a campfire.


----------



## BloodLust

A Han Solo Blaster would be awesome as well.


----------



## Alex1234

I remeasured my 1.7w Tmag and my custom orange 638nm with my radiant x4 this morning because it was much cooler in my room. 

I got 1745mw for my tmag and 911mw for my 638nm.  very close to your numbers !!!


----------



## Tmack

Bigblue said:


> I don't know anything about lasers. I've seen some pics of burning holes to a tape dispenser and paper cup. Can a laser actually light up wood kindling? If yes, how long will it take? It would be a cool trick to show the kids for a campfire.



Seconds. No problem.


----------



## Bigblue

Tmack said:


> Seconds. No problem.



Oh man, that's not what my wallet wants to hear...


----------



## Tmack

It'll do it from about 10ft too.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> I remeasured my 1.7w Tmag and my custom orange 638nm with my radiant x4 this morning because it was much cooler in my room.
> 
> I got 1745mw for my tmag and 911mw for my 638nm.  very close to your numbers !!!



Sounds like your meter is pretty much on point  
Very cool!


----------



## Arilou

I got my 405 nm laser from Tmack. There was a note with it saying to use one 18650 battery (instead of 2x 18350 as I had been expecting for a C11). So I bought these batteries and charger:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DHXY72O/?tag=cpf0b6-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GK7JMJ2/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I got these glasses:

http://www.dragonlasers.com/Laser-Safety-Glasses.html

Works fine, and burns stuff if focused into a narrow beam. The new focus adapters are pretty good.

One thing I noticed is that if I run it for more than a minute or two, it will start flashing on and off. I guess this is an automatic shut off to protect against overheating. Tmack has said the drivers have a thermal shut down, but it hit the limit more quickly than I expected.


----------



## SkOrPn

@Tmack, quick question man. Can a laser module from a laser printer do anything useful if removed?

Longer question with explanation:
My parents just purchased a new printer because their Dell Laser takes forever to accept pages. Their Dell Laser printer was one of them expensive models back 8 years ago or so ($800 originally), but fast printing (powerful laser module maybe?). On Monday she is planning on taking it to the dump yard, lol, although its a AIO model and everything else works fine on it, scanner, printer, copier and fax machine, etc but she is very pissed off at it. The only reason they do not want it is because it takes about 10 or more minutes for it to actually pull paper into its printing area between each printout, not because of the module needing to warm up which occurs quickly, but because it always thinks the paper is jammed, when in fact it has not (there has never been a paper jam on this thing). But once it does finally print, the actual printing is perfect laser quality.

My question is, does this thing have a laser module that I can remove and convert into anything useful maybe? Dell model MFP 1600n

I'm going to try fixing the paper jam error myself this weekend and try and sell it on craigslist (I don't have room to keep it myself), or find the laser module and see if its something that can be re-purposed into a Man Cave toy


----------



## Tmack

You can see what kind of diode it is. But the useful ones are from dvd burners and blue rays. Even those are not very powerful  

Much easier and more efficient to just buy one meant for what you want . 

The powerful lasers are extracted from things like very strong projectors. 

So you can see what type of diode it's working with. But I'd be surprised if it's anything good. Sorry my friend. 
Some of the things that use lasers, you'd never even find it because it looks nothing like a regular diode. Even in a cd rw drive they are hard to find and extract without destroying them. Trust me lol.


----------



## SkOrPn

Tmack said:


> You can see what kind of diode it is. But the useful ones are from dvd burners and blue rays. Even those are not very powerful
> 
> Much easier and more efficient to just buy one meant for what you want .
> 
> The powerful lasers are extracted from things like very strong projectors.
> 
> So you can see what type of diode it's working with. But I'd be surprised if it's anything good. Sorry my friend.
> Some of the things that use lasers, you'd never even find it because it looks nothing like a regular diode. Even in a cd rw drive they are hard to find and extract without destroying them. Trust me lol.


Oh, make no mistake about it, I definitely trust you, which is why I came here to ask first lol... I am glad you already know its not worth it because I do not want to spend any time on it if its not worth it. I will try to fix the paper jam thing and sell it because I think its still a great printer, if it wasn't for the incorrect error message. Just hope Mother does not freak out that I could have probably fixed it all along, lol...

Thank you Tmack...


----------



## Tmack

Even extraction from a cd rw or dvd burner isn't really worth it. That's super old school laser building. I can get the same diodes for about $15 with a driver ready to go  

I actually just acquired two 300mw single mode red diodes if anyone wants a very strong little red with a super clean dot.
I might throw one in my gun laser to have a red beam. 
Either that or a nice 520nm. That would be great.

The ones in cd drives give about 200mw, and that's really pushing them.


----------



## SkOrPn

Tmack said:


> I actually just acquired two 300mw single mode red diodes if anyone wants a very strong little red with a super clean dot.
> I might throw one in my gun laser to have a red beam.


How much? I want to build something for a 1" OD host, for a 25.4mm ID Weaver flashlight holder.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Did my C11 host arrive yet?

Also, how long should you run the 405 nm 1 watt diode in a C11 host?

Finally, to ask the same question as Arilou above, does the diode start blinking when thermal shutdown is reached? I have not seen this on my Tmag v2 or either of my two other C11 builds, which I assume have thermal shutdown built in as well.


----------



## Tmack

I did get your c11 today after its long ride with Usps. 

The 405 are run at 700ma. 
That should get hot around 2-3 minutes on a cold start. 
If the laser has been run, it will have some residual heat build up. So when a long run is done, let it rest the same amount of time as you run it. 

The 405 is run on a boost driver, so it may be getting hotter than the 638nm, which is 1.2a, but a buck driver. 

The thermal shutoff is a great feature that will save your lasers from over running. 

The thermal shutoff will turn the laser off when the driver gets too hot, then click it back on when the temperature is ok, then off when........... 

And remember guys, most laser builds are 60 seconds on and 60 seconds off duty cycle. 
To get the duty cycles I get, at these powers, takes lots of over building. 

I can do my best with getting rid of the heat, but sometimes, it's too much to catch up to. 

That's why the Tmags are so great. If you want super long runtime, that's the host to get.


----------



## Alex1234

Im loving my custom 638nm  imagine if it were single mode !!!


----------



## Tmack

I would kill for a set of 1w single modes. Mmmmm!


----------



## Alex1234

got my decals from innovative lasers. top notch quality  they look awesome


----------



## Tmack

Haha. I couldn't resist those dying stickers either  

So funny.


----------



## Alex1234

is my c11 host taking a long ride with usps as well


----------



## Tmack

Yours had to be built and was shipped yesterday. Should be here Monday or Tuesday along with the diodes I ordered


----------



## Alex1234

dang he must build them quick. Btw you should get my 520nm 501b on monday


----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> got my decals from innovative lasers. top notch quality  they look awesome



They DO look nice. 

I'm going to order four of them.


----------



## Tmack

I just finished your c11 star. VERY STABLE at 1010mw. 
I did a 1 minute lpm reading, and it barely dropped at all.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I just finished your c11 star. VERY STABLE at 1010mw.
> I did a 1 minute lpm reading, and it barely dropped at all.



Excellent!

I just ordered four official laser decals from innovative lasers, since I know the wavelength and powers of my four Tmack builds. The fact that the decals show the laser color based on the wavelength is a great plus. 

Out of weakness, I almost ordered their "This is a Class V laser that can destroy planets" decal. However, lets get real here; they'd need to be at least Class M (1000 in Roman Numerals) for planet destruction.

The Class IV's can destroy little plastic planets less than an inch wide, but that doesn't count.


----------



## Tmack

Haha. 
Yeah I need to order a few more decals. Make sure to order spares, because the printing will scratch off. Actually we might be able to paint over with clear nail polish to preserve the finish.


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> The 405 are run at 700ma.
> That should get hot around 2-3 minutes on a cold start.
> If the laser has been run, it will have some residual heat build up. So when a long run is done, let it rest the same amount of time as you run it.
> 
> The 405 is run on a boost driver, so it may be getting hotter than the 638nm, which is 1.2a, but a buck driver.
> 
> The thermal shutoff is a great feature that will save your lasers from over running.
> 
> The thermal shutoff will turn the laser off when the driver gets too hot, then click it back on when the temperature is ok, then off when...........
> 
> And remember guys, most laser builds are 60 seconds on and 60 seconds off duty cycle.
> To get the duty cycles I get, at these powers, takes lots of over building.



So the driver is a buck-boost converter. I was wondering about that, considering how small those drivers are. I would have expected the inductor to be bigger for that amount of current. How tolerant are the drivers to input voltage? Is it safe to use either 1x18650 or 2x18350? Or do I need to be careful which batteries go in which laser?

From a cold start, after having been off for several hours, the 405nm C11 laser will reach thermal shutoff in 80-90 seconds. That's a bit less runtime than I was expecting, so I'm wondering if maybe something can be done to improve the heat dissipation?


----------



## Tmack

The only build that can tolerate both battery configuration is the 638nm build, and even then it's not recommended because the extra voltage just builds heat faster. 
Boost drivers like the 405nm cannot take 2 cells. Please be careful when installing. That's why I included those rubber bands. To identify the lasers  

If you like I can add some more heatsinking to the driver.
It's an extremely tight fit, but I'm sure I can get something in there


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The only build that can tolerate both battery configuration is the 638nm build, and even then it's not recommended because the extra voltage just builds heat faster.
> Boost drivers like the 405nm cannot take 2 cells. Please be careful when installing. That's why I included those rubber bands. To identify the lasers
> 
> If you like I can add some more heatsinking to the driver.
> It's an extremely tight fit, but I'm sure I can get something in there



Tmack,

I thought that the c11 host had very good heat sinking, not at the level of a Tmag but among the best for a mid-sized host.

Are there other mid-sized hosts that have much better heat sinking than the c11?

I am happy with the form factor of the c11, but was just wondering if there was something in between the c11 and a Tmag, without requiring the size of a Tmag. Perhaps that custom copper host?


----------



## Tmack

Yes it does. In this particular build it's that boost driver that's heating up. So no fault of the host really. 

I've been thinking about how we come from different backgrounds. 
What I mean is, over at Lpf, it's not uncommon for a small host to have a 30 second duty cycle and be acceptable, and a midsized host to be a min. 
If you look at most companies, there's will be 60 seconds on 60 seconds off. So my laser roots keep me from running my lasers long even if they can handle it. After about a min, I subconsciously start wanting to turn off the laser lol. I also want my lasers to live long. 
I'm just getting used to being g able to run the high powered flashlights for a long time. My instincts stoll tell me to give them a break. 

You guys are coming from flashlights to lasers. Your used to running for 20 min, so 5 minutes seems short to you. 3 minutes is ages to run a laser, believe me. 

I watched a video of a guy that built his first 2w am laser after building flashlights for years. 
He turned it on, and started explaining things while the laser was on. By the time he turned around (2:47 on the video) the laser was dead  
He, like you guys, was used to running flashlights, so a few minutes seemed like nothing to him. If that were me, MY SOUL WOULD BE SCREAMING AT ME AT 2 MIN " TURN IT OFF!!!" HAHA. I never hit the thermal shutoff on my lasers. Ever.  Even if I know they are able to handle long runs. I use lasers daily, and never really had the need to do a run longer than 2 min. I usually just hit about 20-30 seconds, that way I don't need a "rest" cycle. I just use it in bursts. It's not like I'm illuminating my path, or burning the alphabet in one go, so I never understood the reason to run too too long. I completely understand wanting a big heatsink, but I like a big heatsink even though I don't run mine long, because it ensures the diode is comfortable and not being stressed. But that's just me. I build your lasers to try to get you the longest runtime I can. Sometimes it's just a tall order. And even though people want a smaller host, they still want 5 minutes runtime  don't we all! Haha. 


I have improved the usual companies time considerably in most of my builds. The 405nm is just a bit different. Like I said I can try to improve it further, but I have very little room left. The boost driver is what's making it run hotter. 
I wish I could run buck driver for everything, but some of these diodes would need 3 cells, so a boost driver is a must. 
As you've probably noticed, the M140 1.7w, and 9mm 3w will hit thermal shutoff later even though they are asking more current, because their driver is not having to boost the voltage. 

The maglite are the max runtime hosts. The 8 min run Alex did is unheard-of in the laser game without active cooling. 
Getting the c11, that's the price to be paid for the smaller size. 
Hosts that would be considered in the middle would be the cypreus, zaser, stacker and some of the 2x18650 style hosts. 

Sorry about the book, but just wanted to explain a little bit about how much of a challenge it can be to get the runtimes that people would like, but want a certain size host. If you compare my runtimes, to other builds, many times I would come out ahead because of the way I assemble my builds. But if there's no space there's no space. 

These 1w 405nm are brand new diodes, along with the oclaro 638nm 700mw, and 520nm b1. So I can give a rough estimate of runtime, but I can be exact every time. 
The 520nm looks to be about 3-4 min. 
The 638nm, I'd say 2-3 
And with some driver heatsinking, I may be able to get 2-3 out of the 405nm. 
Arilou = if you like , I'll try to get that heatsink in no charge. 
Star and Alex= I'll put one in yours as well.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yes it does. In this particular build it's that boost driver that's heating up. So no fault of the host really.
> 
> I've been thinking about how we come from different backgrounds.
> What I mean is, over at Lpf, it's not uncommon for a small host to have a 30 second duty cycle and be acceptable, and a midsized host to be a min.
> If you look at most companies, there's will be 60 seconds on 60 seconds off. So my laser roots keep me from running my lasers long even if they can handle it. After about a min, I subconsciously start wanting to turn off the laser lol. I also want my lasers to live long.
> I'm just getting used to being g able to run the high powered flashlights for a long time. My instincts stoll tell me to give them a break.
> 
> You guys are coming from flashlights to lasers. Your used to running for 20 min, so 5 minutes seems short to you. 3 minutes is ages to run a laser, believe me.
> 
> I watched a video of a guy that built his first 2w am laser after building flashlights for years.
> He turned it on, and started explaining things while the laser was on. By the time he turned around (2:47 on the video) the laser was dead
> He, like you guys, was used to running flashlights, so a few minutes seemed like nothing to him. If that were me, MY SOUL WOULD BE SCREAMING AT ME AT 2 MIN " TURN IT OFF!!!" HAHA. I never hit the thermal shutoff on my lasers. Ever.  Even if I know they are able to handle long runs. I use lasers daily, and never really had the need to do a run longer than 2 min. I usually just hit about 20-30 seconds, that way I don't need a "rest" cycle. I just use it in bursts. It's not like I'm illuminating my path, or burning the alphabet in one go, so I never understood the reason to run too too long. I completely understand wanting a big heatsink, but I like a big heatsink even though I don't run mine long, because it ensures the diode is comfortable and not being stressed. But that's just me. I build your lasers to try to get you the longest runtime I can. Sometimes it's just a tall order. And even though people want a smaller host, they still want 5 minutes runtime  don't we all! Haha.
> 
> 
> I have improved the usual companies time considerably in most of my builds. The 405nm is just a bit different. Like I said I can try to improve it further, but I have very little room left. The boost driver is what's making it run hotter.
> I wish I could run buck driver for everything, but some of these diodes would need 3 cells, so a boost driver is a must.
> As you've probably noticed, the M140 1.7w, and 9mm 3w will hit thermal shutoff later even though they are asking more current, because their driver is not having to boost the voltage.
> 
> The maglite are the max runtime hosts. The 8 min run Alex did is unheard-of in the laser game without active cooling.
> Getting the c11, that's the price to be paid for the smaller size.
> Hosts that would be considered in the middle would be the cypreus, zaser, stacker and some of the 2x18650 style hosts.
> 
> Sorry about the book, but just wanted to explain a little bit about how much of a challenge it can be to get the runtimes that people would like, but want a certain size host. If you compare my runtimes, to other builds, many times I would come out ahead because of the way I assemble my builds. But if there's no space there's no space.
> 
> These 1w 405nm are brand new diodes, along with the oclaro 638nm 700mw, and 520nm b1. So I can give a rough estimate of runtime, but I can be exact every time.
> The 520nm looks to be about 3-4 min.
> The 638nm, I'd say 2-3
> And with some driver heatsinking, I may be able to get 2-3 out of the 405nm.
> Arilou = if you like , I'll try to get that heatsink in no charge.
> Star and Alex= I'll put one in yours as well.




Tmack,

Thank-you for the explanation, and for the additional heat sinking. 

Sometime, when using these lasers, one loses track of time, so the extra overhead will be greatly appreciated. I don't look at the second hand on my watch when using the lasers, but I suspect I've never hit 2 minutes of continuous running. I use them in bursts.

The 405 nm sounds so good that one could easily lose track of time.


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> Thank-you for the explanation, and for the additional heat sinking.
> 
> Sometime, when using these lasers, one loses track of time, so the extra overhead will be greatly appreciated. I don't look at the second hand on my watch when using the lasers, but I suspect I've never hit 2 minutes of continuous running. I use them in bursts.
> 
> The 405 nm sounds so good that one could easily lose track of time.



I was showing my brother the 445 nm last night (He's sort of a flashaholic as well...) and we were BBQ-ing hot dogs, and one hit the ground, and, some large black ants started over to check it out. We were getting pretty into it, we had the hot dog as sort of "Blackhawk Down" and the ants attacking it and trying to overrun it, while we tried to defend the oncoming swarms with laser fire. Let me tell you, seeing black ants on a black pavement driveway against a bright blue grain of rice aim-point, took a lot of concentration, not to mention leading them and trying to guess which way they'd go when first hit, etc. 


I think maybe 2-3 minutes into frying the ants with the 445, I suddenly remembered that runtime was important, and hit the off button. I felt the ms envy, but it wasn't really hot, maybe a little warm.....but I also remembered that they simply don't need to get as hot as flashlights to do damage, so, I decided to allow the ants to have the hot dog....discretion being the better part of valor.

And, just like the downed helicopter, the hot dog was finally over run, and the beasts started to tear off chuncks and carry them off to their lairs, etc.


----------



## Alex1234

Thanks i like extra heatsinking  



Tmack said:


> Yes it does. In this particular build it's that boost driver that's heating up. So no fault of the host really.
> 
> I've been thinking about how we come from different backgrounds.
> What I mean is, over at Lpf, it's not uncommon for a small host to have a 30 second duty cycle and be acceptable, and a midsized host to be a min.
> If you look at most companies, there's will be 60 seconds on 60 seconds off. So my laser roots keep me from running my lasers long even if they can handle it. After about a min, I subconsciously start wanting to turn off the laser lol. I also want my lasers to live long.
> I'm just getting used to being g able to run the high powered flashlights for a long time. My instincts stoll tell me to give them a break.
> 
> You guys are coming from flashlights to lasers. Your used to running for 20 min, so 5 minutes seems short to you. 3 minutes is ages to run a laser, believe me.
> 
> I watched a video of a guy that built his first 2w am laser after building flashlights for years.
> He turned it on, and started explaining things while the laser was on. By the time he turned around (2:47 on the video) the laser was dead
> He, like you guys, was used to running flashlights, so a few minutes seemed like nothing to him. If that were me, MY SOUL WOULD BE SCREAMING AT ME AT 2 MIN " TURN IT OFF!!!" HAHA. I never hit the thermal shutoff on my lasers. Ever.  Even if I know they are able to handle long runs. I use lasers daily, and never really had the need to do a run longer than 2 min. I usually just hit about 20-30 seconds, that way I don't need a "rest" cycle. I just use it in bursts. It's not like I'm illuminating my path, or burning the alphabet in one go, so I never understood the reason to run too too long. I completely understand wanting a big heatsink, but I like a big heatsink even though I don't run mine long, because it ensures the diode is comfortable and not being stressed. But that's just me. I build your lasers to try to get you the longest runtime I can. Sometimes it's just a tall order. And even though people want a smaller host, they still want 5 minutes runtime  don't we all! Haha.
> 
> 
> I have improved the usual companies time considerably in most of my builds. The 405nm is just a bit different. Like I said I can try to improve it further, but I have very little room left. The boost driver is what's making it run hotter.
> I wish I could run buck driver for everything, but some of these diodes would need 3 cells, so a boost driver is a must.
> As you've probably noticed, the M140 1.7w, and 9mm 3w will hit thermal shutoff later even though they are asking more current, because their driver is not having to boost the voltage.
> 
> The maglite are the max runtime hosts. The 8 min run Alex did is unheard-of in the laser game without active cooling.
> Getting the c11, that's the price to be paid for the smaller size.
> Hosts that would be considered in the middle would be the cypreus, zaser, stacker and some of the 2x18650 style hosts.
> 
> Sorry about the book, but just wanted to explain a little bit about how much of a challenge it can be to get the runtimes that people would like, but want a certain size host. If you compare my runtimes, to other builds, many times I would come out ahead because of the way I assemble my builds. But if there's no space there's no space.
> 
> These 1w 405nm are brand new diodes, along with the oclaro 638nm 700mw, and 520nm b1. So I can give a rough estimate of runtime, but I can be exact every time.
> The 520nm looks to be about 3-4 min.
> The 638nm, I'd say 2-3
> And with some driver heatsinking, I may be able to get 2-3 out of the 405nm.
> Arilou = if you like , I'll try to get that heatsink in no charge.
> Star and Alex= I'll put one in yours as well.


----------



## Alex1234

i took lpm measurements of all my lasers as best i could and im happy with the results. 
















*m140 Tmag..................683nm custom..............scifi lasers 532nm..........Ebay overfeel 532nm...ebay overfeel 532nm(pic below is this)*


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> I watched a video of a guy that built his first 2w am laser after building flashlights for years.
> He turned it on, and started explaining things while the laser was on. By the time he turned around (2:47 on the video) the laser was dead
> He, like you guys, was used to running flashlights, so a few minutes seemed like nothing to him. If that were me, MY SOUL WOULD BE SCREAMING AT ME AT 2 MIN " TURN IT OFF!!!" HAHA. I never hit the thermal shutoff on my lasers. Ever.  Even if I know they are able to handle long runs. I use lasers daily, and never really had the need to do a run longer than 2 min. I usually just hit about 20-30 seconds, that way I don't need a "rest" cycle. I just use it in bursts. It's not like I'm illuminating my path, or burning the alphabet in one go, so I never understood the reason to run too too long. I completely understand wanting a big heatsink, but I like a big heatsink even though I don't run mine long, because it ensures the diode is comfortable and not being stressed. But that's just me. I build your lasers to try to get you the longest runtime I can. Sometimes it's just a tall order. And even though people want a smaller host, they still want 5 minutes runtime  don't we all! Haha.



Yeah, I unfocused the beam and was shining it around the room, looking at all the pretty fluorescent colors from the 405nm. It hit the thermal shutoff in less than 2 minutes. I am good at breaking things, I guess.

It didn't even feel warm, so maybe with better thermal conduction it could run longer.



Tmack said:


> I have improved the usual companies time considerably in most of my builds. The 405nm is just a bit different. Like I said I can try to improve it further, but I have very little room left. The boost driver is what's making it run hotter.
> I wish I could run buck driver for everything, but some of these diodes would need 3 cells, so a boost driver is a must.
> As you've probably noticed, the M140 1.7w, and 9mm 3w will hit thermal shutoff later even though they are asking more current, because their driver is not having to boost the voltage.



So you're using a step-up from 3.6V instead of a step-down from 7.2V. Just how much voltage is going in to the 405nm diode? It's not really clear to me why this would be getting much hotter than the 445.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> I was showing my brother the 445 nm last night (He's sort of a flashaholic as well...) and we were BBQ-ing hot dogs, and one hit the ground, and, some large black ants started over to check it out. We were getting pretty into it, we had the hot dog as sort of "Blackhawk Down" and the ants attacking it and trying to overrun it, while we tried to defend the oncoming swarms with laser fire. Let me tell you, seeing black ants on a black pavement driveway against a bright blue grain of rice aim-point, took a lot of concentration, not to mention leading them and trying to guess which way they'd go when first hit, etc.
> 
> 
> I think maybe 2-3 minutes into frying the ants with the 445, I suddenly remembered that runtime was important, and hit the off button. I felt the ms envy, but it wasn't really hot, maybe a little warm.....but I also remembered that they simply don't need to get as hot as flashlights to do damage, so, I decided to allow the ants to have the hot dog....discretion being the better part of valor.
> 
> And, just like the downed helicopter, the hot dog was finally over run, and the beasts started to tear off chuncks and carry them off to their lairs, etc.



TEEJ,

If you had a second 3 watt Tmack build, you could have defended the hot dog with the second one while the first laser was cooling off.

Alternatively, with the future 6 watt build, you could have defocused the beam to a 1/4 - 1/2 square inch or so, and still fried the ants. Targeting would be easier than using the beam focused to a point, since coverage would be greater.

Peace through superior laserpower.


----------



## TEEJ

star_c_star said:


> TEEJ,
> 
> If you had a second 3 watt Tmack build, you could have defended the hot dog with the second one while the first laser was cooling off.
> 
> Alternatively, with the future 6 watt build, you could have defocused the beam to a 1/4 - 1/2 square inch or so, and still fried the ants. Targeting would be easier than using the beam focused to a point, since coverage would be greater.
> 
> Peace through superior laserpower.



LOL


I do believe you're right.



I could also get a dozen of them, and put them together to make a Gatling laser.


----------



## Tmack

Arilou said:


> Yeah, I unfocused the beam and was shining it around the room, looking at all the pretty fluorescent colors from the 405nm. It hit the thermal shutoff in less than 2 minutes. I am good at breaking things, I guess.
> 
> It didn't even feel warm, so maybe with better thermal conduction it could run longer.
> 
> 
> 
> So you're using a step-up from 3.6V instead of a step-down from 7.2V. Just how much voltage is going in to the 405nm diode? It's not really clear to me why this would be getting much hotter than the 445.



I actually tried to run the new 405nm with a buck driver. (more efficient, not working as hard= cooler) twice resulted in two dead 405nm. For whatever reason, the buck driver was immediately rendering the diodes LED. I contacted my diode guy, and he said the same had happened to him. 

The 520nm b1 cannot use a buck driver because they would require 3 cells, so a boost driver must be used, and worked pretty hard to achieve the proper voltage. 

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure why the 405nm diode can't handle a buck driver. It's voltage requirements are not as high as the 520nm b1.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I actually tried to run the new 405nm with a buck driver. (more efficient, not working as hard= cooler) twice resulted in two dead 405nm. For whatever reason, the buck driver was immediately rendering the diodes LED. I contacted my diode guy, and he said the same had happened to him.
> 
> The 520nm b1 cannot use a buck driver because they would require 3 cells, so a boost driver must be used, and worked pretty hard to achieve the proper voltage.
> 
> To tell you the truth, I'm not sure why the 405nm diode can't handle a buck driver. It's voltage requirements are not as high as the 520nm b1.



Is it the amps it can't handle?


----------



## Tmack

No they were both preset at the exact same current. 

My diode guy does this for a living, and he couldn't give me an answer either. :/ 

The 405nm are funny. Times where other diodes would die, they turn into a violet led. 
Thus named LED'ING a diode . 
They are also the only diode to give no warning of its death when ramping up the power supply to find optimum current. 
All the other diodes efficiency curve will show you when the diode is getting close to dying. The 405nm will steadily increase in very uniform increments, then abruptly die. 

It's a very special diode, because if it's super high power, and it still being a single mode, but it's "special" in other ways as well. The second "special" not being so pleasing. 

But the reason the boost drivers are heating up faster than a buck at higher current, is because they are working harder to get you the required power. 

I'm sorry I can't get super technical, and break down every component, but I source my drivers from one if the best guys in the business. 
Building drivers is this guy's specialty. 
He's created 

X drive 
X boost 
V6 buck driver 
Super x boost. (can run 3a driver off 1 cell) 
Amount many other drivers that the entire Lpf community uses, and are very fond of


----------



## TEEJ

On an unrelated note (To the buck issue), I read this:

http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/de...r-interference-seminar-university-cologne.pdf


Its essentially a break down of aircraft/laser safety issues, and, a conclusion that moves to ban any pointers over 1 mw. Its from 2011, so, it might not have been acted upon, etc, but, it does contain a lot of what seem to be useful mathematical models for beam performance.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

We really appreciate the addition of additional heatsinking to our c11 405 nm builds.

However, as is the case with all kids awaiting new toys, we probably would like to know how long the delay will be.


----------



## Tmack

Yours should ship Wednesday. I'm applying the thermal adhesive today, I'll resolder tomorrow, and ship Wednesday. 

Fast as the glue will let me


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yours should ship Wednesday. I'm applying the thermal adhesive today, I'll resolder tomorrow, and ship Wednesday.
> 
> Fast as the glue will let me




No rush, quality takes time.


----------



## Alex1234

Im eager to know what got dammaged on my 520nm 501b. I hope its not the diode


----------



## Tmack

I'm almost positive it's the driver. It usually takes the brunt of the polarity reversal. 
That's another of the drivers failsafe. It'll fail first to protect the diode. ........ We hope!


----------



## Alex1234

Can you check the tailcap and try to clean the lens a bit. Im not sure of the flickering was because of the damaged driver or the tailcap ?

Thanks again. Man im happy its not the diode.


----------



## Tmack

Oh I'm just speculating atm. I'm literally just walking in the door now. 
Sorry, been at my in-laws all day.


----------



## Tmack

That's why I said almost positive. 

Looking just at the flickering. I tightened the bezel and it stopped. I'm shaking it very fast and now it won't flicker at all. 

What kind of cell were you using? Flat tops may be a bit too short.


----------



## Tmack

I'm shaking as hard as I can now. Nothing. The heatsink doesn't thread in. It's held in place by the bezel. So make sure the bezel is tight.


----------



## Alex1234

Oh ok lol i hope your right. I cant wait to make some rgbv beamshots


----------



## Alex1234

Thats good. I thought it did thread in lol ops. I dident realize i could turn the bezel. Im using flat top ncr18650b and pd batteries. I should prolly get some protected batteries as they will be longer Im curious to know what your lpm reads. You said mine did 202 mw after it was built


----------



## Tmack

The diode was definitely damaged but not to the point of death. My lpm reads 125mw stable. 
I put it on a power supply to make sure the driver wasn't the problem. 
When multimode diodes are damaged, they produce less lines that make up the rectangle. I think the reversal made a few lines (or dozen lines) stop producing light, of course dropping the power. 
It'll run this way fine, but it still Sucks that it's not what it was. 
I had built yours and another 520nm at the same time and I remember yours was brighter than it is now.  

I'm very sorry to have to tell you this.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> The diode was definitely damaged but not to the point of death. My lpm reads 125mw stable.
> I put it on a power supply to make sure the driver wasn't the problem.
> When multimode diodes are damaged, they produce less lines that make up the rectangle. I think the reversal made a few lines (or dozen lines) stop producing light, of course dropping the power.
> It'll run this way fine, but it still Sucks that it's not what it was.
> I had built yours and another 520nm at the same time and I remember yours was brighter than it is now.
> 
> I'm very sorry to have to tell you this.



Can you replace the diode ? I will pay for it


----------



## Tmack

No problem my friend. I'll Pm the price in just a min.


----------



## Alex1234

Ok thanks. I only saw it at the full power for maybe 3 seconds before i took out the battery to put in the one i acutally wanted it there as thats when i put it in wrong. Its my favorite color and its a very good low divergince diode so replacing the diode is a must


----------



## Tmack

I totally understand. I did the same thing to my first 445nm. I had to get a new one. 

It just Sucks it's the most expensive thing on the device  
Drivers are like $20


----------



## chopper5

Tmack said:


> No problem my friend. I'll Pm the price in just a min.


Hello teak, first time here and I scrolled through many pages reading your forum. New to lasers but seeing what you do is making me very excited. Do you ha en a price list for your lasers? I would look into spending approx £100. I'm so envious of your knowledge too.

Regards
Chopper


----------



## Tmack

Well thank you very much  

Welcome to the party first of all. 
Always a pleasure to meet a new enthusiasts. 

Please email me at [email protected] 
And we can discuss everything. You probably can't private message yet. 

I'm sure we can find something to fit your needs/wants. 

Where are you located?


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

For the future Tmag Super 6 watt build, you can choose an option with 2 26650's, or an option with 2 32650's.

I just saw that you have adapters to "upsize" 26650's to 32650 size. Where did you get them?

If that works, I can choose the build for 32650's, and use either battery type.


----------



## chopper5

Tmack said:


> Well thank you very much
> 
> Welcome to the party first of all.
> Always a pleasure to meet a new enthusiasts.
> 
> Please email me at [email protected]
> And we can discuss everything. You probably can't private message yet.
> 
> I'm sure we can find something to fit your needs/wants.
> 
> Where are you located?




Thanks for for getting back Tmack.firstly I am very happy with how polite and friendly you are. I have. Emailed you so thanks again for your reply. Can't wait to get my laser from you providing we can come to an agreement

regards
chopper


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> I actually tried to run the new 405nm with a buck driver. (more efficient, not working as hard= cooler) twice resulted in two dead 405nm. For whatever reason, the buck driver was immediately rendering the diodes LED. I contacted my diode guy, and he said the same had happened to him.
> 
> The 520nm b1 cannot use a buck driver because they would require 3 cells, so a boost driver must be used, and worked pretty hard to achieve the proper voltage.
> 
> To tell you the truth, I'm not sure why the 405nm diode can't handle a buck driver. It's voltage requirements are not as high as the 520nm b1.



Probably unstable voltage output. If you have an oscilloscope, you could check. Adding a capacitor might solve the problem.

Of course, that capacitor isn't there because you're trying to fit the driver into such a tiny space. I think maybe the small size isn't a good tradeoff. If you had a smarter driver, you could get away with a smaller heatsink, and possibly build in protections against the wrong voltage or reverse polarity.

I don't know what voltage those diodes actually need, but the minimum voltage to produce a photon is inversely related to the wavelength.

405 nm = 3.06 V
445 nm = 2.79 V
520 nm = 2.38 V

That's the theoretical minimum, a real diode of course is not 100% efficient.



Tmack said:


> The 405nm are funny. Times where other diodes would die, they turn into a violet led.
> Thus named LED'ING a diode .
> They are also the only diode to give no warning of its death when ramping up the power supply to find optimum current.
> All the other diodes efficiency curve will show you when the diode is getting close to dying. The 405nm will steadily increase in very uniform increments, then abruptly die.



That's not particularly surprising as a failure mode. An LED and a laser function similarly except that in an LED the electrons and holes recombine spontaneously, instead of the stimulated emission of a laser. Presumably overheating the diode created some defect allowing for more spontaneous emission.


----------



## Alex1234

not even a cold start


----------



## TEEJ

chopper5 said:


> Thanks for for getting back Tmack.firstly I am very happy with how polite and friendly you are. I have. Emailed you so thanks again for your reply. Can't wait to get my laser from you providing we can come to an agreement
> 
> regards
> chopper



Tmack is a real pleasure to work with. A real stand up guy.

BTW - Your screen name is Chopper5, and, I hope you will not even THINK about shining a laser at a chopper/aircraft....that's verboten.


----------



## Tmack

Thank you teej. 
Means a lot from a member of your caliber. 

I've made some great people here, I wouldn't ever call online friends. They are friends, and have proven so time and time again.


----------



## chopper5

TEEJ said:


> Tmack is a real pleasure to work with. A real stand up guy.
> 
> BTW - Your screen name is Chopper5, and, I hope you will not even THINK about shining a laser at a chopper/aircraft....that's verboten.




Thanks TEEJ, no I would definitely not do that. Why on earth anybody would do that I will never know. It's just a nickname from school. Couldn't be happier with the service from TMACK. I half expected a reply like 'check the forums before being lazy you douche bag' but he was the complete opposite and very friendly and helpful. I need a laser but picking the correct one is difficult. As most people I want a good one but don't want to break the bank. Can't have everything I suppose.


----------



## chopper5

Need somebody our help choosing a laser ideally for burning. I am deciding between a blue mag at 250 and c11 at 200. If any of you guys out there could give me help in deciding regarding power, strength and any other information then this would he greatly appreciated.

thanks
chopper


ps don't tell my girlfriend


----------



## Alex1234

If you want long duty cycle get the mag. I love mine. That graph above is a 4 minute test. Notice almost no drop in output


----------



## Tmack

And the mags are just built like tanks. Very solid construction. 
Absolutely my recommendation


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> not even a cold start



This is very very nice readout. 
Do you mind if I use it?


----------



## chopper5

Thanks Alex 1234, yeah Tmack said you had good results from yours, I think you've sold it to me. Mag it is. I cannot wait for it.


----------



## Tmack

Comes in blue, red, purple, black for the body.


----------



## TEEJ

chopper5 said:


> Need somebody our help choosing a laser ideally for burning. I am deciding between a blue mag at 250 and c11 at 200. If any of you guys out there could give me help in deciding regarding power, strength and any other information then this would he greatly appreciated.
> 
> thanks
> chopper
> 
> 
> ps don't tell my girlfriend





LOL

Here's the secret....if you have a new light, and she wants to know how much it costs, its not your's, its (Fill in one of our names)....and you're doing "testing" on it.





The 445 nm is a beautiful beam that burns like crazy. The Tmag as a host pretty much allows the longest run times you can get.


I went a bit smaller with an MS Envy host (See page one of OP) as I use it for work and a mag is a bit large for my pant pocket, etc. But the maximum burning for the buck performance is the full sized Tmag host with the 445 nm....as you can GET a 3 watt 445 nm w/o breaking the bank compared to even a 2 watt of other wavelengths, so there's simply more total energy TO burn with.


----------



## Alex1234

Also due to the design even if you put in the batteries in wrong because the possitive contact is ressesed in the center the flat neg side will not make contact. Think if it as a kinda of reverse polarity protection. Of couse dont try lol. Also you can use a magnet to act as a button on the positive side of rhe battery if you only have flat top cells. Only button top work. Dont even need to worry about the magnet sliding and touching the side wall and causing a short becauee the 26650 plastic sleve will prevent that. So there are a lot of fail safes in the mag but as tmack told me dont get to comfortable with it.


----------



## Tmack

Seeing that almost everyone is using magnets, I'll include one with your laser.


----------



## Tmack

And thank you fellas. 

When a customer hears other customers talk about the benefits and short comings, it means much more than coming from the "salesman" so to speak. 

I'm an honest guy, but a new customer might not know that yet.


----------



## chopper5

Yes you're right, it's ok as the salesman (in this case Tmack is more than this ) saying buy this product it is the best but when you can easily read the positive feedback from Alex and TEEJ it almost makes the decision for you. I've only been on this forum for a day and feel like it has been much longer. What batteries should I go for?? Where should I get them? Price ideas???

TEEJ when you mention about a 3w without breaking the bank what do you mean. The one I would be getting would be 1.7w. Do you mean in the future if I wish to increase the power?


----------



## TEEJ

chopper5 said:


> Yes you're right, it's ok as the salesman (in this case Tmack is more than this ) saying buy this product it is the best but when you can easily read the positive feedback from Alex and TEEJ it almost makes the decision for you. I've only been on this forum for a day and feel like it has been much longer. What batteries should I go for?? Where should I get them? Price ideas???
> 
> TEEJ when you mention about a 3w without breaking the bank what do you mean. The one I would be getting would be 1.7w. Do you mean in the future if I wish to increase the power?



i meant what (Laser) I did...and that a 3 w 445 nm laser will out burn about anything else for the money. If you get a 1.7 w, it would not be a 445 nm I would guess....if going into a Tmag host. A 1.7 watt laser that burned well might be a different wavelength, or, in a smaller host.


I don't remember seeing anywhere what you (Or that you) had selected a particular laser combination yet?


----------



## Tmack

You will need button top 26650 's (x2) I like king Kong, but to be honest, I have no idea about where overseas. 
Possibly fast tech? I'm almost positive they carry them. They are $8 a pop at mtnelectronics in the United States. 

And teej meant that the 445nm can be had in the highest powers possible, and not cost a crazy amount. 

A 1w violet is much more expensive than 1w blue (445nm) 
So your getting the most power for your money when you choose blue.  

And I can also do a diode and driver swap if you ever do want more powa!!


----------



## Tmack

No its a 1.7W Tmag. 
Just like Alex has. 445nm =blue 

Just a different SIZE diode than a 3w. Same wavelength. 

Slightly more violet. But still blue


----------



## chopper5

Thankful for all the help guys. I've emailed them companies thanks Tmack. One last thing, do you recommend protected over unprotected and is it wise to get these rechargeable ?


----------



## Tmack

Rechargeable is the only way they come  

Nitecore i2 is a cheap good charger. 
King Kong 26650 

Unprotected button tops.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> This is very very nice readout.
> Do you mind if I use it?



of course you can but keep in mind this test was less then ideal. i had run the laser for about 2 minutes before it plus it was 85 degrees in my house. even so the power barley dropped


----------



## Tmack

Well even so, it doesn't get much better than that. 

Email that to some companies haha. 








Hard at work for you guys. 
 

Like my cool new testing heatsinks. I can really get some stable readings, and get a temp reading on the drivers before and after heatsinking.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Well even so, it doesn't get much better than that.
> 
> Email that to some companies haha.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hard at work for you guys.
> 
> 
> Like my cool new testing heatsinks. I can really get some stable readings, and get a temp reading on the drivers before and after heatsinking.



wow nice set up what diodes you got there ?


----------



## Tmack

Some older 500mw 405nm. 

Cool diodes for a pocket burner. Very small possibilities haha.


----------



## Alex1234

Well it does not get much better then this  I had all lasers tested on a cold start. i know the fasttech laser loses power quick but what do you want from a 1 AAA green laser lol. 30mw is not bad


----------



## Tmack

Do you see what mean about the response time now. If you follow your graph backwards, you can estimate the true peak at 1 second. 
Man that Tmag is so stable. 
Wait till you see the 405nm. 
It'll be damn near level. 
At 20 seconds, I actually got an increase in power lol.


----------



## Alex1234

yes the response time can be annoying but its only bad for lasers with short duty cycles. your lasers dont have this issue:devil:


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Ahhhthank you! 

The 638nm probably would be higher, even the Tmag. But it's not effecting your reading much at all. 

My meter was pretty expensive. Yours is perfect for checking your personal lasers. 

Mine needs to be as good as possible.


----------



## Alex1234

did you receive my 405 diode yet? btw my pp account should be fixed tomorrow


----------



## Tmack

It ships tomorrow buddy. 

1003mw 

The heatsinking came out beautifully.


----------



## Alex1234

Yay !!!  im about to post a graph of two different overfeel ebay lasers i think you will be impressed at the stability and power


----------



## Alex1234




----------



## chopper5

Some great results here Alex and tmack. You guys are certainly clued up on these. One last thing before I confirm the tmag, are there any types of safety glasses that you would recommend ? 

Cheers guys


----------



## Alex1234

http://www.survivallaser.com/Eagle_Pair_190540nm_Standard_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p556088_2780808.aspx 

Id go with these. The standard ones they have ones that look like sunglasses it you want more style but yhey also cost more


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

First, I look forward to receiving my c11 405 nm build, today or tomorrow. Did the additional heatsinking make much difference in your testing?

Second, any further news on the 5-6 watt 445 nm build?


----------



## Tmack

Star. Yours will be going out today as well. I'm very sorry for the delay, but I had to pick up some materials I unexpectedly needed. 

You guys are going to love the additional heatsinking. I was doing readings all last night. At 20-30 seconds, the power was not only stable, it was increasing!!! 
That's so awesome! 

Instead of just adding a heatsink, I completely desoldered the entire build, and relocated the driver completely. 
Originally in small builds, the driver is directly on the diode pins. Well I removed some materials to make space, and mounted the driver away from the diode, on its own platform. It's thermally bonded to its new home, that will act like a substantial heatsink. 
So these are now being built similar to a Tmag, just in half the package. 

Star, you will be happy I held on to it for the extra day. But again I apologize for any inconvenience with the delay. I'm usually faster. 

I'm looking forward to Alex1234 readouts of this one. The graph may go up! For a good time before dropping if it drops at all in a few minutes. 

So we are going to call these c11 v2. 
In the future, I will have to charge a bit more for the v2 because it's alot of extra work, extra materials, and I need to keep the laser for an extra two days to let the adhesive cure, but man, I think it's more than worth it. 

I need to update post 1 with all my options. 
But I don't want to get in trouble for a sales thread. 
So please ask all money questions via Pm. 

Thanks guys. 

And your going to love these 405nm. They are not bright, but man, they are special diodes . 
Really interesting to play with. And a 1w single mode is a must have in any collection.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Star. Yours will be going out today as well. I'm very sorry for the delay, but I had to pick up some materials I unexpectedly needed.
> 
> You guys are going to love the additional heatsinking. I was doing readings all last night. At 20-30 seconds, the power was not only stable, it was increasing!!!
> That's so awesome!
> 
> Instead of just adding a heatsink, I completely desoldered the entire build, and relocated the driver completely.
> Originally in small builds, the driver is directly on the diode pins. Well I removed some materials to make space, and mounted the driver away from the diode, on its own platform. It's thermally bonded to its new home, that will act like a substantial heatsink.
> So these are now being built similar to a Tmag, just in half the package.
> 
> Star, you will be happy I held on to it for the extra day. But again I apologize for any inconvenience with the delay. I'm usually faster.
> 
> I'm looking forward to Alex1234 readouts of this one. The graph may go up! For a good time before dropping if it drops at all in a few minutes.
> 
> So we are going to call these c11 v2.
> In the future, I will have to charge a bit more for the v2 because it's alot of extra work, extra materials, and I need to keep the laser for an extra two days to let the adhesive cure, but man, I think it's more than worth it.
> 
> I need to update post 1 with all my options.
> But I don't want to get in trouble for a sales thread.
> So please ask all money questions via Pm.
> 
> Thanks guys.
> 
> And your going to love these 405nm. They are not bright, but man, they are special diodes .
> Really interesting to play with. And a 1w single mode is a must have in any collection.



Sounds like its worth the wait, especially with all the improvements.

What will happen when people request future c11 builds with a particular diode? Will you will decide whether a v1 or v2 build is needed, and modify the price accordingly?


----------



## Tmack

You got it. Some people don't mind a shirt duty cycle and may need to save money. 
It won't be that much more, so I'll of course recommend the v2, but people can always choose. Just like the Tmag v1 is still available. Different lens, and no focus adapter, if people want to save money.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> You got it. Some people don't mind a shirt duty cycle and may need to save money.
> It won't be that much more, so I'll of course recommend the v2, but people can always choose. Just like the Tmag v1 is still available. Different lens, and no focus adapter, if people want to save money.



Would the existing c11 builds with the 200 mw 520 nm and the 1 watt 638 nm benefit at all from the v2 build?

It sounds as though they are OK without it.


----------



## Tmack

The 520nm isn't running as high current, and the 638nm is a buck driver, so they will be good unless you want a very long run.


----------



## star_c_star

The c11 v2 would be a perfect host for the 1 watt 520 nm diode. Has the 520 nm 1 watt diode dropped in price at all?

My 200 mw c11 520 nm projects an amazingly bright beam for its power. It is an almost perfect daylight laser pointer.


----------



## Tmack

Not a dollar 

Yeah it crazy how little power you need with green. 


Oh and we are designing the heatsink for the 6w. I want it to be incredibly heat efficient.


----------



## Tmack

I got ahold of a sipik heatsink! Well sort of. Turns out 12mm is the width of the Dremel sanding adapter. So I put this heatsink on there, and spun it over some sandpaper to take off the tiny bit I needed to get it in the little sipik. Also found and awesome copper focus adapter. 

Turned out great. B

Now to just figure out what to put in it. 

Looks nice along side a V11Rvn, or c20cvn. 

I have a couple 500me 405nm 
And an old school osram 520nm 100mw. What do you guys think?


----------



## Tmack

I can also add a battery tube extension to run 2x AA to run either diode, as kind of a low power option


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Would the existing c11 builds with the 200 mw 520 nm and the 1 watt 638 nm benefit at all from the v2 build?
> 
> It sounds as though they are OK without it.



Tmack,

Could a c11 v2 build run a 3 watt 445 nm diode for several minutes, without any issues?

I know it would require two 18350 batteries.


----------



## Tmack

Not several. 

Maybe 3 min with the new heatsinking methods.


----------



## Tmack

Ehh really thinking about it, I'm going to say 3-5 min. 

My new laptop is ready this weekend, so I'll just need the software, and I can do data logging with my ophir lpm.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Ehh really thinking about it, I'm going to say 3-5 min.
> 
> My new laptop is ready this weekend, so I'll just need the software, and I can do data logging with my ophir lpm.




Does a 3 watt c11 v2 build require special 18350 batteries, such as IMR or unprotected? 

I know little about 18350's as opposed to 18650's, but they seem to have low capacities (less than 1000 mAh).


----------



## Tmack

Nope any will do. I like efest. 
Like $5 at mtnelectronics.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Ehh really thinking about it, I'm going to say 3-5 min.
> 
> My new laptop is ready this weekend, so I'll just need the software, and I can do data logging with my ophir lpm.



its addicting lol


----------



## Tmack

Lol I'm always taking readings anyway. Might as well be official about it.


----------



## Alex1234

Btw i was taking to adam at dl a few days ago explaining whats wrong with my sparton green and he said ship it back and ill replace with new one !!!. I only have to pay shipping. I had that thing going back to china the next morning lol


----------



## Tmack

Yeah I got the same treatment with my hulk ultra. 

Adam is cool. 
He was gone for a while, but I guess he's back.


----------



## Tmack

I'm still fighting myself with what to throw in that little sipik host. 
Hmmmmmm.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Sounds like its worth the wait, especially with all the improvements.
> 
> What will happen when people request future c11 builds with a particular diode? Will you will decide whether a v1 or v2 build is needed, and modify the price accordingly?



It WAS worth the wait!

It just arrived around 20 minutes ago. When I turned it on indoors (in a well lit room), the spot seemed pretty dim, like a 10 - 20 mw 445 nm. My eyes probably can't see 405 nm light as well as some other people's can.

However, focusing it down to a point had smoke shooting off the painted concrete basement wall over 10 feet away. Aiming it at anything with optical bleach, such as a tennis ball, increased the brightness a thousand fold.

Outdoors, focusing it down to a point a couple feet away or less produces an almost microscopic hotspot that causes some things to burst into flame. You could do brain surgery on carpenter ants, since the spot is so tiny.

After a minute or so of continuous use, the heat sink gets warm to the touch, showing that the heat is being efficiently directed to the outside of the host.

This is my new favorite c11 build.


----------



## Tmack

The focus is crazy right!? 

My eyes have trouble with it too. It's almost like I'm seeing multiple images of it at a distance. 

Oh and you have the g2 lens which is the power lens. Not the tight focus. 

Imagine with a 3 element. 

On a cardboard box, you can swiftly move the laser with smoke spewing out even with fast sweeps of the beam. 
It's awesome. 

I knew you'd guys would like it. 
People hear not bright , and they dismiss it. 

It's a 1w single mode!!! Lol


----------



## Tmack

Now go find some glow in the dark stuff  

Those boards that kids draw on with uv pens work awesome.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The focus is crazy right!?
> 
> My eyes have trouble with it too. It's almost like I'm seeing multiple images of it at a distance.
> 
> Oh and you have the g2 lens which is the power lens. Not the tight focus.
> 
> Imagine with a 3 element.
> 
> On a cardboard box, you can swiftly move the laser with smoke spewing out even with fast sweeps of the beam.
> It's awesome.
> 
> I knew you'd guys would like it.
> People hear not bright , and they dismiss it.
> 
> It's a 1w single mode!!! Lol




Which 3 element adapter would you recommend for the c11? The tight focus of the 405 nm with the g2 certainly lends itself to even tighter focus.


Could the same 3 element be used for the Tmag v2 build, or would you recommend a different one? I know a 3 element would cut off some of the light from a 3 watt 445 nm diode, but the additional focus might be worth it as long as you can switch back and forth between adapters.


----------



## Tmack

The lens is separate from the adapter. You can unscrew and switch lenses in your adapter you have now . 

The Tmag is so powerful, you can afford to lose power for focus. But then it wouldn't be surprised 3w Tmag.  

You can always switch lenses.


----------



## Alex1234

i have a feeling it will be bright to my eyes because my 1.8w 445nm tmag is blinding to me


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The lens is separate from the adapter. You can unscrew and switch lenses in your adapter you have now .
> 
> The Tmag is so powerful, you can afford to lose power for focus. But then it wouldn't be surprised 3w Tmag.
> 
> You can always switch lenses.




I may be using the wrong terminology.

Is the lens the part that can be unscrewed from the laser host, and is contained in a much larger threaded piece of metal? I don't see how that can be taken apart easily (although I never tried).

I thought THAT was the focus adapter. Is the focus adapter the threaded portion of the host?


----------



## Tmack

The focus adapter is the metal piece. The lense is the thread part attached to it. It unscrew from the adapter. It can be switched out at any time


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The focus adapter is the metal piece. The lense is the thread part attached to it. It unscrew from the adapter. It can be switched out at any time



So which 3 element lens do you recommend for the c11 v2 405 nm build? 

I might as well make the tiny focus spot even tinier.


----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> i have a feeling it will be bright to my eyes because my 1.8w 445nm tmag is blinding to me



My 3 watt 445 nm Tmag is very bright for me as well.

The 405 nm is much, much dimmer. Of course, your experience may well be different.


----------



## Tmack

There's only 1 type of 3 element lens. 

The big cone piece will always stay with the laser. The threaded part is the g2 lens you will be removing to replace. 

Have 3 element on hand.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> There's only 1 type of 3 element lens.
> 
> The big cone piece will always stay with the laser. The threaded part is the g2 lens you will be removing to replace.
> 
> Have 3 element on hand.



Tmack,

What would an extra assault focus adapter cost, with the 3 element lens already attached?

Then I wouldn't have to remove and reattach the threaded part with the lens each time. Otherwise, each assembly/disassembly step could add more dust to the lenses and laser diode window.

Although I am becoming a semi-expert at removing dust from all these surfaces.


----------



## Tmack

$30 should cover it. 
Lens $10
Adapter $15
Shipping $5

The adapter lens


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> $30 should cover it.
> Lens $10
> Adapter $15
> Shipping $5
> 
> The adapter lens




OK, I'll PayPal you the amount, with no mention of lasers.

I'll be able to switch the c11 build between the two and three element lens without any trouble.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The focus is crazy right!?
> 
> My eyes have trouble with it too. It's almost like I'm seeing multiple images of it at a distance.
> 
> Oh and you have the g2 lens which is the power lens. Not the tight focus.
> 
> Imagine with a 3 element.
> 
> On a cardboard box, you can swiftly move the laser with smoke spewing out even with fast sweeps of the beam.
> It's awesome.
> 
> I knew you'd guys would like it.
> People hear not bright , and they dismiss it.
> 
> It's a 1w single mode!!! Lol




I can't wait to see what a 6 watt 405 nm single mode would do.

All the power of a 6 watt 445 nm build, but able to be focused to a near microscopic spot even several feet away!


----------



## Tmack

I like the idea of interchangeable adapters with pre-installed lenses


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I like the idea of interchangeable adapters with pre-installed lenses



My collection of c11 builds is starting to be impressive, so I might as well add a blue laser to the c11 collection.


Suppose I wanted a c11 v2 build, with a 3 watt 445 nm diode, and an assault adapter with 3 element lens.

From what I've read recently, the v2 build and 3 element lens would greatly improve the runtime and burning capability of this c11 build. It would be more portable than my Tmag v2 3 watt 445 nm build, but would not have the runtime in terms of either battery capacity or heat sinking.


What would this c11 build set me back?


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> My collection of c11 builds is starting to be impressive, so I might as well add a blue laser to the c11 collection.
> 
> 
> Suppose I wanted a c11 v2 build, with a 3 watt 445 nm diode, and an assault adapter with 3 element lens.
> 
> From what I've read recently, the v2 build and 3 element lens would greatly improve the runtime and burning capability of this c11 build. It would be more portable than my Tmag v2 3 watt 445 nm build, but would not have the runtime in terms of either battery capacity or heat sinking.
> 
> 
> What would this c11 build set me back?



OK, a 4th c11 on the way.


----------



## Tmack

Payment received. I'm looking forward to seeing the new heatsinking results.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Payment received. I'm looking forward to seeing the new heatsinking results.




As am I.

Now I'll have a green, red, violet, and blue c11 build. 

I don't think there are other colors available, right?

If you could make a build projecting a black beam, I would be truly in awe, as would many scientists.


----------



## inetdog

Many many years ago Radio Electronics magazine had a story in their April issue about Dark Emitting Diodes. By using one production line for both LEDs and DEDs and selecting the output one can get a very nice 100% yield.
Among the suggested uses was as a readout device for Write-Only Memory.


----------



## Tmack

Wow. Sounds interesting  


Star. The only thing left is the 462-470 diode. But they are more expensive. Also worthy of a nice custom host. 
I need one of those myself. 

Makes the 445nm look violet I hear.


----------



## Alex1234

got the 405nm c11 today and im blown away at the divergence oh wait, it has no divergence lol. the dot size is no different at the aperture then at 40 feet. awesome. to my eyes the dot brightness is as bright as my 80mw green laser and the beam is about as bright as my 60mw green laser. the dot at first i thought was big but when i put my laser goggles on there was a pin size spot within the big dot. also it burns way better at distance then my 445nm. wood smokes instantly at 35 feet !!!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> It ships tomorrow buddy.
> 
> 1003mw
> 
> The heatsinking came out beautifully.



that was your measurement here is mine. LOL


----------



## Tmack

Haha awesome!! 

That's some SERIOUS distance!! I had no idea it would burn THAT FAR. 

I told you guys this one is special.


----------



## Tmack

They hold their power for very long as well.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Haha awesome!!
> 
> That's some SERIOUS distance!! I had no idea it would burn THAT FAR.
> 
> I told you guys this one is special.




Yes, I thought it burns leaves, wood, etc. at least as far away as my Tmag v2 3 watt.


Also, try the following experiment. Take the 1 watt 638 nm and the 1 watt 405 nm, defocus them to a couple square inches, and aim them at the palm of your hand.

The 405 nm feels far hotter than the 638 nm. It must be due to the different wavelengths, and skin's varying sensitivity to them.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Haha awesome!!
> 
> That's some SERIOUS distance!! I had no idea it would burn THAT FAR.
> 
> I told you guys this one is special.



A 3 watt version of this diode, single mode, would be incredibly special!

The power of a 445 nm, but with little divergence.


----------



## Tmack

That's what I'm talking about. 

Yeah red seems to reflect when hitting skin. 

445nm burns. 

The 405nm burns the skin the best. Burning immediately. And very intense.


----------



## Alex1234

perfection


----------



## Alex1234

I just compared beam brightness to my 100mw green and to my eyes the beam and dot of the 405nm is a hair brighter. Im very suprised how visable the beam is. Its not easy to focus your eyes on though


----------



## Tmack

It's crazy how different our eyes can be. 

100mw 532nm to me is much brighter. 

But it's hard for me to focus as well. 

So it's just our color perception that's different.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Please refer to the 2 PMs I just sent you.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack i go away on vacation on friday morning. Is there a chance my fixed 520mn build could be here by thursday? Id love to bring it with me


----------



## Tmack

Star Pm answered. 

It should be Alex. I'll keep you updated on the arrival of parts.


----------



## Alex1234

Thanks !!!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack so i decided to see how far the 405nm would burn. i shined it on my shed door like the other pictures iv posted about 90 feet away and held up my wallet and after 5 seconds it started smoking. at 15 seconds it was smoking a lot. i believe it could burn out to 120 feet.:devil: my 1.8w 445nm can only burn out to about 60 feet. i took a short video that i uploaded to photobucket but it takes forever to show up in my library to copy the link


----------



## Tmack

What!?!?


----------



## Alex1234

i was was like holy crap !!! dot size at 90 feet as about dime size. i put my hand in front of it at 90 feet and i could only stand it for 5 seconds.

you should have seen me running up and down my yard trying to get the best focus at that distance. took about 5 trys.


----------



## Alex1234

also the color beam it produces is absolutely beautiful.


----------



## TEEJ

Alex, your burn distances are way crazy!!!


----------



## Tmack

I've never heard of distances like that! But I've never tried either. 

Were you holding the laser, or using a tripod, I'm too shakey to burn from too far. 
Inhaled too much Flux


----------



## TEEJ

I would not think a dime sized dot COULD burn


----------



## Alex1234

TEEJ said:


> I would not think a dime sized dot COULD burn



i did not think it could ether. i had the laser on a table on my porch shinning at the shed door 90 feet away. i turned it on ran up to the shed door held up my wallet and it started smoking. my video i uploaded to Photobucket still has not shone up yet.


----------



## Tmack

That's amazing! 

I need to put one in my marble zaser lol. 

I have that set in post 1, and they are empty!! 

The sickest set ever, and they sit  

I'm waiting for all the diodes to catch up to each other


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> I would not think a dime sized dot COULD burn



I wouldn't think a dime sized spot at 1 watt would burn either, at least if the energy were evenly distributed.

Perhaps some part of the spot is much more intense than the other portions.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Any additional news on the 6 watt 445 nm build?


----------



## Alex1234

i was leaning against the shed door in the this ^pic laser was on the porch. i would say the dot is actually 3 times smaller then a dime at 90 feet  the wallet was smoking in that pic but could not capture the smoke also the laser was already on for 2 minutes so i wanted to run back down and turn it off


----------



## Tmack

Yeah smoke is Definitely hard to take a picture of. 

I'm just amazed!


----------



## Alex1234

even though its not super bright its my favorite laser. something about a single mode laser lol. the beam is thinner then the other lasers. also imo the beam is a lot more visible then the brightness of the dot would lead you to believe. i woke up last night so my eyes were good and night adapted and flicked on the 405nm and was shocked how bright the beam was. i love the color beam.


----------



## Alex1234

in a few months after i save up ill be adding a tmack 462-470nm to my collection


----------



## Tmack

That's what I'm talking about  
You have good eyes for blue too. That laser will be super bright to you.

Right around 1w too. 

It's crazy to get an exotic color with sooo much power. 

Lol we are mw/lumen snobs! 

What's 1000lm? Nothing. 

What's 100mw? Nothing! 

Haha, that's strong as hell!


----------



## Alex1234

i just realized i can upload it to youtube


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> That's what I'm talking about
> You have good eyes for blue too. That laser will be super bright to you.
> 
> Right around 1w too.
> 
> It's crazy to get an exotic color with sooo much power.
> 
> Lol we are mw/lumen snobs!
> 
> What's 1000lm? Nothing.
> 
> What's 100mw? Nothing!
> 
> Haha, that's strong as hell!



20 years from now we will be throwing the word watts around like milliwatts lol. oh ya just got my 500w green laser today lol. looks like its peaking round 750w hahaha


----------



## Tmack

Lol. Won't that be............. The end if society 

Infinite light sabers. 

Oh you guys are missing something in your collection. 

808nm and 980nm. The higher the better. 

2w of 1064nm. = why are these balloons piping, why is my shoe smoking, why are my initials magically being scorched in that door? Lmao. 

Anybody win prizes from the game machines with hanging prizes yet? I use "win" loosely  

Some companies have stopped using black straps to hang the prizes, but with one of our beasts , white is no problem


----------



## Alex1234

can you build a 2w 1064nm ?


----------



## Tmack

Sure  

I think 808 is a bit better. You can see a faint red dot. 
These are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. So being able to see it a tiny bit is better than completely invisible. 

Plus 808 are cheap and plentiful. 

They come from China, so would be a few weeks, but if you like the burning aspects of lasers, a ir laser is stupid fun. And I do mean stupid haha.


----------



## Alex1234

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsvg0-FEfZ4 Watch this


----------



## Tmack

Wow.... Wow................. Wow......... That's incredible. I had no idea haha. What have I created!!! 

Muhaha.... Muuuuhaaahaha! 

Seriously I'm just speechless. I've only heard of 2w 532nm($$$$) with $1000 beam expanders popping balloons at that distance.


----------



## Tmack

So Alex. You obviously need to come to Baltimore so we can do some testing. Make a day out of it. 
Take down a few planes, blind a few cops. You know. Always wanted to have someone give me the finger, thinking their car windows will protect them, just to be horribly wrong. 
Haha. 

But seriously, I think you and star should come by. 

I have projectors, that can put you inside a tunnel of every wavelength. Even combined colors. 

One of my projectors can do yellow, baby blue, even SILVER! 

We could set up some tests and get some good new data as far a temperature, runtime etc. 

I also have a tec cooling peltier that we can run lasers ultra cool shifting the wavelength. 

A 638nm ran on a peltier able to instantly freeze water, will shift to orange if run low enough. Really cool stuff I think you guys would have fun with. And tour both pretty close.  

Open invitation.


----------



## Alex1234

i can cut shapes out of post it notes lol


----------



## Tmack

Don't run her tooo hard lol. Think of those long runs like red lining your car. OK now and then, but not always. I know you know that, just reminding.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> So Alex. You obviously need to come to Baltimore so we can do some testing. Make a day out of it.
> Take down a few planes, blind a few cops. You know. Always wanted to have someone give me the finger, thinking their car windows will protect them, just to be horribly wrong.
> Haha.
> 
> But seriously, I think you and star should come by.
> 
> 
> 
> I have projectors, that can put you inside a tunnel of every wavelength. Even combined colors.
> 
> One of my projectors can do yellow, baby blue, even SILVER!
> 
> We could set up some tests and get some good new data as far a temperature, runtime etc.
> 
> I also have a tec cooling peltier that we can run lasers ultra cool shifting the wavelength.
> 
> A 638nm ran on a peltier able to instantly freeze water, will shift to orange if run low enough. Really cool stuff I think you guys would have fun with. And tour both pretty close.
> 
> Open invitation.



that would be awesome !!


----------



## Alex1234

i did that long run after i had the laser in front of the ac vent for 10 minutes  it was cold


----------



## Tmack

The tec peltier is awesome. 

I can drip water into little sculptures. As soon as the water hits, it frozen solid. 

Of I have tests where I need long runs, I just throw the diode and driver on the peltier. 

Very convenient. 

I'll take pictures tonight. 
I've seen guys implement peltier on handheld, but the opposite side that gets cool, gets super hot, so you need a massive fan and pc heatsink. (at least that's how I built mine) 
A handheld would benefit more from just a fan. Which I've also seen. But they are just too complex. Too much to go wrong. I'm happier just routing the heat to a safe place.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> i did that long run after i had the laser in front of the ac vent for 10 minutes  it was cold



Smart man.  

I've seen guys take the heatsink out of the freezer lol. (not the whole laser! ) 

Sounds like you need a tec peltier for yourself!


----------



## Tmack

Remember that picture of the little diode holders and my lpm. 

Just sit that, and the driver on top of the peltier, and you can run forever.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Smart man.
> 
> I've seen guys take the heatsink out of the freezer lol. (not the whole laser! )
> 
> Sounds like you need a tec peltier for yourself!



i might need to get one they dont seem to expensive


----------



## Tmack

The peltier itself is cheap, and if you gut a computer, inside is everything you need. 

4"x4"x2" large heatsink, and the 4" fan. Get a wall adapter to match the voltage of the fan. 

But you'd need some kind of driver to run the peltier. I use a variable power supply, so it's easy for me. I'm not sure what kind of driver to even use. I guess a 4a led driver would work?? 

But the larger the heatsink the better. Slap a fan on, and you've got a cold maker. 

I put mine on little stilts so it sits off the table to draw air up into the heatsink, with the peltier flat on top. 

I can use a metal coaster and have a drink chiller/freezer. So cool.


----------



## Alex1234

I had an coke on my room from yesterday and i went to dump it out and i had an idea. if i fell the sink with water and add the coke maybe i can visualize how the higher wavelengths dont absorb nearly as much light as the lower ones. it goes 638nm then 532nm then 445nm then 405nm. worked out well


----------



## Tmack

That did work well. I'm surprised it didn't start boiling. 

If you get some diffraction grating (makes the 1 beam break into 10 or 7 etc. ) you can make a spectrometer . 

The different wavelengths will show with the grating. The dots will be further spaced out with a higher wavelength, and closer at a shorter wavelength . So if you have a known diode, you can actually measure the distance between the dots to get a estimate of the wavelength. 

Pretty cool stuff. At 10ft, the difference in 532nm and 405 is a couple inches, so I assume you can get pretty accurate.


----------



## Alex1234

http://www.adafruit.com/products/13...CXwnJxT-BIphFNAQDBq_ygaXjcZXMLReDPu9nB0rw_wcB

would this work ?


----------



## vinhnguyen54

*Tmack 3 Watt Laser Video ;-)*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ij...ature=youtu.be

*Simply Stunning! *


----------



## Tmack

That's exactly like mine yup. I built mine for way cheaper though.

I'm almost home I'll take pictures


----------



## Alex1234

i hope you get the parts to fix my 520nm. i miss it lol


----------



## Tmack

Here she is. 

They should be here soon.


----------



## Tmack

Remember not to run your 520nm as long as the other larger hosts. It's got a free floating driver, so it's not made for very long runs. 

But man is it beautiful.


----------



## Alex1234

can you ship it to a different address? i dont want to risk it being delivered here after i leave? i will be in wilkes barre pa friday and saturday. that way when i get to wilkes barre it will be there waiting for me  then i leave Sunday morning and go to mount Washington NH until next thursday


----------



## Tmack

Sure just let me know . 
You know I got you


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Remember not to run your 520nm as long as the other larger hosts. It's got a free floating driver, so it's not made for very long runs.
> 
> But man is it beautiful.



Tmack,

How about my 200 mw 520 nm in the c11 host? 

I thought it could be run for up to several minutes at a time, although I don't do that.


----------



## star_c_star

vinhnguyen54 said:


> *Tmack 3 Watt Laser Video ;-)*
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ij...ature=youtu.be
> 
> *Simply Stunning! *




That looks almost exactly like my red Tmag v2, except that the focus adapter on the one in the video sticks out slightly further.


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> How about my 200 mw 520 nm in the c11 host?
> 
> I thought it could be run for up to several minutes at a time, although I don't do that.



You have much more mass in the c11 . It was pre c11 v2 heatsinking, so not as long as it could be, but longer than the 501b.


----------



## Tmack

This is with a g2 Alex. 
Very nice!!!


----------



## Tmack

It was running about 190mw with a three element


----------



## Alex1234

Is that my new diode ?


----------



## Tmack

Yup


----------



## Alex1234

What lens does mine have


----------



## Tmack

With the lens you had in it (3 element) it just did 197mw. 

With the g2 (my lens) it did about 235mw, but the artifacts were atrocious! Plus the g2 is a $45 lens  

So your right back at 200mw unless you want to spring for the g2.


----------



## Tmack




----------



## Alex1234

Ill stick with 3 element. Can you clean it


----------



## Tmack

I put a new one in. It's all clean. I had a few laying around. They are such a pain to clean, I'd rather give you a new one.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

From the last few posts, it seems that the g2 is a better lens combination than the g3.

Is that true? I know that the g2 is 2 element, the g3 is 3 element, and that the g2 lets the full light output of the laser diode through. The g3 will cut some if it off.

Does the g2 work better to focus at a distance, while the g3 is best at closer ranges? Are they very similar in focal length (magnifying power)?


----------



## Tmack

A g2 is actually a 1 element 

It let's the most light through, making it less clean. More artifacts, less focused. 
But more power. 

The three element lens trims the edges, so while it costs a bit of power, the focus is better at any range and the dot is much cleaner.


----------



## Alex1234

thanks tmack. Did you make the lens real tight in the focus adaptor so the lens does not unscrew from the adaptor. I hate when that happens. When i add tephlon tape to the threads the adaptor is harder to turn and thats when the lens and adaptor unscrewed. I am horrible with super glue. I always manage to get it in places its not supossed to go lol


----------



## Tmack

I'll get it perfect for you my friend  

I actually installed a longer lens body so no glue needed. I'll just give it a good crank, and Teflon it up. I'll make sure to put a extra tight spring in as well.

There was ALOT! I said a drop! Haha. It was definitely on there though.


----------



## Alex1234

I got it all over my hands lol. That was not fun


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


>



Tmack now we know why you thought the green had a brighter spot then the blue and i thought the opposite haha when i compared them i had already damaged the green.


----------



## Tmack

Haha great point! I forgot all about that.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> A g2 is actually a 1 element
> 
> It let's the most light through, making it less clean. More artifacts, less focused.
> But more power.
> 
> The three element lens trims the edges, so while it costs a bit of power, the focus is better at any range and the dot is much cleaner.



Tmack,

Do you have any extra focus adapters with the g3 lens for the Tmag v2? 

The g3 sounds like a good upgrade if the it only cuts off a little energy from the emitted beam, has fewer artifacts, a cleaner dot, and better focus at all ranges. I promise not to test my Tmag v2 with a laser power meter and complain if it is under 3.1 watts!


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Sure I can whip something up for ya. I think I have 1 adapter left.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

How about the status of the c11 445 nm 3 watt build?

Same question for the 6 watt Tmag super 6 watt build.


----------



## Tmack

Oh and Alex1234. 

I did a test from a cold start last night over a minute and it was very stable. 
My next test was soon after (low rest time) and it started blinking (not flickering like when it was loose) after about 45sec because I didn't let it properly cool. 
That is the driver protecting itself from overheating. Angelos sets the threshold to make sure there's no damage, and in such a small place, there's no chance of adding driver heatsinking. 

Remember, this is the price you pay for such a small host. I'd definitely stick to around a minute and less runtime just to make SURE it's not heating up too much. 

It's just a little shy of the 405nm current, and has a very small heatsink, so just be aware when running it. 

You are becoming very experienced with these and I'm sure you know what each laser can take, I just like to remind you guys sometimes. You can get too comfortable and start extending runs without realizing.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Oh and Alex1234.
> 
> I did a test from a cold start last night over a minute and it was very stable.
> My next test was soon after (low rest time) and it started blinking (not flickering like when it was loose) after about 45sec because I didn't let it properly cool.
> That is the driver protecting itself from overheating. Angelos sets the threshold to make sure there's no damage, and in such a small place, there's no chance of adding driver heatsinking.
> 
> Remember, this is the price you pay for such a small host. I'd definitely stick to around a minute and less runtime just to make SURE it's not heating up too much.
> 
> It's just a little shy of the 405nm current, and has a very small heatsink, so just be aware when running it.
> 
> You are becoming very experienced with these and I'm sure you know what each laser can take, I just like to remind you guys sometimes. You can get too comfortable and start extending runs without realizing.



thanks for the warning. im not going to lie i ran it for about 3
minutes once when taking divergence pictures. i wont do that anymore.

also can you post tracking when you ship it. 
thanks Tmack


----------



## Tmack

Sure, no problem  

Yeah pictures and testing are where the time is lost and lasers suffer. I've seen many videos of guys talking about their pocket laser 1w while it's running, and are interrupted by the thing dying. 
And most other builds don't have thermal shutoff, so once it cuts off, it's broken for good.


----------



## RayJayLPF

Hey Tmack,

I was just wondering, What current are you running the NDB7A75 at to get 6W??


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> thanks for the warning. im not going to lie i ran it for about 3
> minutes once when taking divergence pictures. i wont do that anymore.
> 
> also can you post tracking when you ship it.
> thanks Tmack



Hmm that's strange it even let you run that long. With a free floating mount, a boost driver over 500ma thermal shutoff should start engaging somewhere around a min depending on start temp. 

I got ahold of the drivers designer and got some more specific numbers. That's why the 405nm in the c11 was shorter than expected . 

The more of a heatsink you add to the driver, the longer before the shutoff temperature is reached. 

This is where the 501b are lacking. Awesome size, aesthetics are cool, but so limited in heatsinking. Especially for the driver. 

But to me, even 30 seconds is plenty of time to run a high powered laser . 

I know your a Lpf member now. Look at duty cycles next time you get a chance. 

There's a builder rick trent. He builds in hosts the size of a maglite, and his duty cycles are 1 min. Strict. 




You should see the size of the lasers that get 5 min. 2w
They are 7" heatsink sticking out of the bezel lol. 
My 2w Tmag blows them away  : D if I told them 8 min, I'd have a hard time getting them to believe me.


----------



## Alex1234

What lens does my 405nm have


----------



## Tmack

It's got a g2 lens. The single modes are best with g2. 
They don't need cleaning up, and USUALLY need the extra power. In this case it doesn't need it, but,,,,,,,,,,, yeah it does


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Have the parts for my c11 445 nm 3 watt build yet arrived?

Also, any additional news on the 6 watt 445 nm build? The sheer power of that beam, even multi mode, will be quite impressive.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> It's got a g2 lens. The single modes are best with g2.
> They don't need cleaning up, and USUALLY need the extra power. In this case it doesn't need it, but,,,,,,,,,,, yeah it does



If he managed to burn something at 90 feet with a g2 lens, wouldn't the g3 be even more effective?

You said that it has better focus at all ranges.


----------



## Tmack

It's just called a 3 element. No g3  

And yeah, if you have the power, a 3 element will burn better at a distance.

I have to try this 9ft thing myself. I'm still in disbelief


----------



## Tmack

Oh and I'll have final pricing soon. Lots of orders lately. Vinh really helped me out.


----------



## Tmack

We're looking at 

$400 for diode and driver 
$?? ? For the maglite extended heatsink. (still working) the heatsink alone is around $150

Extra $20 if you want to run 26650's 

$?? For extra mounting hardware for driver.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> We're looking at
> 
> $400 for diode and driver
> $?? ? For the maglite extended heatsink. (still working) the heatsink alone is around $150
> 
> Extra $20 if you want to run 26650's
> 
> $?? For extra mounting hardware for driver.



I'm still interested.

What type of 32650's do you use? Also, I remember that you use sleeves for 26650's to fit in the Tmag without an adapter. Who sells these sleeves?

I already have 6 26650's, 4 of them free to find a new (twice as powerful) home.


----------



## Tmack

I use Fei long 32650 

My machinist makes the sleeves.


----------



## Tmack

I like the way you think :devil:

More powa!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I use Fei long 32650
> 
> My machinist makes the sleeves.




Oh well, I'll stick with the 26650's. The inserted sleeve actually has some useful safety features, from what I remember.


Have the parts arrived for my c11 v2 build, with the 3 watt 445 nm diode?


----------



## Tmack

The diode has. I'm waiting on the host. I have a few coming.


----------



## Tmack

You ordered on the 28th I believe. Everything is on schedule.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> You ordered on the 28th I believe. Everything is on schedule.



I apologize, you are correct of course. 

Just wanted a powerful, but compact, laser. My patience is one of my weak (week?) points.


----------



## Tmack

Me too  I hate waiting for anything!


----------



## Tmack

Big reminder guys. 

When I add all that heatsinking to the driver, the thermal protection is almost not going to kick in because by the time it reaches the required temperature to shutoff, the diode will have died. 

So please don't rely on thermal shutoff to tell you how long is ok. It only offers protection to the diode when free floating. 

The 405nm are the smallest diameter diodes and are still very new. Being so small, they may be more susceptible to heating up. 

So be careful guys. Only run as long as you need


----------



## Alex1234

Thanks tmack all this info is very very helpful  i like rick trents work. He likes to combine two beams into one. I saw he made a 2 watt 638nm and a 6+ watt 445nm with two diodes. Must be hard to merge the beams together


----------



## Tmack

The borg! Very cool. 

I remember when he came out with that. 

He uses a beam splitter in reverse. It does take some aligning skills. 

He's combined about 6 9mm for 15w before. He likes his splitter cubes.


----------



## Tmack

Rick does not believe in driver heatsinking though. Even at 2.4a which is why he advises only 1 min. Super high power though.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack i decided to take the 3 element lens from the tmag and put it on the 405nm. the results are amazing. i still got about 850mw on the lpm and the divergence at 90 feet is just retarded small !!! here is a picture of the divergence at 90 feet compared to a dime. i used a cd case as the background to dim it as its dark out. i had the laser on for about a minute and a half. at the minute mark after i snapped the picture i noticed it was starting to burn a hole in the cd case at 90 feet !!!!!!!!!!!!!. the dime did not show up well but if you look close you can see it. the first picture is taken through poop laser goggles and the second one was not. the spot was only 4-5 mm across !!! i believe i could light a match at 90 feet :devil:


----------



## Tmack

If you can burn a cd case, a match would be nothing. Colored black of course.


----------



## Alex1234

with 3 element lens im getting 3mm beam at aperture and 6mm beam at 90 feet. thats .1 mrad can that be right lol


----------



## Tmack

Wow.! I'm the wrong guys to ask about mrad calculations


----------



## RayJayLPF

Alex1234 said:


> with 3 element lens im getting 3mm beam at aperture and 6mm beam at 90 feet. thats .1 mrad can that be right lol



Here, this is what i use for mrad calculations..
http://www.pseudonomen.com/lasers/calculators/mRadCalculator.html


----------



## Alex1234

the first one is the tmag with g2 lens  the second is the 405nm with 3 element lens. im only losing 60mw. i can deal with that


----------



## Alex1234

thats the one i used as well


----------



## RayJayLPF

Alex1234 said:


> thats the one i used as well




Well according to that your mrad is 0.10936132939778723

BUT, it is best to take your measurements at 6ft and 90ft instead of aperture and 90ft. What is it at 6ft?


----------



## Alex1234

the beam literally does not diverge for like the first 20 feet. its nuts


----------



## RayJayLPF

Alex1234 said:


> the beam literally does not diverge for like the first 20 feet. its nuts



Nice, That is beautiful beam specs!


----------



## RayJayLPF

Tmack said:


> Anybody win prizes from the game machines with hanging prizes yet? I use "win" loosely
> 
> Some companies have stopped using black straps to hang the prizes, but with one of our beasts , white is no problem




TMACK! Shhhhh!! lol... Secret's buddy..Secrets!


----------



## Tmack

Haha. About 4 people follow this thread. We can afford 4 more master criminals


Edit: i should have worded that more jokingly lol. I sound pretty serious


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Haha. About 4 people follow this thread. We can afford 4 more master criminals
> 
> 
> Edit: i should have worded that more jokingly lol. I sound pretty serious



You don't have to worry about me. I suffer from terminal honesty. That leaves only three others.


----------



## Alex1234

the measure strip is in cm and the small lines are mm. the first one is at 6 feet and the other is at 90 feet. i get 2.5mm at 6 feet and 3mm at 90 feet lol
thats 0.019528808896405042 mrad haha. this is with 3 element lens the g2 lens dot is about 2.5 times larger so still very small


----------



## Tmack

I did try a distance test st about 30ft. Just with my hand. At 30ft my hand was instantly burning.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Haha. About 4 people follow this thread. We can afford 4 more master criminals
> 
> 
> Edit: i should have worded that more jokingly lol. I sound pretty serious



im looking foward to going to the fair now


----------



## Tmack

Haha. I think making bar bets would be more profitable. 

'I bet I can light your cigarette from outside the window ' 

' I bet I can make you scream in pain from 15ft without touching you ' 


' I bet I can burn your finger while is in a glass of water '


----------



## Alex1234

im getting my eye40vn today and my two red lasers from olike


----------



## Tmack

Good day! Let us know the readings


----------



## Tmack

All my copper sinner hosts should be here today or tomorrow. 

Copperhead 
Ms ssw 
Cypreus 

And my cypreus titanium flashlight host! Hell yes!

Edc= 

Copper cypreus 3w 445nm 
Titanium cypreus Xml2 3a / xpg2 3a/nichia 

And a micarta tanto sebenza 21 

$$$$$ lol.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> All my copper sinner hosts should be here today or tomorrow.
> 
> Copperhead
> Ms ssw
> Cypreus
> 
> And my cypreus titanium flashlight host! Hell yes!
> 
> Edc=
> 
> Copper cypreus 3w 445nm
> Titanium cypreus Xml2 3a / xpg2 3a/nichia
> 
> And a micarta tanto sebenza 21
> 
> $$$$$ lol.



As for the Titanium cypreus, I thought Titanium was a very poor heat conductor. The heat sink will be aluminum?


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> All my copper sinner hosts should be here today or tomorrow.
> 
> Copperhead
> Ms ssw
> Cypreus
> 
> And my cypreus titanium flashlight host! Hell yes!
> 
> Edc=
> 
> Copper cypreus 3w 445nm
> Titanium cypreus Xml2 3a / xpg2 3a/nichia
> 
> And a micarta tanto sebenza 21
> 
> $$$$$ lol.



Can i haz ?


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> As for the Titanium cypreus, I thought Titanium was a very poor heat conductor. The heat sink will be aluminum?



It will be a flashlight, so it's not a huge deal. 
Plus this is a 6 1/2" very thick titanium host. It'll handle a led just fine. 

As for a laser, titanium is a no no. 
Since 
Copper
Aluminum 
Titanium 


I know a guy with a huge block of silver he plans to make a host from!!!


----------



## Alex1234

tmack i got something on the diode lens on my tmag? is it cleanable ? the raw output is like fuzzy


----------



## Tmack

Take a qtip and dampen it with alcohol. Dab it on your wrist then spin it gently on the window. Then spin the dry end. Let dry for a min. Then test the raw output quickly. Hopefully it will not melt to the window. Then it would be dearly departed. 

Careful with those lens swaps gentlemen.


----------



## RayJayLPF

Just checked DHL and my sinner hosts have left Dubai!! WAHHH HHOOOO!

3 V5 copperheads and a cypress IIb with a spare drop in ... Cannot wait! Damn express isn't express enough!


----------



## Tmack

I have 15 hosts coming from him, but I just checked tracking and it says shipment on hold? It's just hosts! Wtf!


----------



## Alex1234

dam its cleaner then it ever was  its weird when i use the g2 lens theres like a reflection of that little cube just inside the diode window


----------



## Tmack

It's called the ghost box lol. Many diodes have them. 

So the window came clean? Great!


----------



## RayJayLPF

Wow, 15.. You have a good little business going :twothumbs

What are they all? I want one of those new Cypress III's for a NDB7A75 i'm building. Also, you mustn't have seen my post asking what current your running it at to get 6W? That is some haaaard pushing! lol


----------



## Tmack

Haha I started saying 5-6w, so when people ask me about them of course they refer to the higher number lol. 
I think everyone knows it's 5-6w but most of the time it's, "what's up with the 6w"  

3.5a- 4a sxd should do the trick. I need to do some of my own testing before I know exactly what my setup can comfortably handle 

Alex got a 8 minute run with barely any heat bud up on a 2w mag, so if I triple the diode heatsink size like the maglite in post 1 at the bottom, and make the platform heatsink for the 4a sxd larger , we should be in business. 
Nowhere near 8 min lol but at least able to run it without constantly worrying. 

I have 

5 copperhead v5
5 ms ssw 
5 cypreus 
1 copper cypreus edc flashlight host 
1 titanium cypreus edc flashlight host 

The ti cypress will match my personal 3w cypreus. I may keep the copper flashlight host for myself too. And a ssw, and another cypress. Matter of fact.............. I'm not selling anymore. Go away!! (swings lasers wildly) 

It's an average order
You should have seen all the maglite I had! I think 18 or so. 
And a dozen or so c11's. 
501b, a few zasers, some envys. 

These flashlight guys sure know how to dive in head first! 
A few already have very respectable collections.


----------



## Tmack

Oh and he's working on one of the monster cypreus for me as well.


----------



## Alex1234

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj0E1ZRVEhg.
405nm burning hole in cd case. if i was able to leaver the laser on for 5 or 6 minutes it would have punched right through. it went about halfway. i had the cold laser on for 2 minutes. this is the 3 element lens


----------



## Tmack

How far?


----------



## Tmack

And please be careful! Your thermal protection is basically gone now that it's heatsinked in the driver so much. 

Lol please!


----------



## Alex1234

90 feet. the laser was very cold because i had it in front of a ac vent again. its very hot out so i made sure i did 2 minutes or under. i just lpmed it again and got 1015 mw so were good  i always make the laser cold for long runs except for the tmag lol 3 minutes is peanuts for the tmag


----------



## Tmack

Haha yeah that Tmag will laugh at 3 minutes. 

Another 90ft. Good lord!


----------



## Alex1234

its almost like the 405 does not diverge lol. i thought nothing could beat the 520nm diode but i was wrong. it destroys it


----------



## Alex1234

tmack im having an issue with my 405nm. ill show you in a video as its to hard to explain..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oiRA5yNPCw


----------



## Tmack

Take the lens out and shake it. It's should be loose. You just need to tighten where the lens is held in place.


----------



## Tmack

Sometimes this happens if you've been walking with it. The vibrations will make that little barrel work loose.


----------



## Alex1234

the lens is not on it. its straight from the diode


----------



## Tmack

And it's still at full power?


----------



## Tmack

OK Alex you've officially stumped me. 

Maybe the diode window has some play in it, which won't hurt anything. Maybe there's something inside the can ( thing that holds the window, )


----------



## Tmack

You never over tightened the lenses right. Too much pressure may damage the window.


----------



## Alex1234

i decided to not put the g2 len on 445nm and there 3 el on the 405 and in the procces got something on the diode window. i tryed to clean it but its not working like the the 445 diode. i looked in the lens to view the diode window and theres liquid on it but the qtip does nothing


----------



## Tmack

Maybe just let it evaporate. 

The qtip must only be damp. Not enough to leave any liquid behind. 
But if it's alcohol it should just evaporate pretty easily.


----------



## Tmack

Maybe find one of those silica packages to speed it up, but it should evaporate by itself


----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> i decided to not put the g2 len on 445nm and there 3 el on the 405 and in the procces got something on the diode window. i tryed to clean it but its not working like the the 445 diode. i looked in the lens to view the diode window and theres liquid on it but the qtip does nothing



Is the diode window of the 405 nm diode much smaller than the one on the 445 nm?

If so, that could just be some microscopic specks of dust that the Qtip can't easily remove since the Qtip may be too big. It isn't too big for the 445 nm diode window.

Look at the diode window with a good 10 power or so magnifier, and you probably can determine exactly what is causing those artifacts.


----------



## Tmack

That 405nm diode is TINY. The window may be a little bit recessed more than the flat 9mm.


----------



## Alex1234

poop !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Tmack

Dead?


----------



## Alex1234

no not dead but i think the diode window melted a bit


----------



## Tmack

Ehh. It might be able to be "decanned" to save it. That's just removing the metal can


----------



## Alex1234

im not turning it on no more. morel to this story dont keep swamping lens  i wonder if a piece of qtip fuz melted on lens


----------



## Tmack

Maybe fuzz, dirt, alcohol, could have been many things. 

I did the same thing once. I didn't let the alcohol dry, and I watched the window warp and melt. 
In that case it wasn't salvageable. 

These things are just so incredibly sensitive at this power. Best to only switch, adjust, clean if totally necessary. 

I hate when stuff like this happens  

Just the other day, I had a 405nm unexpectedly die, AND a 9mm. And a c11 switch melted because of a bad pcb board, so I had to replace all of them. All that money gone.  

Sometimes I envy flashlight builders. You could replace an led 20 times to my one laser diode.


----------



## Alex1234

im so mad at my self i loved that laser and i ruined it. i should have not tried to clean the dam thing.


----------



## Tmack

You need just about a sterile room to change those damn lenses. 
But that's the reason for dabbing the qtip on your wrist. To take out and residual alcohol. It should be just barely damp. 
Trust me, I know how you feel my friend, many times over. . I'm so sorry


----------



## Alex1234

how much will it cost me to fix it ?


----------



## Alex1234

i will ship it over to you tomarrow


----------



## Tmack

Let me see if I can decan it. That'll save money


----------



## Alex1234

so the diode doesn't need the can? Will it lose power or focus without it ?


----------



## Alex1234

i got my olike laser which are nice. measured both at 200mw. ill take it  i also got my eye40vn which is nice and stupid bright. i feel a little better now  i also get my 520nm tomarrow  i dont think something wants me to have rgvb lol


----------



## Tmack

Haha. 

No decan is just taking away the window and what holds it. 
It actually makes the laser have to go through less lenses, so you may see a small increase in power. The thing is, there's nothing to protect it now. 








Here's what I have to solder guys. 

New 405nm, then the 1.7w 445nm, then the 3w 9mm. 

You can see why the 405nm is more sensitive. 
This is some seriously tiny stuff.


----------



## Alex1234

if you are not successful at decaning it how much would it be to get a new diode. i guess all i need would be a new diode as the driver is good


----------



## Tmack

The diode alone is $70


----------



## Tmack

Here's the drivers, lens optics, driver button for side click hosts, and diodes with modules. 

And one finger attached to a steady hand lol.


----------



## Alex1234

that about what i thought. hard hit but i like it so much it may be worth it


----------



## Alex1234

if i was trying to attach all that together id break everything


----------



## Tmack

I can't even get a good picture of the three pins on the 405nm I have to solder 2 leads to. 
And if you linger too long with the iron, you'll kill the diode , if you static shock it, you kill it , if you drop it, you'll probably damage it, if you touch the window you'll damage it. 

It makes a led feel like soldering a football field.


----------



## Alex1234

lol vinh has it easy compared to you


----------



## Tmack

I'm sure he has his troubles, 
But nothing is as nerve racking as hitting the switch on a laser with a couple hundred dollars inside just begging for you to have made one mistake lol. 

The hardest part about vinhs job is getting thing apart that weren't mean to come apart, without damaging anything. 

My troubles are the expense, and sensitivity of my parts.


----------



## Alex1234

200mw of 650 is not very bright lol. altho its way way brighter this my dollor store laser. iv been spoiled lol


----------



## Tmack

Yeah I thought the same thing when I got the sfcr from sci fi. 

Nice clean dot though.


----------



## Alex1234

im actually going to keep the 405 focus adapter and g2 lens on my tmag. the beam is thinner and brighter and it looks bad ***. black mag with assault focus adapter.:devil: 

when i send the c11 back to you it will have one of the disk adapters you sent me with a 3 element lens in it. i like that lens better in the 405nm for some reason. i still got 930mw with it


----------



## Alex1234

the small one did 212mw


----------



## Tmack

Damn not bad a all  the blue one is pretty cool looking


----------



## Alex1234

i cant get over the quality of the blue one. the threads are baby smooth and square cut and the orings are thick. the matt feel like it feel like a very expensive laser also i was shocked how heavy it was for its size. the battery that came with it is ultrafire 4200mah lol.


----------



## Alex1234

i tried to clean it again and it came out much better not perfect thought. still get 900+mw with 3 element lens. the little spot on the window did not get worse after a min run. do you think it might be alright? i never looked at the diode window up close before i was swamping the lens. is it possible that there was that small imperfection on the window even before you received it? right when i received the laser i defocused it to check the raw output and there was always a random small distorted circle in the unfocused spot. dident think anything of it thought


----------



## Tmack

Very few diodes come with perfect raw output. There's always 1 or 2 of those little distorted circles. They are on almost all of my lasers. 

But if it's not getting worse, and your power is ok, you might be ok. 

I would hate to see you spend money if not needed.


----------



## Alex1234

i put a 3 element lens on my small 650nm olike laser it fit lol. im getting 250mw now 40mw more then the lens it came with. i thought the lens that was on it was 3 element


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Very few diodes come with perfect raw output. There's always 1 or 2 of those little distorted circles. They are on almost all of my lasers.
> 
> But if it's not getting worse, and your power is ok, you might be ok.
> 
> I would hate to see you spend money if not needed.



im just worried every time i turn it on now lol


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> i put a 3 element lens on my small 650nm olike laser it fit lol. im getting 250mw now 40mw more then the lens it came with. i thought the lens that was on it was 3 element



Nah. They come with very cheap acrylic lenses. You'll melt it if you use it on one of my lasers.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> i put a 3 element lens on my small 650nm olike laser it fit lol. im getting 250mw now 40mw more then the lens it came with. i thought the lens that was on it was 3 element



They come with very cheap acrylic lenses. You'll melt it if you use it on my builds.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack just wondering would it be possible to put a different diode in the blue olike laser?


----------



## Tmack

It should be possible. I'd have to take a look. From what you say about the host it would make a good pocket laser. 

My wicked laser EVO came out awesome when I gutted it.


----------



## RayJayLPF

Alex1234 said:


> tmack im having an issue with my 405nm. ill show you in a video as its to hard to explain..
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oiRA5yNPCw




Ahhh bugger! You have put the lens in a touch too tight! It looks like it has cracked the inside of the can lens.. I have done that before a long time ago.. See how the dots move as you roll it.. That little bits of cracked lens rolling round.


----------



## Tmack

I'm going to TRY to decan it. 

I've never heard of a 3.8 diode be decanned though.


----------



## RayJayLPF

It can be done... Very gently.. They are so easy to break though. The tiny itsy bitsy lil wires inside.. One wrong move and bye bye $80.


----------



## Tmack

I've done 9mm and m140, but never a 3.8 

I use the drill chuck and razor method. I'm pretty confident


----------



## RayJayLPF

May the force be with you young padawan.. lol


----------



## Tmack

Haha I'll need it! 


I guess I need to actually watch a star wars movie lol. 

How about that. The laser builder has never seen a single star wars.


----------



## RayJayLPF

... You are kidding right? Hahaha funny joke... Yeah? Get this man a star wars bluray collection Stat!


----------



## Obijuan Kenobe

Tmack said:


> Haha I'll need it!
> 
> 
> I guess I need to actually watch a star wars movie lol.
> 
> How about that. The laser builder has never seen a single star wars.



I am very sorry to hear that you, as a 14 year old, missed the window where the first three films could have changed your life.

As it stands, you will likely never come to feel the force. 

You still should watch the movies at some point, if only to fill a void in your American cultural soul.

obi


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack ill send it over this morning id rather not have it get worse


----------



## Tmack

Yeah one day I'll sit down and have a marathon  

Ok Alex. You know I'll do everything I can.


----------



## Alex1234

My blue red from olike is having issues now lol. Somethimes i turn it one and its just a barly visable glowing dot and ill turn it off turn it back on and its back to full power. Happened a few times


----------



## Tmack

!!!.. ??? 
Damn. Fully charged cells.?


----------



## Alex1234

Yup lol. I think a single mode 445nm would look bad *** in this host


----------



## Tmack

Ohhhhh excellent idea


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack can you pm me your address i must have thrown out the last packaging i had with it one there


----------



## Alex1234

Shipped out the c11 this morning you should get it monday. Fingers crossed !!!


----------



## Tmack

I'll do my absolute best


----------



## Alex1234

Got my 520nm but it starts blinking after about 5 seconds. I get about 30 seconds if i have it in front of a ac vent. But once its room temp i only get 5 seconds. I can twist the laser and it would stop then start stop and start.


----------



## Tmack

On the way to the post office, I had to walk quite a while to get there, I tested the whole way. I was getting over 1 min on a cold run.

And by cold run, I mean it was hot as hell in my workshop during first tests, And on the way to the post office.


----------



## Tmack

Where are you twisting?


----------



## Tmack

Have you tried different batteries. Unprotected? 

Tighten the bezel. 
Fully charge. 
Clean tailcap contact. 

Have you jumped the tailcap?


----------



## Alex1234

I only tryed it for like 2 minutes i have to pack for my trip. Ill do all that in about 30 minutes. I think it might be the tail cap


----------



## Tmack

I had removed the tailcap switch just to be sure when you said it was blinking. I reinstall and it worked great. 

I had on my mind your blinking problem, and I was walking around my house shining your laser with my stop watch MANY times. 

I'm really wondering why I got the perfect amount of run according to the driver builder, but your getting 5 seconds. 

I'm very sorry Alex. 
It was working perfectly when dropped off. So many tests because I didn't want you to have to worry about anything else. You've have enough "good luck" lately


----------



## Alex1234

Im about to time a cold start. 10 minites in front of my ac vent should do it


----------



## Alex1234

How come it did not do this before. It would go 2 min with no blinking


----------



## Alex1234

Wait how much time should i be getting


----------



## Tmack

I was having a conversation with my driver guy, and he said since it was a free floating application, I should use this driver to help preserve the diode. Especially in such a small host. So when I ordered your new setup, it came with a driver specific fir that host size. 

He said it would kick in right around a minute. For me it was going right to 1 min.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> Wait how much time should i be getting



You should be getting right around a minute with that driver setting, size and thermal shutoff.


----------



## Alex1234

Ok if i get 45 seconds to min ill be happy


----------



## Tmack

I got over a minute and my workshop was HOT!


----------



## Alex1234

Im actually happy you did that because i was running this for 3 minutes at times before which i realize now was not very smart


----------



## Tmack

The run after that was of course a few seconds shorter from heat build up.


----------



## Alex1234

I got only 30 seconds and the laser is ice cold even at 30 seconds


----------



## Tmack

This makes no sense at all. I've never cooled a laser on my life , and I stopped my watch at over 1 minute. 

Have you tried timing it with the tailcap jumped?


----------



## Alex1234

i just got about 55 seconds but at that mark it was still constant on but then i just taped the laser so lightly and the laser started strobing like mad. that was odd


----------



## Alex1234

i think i might have made it too cold because it was acting funny. let me time it at room temp again


----------



## Alex1234

i did however still get 195mw on my lpm but it started blinking and the numbers were still climbing so the power is there


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah the power is definitely there. That's a 3 element too. 

That's another hindrance to the run time lol. 

G2 does about 235mw but is very artifact ridden.


----------



## Alex1234

ok i see whats going on if i turn it on and place it on the table and dont move it i got over a minute no problem but once i move it it starts blinking.


----------



## Tmack

And you know just because it feels cool, doesn't mean the driver is cool at all when running and resting.


----------



## Alex1234

at 1 minute 15 seconds it was still constant on but it was on the table me not touching it. right when i pick it up while on it goes crazy


----------



## Tmack

Wtf. 
How hard is Usps slamming these thing around I wonder. 

Have you tried to see if anything is loose. Jump the tailcap.


----------



## Tmack

It's gotta be something in the host then. 

Try loosening the tailcap button, removing everything, then reinstalling.


----------



## Alex1234

i took the heat sink silver thing out and shook it and nothing was lose. took the tail cap apart and put the whole think back together. i just tested it got over a minute while waving it around. never started blinking i just turned it off. i think its ok. will keep you updated


----------



## Tmack

Alright then.


----------



## Alex1234

this thing is working awesome now. not sure what i did but no more blinking within a minute  maybe something loosened


----------



## Alex1234

btw this thing is bright as fook !!!!!


----------



## Alex1234

ummmmm WOW


----------



## Tmack

Glad to hear it Alex  

I get very stressed when my builds aren't working properly for any reason. 
I want to make SURE you guys are completely satisfied with every aspect. 

Hopefully the tailcap just worked loose. If it happens again, maybe throw some locktite on the switch threads. 


Yeah that sucker had some power for sure. 

Double the old malfunctioning diode. 

Oh and you traded up at a good time. I tested your old diode tonight and it was down to 80mw. Looks like it's steadily degrading.


----------



## Tmack

Now I can sleep!!! Lol.


----------



## Alex1234

it hurts my eyes lol. the beam and dot is brighter then my tmag  man i also really like the g2 lens on the tmag for some reason.


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Now we're on the same wavelength. Ehh see what I did there  

Now were both getting the same results! Finally


----------



## Alex1234

i still think the 405nm beam is my favorite wavelength. i think its because you dont expect purple in a laser lol. also whats strange the beam of the 405nm is so much brighter then the brightness of the dot suggests


----------



## Tmack

All I have to say is........ 90ft. 

I had one of those diodes for myself waiting to be put in my purple zaser. I recently decided I'd just use it for a customer build as it had never been installed in anything. 

Because of your tests, and everyone's comments, I just ordered another one for myself today  

I'm excited to build a laser for myself! 
I ended up throwing a 520nm in that little sipik host. Been fantastic to carry, but nothing beats my cypreus as a edc light saber


----------



## Tmack

I'd love a 1w 405nm mini pocket laser too.


----------



## Alex1234

i wonder if you could put a 1w 405nm in my blue olike host


----------



## Alex1234

iv always wondered what part of the diode emits the light? is it the little box you can see under the window?


----------



## Alex1234

Its werid if i have the laser very cold the blinking starts in 30 seconds but when the laser warms up to room temp u get well over a minute. So odd.


----------



## Tmack

Damn things are so touchy! 
My heart starts to beat hard every time I click a fresh build one on. Lol. Even after the amount I've built


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

As to the 405 nm 1 watt diode, I'm wondering if a host like the Envy would permit it to be run for minutes at a time. The Envy has great heat sinking, without the size of a Tmag v2.

That would be a great combination; small host, powerful diode with almost no divergence, and (possibly) long runtimes.


----------



## Tmack

The c11 and envy are pretty close. But yeah the envy has a slight edge 

The 1w 405nm in a cypreus is the stuff dreams are made of


----------



## Tmack

Star, did you see the pictures of the size of the diodes above? Just curious.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Star, did you see the pictures of the size of the diodes above? Just curious.



Yes, I saw how tiny the 1 watt 405 nm is compared to the others. Obviously, cleaning that diode window would require a micro Q-tip, a strong magnifier, and incredibly steady hands (I'm not exaggerating much!).

How long do you think the 1 watt 405 nm could safely run in a Cypreus host?


----------



## Tmack

I think we can get 2-3 minutes out of her. 

Originally I would have said 2-3 for the c11, then 5 for the cypreus, but after these recent tragedies, I know better .


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I think we can get 2-3 minutes out of her.
> 
> Originally I would have said 2-3 for the c11, then 5 for the cypreus, but after these recent tragedies, I know better .



Would the Cypreus host build still let the driver overheat protection kick in before the diode is suffering from heat stroke?

It would be a good warning.


----------



## Tmack

No. The cypreus has one of the best driver heatsink platforms out. So it would definitely not shutoff before death. The drivers I use are one of the best. Usually lasers don't have thermal shutoff at all.. But even if the thermal shutoff is applicable ( free floating driver) it should never be what you use to tell you your duty cycle. 

When I run my lasers, I never set them down, and even if it's not getting warm, I know at 30 seconds, things are just starting to get hot, so I shut off. 

Lol what are you guys doing that requires such lengthy runs!! Haha. 

I know the reason you get a big host is for better heatsinking and runtimes, but I just never needed to run that long unless testing. 
I'm not saying don't, because you guys pay good money for longer runtimes, but I guess I'm just curious to what can be done with a 3 minute run, that can't with three 1 min runs. Even if the break is just 10 seconds. 

Same with flashlight I presume. Some run their lights harder than others. 

Like I've said before, I think it's all in our differences in "upbringing" lol. 

To you guys 3 minutes is nothing. 

To me 3 minutes is ages 
(for a laser) 

But like you, if I pay for a larger host, and more heatsinking, I want my laser to run as long as possible, even if I never will. That just means the diode is that much more comfortable with short runs.


----------



## Alex1234

Taking burning videos and divergence picutres at 90 feet


----------



## Tmack

Haha you can only run so fast right!  

But that's testing. You don't do that all the time............ Right Alex .......... Hint hint.


----------



## Alex1234

When i get my purple laser back i will take one more pic with all my wavelenghts at 90 feet for a divergence comparison test. It will be hars with the 1 min run on the 520nm so ill have my dad turn them on while im up there ready to snap the picture. Gona be hard to line them up though


----------



## Tmack

Better to have a hard time with a photo shoot, then having a dead laser.  

That's a bunch of power in that tiny heatsink, so as long as you remember that, you'll have your 520nm for a long time  

The shorter your runs, the longer they will live, even if total runtime is identical.


----------



## Tmack

Bad news on my sinner hosts. 

The package has been in Cincinnati forv4 days with "shipment on hold" as the details. Really getting annoyed. That's well over $1000 just sitting somewhere getting held up for nothing. 

It's a box full if metal tubes for god sakes.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No. The cypreus has one of the best driver heatsink platforms out. So it would definitely not shutoff before death. The drivers I use are one of the best. Usually lasers don't have thermal shutoff at all.. But even if the thermal shutoff is applicable ( free floating driver) it should never be what you use to tell you your duty cycle.
> 
> When I run my lasers, I never set them down, and even if it's not getting warm, I know at 30 seconds, things are just starting to get hot, so I shut off.
> 
> Lol what are you guys doing that requires such lengthy runs!! Haha.
> 
> I know the reason you get a big host is for better heatsinking and runtimes, but I just never needed to run that long unless testing.
> I'm not saying don't, because you guys pay good money for longer runtimes, but I guess I'm just curious to what can be done with a 3 minute run, that can't with three 1 min runs. Even if the break is just 10 seconds.
> 
> Same with flashlight I presume. Some run their lights harder than others.
> 
> Like I've said before, I think it's all in our differences in "upbringing" lol.
> 
> To you guys 3 minutes is nothing.
> 
> To me 3 minutes is ages
> (for a laser)
> 
> But like you, if I pay for a larger host, and more heatsinking, I want my laser to run as long as possible, even if I never will. That just means the diode is that much more comfortable with short runs.




I don't need long runs when using a laser, and practically always use them in bursts of a minute or less. However, sometimes I lose track of time, or I may not let the laser rest long enough between runs. 

However, I'm reminded if there is some feedback, such as the heat sink getting warm, or the laser starting to blink. I then know to give it a longer break. To be honest, I've never seen one start to blink. Also, some builds such as the c11 hosts with the 520 nm and 638 nm diodes don't even get warm inside of 2 minutes, but I still don't run them for very long.

I know the laser is not a flashlight (even if it is in a flashlight host), so I don't expect even the Tmag v2 to run for more than 2 -3 minutes before I turn it off. 


Getting a better heat sink is probably worth it if keeps the diode more comfortable, especially the finicky 405 nm.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Bad news on my sinner hosts.
> 
> The package has been in Cincinnati forv4 days with "shipment on hold" as the details. Really getting annoyed. That's well over $1000 just sitting somewhere getting held up for nothing.
> 
> It's a box full if metal tubes for god sakes.



Held at customs ???


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> I don't need long runs when using a laser, and practically always use them in bursts of a minute or less. However, sometimes I lose track of time, or I may not let the laser rest long enough between runs.
> 
> However, I'm reminded if there is some feedback, such as the heat sink getting warm, or the laser starting to blink. I then know to give it a longer break. To be honest, I've never seen one start to blink. Also, some builds such as the c11 hosts with the 520 nm and 638 nm diodes don't even get warm inside of 2 minutes, but I still don't run them for very long.
> 
> I know the laser is not a flashlight (even if it is in a flashlight host), so I don't expect even the Tmag v2 to run for more than 2 -3 minutes before I turn it off.
> 
> 
> Getting a better heat sink is probably worth it if keeps the diode more comfortable, especially the finicky 405 nm.



I totally agree. Because I don't run my lasers long, that my only reason to get a big heatsink . 

My supermag diode must be on a recliner soaking her feet then lol. 
I don't even go over 2 minutes with that one. 
Every once and a while, I say "ok time for a long run to see if it gets hot" lol two minutes later I give up. 
I bet I could run that for about 10min at 3w, but never will try. 

$150 heatsink just for the love gest run to be 2 min. 
I usually run that one in bursts too. I'm just used to it.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> Held at customs ???



It said it cleared customs. 

Agghh. So mad. 

My titanium hosts, all those copper hosts. I swear man. I hope nothing terrible has happened. I might be our of business for a long time.


----------



## Alex1234

I think the next laser i buy from you will be a 520nm in a c11 v2 host. I love that host now lol


----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> I think the next laser i buy from you will be a 520nm in a c11 v2 host. I love that host now lol



I have the Tmack 520 nm 200 mw build in a c11 v1 host, and highly recommend it.

It can be run for a couple minutes at a time without even warming up much, although I would not recommend going above that. However, with the c11 v2 you could push it further.

Tmack would be the best judge on how long the c11 v2 can safely be run with this diode.


----------



## Alex1234




----------



## Tmack

Nice assault on the Tmag 

The 520nm in the c11 with the extra heatsinking would be good for a few minutes. 

As you know its the driver that's getting too hot. With the c11 v2 that's not an issue at all. 
So you can Guage the heat by feel.


----------



## Tmack

A 1w m140 would be awesome in the blue host. 

Or like you said the 200mw single mode 450nm.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I think we can get 2-3 minutes out of her.
> 
> Originally I would have said 2-3 for the c11, then 5 for the cypreus, but after these recent tragedies, I know better .




Out of curiosity, what would be the price of a Cypreus host with a 1 watt 405 nm diode?


----------



## Tmack

Pm sent.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Pm sent.



PayPal sent. 

Now I'll have two 405 nm builds, one consistent with my other c11 builds, and the other a copper build.

Oh, and Tmack, please use a 3 element lens for this one as well.

This will be my first copper build for a laser OR flashlight. A silver build would be cool too (literally, since it would be a great heat sink), but the price would be red hot.


----------



## Tmack

Alrighty my friend. 

Like I said the damn hosts are sitting in Cincinnati lol. So as soon as I have them it'll be off to you  

Btw. Sinner is making a monster cypreus host for 26650 cells. All copper. That might be the way to go with the 6w


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> PayPal sent.
> 
> Now I'll have two 405 nm builds, one consistent with my other c11 builds, and the other a copper build.
> 
> Oh, and Tmack, please use a 3 element lens for this one as well.
> 
> This will be my first copper build for a laser OR flashlight. A silver build would be cool too (literally, since it would be a great heat sink), but the price would be red hot.



Haha yeah silver would be just, epic. 
I would want a completely cnc machined host. Not just a simple lathe design. Ridges, body lines, knurled. Not too much, still clean, but just elegant. 

And nothing says elegant like a 405nm 

It's got loads of power, but it's refined power. Subtle power. 

The gentleman laser


----------



## Tmack

I'm talking to sinner now. 

I just order a brass and aluminum cypreus flashlight hosts to go with my titanium and copper. 

Over at Lpf I'm the "set builder" 

Marble zasers
Copper pens, 
Ms v3
501b 
Were all sets of 4 I built. 

I once had a 10 host full rainbow kit of c6's too. 

Including black, wine , dark red, light red, etc. Every shade. That project was never er finished though. 

I can't wait to have my two dream sets. 

The zasers for lasers and all the metals on flashlights cypreus style. 
Xml2 xpg2 nichia xpl. 
Might throw a triple in somewhere.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> A 1w m140 would be awesome in the blue host.
> 
> Or like you said the 200mw single mode 450nm.



1w m140 hmmmm that would be cool


----------



## Tmack

That's what's in my pen. Love it. 

And that driver is an x drive. So you'll get a good runtime. Even with that size host, you'll get 1.5min most likely. I'd know better if I could handle it .


----------



## Alex1234

When i get bsck from vacationn send it over . The quality will suprise you


----------



## Tmack

Cool


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Cool



what do you thinks brighter a 200mw 638nm or a 200mw 445nm? i guess the 1w m140 1w 445nm would be the brightest. is that the same diode that's in my tmag just not run as hard ?


----------



## Alex1234

Both are rated OD4
http://www.survivallaser.com/Eagle_...0nm_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p556088_3653067.aspx
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1620/10005740/1444315-td-eg-02-laser-protection-safety-glasses


This is why i feel its important to buy a quality pair of laser shades. i took my 2w 445nm laser and shinned it on a white door 45 feet away and took a pic through the laser shades at the spot/bar. 


You will notice how dim and clear the eagle pair is and it takes all the blue/purple out of the spot. however with the fasttech laser shades you get this very bright red glare and the bar is still purplish blue through the laser shades and its double the brightness compared to the eagle pair. Right pic is fasttech and left is eagle pair








Also this pic below was using the fasttech to show how bright the dot/bar is and how you can see the color. i dont have a pic looking through the eagle pair pair but it looks way dimmer and both dots/bar look amber color. thats a 445nm and 405nm. there even worse with 405nm while the eagle pair works perfect


----------



## Tmack

for the longest time i had some super cheap glasses. 
i finally got some NOIR lasershields filter DBY. the difference was amazing. 

ive never tried the eagle pair, but damn near everyone i know online has them. best glasses for the money by far.

very helpful post for those who think glasses are glasses. you definitely get what you pay for in od rating.


----------



## Alex1234

I took about 20 asweome beamshots with my lasers. 445nm 520nm 532nm 638nm and 650nm
ill post them on lpf tomarrow but heres a sneak peak


----------



## Tmack

Beautiful! Damn that 638nm is bright!


----------



## radiopej

Howdy,

Vinh recently mentioned a 3W laser you made. How much do you generally sell these for?


----------



## Tmack

Depends alot on options, host etc. 
Vinhs build was $350 3w maglite with all the options available. But we can adjust that to what you need


----------



## FrogmanM

Tmack said:


> Bad news on my sinner hosts.
> 
> The package has been in Cincinnati forv4 days with "shipment on hold" as the details. Really getting annoyed. That's well over $1000 just sitting somewhere getting held up for nothing.
> 
> It's a box full if metal tubes for god sakes.



Thanks for the update, 

-Mayo


----------



## Tmack

Yeah man this DHL is really getting ridiculous. 
I really appreciate your patience. 

Star, your orders are coming in the mail to me steadily haha. 
I'll be shipping you your 445nm c11, 2 x assault adapter (3 element) on Monday. 
I hope to be getting your 405nm diode today. And your mag adapter should be in my next order. 

Arilou. Your 405nm will be going out on Monday as well. She's up and running fantastic. 

FrogmanM. I just checked DHL, and after seeing shipment on hold for a week, it now says it's moving again. I've had your diode soldered and ready to install. Your going to love that copperhead  you've been very patient and I'm very grateful for that. Thanks so much, and I apologize for the delay. 

Star, your cypreus is in that shipment as well. 


THANKS GUYS  

Chris&Tomthebaker, your host and internals are on their way to me for the mag builds. 

Tom= I'm going to post pictures of yours in post 1 because of the awesome host color. 


If anyone wants to go crazy, my machinist can anodize all of these. 
I've been thinking of getting my supermag marble or splash anodized.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yeah man this DHL is really getting ridiculous.
> I really appreciate your patience.
> 
> Star, your orders are coming in the mail to me steadily haha.
> I'll be shipping you your 445nm c11, 2 x assault adapter (3 element) on Monday.
> I hope to be getting your 405nm diode today. And your mag adapter should be in my next order.
> 
> Arilou. Your 405nm will be going out on Monday as well. She's up and running fantastic.
> 
> FrogmanM. I just checked DHL, and after seeing shipment on hold for a week, it now says it's moving again. I've had your diode soldered and ready to install. Your going to love that copperhead  you've been very patient and I'm very grateful for that. Thanks so much, and I apologize for the delay.
> 
> Star, your cypreus is in that shipment as well.
> 
> 
> THANKS GUYS
> 
> Chris&Tomthebaker, your host and internals are on their way to me for the mag builds.
> 
> Tom= I'm going to post pictures of yours in post 1 because of the awesome host color.
> 
> 
> If anyone wants to go crazy, my machinist can anodize all of these.
> I've been thinking of getting my supermag marble or splash anodized.



I look forward to receiving all of the new stuff!

Do you have an approximate idea of the 445 nm c11 v2's wattage, using the 3 element lens?


----------



## Tmack

It should be about 2.7w 
Still a beast.  you'd never see the brightness difference. 

Really 2w - 3w is almost impossible to distinguish visually. But when burning, it's more evident.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> It should be about 2.7w
> Still a beast.  you'd never see the brightness difference.
> 
> Really 2w - 3w is almost impossible to distinguish visually. But when burning, it's more evident.




For burning capabilities, aren't the 3 element lenses always better than the 1 element lens when used for the same diode?

The 3 elements may drop the total power 10% or so, but I thought they produced a beam with fewer artifacts that remained in better focus at all ranges.

That is why I am converting to the 3 element lenses. Even if the beam isn't for burning, but just for pointing (as in the 200 mw 520 nm diode), the 3 element lens produces a better beam.


----------



## Tmack

I asked the same thing when I first started. 

You'd think so, but no. 

Even though the spot is bigger, there's more energy in that spot to burn. 

Now at a distance the three element starts to take the lead. About 10ft and more the g2 just gets too much bigger than the 3 element. 

Close range the g2 will burn better though. 

Like I was saying before, after you gain some experience and more knowledge, power and numbers mean less , and divergence, wavelength matter more. 

I know some guys who have almost complete wavelength collection but 5mw and under. 

808, 740, 680,650,638,609,593.5,589,555,532,520,473,460,450,445,414,405,396 etc. 

That's just an example and far from correct lol. But you get the point. 

Lasers like a helium neon that's 5' long, putting out 3mW of 609nm when diffraction gratings are used. It's a very precise science.


----------



## Alex1234

You will get my 405nm back today  it was expected monday


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Arilou. Your 405nm will be going out on Monday as well. She's up and running fantastic.


 Great. Have you done any temperature measurements with the new heatsinking? How long is it safe to run?


----------



## Tmack

Your good for around two minutes. 

That's a modest estimate, but if you push harder that's at your own risk and discretion. 

I had her running about 1.5min lengths with short rest and it was great. 

Your driver is now heavily heatsinked, so your thermal protection is not going to kick in and save the diode. Just keep that in mind. 

I would stick to around 2min just to be safe. I'd rather see you be careful with your runs, than push it and have a problem  better safe than broken / broke!


----------



## Alex1234

The longest i ran my 405nm was just over 2 minutes and that was from a very cold start. Body was slightly warm when i turned it off. It does warm up quicker then my other lasers


----------



## Tmack

Thanks Alex. Yeah that 3.8mm diode gets hot quick. Those beast m140 (5.8) and the 9mm can take more of a beating.


----------



## Tmack

I'll be dedoming today! Wish me luck!


----------



## Alex1234

Are you going to use a magnifying glass to see it lol?its so tiny


----------



## Tmack

People ask me that all the time when they see what I work with. Lol I don't think I even have one


----------



## Alex1234

If you are able to decan it will i still mantain the awesome divergence ?


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah
It'll even have SLIGHTLY more power because it has 1 less optic to pass through.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Oh yeah It'll even have SLIGHTLY more power because it has 1 less optic to pass through.


I like brighter. How much more sensitive will the diode be with normal use without the can. Like if i bump the laser agenest something could i break the diode more easaly ?


----------



## Tmack

Oh nothing like that. It's a dust /debris kind of sensitive. So be ultra careful if you have the lens off. 
Sorry for the delay, I had some things come up yesterday. 

I will give you a full report at about 8 Pm tonight after I drop off my little guy  

The cool part is its so small, I think I can chuck it into my Dremel and get more rpm, which means less pressure to cut. 
But first I'll see if I can just break and remove the tiny tiny tiny window.


----------



## Alex1234

Take your time lol im on vacation until friday. Im just north of boston now heading for mount washington NH


----------



## Alex1234

Being in the middle of no where in new Hampshire the sky is very very dark. Much darker then the suberbs of philly. The beams of my lasers out in the dark sky look so freaking bright and viberent especially the 445nm  id take pics but i dont think the bed and breakfast owners and customers would like me shinning high powered lasers around the property lol


----------



## Tmack

Lol careful now . The laser community has enough "friends"


----------



## TEEJ

After seeing the reports of 405 nm burning at 90', I'm wondering if the 445 nm as a burner is actually NOT the strongest way to go?

I know its a balancing act between the burn per nm vs the watts each wavelength is available in, and that less divergence concentrating the dot into a smaller area increases the watts/cm2, etc...so all of those things weight out somewhere on a burning efficiency chart I imagine?






On the "Friends" issue, it can go either way. I was doing an inspection, and two people who were watching were ENTHRALLED by the lasers, and begged to see them/try them out (It was about 11 pm and had just stopped raining....the air was moist and loaded with crud, and the beams were sparklingly gorgeous. The coup de grace was that the beams were hitting SEVERAL layers of clouds, and the effects were amazing).


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Did you measure the power of the c11 v2 445 nm you are shipping to me?

Also, I wanted to be sure this is the next c11 build I will receive, so I don't put two 18350 batteries into the wrong c11 build.

Out of curiousity, would ANY light be emitted from the 3 watt 445 nm if one 18650 battery were used instead?


----------



## Tmack

With the three element lens it was pushing 2.68w so with a g2 it would be a hair under 3w. Right about average. 

I will "label" them with rubber band for you  

It will put out about 500mw of 445nm with 1 cell, but I'm not certain if it's safe for the driver. Some driver don't mind less voltage and some do. I wouldn't risk it.


----------



## Tmack

But when I'm testing, I slowly ramp up voltage and at 3.8-4v it's about 500-600mw. So it's ok just for a second, I just wouldn't run it like that for a lower power option. Plus 500mw is still very dangerous anyway lol.


----------



## Tmack

Oh btw guys. Sinners big order of hosts will be here today!!! Very exciting! Pictures tonight! 
I'm finally building my copper and titanium cypreus flashlights. 

Plus I just ordered a Rick Hinderer xm 18 spanto flipper, and I have all copper trimmings on the way direct from rhk so it's going to be my dream edc set. 
I finally can say I have my own grails. Even if not $2000 trit covered piece lol. I'm a bit less flashy with edc. 

Now for the brass and aluminum. 

I'll Have to get another xm 18 and trim it in brass! Then which would I carry!?!? Such problems!


----------



## Tmack

What an ordeal. So I look at tracking, it says delivered, signed by neighbor 4304. I sent my girl over there to see what was up. The DHL guy tried to deliver to 4302 totally wrong side of the street! Wtf. The package is already over a week late, now this!? Absolutely ridiculous. 

But all hosts are at home waiting. I'll have pictures and a count of my current stock.


----------



## Alex1234

Any luck with my 405nm decan?


----------



## tyxxvxl

Awesome tmack! Are there some pics in this thread of the lasers in action? Seeing as I understand even less about lasers than I do about flashlights ha ha


----------



## Tmack

Look at post 1  

I couldn't chuck it into my Dremel Alex. Had to go buy a new drill lol my old one died a while back.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Any more news on the 5-6 watt 445 nm build(s)?

I already know about the supermag build with the massive heat sink, which has been discussed at length. However, you also mentioned a large Cuprous build that could house up to a 6 watt diode.

Are you exploring both options?


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Look at post 1
> 
> I couldn't chuck it into my Dremel Alex. Had to go buy a new drill lol my old one died a while back.



did you try just breaking the window?


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah I TRIED. the problem is you need a needle to break it, and I don't want to shove the glass into the important stuff. I'm going to just remove it. I'm not comfortable breaking the glass at all.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Oh yeah I TRIED. the problem is you need a needle to break it, and I don't want to shove the glass into the important stuff. I'm going to just remove it. I'm not comfortable breaking the glass at all.


yes decaning seems less risky to me


----------



## Tmack

At least it doesn't have "break" in the steps lol. 

I'm going to take a break. I have a monster headache! 

I'll get back to work soon


----------



## Alex1234

sounds good decaning+headech probably wont work lol


----------



## tyxxvxl

So how much does one of those Zasers run?? Those are sick.


----------



## Mike Sloan

tyxxvxl said:


> So how much does one of those Zasers run?? Those are sick.


$350-400???

How's the de-caning coming?


----------



## Tmack

Decanning is coming............ Terrifying lol 

When I chuck it into the drill, it eaves very little room for the cut to be made. I keep trying to find a better way before I ruin Alex's diode. My biggest concern is making sure I do everything I can to save him some money  

It's nerve racking lol.


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> Decanning is coming............ Terrifying lol



Be careful. The galium nitride crystal can be damaged if exposed to moisture. It should be encased in plastic, but if you break the seal humidity will eventually destroy it.


----------



## Tmack

I've had a decanned 9mm for months now. But I can see how being exposed will be harmful.


----------



## Arilou

I don't know how risky it actually is, but it is reportedly bad if the diode gets wet.


----------



## Tmack

Oh no doubt. May have to just be very careful with exposure to humidity.


----------



## Alex1234

Any good ways to store the laser from humity? Its always humid in my house because it has to be 5 million degrees for my parents to put it on lol


----------



## Tmack

Decanning complete, and successful     

My heart is still beating hard  

Coming back at ya Alex.


----------



## Tmack

Been a loooonnnggg night! 

Gotta get up for work in 3.5 hours! Holy crap! 

But I slumber knowing I am the master  decan a 3.8mm 405nm? Yeah what of it?


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Been a loooonnnggg night!
> 
> Gotta get up for work in 3.5 hours! Holy crap!
> 
> But I slumber knowing I am the master  decan a 3.8mm 405nm? Yeah what of it?



Wow, seven builds finished. It must have been a long night indeed! 

That Cypreus host is tiny, even compared to the c11 builds. It probably weighs about the same as the c11's since copper is so dense compared to aluminum.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Decanning complete, and successful
> 
> My heart is still beating hard
> 
> Coming back at ya Alex.




Whahooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanaks a million !!!


----------



## Mike Sloan

Alex1234 said:


> Whahooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanaks a million !!!



Now that's "customer service"!!!

Tmack, how is the beam after decaning? Fewer artifacts? More power?


----------



## Tmack

Soooooo clean. Power increase wasn't very noticeable. That little window probably has near complete light transmission.


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Wow, seven builds finished. It must have been a long night indeed!
> 
> That Cypreus host is tiny, even compared to the c11 builds. It probably weighs about the same as the c11's since copper is so dense compared to aluminum.



Your going to be shocked at the weight of 100% copper. It's crazy heavy.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Your going to be shocked at the weight of 100% copper. It's crazy heavy.



If you want a heavy laser host, try Tungsten.

Copper is around 9 times as dense as water.
Lead around 11 times as dense.
Tungsten is over 19 times as dense, almost twice the density of lead, and almost exactly the same density as gold.

I have a 6 pound Tungsten bar, almost a cube, and people go into shock when they feel the weight of that small chunk. I also have a 44 pound bar, which I picked up at a cost far lower than bullion value. It is smaller than a regular brick, but shaped almost exactly the same. Only a superhero can pick that up with one hand, although if it had a handle it would be much easier.

Of course, it isn't cheap, but it is far cheaper than any other element near its density, such as gold, platinum, osmium, iridium, and uranium.

It also is probably VERY hard to machine, and if you want to melt it, you need well over 6000 degress F. It may not be a very good heat conductor, either. Still, it would be an amazing laser or flashlight host.


----------



## Tmack

Lol would get a serious workout from a 2x18650 host. 

Who knows maybe it's machinable. I know the really soft metals are difficult, but then again, so are the ultra hard.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> Soooooo clean. Power increase wasn't very noticeable. That little window probably has near complete light transmission.


Watch de-canning become the fad just like deep-doming on LEDs. Ha ha.


----------



## Tmack

God I hope not!!


----------



## Tmack

It's so nerve racking. You guys should have seen me when I hooked it back up to my power supply and slowly cranked up the current. When that little guy started shining purple I jump up and celebrated haha. What a nerd. 

Hey whatever saves my friends money!
I'm really happy Alex doesn't have to shell out the money to replace it.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Very cool
Life expectancy to be about the same?


----------



## Tmack

You know there's not much testing done so I couldn't say. I know guys with decanned M140 1.7w that have had them for years. I mean, being exposed isn't good for it, but dedoming isn't either, and they seem to last quite long. I know completely different situations, but the principal is the same. Exposed internals, but it is protected by the lens. 

I did a 9mm in a zaser and it's been great for almost a year now. That one gained about 50mw, but the output before the "operation" was effected by the damaged window. 
In Alex case, the output was still good, it was just,,,,,,, weird. So his output stayed about the same. 

800mw with the 3 element lens. Iirc that's what it was before.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Is the 3 element lens the way to go? I am interested in this because of the low divergence quality? How high have you driven this diode? What is the preferred host?


----------



## Tmack

Well with the 405nm, my thoughts are, the divergence is so good, a g2 would bump up the power, and still have great divergence because it's a single mode diode(perfect circular output) 
But Alex and star wanted even better divergence while sacrificing a bit of power. 
I find as you get more experienced, power and numbers mean less than good divergence you can actually appreciate. 

1w is about the limit for these. They are TINY. They are already getting g driven to 700ma, and because they are so new, is stick with that. They are very sensitive diodes as a couple customers and myself have found. 

I like the cypress. Even a maglite would be great. The c11 is good with the extra heatsinking too.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Well with the 405nm, my thoughts are, the divergence is so good, a g2 would bump up the power, and still have great divergence because it's a single mode diode(perfect circular output)
> But Alex and star wanted even better divergence while sacrificing a bit of power.
> I find as you get more experienced, power and numbers mean less than good divergence you can actually appreciate.
> 
> 1w is about the limit for these. They are TINY. They are already getting g driven to 700ma, and because they are so new, is stick with that. They are very sensitive diodes as a couple customers and myself have found.
> 
> I like the cypress. Even a maglite would be great. The c11 is good with the extra heatsinking too.




Tmack,

What power ratings did you see for my Cypress 405 nm and c11 405 nm builds?

I know that the 3 element lens reduces the power 10% or so, but in my opinion the better divergence and fewer beam artifacts are worth the slight loss.


----------



## Tmack

The c11 was at 767mw 

The cypreus came in at 780mw 
The g2 will increase more than 10 percent as you can see. They were both a little shy of 1w with a g2. They usually say anywhere from 15-25 % depending on wavelength. Different nm respond to lenses differently 

After Decanning, Alex 405nm c11 was 798mw so all three are right where they should be.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The c11 was at 767mw
> 
> The cypreus came in at 780mw
> The g2 will increase more than 10 percent as you can see. They were both a little shy of 1w with a g2. They usually say anywhere from 15-25 % depending on wavelength. Different nm respond to lenses differently
> 
> After Decanning, Alex 405nm c11 was 798mw so all three are right where they should be.




Well, if I want around 1 watt, I can replace the focus adapter on the c11 with one using a g2. I will have a couple of extra ones.

If I do this, it will be done Very, Very Carefully!


----------



## Tmack

Yes please! No more Decanning! Haha. 

But really, it'll be hard to notice even that difference. 

Your cypreus came out great. I really like it in 405nm. Going to be a great pocket laser. What better to have in your pocket than the distance burner lol.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yes please! No more Decanning! Haha.
> 
> But really, it'll be hard to notice even that difference.
> 
> Your cypreus came out great. I really like it in 405nm. Going to be a great pocket laser. What better to have in your pocket than the distance burner lol.



Was all my stuff mailed today?

If so, I'll probably get it tomorrow and have the week-end to use it.


----------



## Tmack

yes sir it was mailed today at lunch  

but i have yet to receive your Tmag focus adapter. It should be in the next package.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> yes sir it was mailed today at lunch
> 
> but i have yet to receive your Tmag focus adapter. It should be in the next package.



Thank-you!!!!

I'll survive without the Tmag focus adapter. I already have the Tmag v2 3.11 watt with g2 lenses.


You mentioned something about a 6 watt large copper host, in addition to the 6 watt supermag?

Do you yet know which would keep that high powered diode cool the longest?


----------



## Tmack

I'll have to see when it gets here, but with the huge heatsink on the mag, it may be the best. Just not the most custom.


----------



## Alex1234

If i want to switch to my g2 lens perminantly whats the fastest and best way to do it with out it exposing the decanned diode to humity and dust.


----------



## Tmack

I don't really have a particular way. I just make sure I'm aware of what I set it down on, if their is dust everywhere. Just be super clean about it.


----------



## Alex1234

Ill so it on my kitchen table on a peice of printer paper. That sounds clean


----------



## Tmack

Perfect. Hair net, gloves etc  

And maybe just store it with one of those silica packets that keep things dry if it's extra humid in your house.


----------



## Tmack

Beef jerky style


----------



## Alex1234

Thats a good idea. I have a few silaca gel packs that came inside a flashlight tube


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yes please! No more Decanning! Haha.
> 
> But really, it'll be hard to notice even that difference.
> 
> Your cypreus came out great. I really like it in 405nm. Going to be a great pocket laser. What better to have in your pocket than the distance burner lol.




Tmack,

How can you tell the difference between the one element and three element lenses when they are attached to a focus adapter, and when you don't want to remove them from the laser?

I suspect it won't be easy, so I will probably label the focus adapters with felt tip or a very fine diamond scriber, and NEVER switch lens barrels from adapter to adapter.

That should solve the problem.


----------



## Tmack

Super easy  

One looks brass, one looks black. Sometimes they stray from that rule, but 90% of mine are like that. 

If all else fails, the g2 (1 element) has the screw that holds in the lens inside the focus adapter. 
The 3 element has the retention screw on the outside where it screws into the laser.


----------



## Arilou

Alex1234 said:


> Any good ways to store the laser from humity? Its always humid in my house because it has to be 5 million degrees for my parents to put it on lol



How about not putting it in the freezer like you did before? LOL

Obviously having the diode exposed isn't going to immediately kill it. But those things are sealed for a reason. There is some kind of photochemical reaction that is known to occur with GaN and water. So if you got water in there and powered it on, maybe it could cause some damage.

Come back in a year or two and let us know how this experiment worked out.


----------



## LumenTodd

Tmack said:


> Lol would get a serious workout from a 2x18650 host.
> 
> Who knows maybe it's machinable. I know the really soft metals are difficult, but then again, so are the ultra hard.



FYI - My career has been in and around the "Tungsten" or Carbide game. Tungsten in it's final form is an extremely hard metal (After the liquid-phase sintering) It's also very brittle, drop a 1/4" carbide drill on the cement floor and watch it shatter. Tungsten Jewelry is becoming popular as they add different substrates to make less brittle. To machine it you need to use a diamond based tool or abrasive wheel. The entire machining industry moves forward with carbide products.


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack, I left you a message about building a laser for me. Did you get it?


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> Well with the 405nm, my thoughts are, the divergence is so good, a g2 would bump up the power, and still have great divergence because it's a single mode diode(perfect circular output)
> But Alex and star wanted even better divergence while sacrificing a bit of power.
> I find as you get more experienced, power and numbers mean less than good divergence you can actually appreciate.
> 
> 1w is about the limit for these. They are TINY. They are already getting g driven to 700ma, and because they are so new, is stick with that. They are very sensitive diodes as a couple customers and myself have found.
> 
> I like the cypress. Even a maglite would be great. The c11 is good with the extra heatsinking too.



Im having a hard time deciding which spectrum to go with. Burning , although very cool, is not top priority for me. I am more interested in very low divergence and quality of the beam. My concern with the 405nm is that it will not be as bright as the 520nm or the 532nm. Will the 1W 520nm have a circular beam, or is it similar to the rectangular 445? I love the beam on my 532 JL....just not the frequency hopping. I'm starting to lean toward the Cyprus host with a 1W 520 diode and whatever lens would create the best beam? But the price might be sobering


----------



## Tmack

Very sobering lol. 
And it's a multimode diode. Same divergence as your laser


----------



## Tmack

Bigwilly said:


> Tmack, I left you a message about building a laser for me. Did you get it?



Yeah I'm sorry Billy. I had a crazy day yesterday. 

If you just want to send via paypal ([email protected]) I'll get started right away. 

1.7/2w c11


----------



## star_c_star

LumenTodd said:


> FYI - My career has been in and around the "Tungsten" or Carbide game. Tungsten in it's final form is an extremely hard metal (After the liquid-phase sintering) It's also very brittle, drop a 1/4" carbide drill on the cement floor and watch it shatter. Tungsten Jewelry is becoming popular as they add different substrates to make less brittle. To machine it you need to use a diamond based tool or abrasive wheel. The entire machining industry moves forward with carbide products.



Tungsten alloy, Tungsten with 5- 10% or so of other metals, is not brittle. They make "Bucking Bars" out of it. A Bucking Bar is an inertial mass used in riveting, "behind" where the rivet is placed. 

Some properties of tungsten bucking bars (I removed the ones not really relevant to this discussion):

1. Excellent durability, robust construction and supreme finish.
2. The bars are made using tungsten alloy which has very high density.
4. They are ideal for applications that involve vibration damping.
5. The* tungsten alloys* are mainly composed of 95% tungsten. 

My 6 pound specimen is a rectangular bucking bar. Tungsten alloy is better than alloy steel for this purpose since the same mass is much smaller, can fit into confined areas, and is much more durable.


It would be cool to make a flashlight or laser host out of tungsten alloy, but probably not very easy. It, or at least the outer shell, would certainly be pretty durable.


----------



## archimedes

star_c_star said:


> ....
> It would be cool to make a flashlight or laser host out of tungsten alloy, but probably not very easy. It, or at least the outer shell, would certainly be pretty durable.



It has been done ... at least a couple of times 

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/56445


----------



## FrogmanM

Tmack said:


> Been a loooonnnggg night!
> 
> Gotta get up for work in 3.5 hours! Holy crap!
> 
> But I slumber knowing I am the master  decan a 3.8mm 405nm? Yeah what of it?



Thanks for the update, they look great!

-Mayo :wave:


----------



## Tmack

I love the steam punk look of the copperhead. Very cool looking. Looks almost vintage looking. I may have to keep one........ Or two........


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Been a loooonnnggg night!
> 
> Gotta get up for work in 3.5 hours! Holy crap!
> 
> But I slumber knowing I am the master  decan a 3.8mm 405nm? Yeah what of it?



Hi Tmack,

I received my 3 new builds today (they are probably the 2 c11 builds right above the copper host, plus the copper host itself)

The c11 v2 with 2.8 watt output is as effective a burner as my Tmag v2, probably since the power is only 10% less but the focus is slightly better (3 element lens versus 1 element).

The Cypreous host is a work of art, small, well built, heavy, and a very effective beamer with the 405 nm diode and 3 element lens. It also conducts heat to the body very effectively, which is a good thing.

I am really tempted to ask for a Cypreous host with a 3 watt diode. It would be a Pocket Rocket equal to the Tmag v2, although you probably couldn't run it as long.


----------



## Tmack

Great! I'm very happy everything is safe and you like it.  

I knew that cypreus would impress you. I love them.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Great! I'm very happy everything is safe and you like it.
> 
> I knew that cypreus would impress you. I love them.



Tmack,

I found that my c11 638 nm was using a g2 1 element lens (brass colored barrel with insert), so I swapped the focus adapter + lens with the g3 3 element on my new c11 405 nm build.

The 638 nm is now producing slightly less power, and the c11 405 nm is producing noticeably more.

The beam of the Cypreus 405 nm, with its 3 element lens, now looks better than the c11 405 nm with the 1 element lens. It isn't as powerful, but the number of artifacts is lower, and it seems almost a perfect circle at some focus points.


----------



## Tmack

Great! The 638nm probably needed cleaning up. 

Well, you got a 45$ lens for the price of a 3 element  haha. 

I'm glad you got it how you like it my friend.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Great! I'm very happy everything is safe and you like it.
> 
> I knew that cypreus would impress you. I love them.



Tmack,

Which host has the better heat sinking, the MS-Envy or the Cypreus?

They appear to be about the same size.


----------



## Tmack

The envy is a bit bigger. 
And it's designed to use the entire body as a heatsink. 

Bad news is teej and nfetterly got the last two in existence 

I didn't even get any feedback from nfetterly.. Hope he likes it :/


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The envy is a bit bigger.
> And it's designed to use the entire body as a heatsink.
> 
> Bad news is teej and nfetterly got the last two in existence
> 
> I didn't even get any feedback from nfetterly.. Hope he likes it :/




Ok, but from using the Cypreus it seems that the front end gets warm quickly, so it is pretty effective at dissipating heat.


The reason I ask if that I am seriously considering a Cypreus host with a 3 watt 445 nm, and would hope it could run for 3 minutes or so. I wouldn't expect it to run as long as the much larger Tmag v2. That's like comparing a destroyer to a battleship.


----------



## Tmack

I have all these hosts in stock and ready to be built. 


Star. I think a 445nm cypreus is an awesome laser. I carry one everyday. Very pocket friendly, super power. It may be my favorite laser I've built just for portability reasons. I LOVE my super Tmag, but my cypreus is in a class of its own. I can get way more use out of it. 2-3 minutes would be the ideal runtime. I've run mine longer, but it's not advised.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I have all these hosts in stock and ready to be built.
> 
> 
> Star. I think a 445nm cypreus is an awesome laser. I carry one everyday. Very pocket friendly, super power. It may be my favorite laser I've built just for portability reasons. I LOVE my super Tmag, but my cypreus is in a class of its own. I can get way more use out of it. 2-3 minutes would be the ideal runtime. I've run mine longer, but it's not advised.



Ok, you've convinced me.

Please PM me the cost of a Cypreus host with 445 nm 3 watt diode, and focusing adapter with 3 element lens .


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Ok, you've convinced me.
> 
> Please PM me the cost of a Cypreus host with 445 nm 3 watt diode, and focusing adapter with 3 element lens .




Oh, would you recommend an additional focus adapter with an attached one element lens, so I can painlessly switch back and forth between the 1 and 3 element lenses?


----------



## Tmack

I only have enough adapters for each host. The 445nm has so much power a 3 element would benefit you far more than the g2.


----------



## Tmack

But I'll send you an extra g2 for a frequent buyers gift.  just for anything you might need it for. Or as a replacement if one somehow gets damaged.


----------



## TEEJ

I'm waiting for the 445 nm, 6 watt cypreus....but seeing that 405 nm burning at 90' makes me


----------



## Tmack

I should have the super cypreus soon. I want to have a look before I throw out my final decision of design. 

If it's enough, I'd love to use the copper.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I should have the super cypreus soon. I want to have a look before I throw out my final decision of design.
> 
> If it's enough, I'd love to use the copper.




The copper would look nicer, but I was hoping to own the supermag with the Godzilla heat sink.

How about a super cypreus with a super copper heat sink?

I'm for whatever makes the 6 watt diode the most comfortable.


----------



## Tmack

Yeah I'm a bit torn myself. The mag is just...... Mmmmm. 

The cypreus heatsink is part of the body, so enlarging it would be a matter of designing a totally different one.


----------



## Alex1234

i got my 405nm c11 v2 back today after tmack decanned it  i measured a whopping 1045mw with g2 lens and 910mw with 3 element lens. i wonder why i got 112mw more then tmack? it seams like my meter reads higher then your expensive meter with lower wavelengths and lower then yours with higher ones like my my 638nm. 

also the output is so so clean  its better then it was before.

btw did you take off the can pop out the glass and put the can back on ? it looks like the can is still on it with out the window?


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah. I ended up popping out the glass.  

Yeah the thermopile sensors are not completely consistent throughout the spectrum. Pretty damn good though. 
I'm very impressed with your sensor.


----------



## Tmack

New toy came today. 
Rick Hinderer xm 18 spanto.


----------



## Alex1234

that's so beautiful !!!


----------



## Tmack

Thanks man. These are my grail knives.


----------



## Arilou

Alex1234 said:


> i got my 405nm c11 v2 back today after tmack decanned it  i measured a whopping 1045mw with g2 lens and 910mw with 3 element lens. i wonder why i got 112mw more then tmack? it seams like my meter reads higher then your expensive meter with lower wavelengths and lower then yours with higher ones like my my 638nm.



Laser meters aren't all that accurate. Thermal meters can be affected by body heat, air conditioning, and ambient light. Photodiode meters are less sensitive to heat, but tend to have varying sensitivity by wavelength, which make them not entirely accurate over the visible spectrum.

That said, Tmack does seem to be a bit conservative with his measurements. The lasers I bought from him measured a bit higher than what he claimed when I used freshly-charged batteries.


----------



## Tmack

I'd rather you find there is more power than advertised than less


----------



## Tmack

I just found a very robust 9mm 808nm diode from one of my very dependable distributors. It's rated at 1w, which means we can probably safely get 1.5-2w out of it 

Would anyone be interested in having a 1.5w 808nm? 

Very faint red dot, but loads of burning power.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> New toy came today.
> Rick Hinderer xm 18 spanto.



Nice knives!
Tmack, what's the host on the bottom? Looks titanium! I
noticed you used the phrase "steam punk" in one of your earlier posts....have you read any William Gibson? Burning Chrome, or Neuromancer?


----------



## Tmack

That host on the bottom is titanium. It's huge isn't it! Haha. 
One of my host machinist made a small run of titanium flashlight hosts. I put a Xpg2 3a 2mode texture reflector in it. So it beautiful titanium, and serious performance. It's way brighter than any titanium light i have owned or seen. It easily competes with my v25cvn, c20cvn and it's gorgeous! I'm getting the tailcap insert in copper to match my Hinderer. 

I have not read them. I may now though. 

That copperhead has a steam punk feel to it. That's what the designer was going for. It looks and feels vintage. When the patina sets in it'll look sick.


----------



## Fat Boy

Tmack said:


> I just found a very robust 9mm 808nm diode from one of my very dependable distributors. It's rated at 1w, which means we can probably safely get 1.5-2w out of it
> 
> Would anyone be interested in having a 1.5w 808nm?
> 
> Very faint red dot, but loads of burning power.


Define loads of burning power.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I should have the super cypreus soon. I want to have a look before I throw out my final decision of design.
> 
> If it's enough, I'd love to use the copper.




Tmack,

Will the super cypreus be able to use two 26650 batteries?

I now have six of them, four being saved for the 6 watt build.


----------



## Tmack

Yup


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Any more news on the 6 watt 445 nm builds?


----------



## Tmack

Hey there star. 
Just that the copper beast should be here soon. After some heat tests, I'll be releasing the 5-6w monster


----------



## Alex1234

Finally I have R,G,B,V !!!!!!!


----------



## Alex1234

My collection so far


----------



## Tmack

Damn Alex. I'm proud of that collection too.  

And those stickers look fantastic!


----------



## markr6

Alex1234 said:


> Finally I have R,G,B,V !!!!!!!



Amazing! If you don't mind, what did each of those cost you? I am interested in a green laser with a nice fat beam. I had a cheap $15 Ebay laser that I really liked but it died. The replacement I just got is junk.


----------



## Tmack

If you want a green laser with a fat beam, you want a 520nm. It's a more forest green, and is focus able. Prices vary because of host, power, optics, options , but your looking at $200 and up for lasers that will produce beams like in Alex's pictures. 
He's got a very powerful 520nm in a custom anodized host. Very nice laser 

I'm a big fan of the blue lasers. 
You can get 2000mw of 445nm (blue) for cheaper than 200mw of 520nm (green) 
So your getting an ultra bright laser, with burning capabilities as well. It does increase the potential danger of course, but they are all dangerous


----------



## markr6

Tmack said:


> If you want a green laser with a fat beam, you want a 520nm. It's a more forest green, and is focus able. Prices vary because of host, power, optics, options , but your looking at $200 and up for lasers that will produce beams like in Alex's pictures.
> He's got a very powerful 520nm in a custom anodized host. Very nice laser
> 
> I'm a big fan of the blue lasers.
> You can get 2000mw of 445nm (blue) for cheaper than 200mw of 520nm (green)
> So your getting an ultra bright laser, with burning capabilities as well. It does increase the potential danger of course, but they are all dangerous



Thanks for the info! I probably paid $10 for the cheaop on Ebay, so no surpirse about it breaking. Never dropped it; the focus just got messed up and wasn't worth messing with.

Any blue or green of decent quality for under $50?


----------



## Tmack

You can go on ebay And look up seller 'overfeel' his greens are pretty good. $17 about 80mw.


----------



## LumenTodd

star_c_star said:


> Tungsten alloy, Tungsten with 5- 10% or so of other metals, is not brittle. They make "Bucking Bars" out of it. A Bucking Bar is an inertial mass used in riveting, "behind" where the rivet is placed.
> 
> Some properties of tungsten bucking bars (I removed the ones not really relevant to this discussion):
> 
> 1. Excellent durability, robust construction and supreme finish.
> 2. The bars are made using tungsten alloy which has very high density.
> 4. They are ideal for applications that involve vibration damping.
> 5. The* tungsten alloys* are mainly composed of 95% tungsten.
> 
> My 6 pound specimen is a rectangular bucking bar. Tungsten alloy is better than alloy steel for this purpose since the same mass is much smaller, can fit into confined areas, and is much more durable.
> 
> 
> It would be cool to make a flashlight or laser host out of tungsten alloy, but probably not very easy. It, or at least the outer shell, would certainly be pretty durable.



I hate getting mis-quoted...  I'll go dust off the archives... Bucking Bars??? I have spent my entire career in the Northwest... We kinda have a little plane builder up here call Boeing...???!!! I have sold 1000's of riveting tools, bucking bars etc. My magic ball says the bucking bar was developed decades ago and yes they are Tungsten but have a good percentage of other powders and alloys to make them much less brittle, It turns out that WC can be made less brittle by the addition of cobalt: "Cobalt (Co) has proven to be the optimal binding metal for tungsten carbide (WC) hard metals. Cobalt overcomes the problem of brittleness. Hardened binding metals, which are similar to steel and have a titanium carbide basis (ferrotic), are used as well as iron and nickel." Bucking bars are heavy and reduce vibration, just what you want when your job is to squeeze in between 747 wings stacked together and hold this heavy block against the back side of a rivet while your co-worker is on the other side of the wing panel and has that rivet gun hammering away to flatten the rivet. I imagine the DB level to be way louder than the loudest concert you ever heard. Now, I didn't realize you were talking about "Bucking Bars" a very and did I say very old technology... I thought you said Tungsten Carbide which has many many different grades, and yes most are brittle. I have personally let a 1/4 " drill slip out of my hand at it shatters like glass when it hits the floor. Thats why Scott Kay, renowned jeweler stopped endorsing the use of Tungsten, Too brittle. There is a 7 year old girl that gives a ring a little touch and the ring breaks into pieces. But why stop at Carbide? Thats getting to be aged too, I'm sure you are knowledgable in all grades of Titanium (6AL-4V) etc, or we could go on to Hastelloy, Inconel, Waspaloy... We call them Nastaloy's... ***Star C Star - Don't go trying to make my contribution look like I don't know what I'm talking about. Why don't we make heat dispersion with ceramics? Hell, NASA did it on the shuttle for years...? Bucking bars... 
Buy hey I wouldn't mind a bucking bar flashlight... Maybe a TK75 size light, weighing in at about 12 pounds... I can handle that, but at 6' 3" and 240 and hitting the gym for the past 20 years it would still get heavy on a long hike. I'm guessing the average Joe would break a few toes before dumping it... All just for fun, hope it came across that way :twothumbs


----------



## star_c_star

LumenTodd said:


> I hate getting mis-quoted...  I'll go dust off the archives... Bucking Bars??? I have spent my entire career in the Northwest... We kinda have a little plane builder up here call Boeing...???!!! I have sold 1000's of riveting tools, bucking bars etc. My magic ball says the bucking bar was developed decades ago and yes they are Tungsten but have a good percentage of other powders and alloys to make them much less brittle, It turns out that WC can be made less brittle by the addition of cobalt: "Cobalt (Co) has proven to be the optimal binding metal for tungsten carbide (WC) hard metals. Cobalt overcomes the problem of brittleness. Hardened binding metals, which are similar to steel and have a titanium carbide basis (ferrotic), are used as well as iron and nickel." Bucking bars are heavy and reduce vibration, just what you want when your job is to squeeze in between 747 wings stacked together and hold this heavy block against the back side of a rivet while your co-worker is on the other side of the wing panel and has that rivet gun hammering away to flatten the rivet. I imagine the DB level to be way louder than the loudest concert you ever heard. Now, I didn't realize you were talking about "Bucking Bars" a very and did I say very old technology... I thought you said Tungsten Carbide which has many many different grades, and yes most are brittle. I have personally let a 1/4 " drill slip out of my hand at it shatters like glass when it hits the floor. Thats why Scott Kay, renowned jeweler stopped endorsing the use of Tungsten, Too brittle. There is a 7 year old girl that gives a ring a little touch and the ring breaks into pieces. But why stop at Carbide? Thats getting to be aged too, I'm sure you are knowledgable in all grades of Titanium (6AL-4V) etc, or we could go on to Hastelloy, Inconel, Waspaloy... We call them Nastaloy's... ***Star C Star - Don't go trying to make my contribution look like I don't know what I'm talking about. Why don't we make heat dispersion with ceramics? Hell, NASA did it on the shuttle for years...? Bucking bars...
> Buy hey I wouldn't mind a bucking bar flashlight... Maybe a TK75 size light, weighing in at about 12 pounds... I can handle that, but at 6' 3" and 240 and hitting the gym for the past 20 years it would still get heavy on a long hike. I'm guessing the average Joe would break a few toes before dumping it... All just for fun, hope it came across that way :twothumbs




The whole Tungsten discussion started when Tmack said my copper host would be heavy, and I replied that a tungsten host would REALLY be heavy.

I wasn't correcting anything you said. All I did was to change what I said. 

Initially I specified a pure tungsten host, which as you said would be too brittle. 

I then corrected my request to one for a tungsten alloy host, which would not be brittle, but would still be almost as dense as pure tungsten. 

A flashlight host made up of some of the exotic materials you mentioned, such as Inconel, would be interesting too.


Has anyone made a flashlight host out of very *light* materials such as magnesium or a lighter element?


----------



## Tmack

I've just recently seen a titanium 520nm out of a sunwayman titanium flashlight as a host. It was beautiful! 

Really for a laser, you could make a host out of anything as long as an aluminum or copper heatsink was used. 

I saw a WW2 grenade laser and the battery tube was wood! Very cool looking. 
It's actually for sale.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I've just recently seen a titanium 520nm out of a sunwayman titanium flashlight as a host. It was beautiful!
> 
> Really for a laser, you could make a host out of anything as long as an aluminum or copper heatsink was used.
> 
> I saw a WW2 grenade laser and the battery tube was wood! Very cool looking.
> It's actually for sale.



Ok, how about a laser custom made from a transparent material, such as glass or a heat resistant plastic?

It would be a laser AND a good educational tool. You could see the batteries, heat sink, etc.

Of course, the heat sink would be aluminum or copper.


----------



## Tmack

I like it! 
There's a custom glass blower local that blows tobacco pipes  I bet he could do something awesome!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I like it!
> There's a custom glass blower local that blows tobacco pipes  I bet he could do something awesome!



Take all my money now !!!!!!!!!


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Twisted inside out blown glass. He can even blow gold into the glass. 

I used to be a good customer. 

That would be a legendary laser. And completely doable. It just needs to house the batteries


----------



## Tmack

I even have 3 uranium marbles he could probably blow into the main piece. So it would glow like crazy if I could get some light to go back into the host. A guy did it with fiber optic cables and made a indicator light with the lasers own light. 

Ahh so many ideas


----------



## TEEJ

I used to do glass blowing back in the day when I made my own lab apparatus stuff for research purposes, etc. 

I can do quartz blowing too, which is tougher than glass and maybe better for a laser or flashlight etc.

I used to do a lot of quartz blowing for cryogenic priming of photodynodes for photo multiplier tubes for example.


----------



## Tmack

Ohww quarts laser? I'm intrigued


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Ohww quarts laser? I'm intrigued



My knowledge is more theoretical than practical, but I foresee one issue.

OK, we'll have a glass or quartz laser host, with an aluminum or copper heat sink inside it. Glass or quartz do not conduct heat well. How do you get the diode and driver heat outside? Will only the front of the heat sink be exposed to air, or will the sides have to be exposed as well?

Can you pipe the heat through the glass walls with metal rods?


----------



## Tmack

May have to have some cutouts to help. But we're not talking huge power here either. 
Super fancy hosts usually have single mode low-med power diodes. 

And as long as the heatsink is containing to hear, exposure to air isn't necessary.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> May have to have some cutouts to help. But we're not talking huge power here either.
> Super fancy hosts usually have single mode low-med power diodes.
> 
> And as long as the heatsink is containing to hear, exposure to air isn't necessary.



No quartz 6 watt builds then?


----------



## LumenTodd

star_c_star said:


> The whole Tungsten discussion started when Tmack said my copper host would be heavy, and I replied that a tungsten host would REALLY be heavy.
> 
> I wasn't correcting anything you said. All I did was to change what I said.
> 
> Initially I specified a pure tungsten host, which as you said would be too brittle.
> 
> I then corrected my request to one for a tungsten alloy host, which would not be brittle, but would still be almost as dense as pure tungsten.
> 
> A flashlight host made up of some of the exotic materials you mentioned, such as Inconel, would be interesting too.
> 
> 
> Has anyone made a flashlight host out of very *light* materials such as magnesium or a lighter element?



All good points... extending my hand for a hand shake and to say I'm glad we are on the side of advancement. Peace .... plus I like the "clear" concept. There is a acrylic I've used that is clear but the edges are green just like glass. I've sanded it down, wet sanded it, then used buffing compound to make is flawless, looks like perfectly cut glass.


----------



## LumenTodd

Any full carbon fiber hosts out there?


----------



## Tmack

I saw an aluminum host that was done in carbon fiber. 
Some kind of hydro dipping or something. Looked amazing.


----------



## TEEJ

You could dope the quartz to increase its conductivity, it has a k of about 30 CU (Copper is ~ 401, Tungsten ~ 174, AL at ~ 205, Titanium at ~ 22, and so forth....so that would make quartz more like say Titanium in thermal conductivity.

The issue would be radiant not conductive heat, as shiny things (Polished metal, glass, etc...) simply don't RADIATE heat as well as say a flat black surface. So the body would absorb the heat OK, but, have trouble radiating it into the atmosphere.

A dull finish and a darker color work better for radiation.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Will my Cypreus 3 watt build be ready in a week or two?

I look forward to having something almost as powerful as the Tmag v2, but far more portable.


The Cypreus host is very effective at drawing the heat away from the diode. My Cypreus 1 watt 405 nm build gets warm within a minute, even quicker than the c11 1 watt 405 nm build.

Does the 405 nm 1 watt diode generate almost as much heat as the 445 nm 3 watt?


----------



## Tmack

It does. From testing and holding in my fingers with just the module, the 1w 405 does heat up quite fast. Just as fast as the 445nm. 

Your cypreus will be done in about a week. 
I have the diode and I bought a circular driver for it to fit the 16.8mm bore in the carrier. When I tested yesterday, the output was strangely low. When I disassembled to see what was wrong, I found the inductor was broken at the plastic. This must be what's effecting the output. I'm assuming it happened during shipping. So today I will be ordering another driver. No idea how it was damaged. When installing, I apply no pressure to this area. The laser runs fine, and is still very powerful, just not where I'd like it to be for my customers. 
I'm sorry for the delay, but I can't allow an underpowered laser to leave my shop.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> It does. From testing and holding in my fingers with just the module, the 1w 405 does heat up quite fast. Just as fast as the 445nm.
> 
> Your cypreus will be done in about a week.
> I have the diode and I bought a circular driver for it to fit the 16.8mm bore in the carrier. When I tested yesterday, the output was strangely low. When I disassembled to see what was wrong, I found the inductor was broken at the plastic. This must be what's effecting the output. I'm assuming it happened during shipping. So today I will be ordering another driver. No idea how it was damaged. When installing, I apply no pressure to this area. The laser runs fine, and is still very powerful, just not where I'd like it to be for my customers.
> I'm sorry for the delay, but I can't allow an underpowered laser to leave my shop.



I can wait. Thank-you for catching that issue.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> It does. From testing and holding in my fingers with just the module, the 1w 405 does heat up quite fast. Just as fast as the 445nm.
> 
> Your cypreus will be done in about a week.
> I have the diode and I bought a circular driver for it to fit the 16.8mm bore in the carrier. When I tested yesterday, the output was strangely low. When I disassembled to see what was wrong, I found the inductor was broken at the plastic. This must be what's effecting the output. I'm assuming it happened during shipping. So today I will be ordering another driver. No idea how it was damaged. When installing, I apply no pressure to this area. The laser runs fine, and is still very powerful, just not where I'd like it to be for my customers.
> I'm sorry for the delay, but I can't allow an underpowered laser to leave my shop.



Shades of "I will sell no driver before it's time"


----------



## Severus

Tmack Check this out
http://youtu.be/oUEbMjtWc-A?list=UU2bkHVIDjXS7sgrgjFtzOXQ


----------



## Tmack

Very cool. Thanks for the link


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

TMACK!!!!I dont advocate this bust just had a amazing idea, googled it and apprantly someone else already thought of it!!!Obliviously this is both not legal and morale so dont do it!http://www.laserpointersafety.com/n...s/ec8df19bf48b1785b20d75486edcd1e9-368.phpP.s on the other hand is it irmorale...no more so than the owner's of rigged acrade machines.....


----------



## Tmack

Link Didn't work. 

You talking about the games with the dropping prizes. ?? And "convincing" them to drop with a laser. ?


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Any more news on the 6 watt laser diode builds?


----------



## Tmack

Justa waitin on that there copper host to make the final decision. 

Everything else is totally squared away my friend. 

Your driver should be here any day btw  

I was trying to repair the inductor on the first one just for kicks. I placed a tiny bit of thermal adhesive on the plastic to try and see if that would help. Totally killed it. So when adhering drivers to platforms, I'm going g to be SUPER crazy careful not to get even a drop on the inductor. Before, I never worried about it and just luckily never got any on one. Thank goodness.  

Just thinking out loud.


----------



## Alex1234

it only took 4 days to get my new 200mw rated spartan laser back from dragon lasers. i lpmed it at over 320mw. it was still climbing when i turned it off. this thing is stupid bright


----------



## Tmack

Yeah I have a little shy of 400mw 532nm and it is just insane. Lol. 

They are a good company. They resell CNI Lasers.


----------



## Alex1234

crap i etched a small line into my lpm sensor. i wish i could defocus my sparton. lpm still works perfect though


----------



## Tmack

Oh that'll happen. It's no big deal. 

I test 3+w very often. Trust me, mine has burns lol. 

That's what you mean right? Burns? Or scratches?


----------



## Tmack

I thought dragon started selling beam expanders again for Spartans.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I thought dragon started selling beam expanders again for Spartans.



id get on if i had the money. i really want one would cost $115 with shipping


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack whats your opinion on this 2 minute lpm graph i did of my spartan 532nm. the power is good but the power fluctuates quite a bit. the peak power was at the end lol. i wondering if this thing might die all the suddon


----------



## Tmack

Hmm. The crystal should be warming up and giving you a peak much sooner. 
The fluctuations are very high too. 
With your type of sensor, the fluctuations should be very subtle. 

This means on a ophir, that line would be going nuts. 

Just keep an eye on it. 
Like I said my hulk ultra 300mw just steady declined to 10mw but the end of its life. 
So if it's going to die, it should do it gradually. 

Try different cells. 
Was the laser resting on something, or being held? 

Really your graph should be going the other way. They'll peak in the first say 5 seconds to let the crystal get up to temp, then slowly drop with small fluctuations.


----------



## Alex1234

the laser was resting on something. i hope its ok. time will tell. i kinda want the 600mw spartan lol. that would be beyond stupid bright


----------



## Tmack

Beyond stupid hot too! That would be a 2-3w 808nm driving it. 

If you want something that high, go jetlasers ple-pro.


----------



## Alex1234

bad news my 405nm just died. think it led. only had it on for 30 seconds.

this is what the output looks like now. i can bearly see it.


----------



## Tmack

I guess the exposed internals was too much. Especially with the extra humid weather maybe? 

Well we tried.


----------



## Alex1234

im not even sad or mad lol. this diode went through a lot !!!.


----------



## Tmack

And it's the smallest little guy lol. 
Little timmy with the broken glasses.


----------



## Alex1234

is the driver still ok ?


----------



## Tmack

Should be fine. 
I'll get you that driver price asap. Girlfriends birthday today. 

I'm sneaking forum time haha.


----------



## Alex1234

you mean diode price lol


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah lol. 

Whoops


----------



## Alex1234

i almost want you to make it fixed focus so i cant break it. is that possible


----------



## TEEJ

T

Your PM's are full bro.


----------



## Tmack

Just fixed that. Sorry about that.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Have all of the parts arrived for my Cypreus 3 watt 445 nm build?

It will be amazing to carry 3 watts of laser power in that small a package.


----------



## Tmack

It's drying while I'm at work good sir. I just need to screw it all together.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> It's drying while I'm at work good sir. I just need to screw it all together.



Thank-you!

Have you taken any power measurements yet, with the one element and three element lenses?


----------



## Tmack

I will have the final numbers when everything is assembled. Still a little tacky . I don't want anything to shift on me.


----------



## TEEJ

Did you call about getting that Chinese?

:devil:


----------



## Tmack

I sure did. Waiting on a reply


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I will have the final numbers when everything is assembled. Still a little tacky . I don't want anything to shift on me.



Hi Tmack,

Have you had a chance to get some measurements for the Cypreus?


----------



## Tmack

Yes sir. 2. 72w with a 3 element. 
2. 98w a g2 
Much more like it


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Yes sir. 2. 72w with a 3 element.
> 2. 98w a g2
> Much more like it



Yes, that is almost as powerful as my Tmag v2, which is 3.11 w with a g2. It is also MUCH smaller.

Has it shipped yet?


----------



## Tmack

I had to go out of town for the weekend. It'll ship as soon as I get home on Tuesday. I'm sorry for the loonngg delay. 

I'll throw in some extras for the wait to show my gratitude. 
Some diffraction gratings, I even have a couple cool extra focus adapters. 

I hate getting news like that, so I hate giving it. So I try to make up for the waiting.


----------



## Alex1234

I wish i could aford a cypreus.


----------



## star_c_star

Alex1234 said:


> I wish i could aford a cypreus.




The way I afforded it was cutting back on my high-end flashlight purchases.

Of course, if someone comes out with a modded 2 million candlepower or higher LED flashlight, my self control will go out the window. I already have a 1.1 million candela DEFT-X, but 2 million+ will be a noticeable increase.


At the moment, I'm focused on buying high end lasers, all from Tmack.

I just bought a Tmack 5-6 watt super Tmag build, which will be the one all my other Tmack builds will have to respect. It cost less than my DEFT-X, and should be in my hands within 2 weeks or so.

After that, I'll wait until really powerful (3 watts or higher) single-mode diodes are available.

A single-mode 405 nm diode of 3 watts or more would be really incredible.


----------



## Tmack

You and me both
3w single mode any color I'd be just thrilled to have. 

Alex. As much experience as you have developed in such a short time, I know you'd really appreciate the quality of the cypreus build. Same with star you guys have become laser veterans fast!


----------



## Bigwilly

I gotta say, Tmack is like a mad scientist when it comes to lasers. So I ordered 1.7w c11 about 2 weeks ago and he tells me yesterday its done. I had emergency back surgery Wednesday morning and can't drive for a few weeks. Now we live in the same city but it's not like its a 5 minute drive. So he brings it to me last night. He makes sure I got the right batteries and no questions on its use. We talked for a bit and he headed off I think on a mini vacation. All I can say is wow.... The laser is everything he said it would be and lil more powerful. It checked on ay 1.9w. if you are kicking around the idea of a laser jusy bounce it off Tmack. I started making what i didn't know then were some dumb or wasteful choices and steered me in the right direction. I couldn't be happier with Tmacks laser or him going above and beyond.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Wow this thread moves fast, Er yhea I was talking about the hanging prizes arcade games and burning the string.


----------



## tomthebaker

Well, Tmack sent me a tmag blue laser in a purple host that is almost too pretty to be taken seriously. It is a real thing of beauty in both form and function. 

Does anybody know what it would do to a surveillance camera from 30 or so feet away? Not robbing a bank, just exploring theoretical possibilities.

Is there a pic and price on the Cypreus build? I went back a few pages, Googled too and didn't see it. 

Thanks!


----------



## TEEJ

tomthebaker said:


> Well, Tmack sent me a tmag blue laser in a purple host that is almost too pretty to be taken seriously. It is a real thing of beauty in both form and function.
> 
> Does anybody know what it would do to a surveillance camera from 30 or so feet away? Not robbing a bank, just exploring theoretical possibilities.
> 
> Is there a pic and price on the Cypreus build? I went back a few pages, Googled too and didn't see it.
> 
> Thanks!



It could potentially destroy the impacted sensors and wipe out some pixel combinations, etc.

Depending on the optics of the camera, it could also set it on fire, melt wires, etc.

IE: It might kill it....and/or burn down the building its attached to, etc.


----------



## Tmack

I don't know about surveillance equipment, but I've seen video (half a video  ) of a cell phone camera just getting a glimpse of a 1w 445nm and completely dying.

My avatar is a cypreus.


----------



## tomthebaker

Thanks, men
Is the cypreus 3 watts also? 
$$??


----------



## Arilou

tomthebaker said:


> Does anybody know what it would do to a surveillance camera from 30 or so feet away? Not robbing a bank, just exploring theoretical possibilities.



Search for 'laser destroys camera' on youtube. In some cases it will leave a few dead pixels in the image, in other cases it causes the ccd to shatter, completely destroying it.

Be careful doing this, because the optics can reflect some of the light back at you.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Since I was able to order a 5 - 6 watt "Tmag super" build from you, my guess is that you have already built at least one 5 - 6 watt build for testing.

Is the beam far more powerful than that produced by a 3 watt build?


----------



## Tmack

The beam is ridiculous. I've never held so much power in photons . You are going to love it  makes me all giddy again about lasers haha. 

Your diode should be waiting on me when I get home  (tomorrow night)


----------



## tomthebaker

Arilou said:


> Search for 'laser destroys camera' on youtube. In some cases it will leave a few dead pixels in the image, in other cases it causes the ccd to shatter, completely destroying it.
> 
> Be careful doing this, because the optics can reflect some of the light back at you.


I will. Thank you, and thanks Teej and Tmack for giving input on this pretty off-topic question. 

From a friend who (irritatingly) seems to know more stuff about more things than just about anyone I know:

_Some security cameras, usually the outdoor ones, have extra optics such as zoom lenses which can absorb the laser energy and prevent it from reaching the sensor. Also, some of the more expensive security cameras with night vision have a mechanical filter switching mechanism for IR-illuminated night vision mode. There's a small solenoid or servo that rotates the filter into position when night vision mode is enabled. The IR filter is supposed to filter out most visible light, and it could also reduce how much energy reaches the CCD._






​


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The beam is ridiculous. I've never held so much power in photons . You are going to love it  makes me all giddy again about lasers haha.
> 
> Your diode should be waiting on me when I get home  (tomorrow night)




What power level did you measure?


----------



## Tmack

On that diode I got 5.4w at 3.5a and I took it off the sensor very quickly just in case. That's about average, do hopefully yours will be above spec. 

I'm going to have to get an ophir sensor heatsink for these diodes. They are just so intense. 

The inductor on the drivers are huge compared to the 3w. 

Really excited to get yours in the super Tmag. I just fee more comfortable with that, rather than the cypress.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> On that diode I got 5.4w at 3.5a and I took it off the sensor very quickly just in case. That's about average, do hopefully yours will be above spec.
> 
> I'm going to have to get an ophir sensor heatsink for these diodes. They are just so intense.
> 
> The inductor on the drivers are huge compared to the 3w.
> 
> Really excited to get yours in the super Tmag. I just fee more comfortable with that, rather than the cypress.




I look forward to receiving it, but only after you are comfortable that the diode will last a while.

That super Tmag heat sink is simply incredible. Do you think that a 2 minute runtime will be doable? I don't expect 5 minutes, but would be happy if that were possible.

When they come out with a 10 watt, that may require active cooling.


----------



## Tmack

I'm going to do extensive testing before I let it out of my possession. I'd be comfortable estimating 2 min. But I will know for sure soon. 

Yeah with 10w, at least a fan would be necessary for any extended run. 
The tec peltier are funny. They do get really cold........ On one side. The other side needs a giant heatsink. So yes I could make the heatsink area literally freezing cold, but behind it would be hot. Maybe if I was able to get a hold of some of that crazy thermal conductive metal, I could make a heat "bank" that stores the heat far away from the important components. 


I could also install little co2 cartridge with a valve. So everything few seconds, you could pull a trigger and blast a cold burst on the base of the heatsink. Could have little purge valve like nitrous hahaha. 
Get a NOS decal on the canister.


----------



## tomthebaker

That does it. I want one now!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> On that diode I got 5.4w at 3.5a and I took it off the sensor very quickly just in case. That's about average, do hopefully yours will be above spec.
> 
> I'm going to have to get an ophir sensor heatsink for these diodes. They are just so intense.
> 
> The inductor on the drivers are huge compared to the 3w.
> 
> Really excited to get yours in the super Tmag. I just fee more comfortable with that, rather than the cypress.




I'm trying to think of a pet name for this build, before it arrives. 

Perhaps Mjölnir (Thor's hammer, literally meaning "that which smashes"), or Excalibur ("that which slices?").

It will look like a mace (which smashes), but have a powerful laser diode (which slices).


----------



## Tmack

Hmmm. Something blue flame. 
Powerful, mighty. What says all that in a couple words? 

Oh your cypreus goes out tomorrow to hold you over Buddy!


----------



## tomthebaker

Tmack said:


> Hmmm. Something blue flame.
> Powerful, mighty. What says all that in a couple words?
> 
> Oh your cypreus goes out tomorrow to hold you over Buddy!


Anduril?
Glamdring?
Narsil
Orcrist (I like this one, for no reason whatsoever)


----------



## Tmack

Usps is officially crap. ( obviously) 

I had drivers, lenses, hosts, diodes out for delivery, and the mail truck just left my block. 
I have parts out for delivery in the wrong county's. 


I have custom knives in route and I'm praying I don't have any problems with the laser parts or knives. I shouldn't have to stress about this everyday. Just so irritated. I have customers patiently waiting, and I have to have my business effected by their junk service. 

Ugghh. Going nuts right now.


----------



## blah9

Man. They drive me crazy when waiting for stuff to arrive. I can't even imagine dealing with them when sending out stuff to customers. Hopefully you won't have any lasting problems.


----------



## Tmack

Thanks man. 

Well on a lighter note.......... 

Bam! 






Working on the internals, but had to show this off!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Thanks man.
> 
> Well on a lighter note..........
> 
> Bam!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Working on the internals, but had to show this off!




THAT is beautiful, in a functional Terminator way.

Should I say "Hasta La Vista Baby" or "You vill be terminated" when I use it?

It is just what I want; you can't see where the flashlight ends and the heat sink begins.


----------



## Tmack

The T1000!


----------



## Tmack

Or should it be T6000 
For 6000mw lol


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Or should it be T6000
> For 6000mw lol



The T1000 sounds best, but it doesn't account for the different host colors or the different diode powers.

Could we have a naming convention like the "T1000 3wR", for the Tmag super with a 3 watt diode and a red Maglite host? That makes it sound like specialized bunches of Terminators, for different purposes.

I'm sure someone can think of something less cumbersome than that!


----------



## Tmack

T3wb = Tmag 3w blue 
Ts5wb = Tmag super 5w+ blue

Lol all the classy company's just use letters and numbers with cars right!


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> T3wb = Tmag 3w blue
> Ts5wb = Tmag super 5w+ blue
> 
> Lol all the classy company's just use letters and numbers with cars right!



I hate the non-acronym letter/number nomenclatures though, as I can never keep it all straight.



I'd use the nanometer length rather than color....a in "445" instead of "blue" if wanting to standardize the nomenclature, as it IS foreseeable that you might have different wavelengths that are the same "color", as in more than _one_ blue or yellow or green or red, etc....so custom wavelengths would be easier to differentiate. 

If you have T for Tmack or Tm for Tmag, and so forth, its potentially confusing depending upon what other hosts you have now vs the future....so T Cypreus = Tc, but a "caliente" host would then require more than just a "c" to differentiat other host starting with a c, and so forth.

Food for thought.


----------



## thedoc007

TEEJ said:


> I hate the non-acronym letter/number nomenclatures though, as I can never keep it all straight.



+1. I'm all for acronyms, but I find it MUCH more difficult to remember a seemingly random string of alphanumeric characters, compared to an actual name.

Only shorten it if you are still fully, unambiguously understood. If you go beyond that point, it is bad for everyone involved.


----------



## star_c_star

TEEJ said:


> I hate the non-acronym letter/number nomenclatures though, as I can never keep it all straight.
> 
> 
> 
> I'd use the nanometer length rather than color....a in "445" instead of "blue" if wanting to standardize the nomenclature, as it IS foreseeable that you might have different wavelengths that are the same "color", as in more than _one_ blue or yellow or green or red, etc....so custom wavelengths would be easier to differentiate.
> 
> If you have T for Tmack or Tm for Tmag, and so forth, its potentially confusing depending upon what other hosts you have now vs the future....so T Cypreus = Tc, but a "caliente" host would then require more than just a "c" to differentiat other host starting with a c, and so forth.
> 
> Food for thought.



I hadn't even considered the laser wavelength options, since the Tmag super is only being used for 445 nm builds (from what I have read). The color references were for the host.

However, they need not be restricted to that, especially as diode technology improves. Therefore, the acronyms would become even more difficult to keep straight.

How would you have a self-explanatory acronym for something like "Tmag super host, host color red, with 6 watt 405 nm diode, and g2 lens" versus "Tmag v2 host, host color blue, with 3 watt 445 nm diode, and g3 lens?" In fact, the terms "Tmag super" and "Tmag v2" are already shorthand terms which only make sense for someone following this Thread.

Sometimes the full description is much clearer than any acronym. I still like the T1000 reference, but it would have to be tied to something particular.


----------



## Tmack

Oh I wasn't completely serious guys lol. I've always found all the flashlight names funny is all. 

Mx25l3vn, tk75vnkt, d40avn, etc.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Oh I wasn't completely serious guys lol. I've always found all the flashlight names funny is all.
> 
> Mx25l3vn, tk75vnkt, d40avn, etc.



Yes, they are rather humorous, but they still make sense since Vinh follows a naming convention. He typically uses flashlight model (which clarifies the manufacturer too) + modder + suboption.

He does not include whether they are domed or de-domed in this naming convention, nor which color (warmth) diodes the user has selected. 

Also, he doesn't have to include wavelength, diode power, host color, attached focusing lens options, etc., so the naming is much easier than it would be for one of your custom laser builds.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Any more information on the Tmag super 5 - 6 watt build?

I am willing to wait until you and the new diode are both comfortable with the new build, but I am only human, and want to know the approximate power, run time, etc.


----------



## atisvt99

Paging Tmack... Tmack, come in please...


----------



## TEEJ

And your PMs are full again.


----------



## Tmack

Sorry fellas. Had an interesting couple of days. 

Justin, your stuff is in the mail. 
Star. Your diode gas been coupled with the driver and ready to test!


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Any testing results yet on the 5-6 watt build?


----------



## Tmack

Good timing star. 


................ 

5.6w!!! Absolute monster!!! 

I had to increase the power to my ophir to even be able to read that high lol. 
That's with the g2 lens. 

   

The way these diodes are progressing is just amazing. 

Just a few years ago, there were just about only red diodes pulled from cd rw. 250mw. 

Now 5600mw of beautiful blue. 
Unreal!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Good timing star.
> 
> 
> ................
> 
> 5.6w!!! Absolute monster!!!
> 
> I had to increase the power to my ophir to even be able to read that high lol.
> That's with the g2 lens.
> 
> 
> 
> The way these diodes are progressing is just amazing.
> 
> Just a few years ago, there were just about only red diodes pulled from cd rw. 250mw.
> 
> Now 5600mw of beautiful blue.
> Unreal!



No complaints from me!!!




I chose the g2 option, so 5.6 watts would be the relevant value.

About how long can I safely run it?

Also, about when will it ship?

Please remember, I chose the 26650 battery option. I can't think of anything worse than receiving it without the 26650 sleeve, and having no 32650 batteries to power it up. It would be like having the lamp you rub to produce the genie, but only being able to look at it.





(PS: I know that you are very careful with your work, but couldn't help adding the concern about the battery sleeve since this is going to be one hell of a laser!)


----------



## Tmack

I thought you wanted it to run 32650's.............  it's got a sleeve my friend. Don't worry. Ready for 26650 no problem. 

I want to do some driver temperature tests. And some longer power tests so I can be sure it's going to be good to you for a long time. 

I'll have more numbers for you soon.  

Should ship in a few days.


----------



## flashaholic1

Hi tmack, I've tried messaging you but I don't think you've received them. I was interested in your laser services and lasers

1. Can you mod my 125mw green laser from novalasers? 
2. Is there a list and price page of your lasers and services you offer?

Thanks, 
Sorry I'm a noob here


----------



## Tmack

The 125mw laser is a tough one. It most likely is pushed pretty hard, and further increase would severely decrease the life of the module. You'd need to just about double the power to really get a good visual difference. 

And the prices vary because of host, power and wavelength. 

If you tell me what your looking for, and your general price range, I can work out some options for you. 

My inbox is recieving messages now


----------



## Arilou

The lens on my c11 came loose from the focus adapter, so now it doesn't focus properly when I turn it. What is the best way to fix this?


----------



## Tmack

Make sure your in a dust free area first. 
Completely unscrew the adapter. If the lens is left inside the laser remove it as well, remember which way it's facing. 
If it comes out all together, just tighten the lens into the adapter hand tight, but as hard as possible. 

Also when removing, be careful of the spring inside. 

Once tightened just thread it back in the laser and your good to go.


----------



## Tmack

Going to be having a nice sale on sinner custom hosts shortly. 

Ms ssw
Copperhead 

Up to $75 off on some build options.


----------



## Tmack

I also have a 100mw 520nm in a tiny pocket host for $150 ready to ship.


----------



## XFlash

Tmack said:


> Going to be having a nice sale on sinner custom hosts shortly.
> 
> Ms ssw
> Copperhead
> 
> Up to $75 off on some build options.



Interested for sure any description specs
Thanks


----------



## Tmack

The ms ssw (pictures in post 1) is a monster. 2x 26650 
Good runtime, but not like a maglite. 2-3min 3w 445nm 

The copperhead is a steam punk style pocket host. 1-2w with short duty cycles. 1-2 min. 

I can discuss price via pm. 

These are great deals on custom hosts


----------



## star_c_star

I just received my 3 watt Cypreus 445 nm build. It is amazing how much power is available in such a relatively small package.

Also, the body gets warm within 30 seconds, and even warmer within a minute or so. My understanding is that it can safely run up to 2 minutes because it quickly directs the heat away from the diode and driver to the outside. Also the heat must be dissipated from the body relatively quickly, since it cools rather rapidly.


NOW all I need is my 5.6 watt super Tmag.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I thought you wanted it to run 32650's.............  it's got a sleeve my friend. Don't worry. Ready for 26650 no problem.
> 
> I want to do some driver temperature tests. And some longer power tests so I can be sure it's going to be good to you for a long time.
> 
> I'll have more numbers for you soon.
> 
> Should ship in a few days.



Hi Tmack,

Any more news on the 5.6 watt super Tmag?


----------



## Tmack

Should ship out in two-three days. 
My new temperature sensor should be here tomorrow for testing. 
And I'm contemplating putting another copper heatsink directly on the inductor on the side of the driver that's not epoxied to the host for a thermal pathway. It's about 1/2"x1/4" and finned. I saw them at radio shack and had to give them a try. If I have the space, I'll be installing them wherever I can. 

My goal is to make this behave like a 3w, but with double the power.


----------



## Tmack

My new maglite heatsink design. What do you guys think? 







Any mag can be upgraded to these heatsink if desired. 
On a 3w, it's about double the mass of the original hockey puck style. Not to mention it just looks sick.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> My new maglite heatsink design. What do you guys think?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any mag can be upgraded to these heatsink if desired.
> On a 3w, it's about double the mass of the original hockey puck style. Not to mention it just looks sick.




Is this the Tmag v3? 

Seriously, the new heatsink looks alot like the giant heatsink in the super Tmag. It may even be slightly wider.

What would it cost to go from the Tmag v2 to this new version?


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> My new maglite heatsink design. What do you guys think?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any mag can be upgraded to these heatsink if desired.
> On a 3w, it's about double the mass of the original hockey puck style. Not to mention it just looks sick.



could you imagine the duty cycle if you did that to my 1.7w tmag !!!


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Is this the Tmag v3?
> 
> Seriously, the new heatsink looks alot like the giant heatsink in the super Tmag. It may even be slightly wider.
> 
> What would it cost to go from the Tmag v2 to this new version?



Which is the better heatsink, the super heatsink or this one? The new one looks wider but probably has alot less mass.


----------



## XFlash

Alright that did it I love the looks of it
WOW!

When can we order it?


----------



## Tmack

They are made to order of course. That picture is the prototype. 

The super has more mass yes. I still recommend the Tmag super for the 5-6w for sure. 

This new one is much more than the Tmag v2 heatsink. So for 3w, it would be perfect. 

Alex, haha, might as well turn it on as a bug zapper then!!


----------



## Tmack

Price is being discussed now with my machinist. 

Lots of extra machining. The v2 heatsink is VERY simple compared to this bad boy. 
But MAN. It totally takes the maglite look out of the equation.


----------



## Tmack

You guys can choose how long you want the heatsink as well. 
2"- 5" - 2'


----------



## Tmack

I'm discussing price now. Trying to get as low as possible. 
So if anyone is positive they want one, let me know. More means cheaper


----------



## tomthebaker

Well, I'm sure I would want one on the Super build that is in the cue!


----------



## Tmack

The Tmag super heatsink has a much larger heatsink than this new one. This one will work well with 3w builds. 

We can do a large version, but that will cost more. 

This heatsink upgrade will be $100 for the one pictured. Will increase runtime of the 3w builds, and is MUCH better at getting rid of the heat with the fins. 

And to me, it just looks soo good. 

If you want a Tmag 5-6w with one of these, we will have to see how much a few inches more will cost. 

We can make it as big as needed.


----------



## tomthebaker

I will just go with whatever you recommend. I'm sure you have a better idea than I have on what the Tmag Super needs.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Will this new larger heat sink have a temperature sensor, similar to the Tmag super heat sink?

Also, assuming that people chose the 3 watt diode, and go with the heat sink length shown in the photograph, do you think the duty cycle will jump from the current 3-5 minutes to 6-10 minutes? I am partially making up these figures, but the 3-5 minutes is probably pretty close for the Tmag v2.

Could they choose a longer heat sink length and get something like 12-15 minutes? I know you can't get them to run continuously without active cooling, but 12-15 minutes would be pretty close!


Please tell me if runtimes like 12-15 minutes are more fantasy than reality. I'd really be happy with a safe 6 minute duty cycle.


----------



## Tmack

Oh no the laser itself won't have a temperature sensor. I was getting one to read the temperature OF the heatsink. (that would be pretty awesome to have a digital thermometer on your laser though huh. Hmm) 

Well, it's hard to say. Doubling the mass, won't double the time, but it will absolutely help very much. I just spoke to the man on the lathe, and I can get an extra two inches added on the solid mass for $20, so that's a no brainer. Exact numbers are hard to say. I like to lowball my numbers, but sometimes other things come into play that will make it more or less. But as of now I can confidently say, we will be substantially increasing all numbers with this. 

Now while the bigger the better, there is a limit to what the light emitting components can take, and a couple hundred dollars is an expensive test subject. I'd assume even with a 10lb heatsink, there is a limit to what is possible. No getting around it, we can draw out as much heat as possible, but those tiny components are being stressed for such a long time and will fail if we push them over the limit. It's up to me to extend that limit as much as I can. 

Remember when we are talking runtimes, NOBODY is throwing around numbers like these. Lol 5min on a 3w is just crazy talk in the laser world. 5-10min on a 2w without active cooling would likely get you laughed at if you emailed a company and asked for a laser to run that long with that power. 

These diodes come from entertainment projectors, and are quickly flashed on and off to create effects. That really increases their runtime, plus they are fan cooled. We are running them straight, above their current specs much like the modded flashlights. So no matter what we do, it's a loosing battle with heat. Even my projectors must rest after about an hour. 

The the increased size will not only extend the runtimes, it's going to make the diode live longer because it's under less stress. I however think 12 min at 3w may be extremely hard to achieve just because of the nature of our beast here. 

We are asking a car to hit 250mph which is insane, but then are asking it to hold it for 50 miles  

I think with the new heatsink ( +2") the 3w build will beach more comfortable, run longer definitely (exactly how long I can't say yet) and extend the overall life of the diode. Not to mention look amazing.  

My 3w mag will be getting upgraded to this heatsink no doubt. ( will be about 3" extra  ) 

So if you want 6 minutes safe, you may consider going that route. Getting the new heatsink, but increasing the solid mass by 3-4" unlike the regular Tmag, it will not look like an after thought. It'll just look longer in the front. 

I'm assuming at +3" the new heatsink upgrade would be $130 if the +2" was $120 
Imo well worth it.


----------



## TEEJ

I REALLY like how the new head looks like PART OF the laser/flashlight assembly, rather than like a mag light with a laser sticking out of it.

I hear you on the mass of heat sinking, vs the ability to SHED heat.

If the finish is flat black, the mass can radiate heat MUCH better than if shiny and reflective silver, etc.


Essentially, it can take a while to warm up an oven (The pre-heat cycle)...and that's the "Sink" part...the heat is put into the system - until it reaches an equilibrium, and stabilizes at whatever heat capacity it has. (The oven has reached the set temperature, and you can put in the brownies...)

Ovens are insulated to hold IN the heat. As we don't WANT to bake the laser in there...we don't want our oven to be insulated....we want it to lose heat like crazy. It can lose heat via conduction...the heat flows through materials (Like aluminum or copper, etc...) to somewhere else, like your hand, etc, or through radiation of the heat into the air.

We already use a lot of copper to absorb the heat, but, the limiting factor for run time is that the copper IS getting hotter and hotter, and, the system can't cool the copper down quickly enough to allow it to then be able to absorb MORE heat.

Fins, as mentioned, increase the surface area of the hot metal exposed to the air, increasing the rate of heat loss. If the finish were flat black, it would FURTHER increase the heat loss rate. If the sink was able to be flushed with water or other media which could flow through it, absorb heat on the way through, and then the hot media carried off to somewhere else, it would shed heat via convection too, and then that re-cooled media could flow back into the sink to absorb more heat, and so forth (Think "Radiator").


Tmack is already on the cutting edge of laser run time...and if the above could be taken advantage of, the run time could be even longer.

:devil:


----------



## Tmack

Intercooler for a laser ehyy haha. 

As always thanks for the thorough explanation Mr teej. 

I've always tried to stress that copper is only good when getting rid of the heat is not an option. The copper is great because it is one if the best at conducting the heat, but it's horrible at shedding that heat. Aluminum however sheds heat quite well. 

I'm also thinking of a copper core with and aluminum jacket. Copper to draw out the heat, aluminum to shed it with nice finned exterior. 

This new heatsink is going to shed the heat very effectively. And it's mass will take very long to heat up. So the ratio of heat build up, to heat shedding speed is more in our favor than ever. 

Teej. How about a co2 canister mounted on the tube ( possibly in a multi chamber battery compartment  ) that you could crack fir a small burst of freezing co2 which would run through a series of vent through the heatsink. Almost look like a nitrous purge ( not to get all 16 year old on you) but every time you felt the heat building, you give it a small shot if freeze. That may be a way to reduce the size of the cooling system. Rather than pumps, motors, liquid, etc.
I have also wanted to run a fan in a mag. 
As well as the TEC peltier. But they get hotter on the reverse side faster than the laser will.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Intercooler for a laser ehyy haha.
> 
> As always thanks for the thorough explanation Mr teej.
> 
> I've always tried to stress that copper is only good when getting rid of the heat is not an option. The copper is great because it is one if the best at conducting the heat, but it's horrible at shedding that heat. Aluminum however sheds heat quite well.
> 
> I'm also thinking of a copper core with and aluminum jacket. Copper to draw out the heat, aluminum to shed it with nice finned exterior.
> 
> This new heatsink is going to shed the heat very effectively. And it's mass will take very long to heat up. So the ratio of heat build up, to heat shedding speed is more in our favor than ever.
> 
> Teej. How about a co2 canister mounted on the tube ( possibly in a multi chamber battery compartment  ) that you could crack fir a small burst of freezing co2 which would run through a series of vent through the heatsink. Almost look like a nitrous purge ( not to get all 16 year old on you) but every time you felt the heat building, you give it a small shot if freeze. That may be a way to reduce the size of the cooling system. Rather than pumps, motors, liquid, etc.
> I have also wanted to run a fan in a mag.
> As well as the TEC peltier. But they get hotter on the reverse side faster than the laser will.



Or use a "safety valve" on a pressure bulb that is heated by the heat you want to get rid of, so when the heat causes the pressure to release the valve at a preset point...that triggers the release of the CO2 to cool it off. The only problem I see with CO2, is that you'd need it to be liquid on the bottom, and, that means the device would have an "up/down" orientation to keep the valve in the head space over the liquid CO2 (Or multiple valves with float over rides in case they are submerged?). Maybe use the CO2 bulb in a gyroscopic stabilizer to maintain "up" for it? :devil: 


Would mounting the laser on the nozzle of a CO2 fire extinguisher be too unwieldy?  Just pull the pin and squeeze the trigger to fire the laser AND the CO2 at the same time.


A fan would be sweet if the energy to run it didn't kill the cells too quickly.....maybe a turbine as used on roof / attic vents?


----------



## Tmack

Haha 

Speaking of heat. 
My Tcr2vn was turned on in my holster! 
Took it out and it was roasting hot. Could barely hold it ar the front. 
Thank god it didn't hurt it. 
It's my favorite edc.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Tmack, I know your asked this a thousand times, but still... What would you recommend for a Laser noob, other than looking up H&S and getting goggles, I am taking 0 chance's with eye safety, I can blind myself enough already from my flashlights XD, I see lot's go for blue as its cheaper. Looking for something that will burn and cut CD cases (cliche I know, more to laser than that but its like with flashlights your all about power and then you start to care about CRI, Lowlow and colour temp, fancy metals ect ect ahaha) Only need to do this at close range don't want to have to worry about setting alight to the haystack in a field all the way in the distance. =) Idealy something small? as dont need it for any other reasons than showing off =) so cycle time is not important. Proberly 1*18650 format? How much will this set me back, so I can start saveing? I know a custom wont be cheap =) but not looking to buy a Zillion Watt Gold plated laser. I am upgradeing from a chinese ebay "5mw" pen that fell apart, not looking to order just yet but it will be from you on the feedback and rave reviwes you get and hopefully not too far away. Do you do anything to mark them as your creations like Vihn dose? What are the costs of other colors for same power? I know you said when I asked a while back orange is very tricky and not really an option, what about yellow? Cheers.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Sorry its all one paragraph it lost formatting when I posted it?! and it wont let me edit, haveing this issue on multipal fourms on my pc....unable to fix it so far.


----------



## Tmack

No problem  

If your looking to burn, your looking at either blue or purple. 
I would officially sell my soul for a yellow /orange burning laser haha. 

I can do a nice 501b pocket host ( about the size of a typical surefire) at 1w blue ( best wavelength imo) This will burn very well. Cd cases will be a joke to burn through even at 3ft. The duty cycle will be around 1-1.5 min. Perfect for your application. 
I'll pm the price now my friend


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Thanks, Ah well maby one day we can have a orange laser =) Blue is nice too though! Thanks for the PM, Ill do some saveing... =) Ill see how the next mounth goes! Just make sure to put a sticky note on it so I dont forget not to point it at the curtains... =) Hope to be ordering sometime in the not too distant furture with some luck =)


----------



## Tmack

Special sale piece. 

100mw 520nm in a TINY host







$125 shipped.  

Nice forest green color. Not the usual green laser color 532nm. 
Runs of 1x14500 
1-2 minutes duty cycle 
Great little pointer, beautiful beam. Awesome divergence .


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Special sale piece.
> 
> 100mw 520nm in a TINY host
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> $125 shipped.
> 
> Nice forest green color. Not the usual green laser color 532nm.
> Runs of 1x14500
> 1-2 minutes duty cycle
> Great little pointer, beautiful beam. Awesome divergence .




I highly recommend the 520 nm diode, since its color is quite amazing. 

It also appears far brighter than the violet or blue laser diodes of similar power.


----------



## Tmack

Oh star. Shipping on Monday good sir. 
Little heatsink work and she's ready for you.  

Tom you too!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Oh star. Shipping on Monday good sir.
> Little heatsink work and she's ready for you.
> 
> Tom you too!




You mean the wee little super heatsink on the 5.6 watt build?

Tuesday should be interesting.


----------



## Tmack

Yes it should  haha.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> You mean the wee little super heatsink on the 5.6 watt build?
> 
> Tuesday should be interesting.



Tmack,

I forgot to ask.

Have you come up with an approximate duty cycle on this monster, or are you still tweaking it?


----------



## Tmack

The driver heatsink is being "fiddled with" haha. 
I'll know when I'm confident it's bullet proof in regards to shock, temperature, proper clearance if anything gets rotated etc. 
Should be quite good considering the powa!!!


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

@Anyone, I might just order some googles now in ancipation of getting a Tmack custom, it can't hurt, as said I am taking zero chances with my eyesight.

What do people recommend going with, Tmack suggested 1W 445nm, as I understand it you need certain goggle for different wave lengths, could you recomend any? (I'm not looking at spending a bomb, but am happy to pay for quality rather than cheapest thing going, so long as it works.

Also any essential reading I should do?


----------



## XFlash

I will take it Tmack
Thanks
Xflash






Tmack said:


> Special sale piece.
> 
> 100mw 520nm in a TINY host
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> $125 shipped.
> 
> Nice forest green color. Not the usual green laser color 532nm.
> Runs of 1x14500
> 1-2 minutes duty cycle
> Great little pointer, beautiful beam. Awesome divergence .


----------



## Tmack

Salmon = 
Survival lasers has the best goggles for the money out there. 

They are about $50 and are od6 filter. "the eagle pair" 
For 445's. 

Noir laser shields are the best, but you will pay for them. 
Arg filter, or dby (mine) filter. 
From $80-$200 for the dby. But those are od7 and cover many wavelengths even infrared. 


I recommend the eagle Pair.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Thanks Tmack, So Eagle = 1 Wavelenth, good protection, great value. Noir = Great if you own many lasers, amazing protecetion but pricy? P.s Is it much more $$$ to go up in wavelen to a light blue/cyan? Maby lower the power? Not sure I need 1W? Looking at placeing a order in next two weeks or so =) if all goes well that is and nothing crops up. Oh and have you seen StyroPyro on youtube...WOW awomse videos!


----------



## Tmack

I know styropyro very well. He's an awesome guy. We have spoken many times. 

A light blue 473nm is a couple hundred dollars for less than 50mw. Very expensive. 
There is a 460nm but it's actually more powerful and more expensive. 
The 445nm 1w is very bright, and is the most cost effective.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Tmack said:


> I know styropyro very well. He's an awesome guy. We have spoken many times. A light blue 473nm is a couple hundred dollars for less than 50mw. Very expensive. There is a 460nm but it's actually more powerful and more expensive. The 445nm 1w is very bright, and is the most cost effective.


 Thank you ok cool, 445 it will be then =) I want that FPV laser spyder thing on styropyri channel lol! Have a great day, will contact you in 2/3 week's =)


----------



## Tmack

Haha yeah that thing us cool. He's got a little robot too. Lol.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

I have a question about the Cypreus 3 watt, which I am using with two 16350 eFast 950 maH protected rechargeable batteries.

I was playing with it yesterday, and the beam suddenly died. At first, I thought I may have witnessed a driver or diode death, even though I was careful not to run the laser very long, certainly not long enough for it to get hot.

However, replacing the batteries with fully charged ones fixed the problem. Also, I could use the same batteries, the ones which ran into the issue, once they were recharged.

Does the Cypreus diode/driver stop the laser below a certain voltage, or perhaps when the protection of one of the batteries kicks in?


----------



## tomthebaker

Tmack said:


> Oh star. Shipping on Monday good sir.
> Little heatsink work and she's ready for you.
> 
> Tom you too!



WooHoo!! Please PM or email me my balance, and I will send it right away.
I am really excited over this one!


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> I have a question about the Cypreus 3 watt, which I am using with two 16350 eFast 950 maH protected rechargeable batteries.
> 
> I was playing with it yesterday, and the beam suddenly died. At first, I thought I may have witnessed a driver or diode death, even though I was careful not to run the laser very long, certainly not long enough for it to get hot.
> 
> However, replacing the batteries with fully charged ones fixed the problem. Also, I could use the same batteries, the ones which ran into the issue, once they were recharged.
> 
> Does the Cypreus diode/driver stop the laser below a certain voltage, or perhaps when the protection of one of the batteries kicks in?



Star-It shouldn't trip the protection, but it will absolutely cut off below a certain voltage.  

Tom- sure thing my friend. 
Pm coming at ya


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Ok Tmack, one last question, is there a graph or could you let me know what Mw I could get in other colours for the same $200-$250 as iv pretty much esstablished in my other thread in the laser section that 1W is certainly going to be overkill so want to look at something a lot less maby <250Mw as that sort of power will still burn at close range I understand?

Thanks. As it looked like primery use for me will be indoors, and my back garden, up at tree's all close range (In a forrest ect at night time when there is no one around to blind). Have a look at my other thread if you want to know my concern's, also have you every had any issues shipping lasers to the UK? (Customs ect)

thank you very much.


----------



## Tmack

Star and tom. 

Just checked on your babies and the driver epoxy is still tacky. I want it to be cured for shipping. 
If you'd be so patient to give it one more day. 
They are complete, but the thrashing Usps puts them through, I want to take zero chances.


----------



## Tmack

Salmon. 

I'll come up with something to show you ALL the possible options. 

And I just had a laser go to England no problem


----------



## Bigwilly

Cell shot of my Tmack C11


----------



## Tmack

Looking beautiful and violet. Awesome man! 
I love when pictures are posted here.


----------



## Tmack

I'll be over tomorrow with your adapter and lens. 

Little tony wore me out today! 
His birthday party was a hit!


----------



## Tmack




----------



## Bigwilly

My daughter took a picture of the beam on the super moon. I'll post it once she downloads it from her camera.


----------



## Bigwilly

I wonder who played with that more..... you or your son??? Lol


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Star and tom.
> 
> Just checked on your babies and the driver epoxy is still tacky. I want it to be cured for shipping.
> If you'd be so patient to give it one more day.
> They are complete, but the thrashing Usps puts them through, I want to take zero chances.



Tmack,

I can wait one more day. One extra day for perfection is a small price to pay.

Do you now have an estimate on the duty cycle for this micro Death Star?


Now that's an idea! Build a remote control drone that looks like the Death Star, but is about a couple feet in diameter. Add remote control aimable 3-6 watt lasers and offer to disintegrate rebel hornet nests in your neighborhood, for a price. The aerodynamics of a flying sphere might leave something to be desired, however.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

^ WOW And Tmack, thanks!


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Will the 5.6 watt super Tmag be shipped today?


----------



## Tmack

All shipments will go out tomorrow morning. I am going into work late to make sure this happens, because something comes up every time I have to ship out things and it's reflecting poorly on my usual fast service. 

I've been slipping lately on my shipping times and I apologize to my friends and customers. 

Diffraction gratings will be sent out with each laser for your patience. 

Star, you've been especially patient and I want to publicly thank you. You have taken my excuses in stride, and been a pleasure. I'll do everything I can to save you money on your current laser servicing. 

Ps - I'm also going to see what the hell is the problem with my address at the post office. 

Every time I get a package, it arrives in Baltimore, then is sent to the wrong county, goes out for delivery in the wrong place (which is terrifying) then a day or two later, finally shows up at my house. 
Really frustrating when I have very expensive parts, and I'm trying to get these finished for you guys. 
Sorry for the rant. Just really bugging me that it happens more often than not. Usps ugghhh.


----------



## tomthebaker

Tmack:



this is a custom build, not production work. I am glad you are taking enough time to get this right.
custom jobs always take longer than expected. Ever build a hotrod?
Beyond that, these are the first of their kind, a new design. That puts them in the "one-off" no-man's-land territory for completion time.
I'm sure you had to order the components. More time.
Putting it all together. Unintended consequences of putting hotter components close together, and more unknowns.
Testing. Adjusting. testing again.
I get it. And I sincerely hope all your other customers get it too.

Thank you for making every effort to get these right. The anticipation has been awesome too!


----------



## Tmack

I need to put that on post 1!! Haha. 

Thanks so much for that. 
I am a horribly impatient person, so when I have people waiting on me, I am in a constant state of uncomfortable - ness. 
These monsters are quite the process. I specifically designed the heatsink to be milled and accept the driver. I usually mount to the body of the mag, (which probably would have been fine) but I wanted to take some extra steps to give the best performance possible. And that's only one of the differences between this and the standard Tmag. All the circuitry is beefed up, as well as wire to lower resistance. The diode is not just in with a set screw. It's pressed in AND set with a screw to provide the best heat transfer. 
In the laser world, 60 seconds on 60 seconds off is completely acceptable. I want to blow that standard out of the water no matter the power.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack your pms are full


----------



## Tmack

Fixed


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I need to put that on post 1!! Haha.
> 
> Thanks so much for that.
> I am a horribly impatient person, so when I have people waiting on me, I am in a constant state of uncomfortable - ness.
> These monsters are quite the process. I specifically designed the heatsink to be milled and accept the driver. I usually mount to the body of the mag, (which probably would have been fine) but I wanted to take some extra steps to give the best performance possible. And that's only one of the differences between this and the standard Tmag. All the circuitry is beefed up, as well as wire to lower resistance. The diode is not just in with a set screw. It's pressed in AND set with a screw to provide the best heat transfer.
> In the laser world, 60 seconds on 60 seconds off is completely acceptable. I want to blow that standard out of the water no matter the power.



Wow! I truly appreciate the effort you are putting into these 5-6 watt builds.

Also, thank-you for complimenting me. I didn't know that patience was one of my strong points!


Finally, I hope you weren't adversely affected by the flash flooding we had yesterday. My neighborhood had about 4 inches of rain, but parts of Baltimore had around 10 inches. Water and electronics don't mix very well. Uncontrolled water and practically anything else in a home don't mix well either.


----------



## Tmack

No the rain FINALLY didn't get my roof! Somehow! 

OK guys. The monsters. 
I'm going to say, to be totally safe, stick at around 1-1.5 min. 
These generate a ton of heat, very fast. Even with your monster heatsinks, you'll feel the warmth. Personally I'd stay below that, because of the sheer cost of these diodes. But these are absolutely ridiculous. 
The beams are very thick too. In the night sky they are just fantastic. A solid thick beam. There divergence is worse than the 3w, but that results in a monster beam. 

Please be careful with these!


----------



## Tmack

Driver sandwich!

Copper directly on the inductor.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No the rain FINALLY didn't get my roof! Somehow!
> 
> OK guys. The monsters.
> I'm going to say, to be totally safe, stick at around 1-1.5 min.
> These generate a ton of heat, very fast. Even with your monster heatsinks, you'll feel the warmth. Personally I'd stay below that, because of the sheer cost of these diodes. But these are absolutely ridiculous.
> The beams are very thick too. In the night sky they are just fantastic. A solid thick beam. There divergence is worse than the 3w, but that results in a monster beam.
> 
> Please be careful with these!



Tmack,

I like the highest laser power it is safe to attain. However, in case someone wanted the high power, but also preferred longer duty cycles, could these diodes be driven slightly "less hard"?

For example, instead of an average power of 5.5 watts or so, aim for an output of 4.5 - 5 watts. Would that help increase the duty cycle at all, and is it even possible?

4.5 - 5 watts output would still be a noticable increase over the 3 watt diodes.


----------



## Tmack

Over 2a the driver heats up very fast. And I'm also being very cautious in my runtimes estimate. I KNOW these will do 2.5min with all the extra features, but calling it at 1.5 will save your diode. 

Running it to hit 4w might increase by 30 seconds.


----------



## Tmack

I'm going to have to show Lpf that heatsink setup. I know I'll get some wide eyes! Haha.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Over 2a the driver heats up very fast. And I'm also being very cautious in my runtimes estimate. I KNOW these will do 2.5min with all the extra features, but calling it at 1.5 will save your diode.
> 
> Running it to hit 4w might increase by 30 seconds.




OK, so reducing the laser output power will only extend runtime slightly.


----------



## Tmack

Yup. Because we are so high already, A slight decrease isn't going to really get us much. 

Like I said, I'm confident I can get 2 minutes out of them, but we definitely want to play it safe here. The shorter the better of course.

5.5w is just crazy to have in your hand much less bring able to run it for more than about 10 seconds.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

5.5WATTS HOLY MOLY!!!!

How is the colour thing comeing tmack, I have been on lpf but did not see a pictures show us ur laser hread, I did see some nice nm in the siggys though!!!


----------



## Tmack

Haha yeah my sig is pretty big over there  

I have done some finished product threads over there, but I like it here more. I don't have a custom thread over at lpf. 
Here is much more friendly (even though I never really had a problem at lpf) it's just more......... Me here lol. 
So this is where ALL (or most) of my work is. 

I just got word of a couple new diodes (thanks buddy) so I'm adjusting my info accordingly. 

More choices than I remember lol!


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

=) Awsome I bet there most pricy ones but in the siys i see soime nice yellows and a few that look ornagey and also some nice light blue/cyan's but will be intrested to see what all the colours actualy look like!


----------



## Tmack

Oh my!


----------



## Tmack

I can upgrade any existing tmag with this design for $120

Will extend runtime, and......... Mmmmmmmmmm! !


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I can upgrade any existing tmag with this design for $120
> 
> Will extend runtime, and......... Mmmmmmmmmm! !



Out of curiosity, by about how much will it extend the runtime?

Also, I suspect this does not include changing the Tmag host into a polished one. If people wanted to change their blue, black, red etc. Tmag into the polished one as shown, how much would that add to the cost?


----------



## Tmack

I would think about $30-40 to strip it and polish. 

It's about twice the thickness of the original hockey puck, and it has those awesome cooling fins. 

If say increase by up to a min. I'll have to test more. This one is not complete yet.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack i think you hit a home run with this one!!! that's incredible


----------



## Tmack

Thanks Alex! 
I'm liking it a lot. I want to offer different styles of knurling and finns too.


----------



## XFlash

I Love It
Xflash


----------



## tyxxvxl

Nice work my friend!
So about how much would one of those set me back?
I really would like to get a laser but money is pretty tight right now.


----------



## tomthebaker

Tmack said:


> No the rain FINALLY didn't get my roof! Somehow!
> 
> OK guys. The monsters.
> I'm going to say, to be totally safe, stick at around 1-1.5 min.
> These generate a ton of heat, very fast. Even with your monster heatsinks, you'll feel the warmth. Personally I'd stay below that, because of the sheer cost of these diodes. But these are absolutely ridiculous.
> The beams are very thick too. In the night sky they are just fantastic. A solid thick beam. There divergence is worse than the 3w, but that results in a monster beam.
> 
> Please be careful with these!



I won't cross the streams!!! 
(Ghostbusters, for the unenlightened among us)

I just lost control of a couple of bodily functions for a second ...


----------



## TEEJ

Any chance of a flat black version? :devil: Also - Is there a lock-out or key, etc? I'm looking at the on button, and thinking that an accidental press/click, etc...could blow a hole in a pocket/leg, etc?


----------



## Tmack

Flat black is perfectly doable. 

Tail cap key switches are possible. But expensive. I personally don't do them, but the guy I know that does charges quite a bit. 

But really these wouldn't be a pocket rider  lock out by just backing off the tail a 1/4 turn (at least on the anodized ones. I'll have to double check the polished) )


----------



## Alex1234

Any info on the 462nm diodes ?


----------



## tyxxvxl

Hey T,
So do you have any decent builds for say between the $150-200 range?
Sorry I know less about lasers than I do about lights ha ha
Hope you are doing well my friend.
Hopefully the little one isn't beating you up too much


----------



## Tmack

Alex. Just waiting on a email for you buddy. 

Tyxxvxl - I have small 501b pocket lasers I can build for around that range. Still capable of burning very well . Amazing beam as well. 445nm (blue)


Oh I'm beat up. Don't you worry!


----------



## Alex1234

http://laserpointerforums.com/f50/new-mitsubishi-1-8w-638nm-diode-9mm-package-90569.html


1.8W 638nm diode in a 9mm package


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Flat black is perfectly doable.
> 
> Tail cap key switches are possible. But expensive. I personally don't do them, but the guy I know that does charges quite a bit.
> 
> But really these wouldn't be a pocket rider  lock out by just backing off the tail a 1/4 turn (at least on the anodized ones. I'll have to double check the polished) )



That's fine, if flat black, a tail cap lock out solution would work then.I figure its a holster sized light, but, I HAVE had lights go on in holsters when hit right, etc. I had the MS ENVY 3 w 445 in a holster (Fits perfectly in ballistic nylon Klarus XT11 holster for example, except that holster has a teeny self-cauterized hole in it now...)

I would want flat black because it radiates heat better than a polished/shiny finish....and of course because a murdered laser is way cool.

:devil:


----------



## tyxxvxl

Tmack said:


> Alex. Just waiting on a email for you buddy.
> 
> Tyxxvxl - I have small 501b pocket lasers I can build for around that range. Still capable of burning very well . Amazing beam as well. 445nm (blue)
> 
> 
> Oh I'm beat up. Don't you worry!



Ha Ha, yea my little girl beats me up every night.
Do you happen to have any pics of the 501b?
Thanks man.


----------



## Tmack

Pick a color  

Hell pick 4! 

I did a set of these in r, g, b, v, for a customer and they were awesome.


----------



## Alex1234

im selling the 520nm 501b you made me on lpf. I like it but I want a longer duty cycle and I really like this 462nm diode color. im selling it for $220. be honest is that to high? I don't even remember what I paid

oh and your pms are full again


----------



## Tmack

Well. The diodes and drivers are expensive. And it's anodized green so that ups the value. 

I'd say that's just about right.


----------



## Alex1234

cool  I just hit 50 posts on there and my rep power went to 8 so that's good. im not a complete noob lol


----------



## Tmack

That's a good start my friend. I know your no noob


----------



## Tmack

Xflash and Tomthebaker - 
Your lasers are a comin!


----------



## tyxxvxl

Hey T,
Those are awesome! I may just have to pick a color ha ha
So is the color of the body the same as the laser color? Or are they all blue?
Price?
Thank you.


----------



## Alex1234

I want a 2w 462nm laser in a cypress host. that would be uber cool To bad that's going to cost like 500 plus lol


----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack

I can make different colors, but blue is by far the strongest if you want to burn. 

Green is the brightest but is a little pricey. 

I'll pm you prices.


----------



## tyxxvxl

Lol!
Freaking awesome!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


>



I like that lol


----------



## Arilou

Tmack said:


> I can make different colors, but blue is by far the strongest if you want to burn.
> 
> Green is the brightest but is a little pricey.
> 
> I'll pm you prices.



I've got a 450 nm and a 405 nm from Tmack. The 405 (violet) focuses to a smaller spot, so it burns well, despite being less powerful than the blue.

How much would a cypress (copper) host cost? It might be nice to have something smaller than the C11. Do you have any side-by-side pics for size comparison?


----------



## star_c_star

I received the super Tmag 5.6 watt build today, and I have been carefully playing with it for an hour.

This thing is a work of art, and very large. Now to the results of my "experimentation".

First, the divergence of the 5.6 watt 445 nm is noticeably greater than that of the 3 watt 445 nm. 

That said, it throws a lot more energy. At close range it really "shines". For example, there are many cicada skin shells in my back yard. The 3 watt will drill through them from about 2 feet away, and catch small parts on fire. The 5.6 watt, when focused from the same distance down the length of the shell, will cause almost all of it to burst into flame in a few seconds, carbonizing it. THAT is a lot more energy! Similar effects occur when the more powerful beam is aimed at a dried leaf. It bursts into flame quicker, and the flame spreads far more quickly.

The focusing mechanism on the super heat sink uses a one element lens, and looks to me as though it produces a finer focus line, especially at medium to long distance. Leafs will start smoking at slightly further distances than when I use the one element lens on the 3 watt Tmag v2 build, even though the focused line is slightly longer. The line is finer, and more energy is involved. The focusing adapter is also as wide as the heat sink, so it can be spun from the side, without all of the "ouch" moments I got when I accidentally put my finger in the beam of the Tmag v2, due to the narrowness of its focusing adapter.

I haven't run it long enough to make the monster heatsink warm, although I did notice it was starting to heat up slightly. Impressive for a 2 pound or so chunk of finned aluminum.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Wow!!! Instant cremation from 2-3ft...scary!! But awsome! I guess that I asking for trouble as in fire risk trying to use it indoors lol!!!

What kind of range can it burn at if on a tripod so its still? I honestly would not be sirpized to see it set fire to stuff 5+m away??

What is this Cyprus host people keep clammering on about?


----------



## tomthebaker

Great report!

Thanks!


----------



## Tmack

I have lit cigarettes from 20ft by holding the laser with 3w and a three element

Star! 
I'm so happy it made it safely. 
I'm particularly proud of the driver heatsink setup that I picture above. 

Take care of my baby!


----------



## Tmack

I'll post pictures of the cypreus tonight.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I have lit cigarettes from 20ft by holding the laser with 3w and a three element
> 
> Star!
> I'm so happy it made it safely.
> I'm particularly proud of the driver heatsink setup that I picture above.
> 
> Take care of my baby!



Hi Tmack,

I'll take good care of it. It survived the trip via USPS due to the industrial quality construction that you put into it.

Out of curiosity, have you tried this diode with a 3 element lens? How much does it reduce the power? Does it make the focus better at medium to long ranges?


----------



## Tmack

It does trim a bit off the rectangle, but it's of course still a dash. I believe it read around 4.8w.......... Hahaha that's so ridiculous!


----------



## XFlash

Tmack received the MINI day before yesterday my Tmack V3 today.
The MINI is a light saber great beam, small size, you are right I love it.
Just received my batteries for the V3, charging now, will try it tonight.
But I do love the looks of it. Very fast shipping great job.
Xflash


----------



## JaredG

Hello TMack I'm interested in getting a laser built, if your not too busy please send me a pm please and I will give you my contact info. Thank you for your time.


----------



## Norm

:welcome:



JaredG said:


> please send me a pm please and I will give you my contact info.


You have no PM priveedges until you have a post count > than 3.

Norm


----------



## JaredG

Norm said:


> :welcome:
> 
> 
> You have no PM priveedges until you have a post count > than 3.
> 
> Norm



Thank you for the help and greeting Norm, I will try to get my post count up. Only problem is I do not have very much helpful information to post and really do not want to ask a dumb question. I guess I will be in a black hole for awhile  Tmack my email is [email protected], 
Thanks again Norm


----------



## Tmack

Jared. You can email me if you like. 

[email protected]


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Do you know of any new laser diodes, either just released or soon-to-be released, that would make good builds?

I keep on hoping for a multi-watt single mode, or a powerful true UV laser diode that won't cost a fortune.


----------



## Tmack

There's a new red out. Putting out almost 2w. 
And a new light blue


----------



## caleb_v

Reading through this thread makes me really want a laser but unfortunately it is illegal to import high power lasers into New Zealand. have you encountered many problems with customs when shiping around the world?? Any loop holes?? : wishing 


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> There's a new red out. Putting out almost 2w.
> And a new light blue



Is the divergence of the 2 w red better than the 638nm 1 w?

If its a lot better, sounds like a good candidate for a third Cypreus. As long as the cost is not too ridiculous, of course.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Mmm light blue.....tell me more.

Tmack - Or anyone, Show me what this darned cyprus is Google is not showing me anything....

If I google Cyprus laser it comes up with bueaty clinics and eye treatment offers...

Adding the word host is of no help either ...unless your interested in:

*Cyprus* will *host* on April 24-30 the European *Laser* Masters Championship in Limassol.

Hehehe


----------



## star_c_star

CyclingSalmon14 said:


> Mmm light blue.....tell me more.
> 
> Tmack - Or anyone, Show me what this darned cyprus is Google is not showing me anything....
> 
> If I google Cyprus laser it comes up with bueaty clinics and eye treatment offers...
> 
> Adding the word host is of no help either ...unless your interested in:
> 
> *Cyprus* will *host* on April 24-30 the European *Laser* Masters Championship in Limassol.
> 
> Hehehe




Try doing a candlepowerforums search for Cypreus. 

There will be several matches that show you what it is, and how it is made.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Is this it??

http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/p...preus-ii-custom-copper-host-sinner-88005.html

Looks awsome in 18650 guise.


----------



## star_c_star

CyclingSalmon14 said:


> Is this it??
> 
> http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/p...preus-ii-custom-copper-host-sinner-88005.html
> 
> Looks awsome in 18650 guise.



Yes, it is. 

The two that I purchased from Tmack are the "standard" versions, that either take one 18650, or two 18350's. They are beautiful, and heavier than they look. They are very effective at drawing the heat away from the laser diodes and the drivers due to the way Tmack mounts them to the copper body.

My first Cypreus hosts a 405 nm diode, at around 780 mw (soon to be around 1 w when I receive my one element lens focus adapter from Tmack), and uses one 18650 battery.

The second one hosts a 445 nm diode at around 2.72 w, and uses two 18350 batteries. I have found that the 18350's should not be button-top protected ones, or they will not fit. They need to be flat top.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

So you got them in purple and dark blue if I understand that correctly? How much are the hosts? Im betting a fair bit though. But would look great with a red in them! mmm I was just looking at sigs on LPF and I think I like the Light blues and cyan but there not cheap, yellow is awesome but insainly expensive? Id love one that can burn but Id rather get a nice colour instead, but I think red would suit that host very well and standard red is not to expensive?


----------



## star_c_star

CyclingSalmon14 said:


> So you got them in purple and dark blue if I understand that correctly? How much are the hosts? Im betting a fair bit though. But would look great with a red in them! mmm I was just looking at sigs on LPF and I think I like the Light blues and cyan but there not cheap, yellow is awesome but insainly expensive? Id love one that can burn but Id rather get a nice colour instead, but I think red would suit that host very well and standard red is not to expensive?



Yes, they are purple (405 nm) and blue (445 nm). The (near) 1 watt 405 nm is dim, at least to my eyes, considering its power. It also can be focused to deliver burning energy up to 90 feet or so, since it is a single mode diode. It burns items further away than any of my 3 watt diodes or my new 5.6 watt one, which are multi-mode and project a rectangular bar of light instead of a round spot.

For the host costs and the other laser colors, you need to get the answers from Tmack.


----------



## Tmack

Thank you star. You've been very helpful my friend  

Yup that's the beauty cypreus. 
Star knows them well. I love them. BIG performance, small package. 

The 3w blue and 1w violet are about the same price due to diode cost. 

The red is a bit cheaper, but the divergence is much larger. Red us for beam viewing as the red beam is gorgeous!


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Tmack, Think I found what I was looking for off someone in LPF, would this pretty much some up the main colours you can make?


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Thank you Tmack, and C star you have been very help full, I think you may have already mentioned it what is the Cyan one 473? What power and prices can this colour come in? Would it be able to burn at all? Im tempted by RED tbh, as you say beam would look great and it can still burn things at short range with enugh power, what would you be able to do with a red at what prices? Ill stop bugging yo soon HONEST!!! aaha!


----------



## Tmack

The specific 473 will not burn. It only goes to understand 50mw and is enormously expensive. 

The 462nm can be had for a little more than the price of a 3w, and it'll get to about 2w. 

I can do a 1w red sure. I'll pm pricing.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Got your PM, Ill message you when fund's allow, but Ill take a 1Watt Red in Cyprus. Not sure why but red and copper just seems match each other? I assume cypress is left bare copper? How is cycle time managed? Just done on feel or is there a time / temp protection built into driver? I take it, it will be single mode. Thanks for everything again!


----------



## Tmack

Just by feel. You'll have a nice long cycle with this laser. Not forever as 1w is a tremendous amount of power, but longer than you'll find anywhere else. Around 3-4 minutes in a pocket host is ages


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Doubt Id have it on more than 10 seconds tbh, that great! The standard red it 650/660? Just so I can google images and video ect...hehe


----------



## Tmack

It's 638nm. Much lighter, MUCH brighter than the old school red.


----------



## Tmack

If everyone ram their lasers like that, they would last forever! Honestly, I run mine for just that. Ten, maybe 15 seconds. I guess because I build them, and I know how hard they are being worked, I have more caution when doing long runs. 

BUT YOU FLASHLIGHTS GUYS WANT LONGER AND LONGER RUNTIMES!!!! AHHHHH! Lol. 

Good.! It'll Keep me advancing the technology.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

LOL, awsome! That's even better new's, I might PM you a few questions if you don't mind, if don't have time to answer them that's fine I just don't want to keep spamming your thread!


----------



## Tmack

Everyone learn from questions of others. I don't mind one bit my friend. 
Talk about your dog on my thread. I'm pretty easy going


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Well you asked for it, and I am sure there are many more so BRACE yourself for some very nooby and silly question's.

Do you know or could you explain what the beam focusing on laser is and what it is for, do Tmack lasers have / need it.

Do your laserz come with turn on delay?

Also Beam expander??? What is this?

What decideds the width of the beam as on some video's pic, it is really small and on some nice and thick (I guess not as good at burning but much more visble and I likely!)

Such as on LPF StyroPyro has a thread for worlds first direct diode 476 the beam in the video is so thick!!! But on some pics in other thread laser's seem thin and not much to them.

And yet one more thing, how do you treat lasers, is there anything you need to do (Like lube them) do you have to be super careful with them as in are they fragile if knocked like the module / diode out of alignment / broken?

Or are they strong like flashlights that can be run over and bounced of the floor ect? 

Would the cyprus be the host of choice for my 1W laser build (When I can afford it lol) - I am after something cool looking and good quality that's why I asked about the cypurs and I dont own any copper flashlights so thought it might be cool. I do want something better than the ultra fire that is for sure!

I defiantly want the bright red, not feeling the blue TBH, so 638 sound nice! (just hope I dont get addicted and want a RGBV collection and a Cyan/yellow as they are silly money lol....must not get addicted!)

Im new to all of this its like learning about flashlights all over again, I am sure there will be more Q's to come!

WOW well that roller coaster is now over for now, I did WARN you ahaha!


----------



## Tmack

I'm going to answer 1 per post lol. So get ready for a quintuple post times 5.


----------



## Tmack

The focus is to make the dot as small as possible when burning, or to get ideal focus at long distance. In high power lasers it absolutely necessary, and all Tmack lasers do.


----------



## Tmack

A beam expander makes the beam thicker closer to the device to make the divergence better at a distance


----------



## Tmack

A multi mode diode has a thick beam, a single mode has a thin beam. Now this is not modes like levels, it's the way the light is made. Multi is a series of lines that creates a rectangular dot. 
Single mode is just 1 clean dot


----------



## Tmack

Some lasers are very rectangular dot. So if your looking at the wide angle, the beam appears wider. When skinny angle is viewed it looks thinner


----------



## Tmack

Lasers are not like flashlights. They cannot get hot. They are not as shock resistant. They are pretty durable, bit treat them gentle.


----------



## Tmack

The cypreus is a fantastic host for your 1w build. Your diode will live a long happy life in a nice host . Since your not running long, a smaller host is possible, but the diode will be stressed more


----------



## Tmack




----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Thank you very much that is very helpyful!!! Just waiting for the POST SPAM people to start moaning....I think post count is a waste of time beyond showing that someone is a long time trusted member XD.

Anyways thank for that, Just got to save me some pennys then! When you say they dont get hot, you mean I wont be able to feel any heat? So I will have if I wanted to run for a longer cycle just keep a eye on time rather than going buy feel.

Ooh now I really want one the more I look them up, Way back in the thread you recommended some goggle's I went to the site but there were lots to chose from so I got a bit lost, when I do order them what ones will I need for this wavelength? (Also I see they say this range to that range then a gap then that range to that one, dose that mean they are pretty flexible and would in theory cover a few different lasers if I decided to buy more in the future? Or are they for for just one wavelength?

If your just shining it into the tree's ect I assume you could take them off (Whilst being careful) to look at the beam but put them on if you plan on moving the laser.

That is all for now =) I think Know what I need to, if you think there is anything I do need to know let me know please. Im all for safe and fun use of these awesome bits of tech!


Are there any other thing that could be worth picking up like filters / lenses and stuff to er play with I guess...I heard something about glowing marbles.

That really is kr now!!! I promise! Thanks again!


----------



## Tmack

They will get hot. I just mean you can't allow it to get hot like a flashlight. It will damage it. 

And not a problem. I'm happy to help someone learn more  

I agree about the post count too man. People need to lighten up. We're all here to learn and have fun!


----------



## Alex1234

any email about the 462nm yet ?


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Is the 2 w red laser diode available yet?

Is its divergence better than the 1 w 638 nm?

If the answer to both questions is yes, we can discuss a third Cypreus with a red diode (the 2 watt).

I'm also hoping for a 1 watt or higher 520 nm, but I suspect that is still very expensive.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

^ Tmack can you answer that in the thread Id like to know to =)


----------



## Tmack

I don't see it on my suppliers website, but I'll send him an email.


----------



## tomthebaker

Tmack,
I opened the monster 5.6 watt build yesterday and it is a beauty in both form and function. 

The heat sink and focus ring are stunning, but only until you turn it on and see the BEAM! Where the 3 watt smolders things like plain paper, the monster bursts them into flame! It is beyond cool. 

Thank you so much!


----------



## lionheart_2281

I just recieved my Tmack 445nm 1w today, AND I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA! Yep, the man got it through AUSTRALIAN customers, that is no mean feat!
It's a beautiful little thing. Anyone sitting on the fence with one of these, pull the trigger, I'm new to lasers and these things are beyond cool!


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Well the main thing is, it's not a complete laser, so no laws were broken. I just sell a kit in situations like this so I don't break the law. 
The kit just happens to be ridiculously easy to assemble 

You bought two separate things, that came in two separate packages, that just so happens to match up.


----------



## lionheart_2281

Tmack said:


> Haha. Well the main thing is, it's not a complete laser, so no laws were broken. I just sell a kit in situations like this so I don't break the law.
> The kit just happens to be ridiculously easy to assemble
> 
> You bought two separate things, that came in two separate packages, that just so happens to match up.



What a coincidence right? 
Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to make sure it got through customs. Now I just need to find a way to focus the beam and keep it there.


----------



## Tmack

Well for up close burning, you want to have it adjustable. 

But if you just want it to infinity (thin for long distance pointing) 
Just do a couple wraps in Teflon tape to make the resistance more. 

Or you can take a toothpick, wet the top with superglue, and touch it to the gap between the lens and copper when it's where you want it. That's not advised unless your absolutely confident you can do it without getting any on the optics or diode. 
That's what I do when I need to fix a lens in the adapter permanently, but I've been doing it a long time. 

The Teflon tape is probably best for you.


----------



## lionheart_2281

Tmack said:


> Well for up close burning, you want to have it adjustable.
> 
> But if you just want it to infinity (thin for long distance pointing)
> Just do a couple wraps in Teflon tape to make the resistance more.
> 
> Or you can take a toothpick, wet the top with superglue, and touch it to the gap between the lens and copper when it's where you want it. That's not advised unless your absolutely confident you can do it without getting any on the optics or diode.
> That's what I do when I need to fix a lens in the adapter permanently, but I've been doing it a long time.
> 
> The Teflon tape is probably best for you.



Ahh Teflon tape = plumbers tape, gotcha, just make the threads a bit thicker.
I thought for burning the best way would be the tightest dot possible?


----------



## TEEJ

lionheart_2281 said:


> Ahh Teflon tape = plumbers tape, gotcha, just make the threads a bit thicker.
> I thought for burning the best way would be the tightest dot possible?



Yes, but you need to be able to focus it to GET the tightest dot possible at different ranges....so tight at one range is not as tight at other ranges, etc.


----------



## Tmack

Speak of focus your laser is fixed TEEJ! 

The bubble man! The bubble!


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Speak of focus your laser is fixed TEEJ!
> 
> The bubble man! The bubble!



RE: Bubble - I have no idea what you are talking about, but you sound happy?



I am glad you got it fixed though, according to the post office, its still in Philly....so, I like your version better.


----------



## TEEJ

My mother died yesterday, and my brother started smoking again, and I really wanted to light his cigarette for him to cheer him up some with the 445 (He loves when I do that), but, the 80 mw 532 just didn't have the juice to light the cigs...and it was frustrating given how we all felt to start with.


----------



## blah9

I'm very sorry to hear that, TEEJ. You all have my condolences.


----------



## radiopej

Sorry to hear, TEEJ. It's a horrible feeling to lose a parent


----------



## TEEJ

The funeral is today. :mecry:


----------



## Tmack

Omg TEEJ. I'm so sorry man. 

If you want to talk, or vent or just whatever, you know how to get me. It might not mean much from your laser guy, but sometimes it doesn't matter who it is when you need to talk. 

I meant the bubble in the lens was the wrong way. Just needed a flip. And you were probably being very careful, so you didn't seat it all the way. 
Better that than breaking it. Smart man.


----------



## atisvt99

Sorry to hear that, Teej... Thoughts and prayers, my man.


----------



## atisvt99

On a slightly different note... Can any of you guys with one of the new 6w TMack builds please post up some pics and VIDS for us to see? I'd love to see how this thing ignites stuff compared to my wimpy 3w! haha... thanks much!

- justin


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

TEEJ man, that sucks, very sorry for your loss. But best to remember them for all the good stuff and time's and celebrate there life's rather mourn there death's, harder done than said ofcourse and this is obviously a hard time for you, my heart goes out to you.


----------



## XFlash

Tmack said:


> The cypress. 100% copper




Hi Tmack, how much would a red module run for the cypress
Great host by the way
XF


----------



## Tmack

Same as the 405nm.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Mr.T do you do any RCR123A (16340) size baby lasers? I have a bunch of IMR16340's laying around...


----------



## Tmack

I sure could. 

I can actually go up to 1w blue. 
200mw green, 1w violet, 1w red with a single cell. 

The host would be completely custom made though. But that shouldn't make it crazy expensive. 

Oh I'm actually doing a run of Tmack flashlights too. Single 16340, about 1000lm xml2 with custom hosts. Excited about that one. 

Lol flashlights are just so convenient to build. Everything is done for you. You just throw them together!


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Shhh dont let vinh here you!!! ahaha, nah that will be aswome, tmack light's could be very interesting! What do you have to do to make a laser then? What is it that is hard about it, I thought you just put a driver / diode ect into a host and then you modded them like increasing current / tweaking it ect like vinh dose? Ill admit I never really thought about it. Hmm 1W red still but in a smaller 16340 host sounds lush!!! (can it be in copper still?) PM me my options buddy, Im getting a large paycheck on the 5th of sept, providing I don't have other expensive it could be new toy time, if not then only 1 or week's after that for sure!


----------



## XFlash

Tmack said:


> I sure could.
> 
> I can actually go up to 1w blue.
> 200mw green, 1w violet, 1w red with a single cell.
> 
> The host would be completely custom made though. But that shouldn't make it crazy expensive.
> 
> Oh I'm actually doing a run of Tmack flashlights too. Single 16340, about 1000lm xml2 with custom hosts. Excited about that one.
> 
> Lol flashlights are just so convenient to build. Everything is done for you. You just throw them together!



Cool Tmack, your own flashlight, after using your lasers, you know I want one.
How about a flash light module for the Cypreus?


----------



## Tmack

I have a flashlight cypreus ready to be built. And a brass, and a aluminum, and a titanium


----------



## Tmack

There's a little more to it than just installing the driver and diode. 

You have to heavily heatsink the driver, and align the diode and optics to make sure the final point is good. I have to solder pins on the diode so small the tip of my soldering iron is like a sharp sharp pencil. 
I've showed pictures of the size I'm working with and it's far from easy. Makes a flashlight seem very big components. 

Thermal pathways are much more important with lasers. And the parts are many times the cost, so mistakes cannot happen.

I also set my own current to the drivers if they are Boosted, I gave to test optimal current for the diodes. A lot more testing has to go on before I just start slapping it together. 

Led are much more tried and true. With a lot of these builds, I'm doing things for the first time. And each custom host, makes for custom problems. These are not factory made parts. 
Even in the flashlight hosts, I'm building things into them, that were never designed to match up. I have to find ways to make things work. And not just work, but perform better than companies that make lasers full time.

They have machines, and have previously fabricated mounts, and retailers, that I have to make myself. 

I very much wish it was just a matter of soldering a few connection and mailing it off. Lots of thermal epoxy, heat testing, power testing etc to make the final product.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

WOW sound's like a heart surgeons job tbh! Id seen people do them on ebay and stuff so assumed it was not to hard, but it sounds like to make a quality product takes a fair bit of work! Steady hands required ahaha!


----------



## Tmack

The little survival lasers kits and my lasers are a whole different animal. They are free floating drivers with no heatsink, the get the modules pretty built and ore pressed. I get bare parts. Imagine 3 pin points about 1mm long and 1mm apart in a triangle, and you have to solder leads to them, heat shrink them, all without over heating the diode, shorting to the adjacent pin or the diode case. 

If I'm shaky, I have to step away for a bit. 

I'll find that picture


----------



## Tmack

A pre built modules has got nothing on mine!  
Because you know what fellas.............. I..... Care........ (sniff... tear) about..... You.....

They come with a shell the houses the free floating driver. Since I eliminate that, mine contacts the back of the diode to give better heat transfer


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> Omg TEEJ. I'm so sorry man.
> 
> If you want to talk, or vent or just whatever, you know how to get me. It might not mean much from your laser guy, but sometimes it doesn't matter who it is when you need to talk.
> 
> I meant the bubble in the lens was the wrong way. Just needed a flip. And you were probably being very careful, so you didn't seat it all the way.
> Better that than breaking it. Smart man.



I think of you more as a friend than as "my laser guy".


----------



## XFlash

Hi TEEJ,
I don't know you personally but know your pain.
Only time and friends will make it better to deal with.
My best to you.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

WOW did not realize just how small those diode's were!!! OMG! TINY WORK! YIKES! I can certainly appercite he work and skill that goes into these awesome things!!! Will the 16340 host be copper? Oh TEEJ I hope you are doing ok, p.s your other post about goggles was very helpful thanks very much.


----------



## TEEJ

CyclingSalmon14 said:


> WOW did not realize just how small those diode's were!!! OMG! TINY WORK! YIKES! I can certainly appercite he work and skill that goes into these awesome things!!! Will the 16340 host be copper? Oh TEEJ I hope you are doing ok, p.s your other post about goggles was very helpful thanks very much.



Thanks.

Yeah, its a tough time right now. Glad you liked the goggle explanation, any ray of light is nice to get right now.

I do appreciate the encouragement and moral support from you guys BTW.


----------



## Mike Sloan

Tmack said:


> I sure could.
> 
> I can actually go up to 1w blue.
> 200mw green, 1w violet, 1w red with a single cell.
> 
> The host would be completely custom made though. But that shouldn't make it crazy expensive.
> 
> Oh I'm actually doing a run of Tmack flashlights too. Single 16340, about 1000lm xml2 with custom hosts. Excited about that one.
> 
> Lol flashlights are just so convenient to build. Everything is done for you. You just throw them together!



HI Tmack, 
Would love to buy one of your flashlights! Could you post some pics and specs.


----------



## Tmack

Tcr2vn for size comparison 

As far as specs I can do them however you like. 

Xml2 
Xpg2 
Triples

2.5a-3a-4.4a etc

Liw/high 
Low/med/high/
Low /med /high /strobe /sos 

Single 16340 
Single 18650 (shown above) 

Aluminum, brass, copper, titanium (with copper /brass Tailcap) 

Basically you guys are choosing everything but the aesthetics of the host. 

Textured or smooth reflector. 

My titanium prototype has a xpg2 3a in a textured reflector. 
Is absolutely fantastic. 

The brass is xml2 3a smooth reflector. 

So they both are toned down from their strengths 

The xpg2 needed a textured reflector to give some flood, and the xml2 needed a smooth to focus it a bit better . 
They came out awesome


----------



## R.W.D.

Weird question, can you engrave your hosts?? 


PM sent Tmack


----------



## eac67gt

Tmack said:


> Tcr2vn for size comparison
> 
> As far as specs I can do them however you like.
> 
> Xml2
> Xpg2
> Triples
> 
> 2.5a-3a-4.4a etc
> 
> Liw/high
> Low/med/high/
> Low /med /high /strobe /sos
> 
> Single 16340
> Single 18650 (shown above)
> 
> Aluminum, brass, copper, titanium (with copper /brass Tailcap)
> 
> Basically you guys are choosing everything but the aesthetics of the host.
> 
> Textured or smooth reflector.
> 
> My titanium prototype has a xpg2 3a in a textured reflector.
> Is absolutely fantastic.
> 
> The brass is xml2 3a smooth reflector.
> 
> So they both are toned down from their strengths
> 
> The xpg2 needed a textured reflector to give some flood, and the xml2 needed a smooth to focus it a bit better .
> They came out awesome



The unit on the right there is pretty cool Tony. We need CNC to do that work.

Ed


----------



## eac67gt

Tmack said:


> I wish I could take credit for machining these, but no.  I have a couple very skilled machinist turning my hosts and heatsinks.
> 
> I'm on the soldering iron with the shades B)
> 
> 
> Thanks caddylover. I'm happy you're happy. The list of cpf members with my lasers is growing.




Thanks for the compliment Tony.

Ed


----------



## Tmack

Holy cow!!! 

And here he is!!! 

Whenever I say " my machinist" 
This is who I'm talking about hahaha! Awesome.


----------



## tomthebaker

The Monster laser is so bright that I feel much more comfortable with protective goggles. That said, here are links to a pic and a very brief video (with my son holding the laser) on dropbox:

And i keep this thing locked up with the batteries removed. Basically, I handle it like a firearm, or venomous reptile.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8pa3u2bw9l7p8kp/2014-08-22 19.53.48.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uf30fp93xed2x2y/2014-08-23 00.54.37.mp4?dl=0


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Tcr2vn for size comparison
> 
> As far as specs I can do them however you like.
> 
> Xml2
> Xpg2
> Triples
> 
> 2.5a-3a-4.4a etc
> 
> Liw/high
> Low/med/high/
> Low /med /high /strobe /sos
> 
> Single 16340
> Single 18650 (shown above)
> 
> Aluminum, brass, copper, titanium (with copper /brass Tailcap)
> 
> Basically you guys are choosing everything but the aesthetics of the host.
> 
> Textured or smooth reflector.
> 
> My titanium prototype has a xpg2 3a in a textured reflector.
> Is absolutely fantastic.
> 
> The brass is xml2 3a smooth reflector.
> 
> So they both are toned down from their strengths
> 
> The xpg2 needed a textured reflector to give some flood, and the xml2 needed a smooth to focus it a bit better .
> They came out awesome



I'm interested in the titanium 18650 flashlight host, with xpg2 3a. 

Is that the "highest thrower" option (not including laser configurations)? Can it safely be pushed beyond 3a?

What is the approximate OTF lumen value?

Lo/med/high would seem the logical choice to me. Do you have approximate runtimes on low and high?

Sorry for all of the questions, but this is my first custom flashlight. As you know, I do have a few custom lasers.


----------



## Tmack

Yup, that would be the best thrower. 
It can be pushed a good bit harder, but in my opinion, the performance gain is not worth the heat gain/loss in run time. 

But of course you can always bump it down. I can go 4.4a if you like. 

At 3a I believe the data sheet puts the xpg2 around 700lm (please correct me if I'm wrong) and is very bright. Compared to other custom titanium lights, this one is a beast. 
I'll see about doing some runtime testing. 

No problem at all star. 

These are really cool. A whole lot of titanium, 18650, and the power of a performance light. 
The xml2 3a had the exact beam profile and brightness (visibly) as the v25cvn. I could not tell the difference at all. The other titanium customs I've seen run less than 500lm, some much less. These will combine the good looks, and the power if what we are used to. (spoiled! Haha)


----------



## Tmack

tomthebaker said:


> The Monster laser is so bright that I feel much more comfortable with protective goggles. That said, here are links to a pic and a very brief video (with my son holding the laser) on dropbox:
> 
> And i keep this thing locked up with the batteries removed. Basically, I handle it like a firearm, or venomous reptile.
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/8pa3u2bw9l7p8kp/2014-08-22 19.53.48.jpg?dl=0
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/uf30fp93xed2x2y/2014-08-23 00.54.37.mp4?dl=0



That's the best way to treat it. Keep batteries out, and separate if you have any worries of someone "taking it out for a spin" 
The last thing you want is for a kid, or adult for that matter, to get a hold of it and hurt themselves or someone.


----------



## tomthebaker

I forgot to mention that I showed it to a friend of my son and his dad. I didn't know it, but the father is and engineer and an IT guy. He told me that he worked on the now declassified military plane-based laser. 

He loved the look of the Monster. Then I turned it on for him.
Click!
WHOAAAA!!!!

Good times ...


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> That's the best way to treat it. Keep batteries out, and separate if you have any worries of someone "taking it out for a spin"
> The last thing you want is for a kid, or adult for that matter, to get a hold of it and hurt themselves or someone.



This afternoon, I had two contractors provide an estimate on a roof repair.

One of them was afraid of spiders. He was visibly rattled when a relatively large one appeared within a few feet, since he had knocked it off the roof and thought it was gone forever. I said "I'll take care of that", retrieved the Tmag super 5.6 watt, and fried it, filling the air with that unpleasant fried bug odor.

They had the usual reaction of "Holy s**t! Where did you get that". They were also very impressed with the size of the heat sink.


----------



## R.W.D.

What's the highest power blue laser diode you can fit into a AA mini mag? It might sound ridiculous and heat management may become a problem but can the heat problem become manageable? I've fit a green laser diode in one so far and can manage the heat which isn't much. I would like a blue one for a reason and right now I can get ahold of blue diodes so I can't test it out.


----------



## funkychateau

Tmack,

What experience do you have in building beam expanders into your lasers? I am interested in a custom.


----------



## Tmack

Hmm I'll have to see about getting a heatsink machined for the minimag. 

Beam expander usually go in 532nm lasers but can be used on direct diodes. All my lasers are completely focusable.


----------



## R.W.D.

Alright sweet. I just like the idea of a blue laser in a mini mag. Pluses I've been messing around with phosphorus lenses and blue LEDs. The are mini mag size so could I throw one in front of a blue laser like WL does to get a white light? If not still love the mini laser. 

Im still seriously interested in a laser fom you just gotta figure out what kind would be the best for now.


----------



## Tmack

Hey guys. 

Got a couple special ones for ya. 

It's a cypreus "large" 
Not the 26650s host, it still takes 1x18650 
But is about 6.5" long and has much more mass than the current one. Also has a beefed up module design for better driver heatsink. 






The one on the bottom is also new. 
This hist is designed for 520nm, or single mode blue/red. It focuses at the base of the head at the knurled section about 3" down. Very cool design. 

I have both in my possession.


----------



## XFlash

Tmack look what you have done, don't even have my Cypreus yet and already something new.
My wallet is smoking and I'm nowhere near my laser.
If the bottom focusing is for sale I'll take it in red please.
Xflash


----------



## Tmack

It is indeed. PM sent. 

That's a serious 1 off design.


----------



## tilnow

Tmack, I was referred to you from VN54. How do I find out what you're selling? And buying one of your laser? Thx.


----------



## Tmack

Well, I build to order, so it's really a matter of telling me the size, power, and what you want to do with your laser and we can get started. 

I have anything from small pocket hosts, to monster maglite based hosts.


----------



## R.W.D.

Looking for a pocket host with a blue diode but I want ridiculous reach can i get distance with a blue pocket host??


----------



## Tmack

The blue wavelength doesn't give you the crazy reach like a green 

It'll hit about a mile, but the spot will be faint and huge. Blue= high power burning. 

Green is low power, but extremely bright. It also goes for miles because of how well it focuses and stays small over a distance. 

Unfortunately it's one or the other my friend. 

A 2w blue will definitely have a good distance with a 3 element lens , and still burn like crazy. But the 200mw green will out throw it, and be brighter.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Will my "stuff" be ready to mail today?

My Tmag super 5.6 watt is looking forward to a second Tmag super (around 3 watt), so I won't be using the 5.6 watt as much.

As I mentioned earlier, the Tmag super 3 watt will be upgraded at some point to a higher wattage when new diodes become available. Really looking forward to a single-mode 6 watt!


----------



## Tmack

Your stuff is ready. 

Cypreus focus - 2 
C11 
3.2w Tmag super. 
Diffraction gratings. 
Little bullet adapter. 

It's all going out tomorrow morning, along with 

X flash 
Cypreus 405nm 

And about a dozen other things. 

Shipping during the week is getting too difficult. I have to sneak off during my lunch, and sometimes gets crazy. 

I may start just ship on Saturdays instead of trying to make it on weekdays and having to delay and feel guilty.


----------



## R.W.D.

Well then I'm going to need two lasers haha. 
Ill have to probably get the at two diff times maybe not though maybe both at the same time. 
How small can you do a cr or 18650 with a green diode that still throws like a beast?? And if it was. A CR host how long would it run for? And how long could I run it before damaging the diode?


----------



## Tmack

I can do a 18650 green about the size of a typical surefire. 

The battery will last quite long, but because of the heatsink size I only recommend running around 1-1.5min. 

The larger the host, the longer the run.


----------



## R.W.D.

Sweet man how much would it run on price? What would the host look like?


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Tmack, can I get a qoute for that 16340 1W Red copper custom host laser that you mentioned to me?

Or if its ally not copper how much for it in 1W Blue? Would it be bare ally?


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Hay Tmack,

Could I please get a qoute for that 1W 16340?

Would it be ally or copper as if ally I'd like it 1W 445 but if copper I'd like it 1W 638.

Would the ally be bare ally?

Thanks very much.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Ooops!! Sorry for double post I thought the fourm had lost my post as it sometimes dose but now I have to! My bad!!!


----------



## XFlash

Tmack said:


> Hey guys.
> 
> Got a couple special ones for ya.
> 
> It's a cypreus "large"
> Not the 26650s host, it still takes 1x18650
> But is about 6.5" long and has much more mass than the current one. Also has a beefed up module design for better driver heatsink.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The one on the bottom is also new.
> This hist is designed for 520nm, or single mode blue/red. It focuses at the base of the head at the knurled section about 3" down. Very cool design.
> 
> I have both in my possession.



Pay Pal Sent for bottom host
Thanks Tmack great job.
Xflash


----------



## XFlash

Not much posting how about some pics


----------



## tomthebaker

XFlash said:


> Not much posting how about some pics


Great Pic! Looks very "Cowboys and Aliens!!"


----------



## Tmack

Man I love that maglite! 


OK guys. 

NEW GREEN DIODE PEOPLE!! 

700MW OF EYE MELTING BRIGHTNESS. 

THESE CIST THE SAME AS THE 5-6W 445NM. 

I CAN PUT THE IN MEDIUM SIZED HOSTS. 

This will be many many times brighter than a 3w. Many!!! 

RUN ABOUT 2A SO HOSTS DESIGNED FOR SMALL OUTPUT WILL NOT BE ENOUGH. 

  AWESOME!


----------



## Tmack

Samon. I'll pm with more information for you buddy


----------



## Alex1234

NNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDD MMMMOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEYYYYYY !!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHH


----------



## Tmack

Hahaha. Right! 700mw of 520nm is like nothing you have seen. It's painful bright. And 2a is totally manageable. Can go in a cypreus, c11, mag, copperhead, Ms ssw,


----------



## tomthebaker

Recommend me a 700mw 520nm host, and I'll take one. The Cypreus looks nice. Copperhead. Which is your recommended and why?


----------



## tomthebaker

this one looks like a winner: "
The one on the bottom is also new. 
This hist is designed for 520nm, or single mode blue/red. It focuses at the base of the head at the knurled section about 3" down. Very cool design."


----------



## Captain Obvious

It's funny.
I'd love to own one of these.
But they are highly illegal where I live.
I'd be accused of weapon trade and possession of illegal weapons and would face either a very big fine or jail and it would appear on my record and would make me lose my job.
So to me it is funny to see you guys talk about it like it's just another type of flashlight ^^
On the other hand pretty much everything most of you guys love is illegal here.
Most knives are illegal to have on the street (strict rules about that). Guns aren't allowed in any case. Lasers of this magnitude fall under the same category as big lockable knives.

Sorry if I went off topic here but I just wanted to share how different this all is for me haha


----------



## tomthebaker

Sorry, Captain Obvious. We call that a "Police State" in my neck of the woods. Our government would love to have absolute power too.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Hahaha. Right! 700mw of 520nm is like nothing you have seen. It's painful bright. And 2a is totally manageable. Can go in a cypreus, c11, mag, copperhead, Ms ssw,



Tmack,

Just when I was thinking I need a very bright green laser.

How long would the 700 mw duty cycle be in a Cypreus host, and does it require two batteries instead of one? Also, is the 700 mw a single or multi mode diode?

Of course, if they cost the same as the 5-6 watt 445 nm diode, that would be a consideration.

Do they cost a lot less than the 1 watt 520 nm?


----------



## Tmack

tomthebaker said:


> Recommend me a 700mw 520nm host, and I'll take one. The Cypreus looks nice. Copperhead. Which is your recommended and why?



The knurled host is designed for sub 1w diodes. If you want a long duty cycle with this kind of amperage and mw, I'd go with a mag. 
Then a cypreus. ( 1 left of the small ones. ) 
(BTW, I have 1 xl cypreus ready to go. It's a good 2" longer than the normal cypreus, would be amazing for this green) 

The copperhead would be nice. Pretty small head, but copper, so it would be fine. 

The ms ssw, is a classic. Awesome host. Great design on the internals. 
I've seen 1.4w 520nm in this host and it's beautiful. Nicknamed "the hulk" 

So it's up to you. 
The mag for the long rums, and most comfortable diode ( making you diode live long and happy) 

Small cypreus, portable, nice looking 

Big cypreus, portable, nice looking, awesome runtime. 

Copperhead, steam punk! Haha. 

Ms ssw, good runtime, awesome looking. 
If you look at post 1, I made a blue ms ssw with glow powder in all the grooves. Looks insane!! Could be convinced to do the same with green glow powder   
Would be just epic (excuse the use of epic)


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> Just when I was thinking I need a very bright green laser.
> 
> How long would the 700 mw duty cycle be in a Cypreus host, and does it require two batteries instead of one? Also, is the 700 mw a single or multi mode diode?
> 
> Of course, if they cost the same as the 5-6 watt 445 nm diode, that would be a consideration.
> 
> Do they cost a lot less than the 1 watt 520 nm?



Your looking at a few minutes in a cypreus. 
It's multimode like a 3w 445nm 

They are indeed much less than a 1w 

2 cell 


 excited!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Your looking at a few minutes in a cypreus.
> It's multimode like a 3w 445nm
> 
> They are indeed much less than a 1w
> 
> 2 cell
> 
> 
> excited!




Is the divergence about the same as the 200 mw 520 nm diode?

Also, I just realized that I intentionally have four C11's, with violet, blue, green and red laser diodes.

Therefore, it would make more sense (and save more cents) for me to send my C11 with the 215 mw 520 nm to you, to be upgraded to the C11 v2 with 700 mw 520 nm diode. 

What would the runtime be in a C11 v2 host? 

I'll do this upgrade if the divergence of the 700 mw diode isn't much worse than the 215 mw diode. Considering how bright the 215 mw diode is, the 700 mw must be incredible. 

Please PM me with the cost of the upgrade.


----------



## Tmack

Last small cypreus is gone. 

I can get 1 more in about a week. 


Star. The divergence is more like the 3w 445 from what I hear. But, I was also under the same impression about the 200mw version, but you see how that turned out lol. But I do believe it will be worse than the one you have.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Last small cypreus is gone.
> 
> I can get 1 more in about a week.
> 
> 
> Star. The divergence is more like the 3w 445 from what I hear. But, I was also under the same impression about the 200mw version, but you see how that turned out lol. But I do believe it will be worse than the one you have.




Well, its OK if its no worse than the 3w 445 nm. If it were as bad as the divergence of the 1w 638 nm, for example, I wouldn't be interested in the upgrade.

Please PM me the cost to upgrade my C11 build to the v2 700 mw 520 nm. Would the runtime be almost equal to the Cypreus host?


----------



## Alex1234

how much brighter is 2w of 462nm compared to 2w of 445nm?


----------



## Tmack

Your approaching the middle of the spectrum, so it'll be a good amount brighter. It's hard to say exactly, but about 20nm in the right direction will be definitely noticeable.


----------



## grcforce327

Tmack said:


> Hey guys. Just opening my own thread to post some of my custom builds. Give me a shout if you like something. These are just some of my personal builds, and builds I've done for cpf friends



Don't you have anything better to do than make me spend almost $1200 on one damn laser???:thinking:


----------



## XFlash

Cypreus made it today, great host.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

WOW, sweet gun! Normal I am not bothered by gun's, what with being in the UK, and not fussed by them, the either all old or modern. But that really nice, not sure what it is but something about it just looks great! HMM- 700mw is a lot of green!


----------



## Tmack

grcforce327 said:


> Don't you have anything better to do than make me spend almost $1200 on one damn laser???:thinking:



Oh come on now. For that I'll give you a laser and a sticker  


Oh heatsink should be beck to me soon!


----------



## Tmack

And $1200 would get you a 6w mag with a monstrous 6" custom head replacement heatsink of doom, with fins progressively deeper closer to the diode for maximum heat dissipation. A driver pocket that covers the driver from 3 sides, completely anodized black, with a solid copper module and heatsink slug. (breath) 
Basically the biggest baddest laser I've ever made.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Oh come on now. For that I'll give you a laser and a sticker
> 
> 
> Oh heatsink should be beck to me soon!



Tmack,

What custom laser sets someone back around $1200?

Did you find a way to create a triclops build, with three 5-6 watt 445 nm diodes? I'd seriously consider something like that, although the heat sinks and batteries required would probably make the build look like something Lex Luthor would try against Superman (green beams, anyone?)

Or is it something that uses a very expensive diode to generate a color such as yellow or orange?


----------



## Tmack

It's a 6w with a completely custom heatsink. Remember how I said the head replacement heatsink wouldn't be ideal for the 6w. Well I found a way! Lol 

It's got a couple extra inches, and the fins are progressively deeper towards the diode so it sheds heat fast! It's also got a driver pocket that completely surrounds the driver. The underside of this thing looks like a rat maze haha. 

I sketched the design and talked to my machinist for a long time about this one. 

I'm quite proud of the runtime capable from the most powerful diode out right now. 

All blacked out from top to bottom. 

This thong is absolutely awesome. By far the best build I've ever made. The regular 6w mag, with the best heatsink design I've ever seen.  

Double diodes without active cooling would be too much heat.


----------



## grcforce327

Tmack said:


> And $1200 would get you a 6w mag with a monstrous 6" custom head replacement heatsink of doom, with fins progressively deeper closer to the diode for maximum heat dissipation. A driver pocket that covers the driver from 3 sides, completely anodized black, with a solid copper module and heatsink slug. (breath)
> Basically the biggest baddest laser I've ever made.



Just think.... Never would of happened if a certain someone finally got this bright idea to post his email addy! Who'd a thought!


----------



## Tmack

A triple 6w would be much more than that!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> It's a 6w with a completely custom heatsink. Remember how I said the head replacement heatsink wouldn't be ideal for the 6w. Well I found a way! Lol
> 
> It's got a couple extra inches, and the fins are progressively deeper towards the diode so it sheds heat fast! It's also got a driver pocket that completely surrounds the driver. The underside of this thing looks like a rat maze haha.
> 
> All blacked out from top to bottom.
> 
> This thong is absolutely awesome. By far the best build I've ever made. The regular 6w mag, with the best heatsink design I've ever seen.
> 
> Double diodes without active cooling would be too much heat.



I suspect that everyone will want to see pictures of this.

I'm happy with my 5.6 watt build, which can run a couple minutes at a stretch. I don't need the deluxe Darth Vader model (not yet, anyway).


----------



## Tmack

Haha. This is definitely the deluxe version. I'll be taking lots of pictures. Videos of power tests etc.


----------



## grcforce327

Tmack said:


> Basically the biggest baddest laser I've ever made.



AHHHHHHHH...... For now anyway.


----------



## Tmack

Still need to put my email in my damn sig. Tapatalk won't let me!


----------



## sinner-cpf

XFlash said:


> Cypreus made it today, great host.



congrats, its very overwhelming what tmack has made out of these little hosts, he is definitely the master builder.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> And $1200 would get you a 6w mag with a monstrous 6" custom head replacement heatsink of doom, with fins progressively deeper closer to the diode for maximum heat dissipation. A driver pocket that covers the driver from 3 sides, completely anodized black, with a solid copper module and heatsink slug. (breath)
> Basically the biggest baddest laser I've ever made.




Great ill take two


----------



## Tmack

sinner-cpf said:


> congrats, its very overwhelming what tmack has made out of these little hosts, he is definitely the master builder.



Whoa! 

Ladies and gentlemen. 

The man behind the copper! 

SINNER! 

The master MACHINIST! haha. 

I'm getting awesome runtimes out of those little guys.


I didn't forget about ya my friend. 

I have 1 on reserve, and 1 I need some parts for I had to use.


----------



## sinner-cpf

Is it weird that I read my own intro as If I were entering the ring rocky balboa style. 

This thread goes on pretty damn fast, my last post is probably 50 pages ago.


----------



## Tmack

I need to start a picture thread. All these lasers, and very few pictures! 

Alex, Xflash have posted some.


----------



## Alex1234

tmack did your press come today?


----------



## Tmack

Your item arrived at the Post Office at 5:48 am on September 4, 2014 in BALTIMORE, MD 21206. The Postal Service expects to deliver the item on Thursday, September 4, 2014. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.


 

It went to Baltimore, then back to Linthicum, now is in Baltimore again, 

I went to the post office to straighten this same issue out. 

Lotta good that did.


----------



## Alex1234

F#ck usps !!! Lol. I have a x6vnt that left the philly sort facility at 6:29 am this morning so i bet once it gets ti the abington post office it will just miss out on todays deliveries


----------



## Tmack

They ate something else man. 

This has been over a month now they have been making loops around Maryland with my mail. 

Once I had a pack come from Florida. Stop in Baltimore. I checked tracking the next day after It wasn't delivered, and it was in North Dakota! Belmar. 

Baltimore MD 
Belmar ND 

Wow. 
Just incompetent. 
The damn package had a printed sticker too, so I can't even blame handwriting.


----------



## Alex1234

oh thats bad. \


will wonders never cease my x6vnt will be delivered today despite leaving from philly at 6:30am 

sometimes they can be pretty good. altho once the holiday season hits forget about it lol


----------



## atisvt99

Tmack said:


> I need to start a picture thread. All these lasers, and very few pictures!
> 
> Alex, Xflash have posted some.



I've got some pics up here too...


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah you do! Good ones too! 

Your black flashlight is done good sir. 
The grey one needs a driver and that's it. 

I forgot to ask, what mode configuration do you want. High med low. 
High low
High med low strobe


----------



## Alex1234

Any update on this ?


Tmack said:


> What do you guys think.
> You'd actually focus from the base of the heatsink.


----------



## Tmack

I need to find someone with a cnc. 

But the focus method has been done . 

Xflash has bought it. 

Its the knurled host on the bottom of the maglite in a picture a bit ago.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Tmack, If i start saveing now, maby I can order a 21W (3*7W 445) for my 21st birthday lol, what do you think? Ahahaha, LN2 cooling me thinks, oh and a beam expander so I look like Obi wan from star wars!

Is that even possible, max I have seen is 7W from styropyro but you only go up to 6W? Any reasons, or just not wanting to push the diodes to far?

ooh Id bet that would be like $3000-4000 LOL, maby not then. ahaha.

I AM NOT IMPRESSED, I was going to order a laser of you tomorrow, but worked C***ed up my wages (AGAIN FFS) so now I will have to wait, and of all weeks to do it, any other week would have been fine, but no, lets do it on the week my dads birthday is, well personally I dont think its good enugh, but I will be lucky to see the money let along get an sorry or compensation, I have finical commitments, dont they know that!!!! (Like buying lasers and lights) ok so I don't have actual commitments other than rent but still it the principle of the matter.

Im currently £150 down from what I was meant to receive GRRRR....Sorry for the rant on your thread but just had to let it out some wear, sorry again!

Was looking forward to a this purchase since last week lol as had worked very hard to bring in enugh funds for it =( BooHoo oh well thats life I guess.

On the other hand I look forward to hearing about that 16340 size hosts that's if they can at all even be done in that size, but fingers crossed.


----------



## Tmack

Not a problem my friend  

I'll be here!


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Ahaha, ah I know Tmack, its just so annoying ahaha, I even worked a bank holiday for standard wage (should have been double) and have done overtime at no charge, and they have the gull to not even pay me the standard pay...grr.

Next time they want me to work a holiday they can go do one lol.

Well something to look forward to at some point in the comeing mounts hopefully if other things don't come up (Bound to now though, sods law and all) lol

Have a great day Tmack, I plan on relaxing today and over the weekend =)


----------



## Alex1234

Did you finally get your press today? Dang usps


----------



## Tmack

I got the damn thing! Thank god. I'll have her finished tonight, and off to you in the morning my friend. 

Funny thing, is I'll probably use it once every 6 months or less, but when you don't have one, I'll need it constantly lol. I'll have to take a picture of them. Really awesome little tools. 
Specifically designed for these 3.8mm diodes, by a fellow builder. Well, laser toolbuilder would be more accurate . 

You won't be without 405nm for much longer buddy! 


Oh and Tomthebaker, really excited to build that monster green! 

Now quick question. The copper on the cypreus xl, already has a nice patina . Would you like to keep it, or do you want it shiny? 

" the copper hulk"


----------



## Alex1234

Can you make the focus adjustmant stiffer so it can turn as much but i also dont want peices of teflon tape getting on diode from adjusting the focus so much. I almost want you do fix focus it to infinity so i dibt break it again


----------



## Tmack

I can make it stiff sure.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Suppose we wanted to be able to focus the 3 - 6 watt diode laser into a very tiny spot, perhaps 1 - 2 feet or so away from the diode to avoid getting smoke on it. 

Do you know of any lenses that do this, and that could be attached to your focus adapters?

In other words, even more focusing than your 3 element lenses, without cutting off much more of the light than they do. 

I suspect I am asking something that is optically difficult. It's always easier to focus to a very small point *close up*, using a high powered magnifying lens.


----------



## Tmack

At 1-2ft you can get pretty small with a 3w. Especially with a 3 element, but if you want smaller,,,, ,, ,,,,, hmm. I'll have to do some searching. I really know of nothing off hand. The spot at 2ft can get quite tiny. I don't know how much smaller you can get.


----------



## tomthebaker

Tmack said:


> I got the damn thing! Thank god. I'll have her finished tonight, and off to you in the morning my friend.
> 
> Funny thing, is I'll probably use it once every 6 months or less, but when you don't have one, I'll need it constantly lol. I'll have to take a picture of them. Really awesome little tools.
> Specifically designed for these 3.8mm diodes, by a fellow builder. Well, laser toolbuilder would be more accurate .
> 
> You won't be without 405nm for much longer buddy!
> 
> 
> Oh and Tomthebaker, really excited to build that monster green!
> 
> Now quick question. The copper on the cypreus xl, already has a nice patina . Would you like to keep it, or do you want it shiny?
> 
> " the copper hulk"



I'm not sure if the copper question was directed to me, but I like patina. Thanks!


----------



## Tmack

Yup it was. And cool. That's what I would have done


----------



## Alex1234

WOW i hit 1000 posts in a few posts  i feel like iv been buying form you and vinh for many years already lol


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

What is the current price of a 1.4 watt 520 nm diode versus a 700 mw 520 nm?

I am hoping to wait for the 1.4 watt.


----------



## grcforce327

Tmack said:


> I can make it stiff sure.



WHAT???


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> What is the current price of a 1.4 watt 520 nm diode versus a 700 mw 520 nm?
> 
> I am hoping to wait for the 1.4 watt.



The 1w is a good $200 more. 
And 1.4w is they highest I've ever seen the 1w diode hit. I can't guarantee that power. Maybe more, but may be less.


----------



## Tmack

grcforce327 said:


> WHAT???



I was waiting for that 
.........


----------



## Alex1234

LOL^

hows my c11 doing


----------



## Tmack

Just fine. She is ready to go. I'll try to make it to ship today. 
At the in-laws to see grandma


----------



## Alex1234

awesome


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The 1w is a good $200 more.
> And 1.4w is they highest I've ever seen the 1w diode hit. I can't guarantee that power. Maybe more, but may be less.




Tmack,

On average, what power could the 1 watt 520 nm attain with a really good heat sink, such as the new Tmag heat sinks (not the super, and not the v2).

Also, what type of duty cycle would that have?

I have considered getting one of the new Tmag heat sinks, now that I have two Tmag supers. A 1 watt+ 520 nm diode might be a good enough excuse. That new large heat sink should keep that expensive diode comfortable for a long while. Also, it would be incredibly bright.


----------



## Tmack

Incredibly bright is just.............. Not enough words haha. 

To burn with green is just. Wrong. 


Your looking at 1-1.2w dependable. Now as you know that can go in either direction because of the efficiency of the diode. 

The one that hit 1.4w was not even close to the heatsink that I'm using. It was in a "normal" laser lol. 

The duty cycle would be ridiculously long. Remember Alex got 8 min off 2w. 
Off 1w it would be just a matter of how long you wanted to run it. I wouldn't go turning it on, and leaving the room, but you get the idea . 

Now that would be insane! 

The hulk build. 

Could do a two Tone heatsink? Throw a little green in? Haha.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Incredibly bright is just.............. Not enough words haha.
> 
> To burn with green is just. Wrong.
> 
> 
> Your looking at 1-1.2w dependable. Now as you know that can go in either direction because of the efficiency of the diode.
> 
> The one that hit 1.4w was not even close to the heatsink that I'm using. It was in a "normal" laser lol.
> 
> The duty cycle would be ridiculously long. Remember Alex got 8 min off 2w.
> Off 1w it would be just a matter of how long you wanted to run it. I wouldn't go turning it on, and leaving the room, but you get the idea .
> 
> Now that would be insane!
> 
> The hulk build.
> 
> Could do a two Tone heatsink? Throw a little green in? Haha.



OK, well the Maglite host could be green.

What type of lens arrangement works best with this 1 watt diode, the one or three element lens? Does the three element remove a lot of the power for this diode?


----------



## Tmack

I'll have to make that call when the build is almost complete. I can know for sure till then. But IMO, the 3 element may be the way to go. Your not looking to burn, and you want a nice beam.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> I'll have to make that call when the build is almost complete. I can know for sure till then. But IMO, the 3 element may be the way to go. Your not looking to burn, and you want a nice beam.



Ok, you've convinced me (not difficult, unfortunately). 

Please PM me the price for the 1+ watt 520 nm in the new Tmag build, with green Maglite. It should use 2 26650 batteries.


PS - the 26650 batteries last a long time between recharges even with the 5.6 watt diode.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Ok, you've convinced me (not difficult, unfortunately).
> 
> Please PM me the price for the 1+ watt 520 nm in the new Tmag build, with green Maglite. It should use 2 26650 batteries.
> 
> 
> PS - the 26650 batteries last a long time between recharges even with the 5.6 watt diode.



Tmack,

PayPal sent.

To me, this was a more worthwhile upgrade than just converting my c11 215 mw 520 nm to a 700 mw 520 nm.

The power will be greater, the host and the brightness will be incredible, it can run for minutes at a time, and it will keep the expensive diode much happier.

Luckily I didn't set a new price record for a custom laser build. :ironic:


----------



## Tmack

The host is going to be nuts!


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> PayPal sent.
> 
> To me, this was a more worthwhile upgrade than just converting my c11 215 mw 520 nm to a 700 mw 520 nm.
> 
> The power will be greater, the host and the brightness will be incredible, it can run for minutes at a time, and it will keep the expensive diode much happier.
> 
> Luckily I didn't set a new price record for a custom laser build. :ironic:




I forgot to mention another very important reason. 

The color of the 520 nm diode is phenomenal! I will now be able to light up an entire room with a ceiling bounce (NOT focused).


----------



## grcforce327

Tmack said:


> I'll try to make it to ship today.



Would be great if customers lived within an hour from you. You could give a better idea of everything involved, in person. No shipping too! Nobody in there "RIGHT MIND"wouldn't want that!


----------



## Tmack

Sadly that's rarely the case. It's only happened twice. I actually delivered the laser one one occasion.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Out of curiosity, I focused my two Tmag supers on one spot, using a steel Altoids Peppermints box as the target. I was wondering how much energy is required to cut through relatively thin gauge steel. The paint was burned off the spot I hit, but the other side wasn't even discolored after one minute.

That is around 9 watts of energy. If I used the other two 3 watt Tmag lasers I have, I could reach around 15 watts on one spot (or as close to one spot as I could possibly achieve).

However, it may require more laser energy than that to even make a small hole, so I won't try it until I find a ballpark figure for the energy needed. It was my impression, from reading an article a long time ago, that at least 10 watts are required. Also, Tmag mentioned someone who had built a "mirror edged" 15 watt laser from five 3 watt lasers, focused them onto one spot, and sliced through a paper clip. That is not exactly the same as slicing through a sheet of thin gauge steel.

Approximately how much laser energy, focused onto a tiny spot, would be required for this (I thought) simple task?


----------



## Alex1234

Were you able to ship my c11 yesterday ?


----------



## tomthebaker

star_c_star said:


> Tmack,
> 
> Out of curiosity, I focused my two Tmag supers on one spot, using a steel Altoids Peppermints box as the target. I was wondering how much energy is required to cut through relatively thin gauge steel. The paint was burned off the spot I hit, but the other side wasn't even discolored after one minute.
> 
> That is around 9 watts of energy. If I used the other two 3 watt Tmag lasers I have, I could reach around 15 watts on one spot (or as close to one spot as I could possibly achieve).
> 
> However, it may require more laser energy than that to even make a small hole, so I won't try it until I find a ballpark figure for the energy needed. It was my impression, from reading an article a long time ago, that at least 10 watts are required. Also, Tmag mentioned someone who had built a "mirror edged" 15 watt laser from five 3 watt lasers, focused them onto one spot, and sliced through a paper clip. That is not exactly the same as slicing through a sheet of thin gauge steel.
> 
> Approximately how much laser energy, focused onto a tiny spot, would be required for this (I thought) simple task?



Just guessing, but I think the biggest problem there is the reflectivity of the metal. I could be wrong, but in other materials the color really makes a huge difference.


----------



## tomthebaker

Tmack,
Which lens are we doing in the green monster? 

If 1 lens, would my existing 3 lens fit, at least to try it out?


----------



## Tmack

Tomthebaker. I think the problem is the paper clip is thin and the heat has nowhere to go. The tin can distribute the heat. 

Would take a serious laser to cut it. 

Alex1234. Not yet my friend. I apologize. I'll throw in some fun stuff for your wait.


----------



## atisvt99

Tmack said:


> Oh yeah you do! Good ones too!
> 
> Your black flashlight is done good sir.
> The grey one needs a driver and that's it.
> 
> I forgot to ask, what mode configuration do you want. High med low.
> High low
> High med low strobe



Yo! Sorry T, I missed this post last week before I txt you yesterday... If the black light is working right now, I'll take that and the focus ring adapter for my C11. I don't mind waiting on the grey light - just take your time and ship when it becomes avail. If you want to get that host from another vendor, just let me know the cost difference - if any.

If we can do low-med-high-strobe, that would be great... 

And let me know on the new 520 diode C11 I asked about yesterday! Thanks man...

We now need to arrange a tri-purpose visit for you now... you could bring down my lights/lasers, go for a quick blast in my Porsche I just got back (it is STUPID fast now), and then spend the rest of the day on the river!


----------



## Tmack

Sounds amazing haha. No problem buddy. 

I'll get that light out to you asap. 

I'll also give you a pm/text/email/fax/call/poke/bleep/boink / about the 1w green.


----------



## Alex1234

Thanks tmack  only 3 more posts and ill hit 1000 !!!


----------



## atisvt99

Tmack said:


> Sounds amazing haha. No problem buddy.
> 
> I'll get that light out to you asap.
> 
> I'll also give you a pm/text/email/fax/call/poke/bleep/boink / about the 1w green.



LOL... you do that!

You know what I was thinking would be cool (and simple)... can you get the larger focus ring adapters (the ones I prefer) anodized in different colors? It would be neat to have a collection of C11 hosts with color matched focus ring adapters for each diode - not quite as custom as the 501b set you made for me, but something that you could look into doing for customers down the road - if they would like it. Just another little something you can add for that custom TMack flair...


----------



## Tmack

I've actually done glow powder on the inside of the adapter before. So when your laser gets turned off, you have a after glow. 

But yeah. Matched adapters would be awesome.


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> Thanks tmack  only 3 more posts and ill hit 1000 !!!



That's just reminds me I'm a post count maniac  haha. 

Congrats man. What a journey huh? 
Poor wallet.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> That's just reminds me I'm a post count maniac  haha.
> 
> Congrats man. What a journey huh?
> Poor wallet.



my wallet has choked and died a few days ago


----------



## bigchelis

Thanks to Tmack I will soon have my first high powered Laser. I already purchased 4 glasses said to be (laser forum testing) great for the blue 2W laser coming my way.

I live in the middle of an orchard so I will have great footage and putting the laser to work for the evening bomb fires. I was about to purchase another windproof lighter but figured this 2D Laser build would be a great upgrade.

Put some wood and cardboard with a tiny bit of fire starter fluid, then hit it with the laser from 3ft~5ft away....would make some cool video footage :thumbsup:

Best,
bigC


----------



## Tmack

Hell yeah! That'll definitely don't it lol. 








Hey star! How's that!!! 
That's a heatsink!


----------



## Alex1234

^^^


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Hell yeah! That'll definitely don't it lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey star! How's that!!!
> That's a heatsink!




Yes, that definitely IS a heatsink!

I can't wait to get this monster build, projecting a 1+ watt 520 nm beam. The beam will be so bright I suspect I'll be able to see it in direct sunlight.


----------



## star_c_star

star_c_star said:


> Yes, that definitely IS a heatsink!
> 
> I can't wait to get this monster build, projecting a 1+ watt 520 nm beam. The beam will be so bright I suspect I'll be able to see it in direct sunlight.



Tmack,

Do I need a "Green Lantern" symbol, in order to show that I have the authority to project such a powerful green light?


----------



## Tmack

Haha. Expect to see it in a fully lit room. Outside in direct sun is a battle we have yet to win in handheld lasers. 

I guess we found a name huh? 

Green lantern build. 

I just got shipping notice yesterday for that bad boy. I should have it soon.  

MSN I need a camera for all these crazy builds.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Haha. Expect to see it in a fully lit room. Outside in direct sun is a battle we have yet to win in handheld lasers.
> 
> I guess we found a name huh?
> 
> Green lantern build.
> 
> I just got shipping notice yesterday for that bad boy. I should have it soon.
> 
> MSN I need a camera for all these crazy builds.



Tmack,

You can see the beam in mid-day direct sunlight for the most powerful blue lasers I have if you:

1. Aim them from a shaded area.

2. Look down the beam at the target while holding the laser. You don't need to move your head to be very near the laser. A few feet away is sufficient.

The 1+ watt 520 nm should easily pass this test.

If we had a 10+ watt green laser, you could probably see it in direct sunlight even at right angles to it.


----------



## Tmack

That's how I should have put it. 

In direct sunlight, at any angle. 

But yeah I know what you mean. 

There's a picture of a 15w green laser mounted on a giant telescope and it looks like a Damn green extension cord lol. 
That anodizing came out spectacular star. I can wait to get some complete pictures of it. 

I need to stop buying knives, and grab a nice camera. 

Besides the dslr, any recommendations?


----------



## Tmack

Tomthebaker. 
I noticed a couple dings in the focus adapter. Since they come from dubai, they get opened. Only rarely do they get repacked correctly. 


I can send it to a local guy to make it absolutely perfect, or I can't send as is. 

The only reason I ask is because you said you liked the patina. Of course refinishing will remove the patina.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack has my c11 shipped? I miss purple lol


----------



## Tmack

Yes sir. 

Oh and I made infinite focus at the bottom of the threads, then I tightened it. So if you leave it fully tight, it's essentially fixed focus, but if you want, you can unscrew it to focus up close.


----------



## Alex1234

That is exactly what i wanted thanks !!!. Do u have tracking number i like tracking packages. I have this and vinhs ld50vn and tk61vn v2 on the way aswell  im pumped !!!!


----------



## XFlash

Tmack has my green guts made it yet.
Thanks, just getting excited.
Xflash


----------



## Tmack

They sure have. Your build is drying as I type.  

Going to be tough to get that lens inside that focusing setup, but man it'll be worth it! 

I can't wait to have it working. It's going to be awesome to not have to put your hand on the front of the laser.

Alex. Pm'ed your #'s


----------



## Tmack

So guys. What should a laser nerd do on his birthday? Haha.


----------



## Obijuan Kenobe

Burn cut a cake? 

Light your own candles and then cut them to put them out. 

obi


----------



## atisvt99

Did you get older today??


----------



## Tmack

I did. I got a day older. 

Candle lighting is a given. 
Last time I burned food with a laser it tasted.......... Off. Lol.


----------



## Draven451

Tmack,

Happy Birthday!

I say enjoy the day with family and friends


----------



## Tmack

Thank you sir. I think I'll just take my son to the park. Have some fun. Lol he makes my cheeks hurt daily. Best think I can think of.


----------



## atisvt99

Happy birthday, holmes!

Do yourself a favor and don't work too hard today!


----------



## blah9

Happy Birthday! That sounds like a lot of fun.


----------



## XFlash

Happy Birthday 
Do what you want today.

Xflash


----------



## Tmack

Haha thanks a lot guys! 
Got myself a new knife and flashlight combo I've been wanting, and today snow crabs, and fun time with my little Buddy! 

Couldn't be happier. 
Thanks for everything guys. Really consider you guys my friends. (sniff sniff) 

Let me post some pictures of my presents! Brb.


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## blah9

Haha awesome!


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Tain Nova Damascus 16340/ TixDa
> 
> Large 21 sebenza, reverse silver accent, Raindrop Damascus.
> 
> Ohhh Tmack! You shouldn't have!
> 
> But you deserve it
> 
> Yeah your right.



Let me guess over $1000 right there


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah! Lol. Well over


----------



## Alex1234

I could not bring myself to spend that much on a light but dam is is gorgeous !!!!!
Happy Birthday to you lol !!!!


----------



## Tmack

Oh not the light itself! Lol

About $700 each.


----------



## Alex1234

ill take 3 lol


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Tain Nova Damascus 16340/ TixDa
> 
> Large 21 sebenza, reverse silver accent, Raindrop Damascus.
> 
> Ohhh Tmack! You shouldn't have!
> 
> But you deserve it
> 
> Yeah your right.



Happy Birthday Tmack!

Looking at these images made me realize that I don't have any Damascus steel flashlights or lasers (or anything).

Do you have such a custom host for either? Just curious.


----------



## Tmack

Damascus laser would be.......... Crazy! 

But I do not. 
They don't come around often, and when they do. Ugh. $$$$$$

It takes a thick piece of it to make a host. 

And thanks my friend! 

I need to start throwing some tritium in some laser hosts too.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> I need to start throwing some tritium in some laser hosts too.


----------



## atisvt99

$700 each!?!?! Damn man!

Why don't you sell me one of your other knives that you're not using as much anymore... 

oh, and speaking of knives... I was eating a supreme taco from taco bell the other night when I dropped some of the diced tomato on the couch. As I'm making sure I got it all picked up, I pull back the cushion a little (just to be sure) and guess what I found down there?! My benchmade that I replaced several months ago!! haha... couldn't believe it. So now I have two... same exact knife


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## Alex1234

Look what i got  btw im really digging the pink bubble wrap


----------



## Tmack

Haha I figured you'd like it. $2!


----------



## tomthebaker

Busse knives
Handguns
Rifles
Optics
Flashlights
And now lasers .


----------



## tomthebaker

Way off topic ...

Elephant "bark" ivory:





Trijicon RMR (cowitness iron sights) installed on G17 (my EDC)


----------



## Tmack

Oh you wanna play rough! OK! 
Brb haha.


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## Tmack

Tom that elephant bark is sick! 
I need a mammoth bark sebenza in my life


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## Alex1234

tmack did you lpm my 405nm c11 before you shipped it out?


----------



## Tmack

Yup. 
Did 780mw with the 3 element lens.


----------



## XFlash

Great stuff Tmack
More pics more pics
Yeh


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Yup.
> Did 780mw with the 3 element lens.



Haha i got 781 lol


----------



## Tmack

Nice Alex. You're right on point with a very expensive meter my friend.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Any updates on the monster 1+ watt 520 nm build?


----------



## Tmack

Your host and heatsink is in my possession. 
The diode was just pressed and was sent to me yesterday. 
I let my diode guy press this one haha. Juuuusst in case. 

Should be here Saturday or Monday.


----------



## XFlash

TB Love the grips, and Busse knives.


----------



## Tmack

Awesome guys. I love it! Post all the pics you want! 

Oh and XFlash. I'm putting the final touches on your greeny  

Getting the lens way down in the head is proving difficult.


----------



## Tmack

Deleted, not laser related


----------



## XFlash

Tmack, thanks for the news on the meany greeny.
I hope it will be OK, getting the head in !?.

Your collection is amazing, thanks for all the pics.

Xflash


----------



## tomthebaker

Nice toys Tmac! Xflash, old school satin jack?


----------



## XFlash

TB your are sure right, I bought that Satin Jack from Busse 10-12 years ago.






tomthebaker said:


> Nice toys Tmac! Xflash, old school satin jack?


----------



## Tmack

Deleted. Not laser related.


----------



## Alex1234

how much is thats knife???!!! its amazing


----------



## Tmack

Same as the light  

Raindrop Damascus large sebenza, Chris Reeves. 
Sebenza and hinderer xm18 are my favorite folders. 

Hanson takes the fixed blades.  

Thanks brother. That steel is incredible!


----------



## Alex1234

what i want to know is how they get those cool designs into the blade and light battery tube?


----------



## Tmack

It's different types of steel folded and hammered, folded and hammered until it makes a gorgeous pattern. 

There's many types. Ladder, basket weave, Raindrop Damascus. Very difficult process. 

You take thin plates of different hardness steel, and heat weld them into one. Then fold in certain ways to get patterns. 

Usually the Damascus blank is thin for a knife. Just think how thick it was to make the light.


----------



## Tmack

Think of stacking different color sheets of clay. Then folding and flatten, fold then flatten. You make all kinds of swirls and waves. 
Then slicing it down the middle and looking at the pattern. 
The raindrop is amazing how they get the circles to meet up. It's a true art of steel and forge


----------



## XFlash

Damascus is beautiful stuff for sure.


----------



## Obijuan Kenobe

I am confused. I keep thinking there are going to be more pictures of lasers. Knives? Flashlights? What is this, an EDC discussion or a custom laser thread?

This thread is working on a qualification for the Cafe. 

That being said, you better get your machinist setting up for trit vial inserts. It should be straight forward on your standard hosts like the cypreus. If we provide the trits and the Norland (which I will for my host), it should be a 6 minute job for six small cuts. For a standard, I think most are just leaving a 1mm clearance on all sides of the vial.

obi


----------



## Tmack

Just having some fun posting pictures with the fellas.

I figured since we are all easy going bunch on my thread no one would mind to much............

I've already talked to my machinist about trit slots and on my next run of hosts he will be sending me a host with a few slots too see how we want to configure them. 

I also have Norland 61 on the way, as well as tritium to do some test runs of my UV curing lamp.

I'll keep the edc, and knife pictures to their respective threads if they are causing confusion.

Most of my customers I talk to on a regular basis about many things other than lasers. I consider them more as friends than just customers. So since we all congregate here, I thought some pictures wouldn't hurt anyone, and would be fun.

I have deleted my non laser related pictures to reduce confusion. 

My apologies. 

Tony.


----------



## tomthebaker

Sorry about the thread drift. And I was just about to take out the big guns - and blades.

anyway, lasers lasers lasers!!!!!


----------



## star_c_star

tomthebaker said:


> Sorry about the thread drift. And I was just about to take out the big guns - and blades.
> 
> anyway, lasers lasers lasers!!!!!



Tmack,

Speaking about "take out the big guns", has anyone to your knowledge built a portable laser cannon?

I mean, something like a 10 - 20 pound pulse laser, or a very large laser with multiple diodes that can be run simultaneously.

THAT would be something to be proud of, and would definitely impress at a laser show!


----------



## Tmack

Well I have a couple projectors. The can surround you in a tunnel of beams and mix any color you want. Even like a silver color. Very cool. Can make any pattern, color, beam configuration. 

It's awesome to make a liquid sky effect. You pump a little smoke, and send a flat beam over the ceiling. Looks like your under water. 

Look up liquid sky laser on YouTube. Or laser projector shows. 


I have a pretty nice beam projector, as well as a image projector.


----------



## XFlash

Tmack,
Just curious did you get the diode to fit in the new host?
Thanks
Xflash


----------



## Tmack

Oh the diode is in a functioning perfectly. The difficulty is the lens. I actually glued it to a piece of tube, and am letting it dry a but, so I can insert the tube in the long focus adapter and thread in the lens. I'll then remove the tube and it will be able to be installed.  

Little tricky but I'll get her.


----------



## Obijuan Kenobe

My apologies. 

Dry humor does not come over well in text posts.

I really was only yanking your chains!!

I am afraid that too many laser pictures in this thread is a bad idea, actually. You don't want to be added to lists for things posted here. 

Just saying.

The knife and light pictures are great, esp. those with a laser host in the mix.  

obi


----------



## Tmack

Agreed! XFlash pics of the newest tmag with his other toys are awesome!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

Sorry to seem a little impatient, but any more news on the 1+ watt 520 nm Tmag "Green Lantern" build?

I'm hoping that it exceeds 1 watt by a sizable amount, although 1.4 watts may be too much to expect.


----------



## Tmack

No problem buddy. I just got the diode Saturday iirc. My diode guy said he actually just received a new batch and it held him up a couple days. Was odd. I actually emailed him too, because I usually get shipping notification in a couple hours after ordering. I was getting worried seeing as this us the most expensive diode out that we deal with. 

I'll be working on her tonight. 
Very cautiously haha. Very very very very cautiously! 

My heart us starting to beat hard just thinking about starting it up for the first time  
But I'm also really excited to see that immensely powerful green lantern.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> No problem buddy. I just got the diode Saturday iirc. My diode guy said he actually just received a new batch and it held him up a couple days. Was odd. I actually emailed him too, because I usually get shipping notification in a couple hours after ordering. I was getting worried seeing as this us the most expensive diode out that we deal with.
> 
> I'll be working on her tonight.
> Very cautiously haha. Very very very very cautiously!
> 
> My heart us starting to beat hard just thinking about starting it up for the first time
> But I'm also really excited to see that immensely powerful green lantern.



Tmack,

How is the "Green Lantern" patient? 

I feel confident since you are a master laser surgeon.

Oh, and I forgot to ask; is this diode energised by an infrared laser diode at all, or is it "direct drive"?

If it is directly powered, I strongly suspect it would use alot less energy and have alot less heat to dissipate. Two 26650's would run it for hours.


----------



## Tmack

The beautiful thing about the 520nm over the 532nm, is its direct drive laser diode. 

The 532nm for those who don't already know, is a DPSS laser. That means, it's uses a WAY more powerful 808nm ir diode to produce about 1/4 - 1/2 of green light. More quality =more efficient, but as you can see, it's not an efficient process to begin with. 

It varies, but expect 200-300mw of 532nm, to have a 1000mw 808nm diode , powering the DPSS. The ir is passed through a crystal to create the lime green color. 

The 520nm as you can imagine is a lower wavelength so is closer to a true green. Side by side, the direct drive 520nm is much more pleasant to look at. 
The only advantage of DPSS is the great divergence. Other than that, its impact sensitive, very temperature sensitive (cold=unhappy crystal =crap output), they are known for their mode hopping (horrible flickering to the point output/divergence is effected to put it simply) and difficult to add focusing optics. 


Your monster is drying as we speak. I've built this like a 3w blue to ensure you diode us happy


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The beautiful thing about the 520nm over the 532nm, is its direct drive laser diode.
> 
> The 532nm for those who don't already know, is a DPSS laser. That means, it's uses a WAY more powerful 808nm ir diode to produce about 1/4 - 1/2 of green light. More quality =more efficient, but as you can see, it's not an efficient process to begin with.
> 
> It varies, but expect 200-300mw of 532nm, to have a 1000mw 808nm diode , powering the DPSS. The ir is passed through a crystal to create the lime green color.
> 
> The 520nm as you can imagine is a lower wavelength so is closer to a true green. Side by side, the direct drive 520nm is much more pleasant to look at.
> The only advantage of DPSS is the great divergence. Other than that, its impact sensitive, very temperature sensitive (cold=unhappy crystal =crap output), they are known for their mode hopping (horrible flickering to the point output/divergence is effected to put it simply) and difficult to add focusing optics.
> 
> 
> Your monster is drying as we speak. I've built this like a 3w blue to ensure you diode us happy




The "mode-hopping" that you describe explains some of the artifacts I used to see with my 532 nm 50-200 mw lasers. The beam would occasionally look as though it split into several pieces, producing some strange artifacts, and greatly affecting the divergence. Putting in a newly charged battery seemed to help, at least for a short while. Cold temperatures would seemingly trigger it as well.


----------



## Tmack

You got it man. I'll split and you will see a couple spots instead of one clean one. 

If done well, DPSS can be great, but very often made cheaply.


----------



## XFlash

Hi Tmack,
Do I need to be checking my mailbox soon?
📪


----------



## Tmack

As a matter of fact you do sir. Everyone with a pending order will receive tracking information tomorrow.


----------



## Tmack

Oh and star.............. 

1.2w with a......... 3 element!!!! 

WHAT?! that's right! Haha. 

I might have gotten the most efficient one yet!


----------



## Tmack

Well. You! Lol


----------



## Tmack

This was a fully lit room. No beam assistance of course.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Oh and star..............
> 
> 1.2w with a......... 3 element!!!!
> 
> WHAT?! that's right! Haha.
> 
> I might have gotten the most efficient one yet!



That's great!

What about with a one element? Also, which lens configuration do you recommend?


----------



## Tmack

1 element it hits 1.52w officially the brightest laser I've built, and the strongest 520nm I've known of. 

Because it's just so bright, I'd absolutely recommend the 3 element. It's so bright, you wouldn't notice a difference in power, but you would notice the divergence. 

After it cures tonight, I'll take more pictures.


----------



## Alex1234

does the spot hurt your eyes ?


----------



## Tmack

Oh yeah. I showed my girlfriend and she immediately covered her eyes. It's ridiculous.


----------



## Alex1234

is it like a brightly glowing green line outside lol

is anyone esle getting Ads out the #ss on here now?


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> 1 element it hits 1.52w officially the brightest laser I've built, and the strongest 520nm I've known of.
> 
> Because it's just so bright, I'd absolutely recommend the 3 element. It's so bright, you wouldn't notice a difference in power, but you would notice the divergence.
> 
> After it cures tonight, I'll take more pictures.



Tmack,

Is the divergence of the 1+ watt 520 nm about equal to the 3 watt 445 nm diode?

If the 3 element hides a lot of the divergence of the 1+ watt 520 nm, I'll go with that lens configuration. I don't plan on using this for burning, but mainly for the sheer power, color, and beauty of the beam.

Also, the all important question, when will you ship it?


----------



## Tmack

The three element did clean it up very nicely. That's what I would do especially being a laser all about brightness and beam viewing. (still burn though) 

Looks like I'll have to ship tomorrow. I'm on the east siieeeedddee at work today  

Sorry fellas. Lots of stuff going out. Already packed and ready.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The three element did clean it up very nicely. That's what I would do especially being a laser all about brightness and beam viewing. (still burn though)
> 
> Looks like I'll have to ship tomorrow. I'm on the east siieeeedddee at work today
> 
> Sorry fellas. Lots of stuff going out. Already packed and ready.



Will you post more images of this Green Lantern build so I at least can look at it before it arrives?

I'm sure other people wouldn't mind; and it might create a sale or two.


----------



## Tmack

Oh I'm just taking pictures now actually  

Here toms xl cypress 

I got it to hit 735mw but wasn't fast enough to snap the picture. 






And with a 3 element. It would be almost 1w with a g2 but the beam profile shouldn't be sacrificed on these monster greens.


----------



## Tmack

Burning with a green. And extremely well too. The divergence is much better than I thought. It lit a cigarette just as well as a 2w 445. Very impressive. I'm still seeing a spot in my vision as I type this.


----------



## Tmack

There we go.


----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack




----------



## Tmack

Just took the big green outside. It goes further than any laser I've ever handled. Threw a insane bright spot two miles easy. Noooo problem


----------



## Alex1234

To bad these builds are in the $1000 ish range. I wish i could spend that much but im cheap lol


----------



## Tmack

Hey man. You have a killer collection! 

I think my next personal laser will be the 1w green. I'm extremely impressed. I just hit a radio tower a few miles away. The spot was still a good size, and solid like it was right in front of you. Wish I had another night to "test"


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Hey man. You have a killer collection!
> 
> I think my next personal laser will be the 1w green. I'm extremely impressed. I just hit a radio tower a few miles away. The spot was still a good size, and solid like it was right in front of you. Wish I had another night to "test"




Tmack,

It sounds like my very small yard is not going to challenge my new laser at all. Maybe I can hit the side of my house at night, and turn my entire back yard green via the small intense spot.

Imagine bringing this laser back to the Dark Ages, or to Salem Mass. in the 1600's. They would either worship you, or run away and then later burn you at the stake.


----------



## tomthebaker

Thank you for all your hard work, Tmack! Mine looks tremendous.


----------



## star_c_star

I agree.

Tmack, thank you for all the effort, and for pushing the technological envelope to humor some of us.

Your builds make my previous lasers seem amateurish.


----------



## Tmack

Thank you guys! It means alot that your happy with your lasers. 
They will only get better as you guys request " bigger"better lasers  

Today I have at work 

5.7w 445nm Mega Tmag
2w 445nn Mag v2
2w C11 445nm
700mw Cypreus xl 520nm 
1.2w Mega Tmag 520nm


----------



## Tmack

The green lantern 
And 
Saf-FIRE 

Two of my best pieces.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> The green lantern
> And
> Saf-FIRE
> 
> Two of my best pieces.



Thanks Tmack!

I probably will be turning the neighborhood green tomorrow, then.

Is the Saf_FIRE the one with the super super heatsink, with airflow holes in the base and other fancy heat dissipation techniques?


----------



## Tmack

That's the one. That one actually needed modification to the battery tube to install it because the driver platform was blocking the tube. 

It came out great. 

I'm also glad you chose to go with the large setup to protect that beautiful 520nm. 

Like I said, my next laser will be one in the marbled Zaser in post 1. 
I need to throw a 5w in the blue, a 1w 405, and 1w 638 and I'll be ecstatic! 

I may even go 1w on the 445nm and make a complete set if 1w lasers in the four main wavelength. 

May do the 1w 462nm. For better contrast with the 405nm. 

Hmm.


----------



## XFlash

Tmack said:


> Thank you guys! It means alot that your happy with your lasers.
> They will only get better as you guys request " bigger"better lasers
> 
> Today I have at work
> 
> 5.7w 445nm Mega Tmag
> 2w 445nn Mag v2
> 2w C11 445nm
> 700mw Cypreus xl 520nm
> 1.2w Mega Tmag 520nm




I don't see mine on that list, was there a problem with it?
Fingers crossed
Xflash


----------



## Tmack

Whoops! Yours went out to buddy! Haha sorry for the scare


----------



## bigchelis

so mine was the 
2w 445nn Mag v2


Thanks,
bigC


----------



## Tmack

Jose. Yours is on the way too


----------



## XFlash

Thanks


----------



## RoccoOnFire

Woooo! It'll get here just in time for the new moon. I'm pumped. Thanks Tmack, you are the man! 
I will post with follow-up excitement.


----------



## Tmack

can't wait to hear back from you guys. Be careful! 

Positive towards the head. DONT INSERT REVERSED. IT WILL DIE!


----------



## tomthebaker

I won't cross the streams! LOL

The heat sink with the patina looks beyond nice!


----------



## Tmack

I'm left feeling jealous after shipping all those awesome lasers today lol.


----------



## RoccoOnFire

Haha, jealousy is what I felt after seeing the pictures you posted under "knives and lights". Not to mention the legion of vin lights you have listed there^.

Those Chris Reeve blades are sweet. I had to buy myself two new knives after seeing those pictures, just to console myself. I bought an Emerson and a benchmade. The girlfriend is not thrilled... She doesn't even know about what I'm getting from you yet.. :devil:

By the way that picture of your kid with the strop needs to be framed. Too cool. :thumbsup:


----------



## Tmack

Haha that's one of my favorite pictures. I was in shock when I took it, but your only like the second or third person to say something. He wasn't even 2 in that picture. If i saw someone post their kid doing that I'd be in disbelief! 

My new Damascus crk is my new baby! 

They seem to be much more known than Rick Hinderer knives. Two of the best production knives ever made. My hinders are worth way more than even my best sebenza. 
Just a titanium scale will set you back $300 of you are diligent enough to track one down. That's more than I would have paid for 3 knives a few years ago lol.


----------



## Mmassey338

Tmack said:


> Haha that's one of my favorite pictures. I was in shock when I took it, but your only like the second or third person to say something. He wasn't even 2 in that picture. If i saw someone post their kid doing that I'd be in disbelief!
> 
> My new Damascus crk is my new baby!
> 
> They seem to be much more known than Rick Hinderer knives. Two of the best production knives ever made. My hinders are worth way more than even my best sebenza.
> Just a titanium scale will set you back $300 of you are diligent enough to track one down. That's more than I would have paid for 3 knives a few years ago lol.



Well, now you've caused me to spend more on one flashlight than I would have on three a few MONTHS ago! And I'm still fighting the urge to buy one of your lasers.


----------



## RoccoOnFire

One of the guys over there posted those pictures of his elephant bark ivory scales and I immediately had to look them up. I wish I hadn't, my wallet started weeping. Spending a grand on one set of scales and 1911 grips seems so wrong... but so right.

But more interestingly, have you considered a mammoth or mastodon ivory host?


----------



## Tmack

Mmassey338. Speak of hinderer! Haha. Good to see you brother. And don't fight it  they are too much fun.


----------



## Tmack

RoccoOnFire said:


> One of the guys over there posted those pictures of his elephant bark ivory scales and I immediately had to look them up. I wish I hadn't, my wallet started weeping. Spending a grand on one set of scales and 1911 grips seems so wrong... but so right.
> 
> But more interestingly, have you considered a mammoth or mastodon ivory host?



That would be incredible. Have a couple inlays on the battery tube. Stop it! Your going to make me order some!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> can't wait to hear back from you guys. Be careful!
> 
> Positive towards the head. DONT INSERT REVERSED. IT WILL DIE!



Tmack,

I received the "Green Lantern" 1.2 watt 520 nm build around a half-hour ago, and have spent that time playing with it. Here are my impressions.

First, the beam and spot are BRIGHT! It makes my 215 mw 520 nm seem like a regular green laser pointer. In daylight, focusing it onto something in direct sunlight, around 3 feet away, produces a spot that is difficult to look at. Usually, even with my 5.6 and 3.2 watt 445 nm Tmag supers, the spots are easily viewable in direct sunlit areas.

Second, it is noticeably lighter in weight than my two Tmag supers.

Third, the green and black patina looks incredible, much better than the posted photographs convey.

Fourth, it still is an impressive burner, even at 1.2 watt. You need protective glasses even in daylight to see when the spot is best focused, since it is so bright.

Fifth, the divergence doesn't look much greater than my 215 mw 520 nm.

Finally, the spot turns a medium size room bright green with a ceiling bounce.

This monster will REALLY look impressive at night!!


As usual, thank-you, Tmack. The "Green Lantern" and my 5.6 watt Tmag super are now my two favorite builds.

I can't wait until they release a 10+ watt diode, with good divergence. That probably won't be soon, I suspect.


----------



## Tmack

Awesome! Very happy it made it safely. That is one of the most impressive builds I've ever done. Wait till you get to shine it at a distance tonight. It's unreal how far it goes. I was totally shocked. That shows that the divergence is much better than I anticipated. The anodizing came out sick. And your other lasers are much higher wattage, so this one we had the luxury of saving some weight, while still keeping the diode nice and comfortable. 

   so happy you like it!


----------



## Tmack

And I'm waiting for that one too! 

600nm 10w single mode! Come on already! Haha. 

Orange laser of doom


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> And I'm waiting for that one too!
> 
> 600nm 10w single mode! Come on already! Haha.
> 
> Orange laser of doom



I'd prefer the 405 nm 10w single mode.

The seemingly not very bright, but incredibly strong burning, violet laser of doom.

Even the 1 watt 405 nm single mode is impressive.


----------



## Tmack

1060nm is Damn near invisible, but divergence sucks. It would be cool to go completely invisible but burn like crazy. You'd need night vision to see it lol. "why is my shoe smoking?" lol. That's bad news.


----------



## mokisdvm

Tmack said:


> Hey guys. Just opening my own thread to post some of my custom builds. Give me a shout if you like something. These are just some of my personal builds, and builds I've done for cpf friends



I have used this forum for years but finally joined so I guess I dont have the ability to contact you directly. I am interested in your custom lasers. What is the maximum power output you are producing in the 532 wavelength?


----------



## Tmack

Welcome to the party  

I don't really deal with 532nm because it's a DPSS laser. That means it uses an infrared diode, pumped through a crystal to produce the green. That makes it fragile, sensitive to temperature, impact and is just generally larger. 

I do however do direct diode green which is 520nm. A more forest green. Much more stable, and durable . 

I can do up to 1000mw/1w but it is VERY expensive 

The 445nm blue I can do 3w for much less money. 

I can also do 6w of blue, but that's back up in the 1w green price territory. 

200mw of 520nm is very bright, has excellent divergence, and is much better priced. A few guys here have that diode setup and enjoy it very much. 
Will go for miles, and still smoke dark material. 

What interests you? Distance /brightness? Burning? Color? 

And in a host. 

Size? Style?


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> And I'm waiting for that one too!
> 
> 600nm 10w single mode! Come on already! Haha.
> 
> Orange laser of doom


----------



## XFlash

It made it, 2nd one from left, my newest laser from Tmack
I love the looks of it and the way it focuses, great job Tmack you were right it was worth it.
200mw 520


----------



## RoccoOnFire

:devil::devil:So, I got my laser in today, Tmack! After a thorough examination and use, in both day and night, I have made four major observations and I have one question.

First: The build is very nice, it looks cool aesthetically, and feels great in hand. The pictures really don't do it justice. That blue beam is so beautiful.

Second: I've never cursed at so many airplanes flying at night... preventing me from free range use of my new laser.

Third: I think I should close my PayPal account before I have it setup to wire my paychecks directly into your account.

Fourth: I now believe that, with this laser, I am a Jedi. 

Q: If you make a Death Star laser build does that make us enemies? or do I join the dark side?


----------



## RoccoOnFire

What host is that, that xflash just got?


----------



## Alex1234

I got this cool glass earth at the Smithsonian museum. I just made it cooler  











Glass earth............................................445nm.................................................532nm











638nm.................................................405nm..................................................638nm + 532nm


----------



## Tmack

XFlash said:


> It made it, 2nd one from left, my newest laser from Tmack
> I love the looks of it and the way it focuses, great job Tmack you were right it was worth it.
> 200mw 520



So glad you like it! I'm in love with that host! We need a name!


----------



## Tmack

RoccoOnFire said:


> :devil::devil:So, I got my laser in today, Tmack! After a thorough examination and use, in both day and night, I have made four major observations and I have one question.
> 
> First: The build is very nice, it looks cool aesthetically, and feels great in hand. The pictures really don't do it justice. That blue beam is so beautiful.
> 
> Second: I've never cursed at so many airplanes flying at night... preventing me from free range use of my new laser.
> 
> Third: I think I should close my PayPal account before I have it setup to wire my paychecks directly into your account.
> 
> Fourth: I now believe that, with this laser, I am a Jedi.
> 
> Q: If you make a Death Star laser build does that make us enemies? or do I join the dark side?



I supply light sabers and lasers to both the jedi and dark side. I cannot take sides with either. Both sides have reasonable arguments in the current feud in a galaxy far far away. 

(can you believe I've never seen a entire star wars movie? Haha........)


----------



## Tmack

Alex1234 said:


> I got this cool glass earth at the Smithsonian museum. I just made it cooler
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Glass earth............................................445nm.................................................532nm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 638nm.................................................405nm..................................................638nm + 532nm



Alex that's siiiiicckk! The green /red=yellow is awesome. 
In the laser nerd game we call that the poor man yellow haha. Double diode build red and green. 

Those types of glass are always a fun trick. Try a glass table and shine the laser through horizontally. Same effect, but the beam will shoot through the entire table. 

Oh and those little glass things that have a 3d etch inside. If you unfocus your laser, you can create a hologram. Really cool stuff!


----------



## bigchelis

Got the laser in yesterday. The 2D Mag takes 2 26650's perfectly. Now I gotta find some newspaper to test it out. 

This is my first high powered laser so I naturally had it tested. 1.68watts after it warmed up a bit.....Not sure if topping off the cells will help create more Power, but worth a try !


----------



## Tmack

It's not peaking at the warm up. Direct diode lasers peak immediately. The tech based sensors take 30 seconds to read the max, and at that time the power has fallen from heat build up. 

I can send you a higher efficiency lens that will increase the power, but the divergence will suffer  

My ophir has been calibrated very recently and showed 1.92w at the initial peak which is in less than a second.


----------



## Tmack

This is a common misunderstanding with laserbee / radiant meters. It's not the laser that's building in power, it's the Meter taking time to climb and read the Power. 

A diode efficiency graph that reads instantly shows the initial spike, in . 8 seconds , and then it slowly falls as time passes from heat.


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,


Just a general question about the lenses attached to the focus adapters.


Do you perform any optimization on the 3-element lens barrels, or the 1-element lens barrels, when you screw them into the focus adapters? 

For example, do you screw them in a certain depth until the beam pattern is best? Or in the case of the 3 element lens, tighten or loosen the lens system with a screwdriver (it looks as though the slot in the 3 element barrel is there for loosening or tightening)

I have had to re-attach one barrel that got loose, and remained in the laser host after a lot of focusing. In a couple other cases, the barrel just got slightly loose and I finger tightened it back into the focus adapter. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't undoing optimization that you perform.


If you do no optimization, then we could take any 3 element or 1 element lens, and attach it into any of your laser builds, and it should work the same way.


----------



## Tmack

Occasionally, the barrel will go into the adapter too far, meaning, when you screw it into the laser, it will bottom out before you hit tight focus. If this happens, you can either, clip a little ring out if the spring to use as a spacer between the barrel and adapter, or you can add a drop of glue to the threads, and only thread in half way. Other than that, I don't do anything special.


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack,

I believe that I asked a similar question before, BUT:

For these high powered green laser builds, it would be nice to add a laser range extender that could keep the beam tight for far longer distances. The 520 nm 1+ watt diode already has good divergence. Imagine adding an extender, and getting a fatter beam at the opening which remains tight for miles.

THAT would be beyond beautiful!

Is it possible? I know that these extenders are not cheap, but I suspect they are alot less expensive than my Green Lantern build.


----------



## Alex1234

the lens for these lasers are like super mini aspheric lens. why cant they start making lens that are say just double the size. that would make divergence twice as good. I put a 10mm aspheric lens in from of my 638nm and the divergence was like my 445nm !!!


----------



## tyxxvxl

God I love looking at all of your sick lasers Tmack!!!
One of these days I will buy one.
I have never owned a laser before but always wanted one.
So I won this laser in a giveaway Doc had.
So this one is basicly just a basic laser pointer? It's pretty cool to be able to see the beam at night.
5mw 532nm Green Laser Pointer Light Pen Lazer


----------



## tomthebaker

RoccoOnFire said:


> One of the guys over there posted those pictures of his elephant bark ivory scales and I immediately had to look them up. I wish I hadn't, my wallet started weeping. Spending a grand on one set of scales and 1911 grips seems so wrong... but so right.
> 
> But more interestingly, have you considered a mammoth or mastodon ivory host?



I might know that guy. And the Ivory blade and Ed Brown scales (and Ed Brown) might be up for grabs ...

But back to lasers. Sorry I haven't been back to say how truly unimaginably bright, awesome and compact the Cypreus monster green build is. Ouch! And at night the beam travels farther than I can see. I need optics to see that far. Truly incredible, and it fits in my pocket. and I'd hate to get hit with the copper host! It feels like a lead pipe. Solid piece!


----------



## RoccoOnFire

You don't like your Ed Brown? I thought the ivory would look really good on my new Valor. I almost went with a Brown instead of the Dan Wesson. Can't justify the purchase on grips right now though, especially after discovering the world of Tmack Custom lasers.


----------



## tyxxvxl

Wessons and Browns.
Ahhhhj one day I will have one 
I only have my Sig Extreme for 1911's right now.


----------



## tomthebaker

Love the Brown. Selling some things to buy thermal scope.


----------



## tyxxvxl

Nice!!
What are you going to put the scope on?


----------



## Tmack

Need infrared scope and a infrared laser. That way only you can see the beam.


----------



## tyxxvxl

LOL Agreed!
Tmack can I send you my cheap Ebay green laser pointer and have you super charge it??
LOL


----------



## BanditoPete

Drooling over Tmack's builds!


----------



## tomthebaker

Yup. I will need an iR laser too. It will probably go on a POF .308 16 in. suppressed.


----------



## tomthebaker

Although thermal on the near-silent supressed 300blk could be very cool. Silent and invisible. Hmmmmm.


----------



## Tmack

tyxxvxl said:


> LOL Agreed!
> Tmack can I send you my cheap Ebay green laser pointer and have you super charge it??
> LOL



Those little buggers are almost impossible to modify without over driving them, and even after that, you'd never be able to see the difference.


----------



## Tmack

BanditoPete said:


> Drooling over Tmack's builds!



Well thank you my friend. Anything you see that you like can easily be YOUR build


----------



## Tmack

tomthebaker said:


> Although thermal on the near-silent supressed 300blk could be very cool. Silent and invisible. Hmmmmm.



We were playing with ir diodes and some night vision goggles and it would be ideal on a weapon. 

Completely clear beam on the target that only the user can see. 

But they are dangerous. If you were to get hit in the eyes, you wouldn't even blink because you'd have no reason to according to the brain, but your vision would be gone in a fraction of a second from the beam. They are very very dangerous laser. You can blind yourself without even knowing until it's too late.


----------



## tomthebaker

the reason I want thermal over NV is that in Iraq, the bad guys were using cell phone's cameras to see the IR lasers and such. Apparently the cell cameras can "see" some of the IR spectrum as well. You may want to experiment with your IR laser and cell camera to test it. With thermal, you don't use an IR illuminator. so it is harder to be spotted by someone else with NV or a camera. Judicious use of an IR laser could be helpful in some circumstances, however.


----------



## Tmack

Oh if I had the choice I'd use thermal as well. Just more practical. I just always thought the ir would be fun too.


----------



## TEEJ

tomthebaker said:


> the reason I want thermal over NV is that in Iraq, the bad guys were using cell phone's cameras to see the IR lasers and such. Apparently the cell cameras can "see" some of the IR spectrum as well. You may want to experiment with your IR laser and cell camera to test it. With thermal, you don't use an IR illuminator. so it is harder to be spotted by someone else with NV or a camera. Judicious use of an IR laser could be helpful in some circumstances, however.



To me the perfect solution would be PASSIVE thermal sights with a calibratable aimpoint, so the aim point is set to windage/elevation/range, etc as normal, but the sight is a passive thermal (FLIR, etc) device.

That way, you don't project anything that can be detected, regardless of detection methods employed...as there's nothing TO detect...but, you see the target due to its heat radiation, and, can use the reticule to place the shot.

:devil:


----------



## tomthebaker

Thanks TEEJ. I'm looking at the IRHM2-640-20: http://www.irdefense.com/compare-irh.html
Wide field of view. Can also be hand-held. NV could see the light from the scope, but only if your eye isn't up against the eyepiece.

It will be out in 2-3 weeks


----------



## MarkyP

Hi TMack,

Been lurking for a long time but your lasers are very impressive, enough to have me try and join in!

Are you able to give me rough run times and costs for a 3w or 6w 445nm in a pocketable host? Say, something the size of the Nitecore P16 - around 6" long?

Also, what are you typically using for power - 18650's ? Is there a benefit for going for a a dual cell setup or is the limit on runtime more around heat generation than current draw; or perhaps they the same thing?

Thanks.


----------



## TEEJ

MarkyP said:


> Hi TMack,
> 
> Been lurking for a long time but your lasers are very impressive, enough to have me try and join in!
> 
> Are you able to give me rough run times and costs for a 3w or 6w 445nm in a pocketable host? Say, something the size of the Nitecore P16 - around 6" long?
> 
> Also, what are you typically using for power - 18650's ? Is there a benefit for going for a a dual cell setup or is the limit on runtime more around heat generation than current draw; or perhaps they the same thing?
> 
> Thanks.



The dual cells double the voltage.



18350 pairs are ~ the same length as one 18650, but double the V juice. If IMR, they don't need protection, and, can also be higher amp capacity than an ICR 18650, etc.


----------



## star_c_star

I'm surprised that no one has added to this thread in several days, so I will do so.

Does anyone who has a Tmack Custom laser (I have a few) wish we could have more focusing lens options than the 1-element and 3-element ones?

For example, a laser range extender that would expand the beam but keep it "tighter" over longer distances. 

Or perhaps something that reduces the spot to near microscopic levels a foot away, even more than the 3-element option does. If it produced a microscopic spot an inch or two away, it would produce smoke too close to the focusing lens and diode window.


----------



## Alex1234




----------



## atisvt99

Great pics in daylight! How did you manage to capture the beams that clearly??


----------



## Alex1234

I used low light setting on my phone. Also it was cloudy and the sun was just starting to go down so the beams are quite visable


----------



## atisvt99

Alex1234 said:


> I used low light setting on my phone. Also it was cloudy and the sun was just starting to go down so the beams are quite visable



Very cool shot... 


Incidentally, anyone hear from Tmack lately?


----------



## blah9

No, I haven't seen him on here in a while. I hope he's ok.


----------



## Alex1234

i was about to comment about the lack of tmack lately as well... hope all is good


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Alex1234 said:


> i was about to comment about the lack of tmack lately as well... hope all is good


I hope so to, he might just be busy.Not just this thread but his last post on the whole forum (and he posts a lot) was nearly or just over around 48hrs ago. (See latest post's on his account page)Tmack, let us know your ok, doesn't take us long to notice such a talented guy hasn't been on for a while!


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

=( 

Mabys he's on holiday...?


----------



## Tmack

Hey guys. Thanks so much for the concern. I've been really not feeling well for too long now. Not seeming to be getting better. I've been to the doctors a few times, but medicine isn't working. Hopefully I'll be up and running soon. Really tired of feeling like this. Thanks again everyone. I really have good friends in this community.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

No problem mack! I hope they can find out what's up with you buddy! Take all the time you need, now we know your okish - kinda. At least you have plenty of lights and laser's and knives to play with while they fix you up! =)


----------



## Mmassey338

Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.


----------



## blah9

Feel better soon!


----------



## bigchelis

Tmack said:


> It's not peaking at the warm up. Direct diode lasers peak immediately. The tech based sensors take 30 seconds to read the max, and at that time the power has fallen from heat build up.
> 
> I can send you a higher efficiency lens that will increase the power, but the divergence will suffer
> 
> My ophir has been calibrated very recently and showed 1.92w at the initial peak which is in less than a second.



I would definitely be interested in a more heat producing blue laser. I am more interested in the heat to burn stuff during my camping trips 

Thank you,
bigC


----------



## atisvt99

Need another C11 build, buddy... hit me up when you make it back to the land of the living!


----------



## sinner-cpf

Since tmack is in recovery mode (GWS man), Here's a little something of interest.







its the super cypreus as they say.. 1.5lbs beast.


----------



## star_c_star

sinner-cpf said:


> Since tmack is in recovery mode (GWS man), Here's a little something of interest.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> its the super cypreus as they say.. 1.5lbs beast.




Tmack, Sinner,

Have you considered a super-duper cypreus, that takes *two *26650 batteries?

I would seriously consider one of those, if the *right *diode came along for it. It could be a mace as well as a laser. 



PS - Tmack - get well soon, sorry to hear about your illness.


----------



## sinner-cpf

Star, there is already a super-duper 2x26650 Cypreus-IIIB , it is Copper Core Aluminium body.
here it is.

http://i.imgur.com/4aaKzyo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5VxKjrj.jpg


----------



## atisvt99

Very slick looking hosts!


----------



## TEEJ

Sinner - Wow.


----------



## sinner-cpf

Thnx TEEJ :thumbsup:


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

sinner-cpf said:


> Star, there is already a super-duper 2x26650 Cypreus-IIIB , it is Copper Core Aluminium body.
> here it is.
> 
> Sorry this is not laser related but do you make these for flashlight's.
> 
> I'd think a Cyprus 1*18650 would rock and a 26650 would also be popular, myself I'd looking at a 18650 host.
> 
> Obviously for P60.
> 
> How heavier are these hosts?
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/4aaKzyo.jpg
> http://i.imgur.com/5VxKjrj.jpg


----------



## sinner-cpf

that would be a major thread jack but yes i do offer flashlights.

read all about it here.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Thanks, yes sorry about that,I'll cheack out that link, hope Tmack is recovering well, I'm going to grab a laser of him one day, problem is there is just so many flashlight I want also XD.

I'm dreaming of a 16340 Sized all copper 1W 638nm hehehehe would be insane!


----------



## Tmack

Flat lens oring and only a single joint making it totally waterproof. (4 hour test) 
3.04a xml2 putting out right around 1000lm 
3a xpg2 if more throw is needed, but will sacrifice beam width and overall lumen. 
1x 16340 / cr123 
Thick sidewall for super durability and thermal mass
Tailstand able
Headstand able with notched bezel for a low light application. 
Modes can be set to a variety of preferences. 
Low/high 
Low /med /high 
Moonlight /low /med /high 
Low /med /high /strobe /sos 
Tons of thermal mass for good runtime even at high power. 
Aluminum /copper/brass body options, as well as very durable powder coat(in testing stages) , or anodizing (aluminum only) 
Course knurling for good grip. 
Only slightly larger than the pictured d25c in the top left, and a great weight (will have exact weight soon with complete internals and cell) 
Stainless pocket clip 
Mcclicky forward click switch. 
Textured reflector for great beam profile. 
AR coated lens for optimal light transmission 
Super solid connections, and heavy Guage wire for good impact and thermal durability. 


Really happy with these. Will be available very soon.




P's. Hosts shipped Mr sinner.


----------



## atisvt99

Paging Tmack... come in please


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Maby still ill?Bit quiet in here for shure though.


----------



## FlashKat

Tmack has competition http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...arships-Persian-gulf.html?ito=social-facebook


----------



## Severus

I know Tmac is going to laugh about this one
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/techno.../james-bond-inspired-laser-watch-burn-4666984


----------



## PhillyAnt

I was told to come on over here and check out Tmack's work. Tmack, you were highly recommended by Teej. I just read through the first 5 pages of posts and I think I am sold. I have 80+ pages to read still, but I plan on giving you some of my money in the very near future. I would like to order something from you ASAP, but I have to read up on everything here first. Are you feeling better? Are you available for new builds? I am excited to get my hands on this awesomeness.


----------



## emwonk

I wrote him more than a week ago with cash in hand but no response. Given the drop off in his visibility, I hope he has not faded into laser legend.

I hope he is ok. 

I discovered him while looking into Wicked Laser's recent "it's nearly over for the U.S." sale. I learned here about other options, and got sold on those...and then discovered this thread.

Let it be known that I am hereby first in line if Mr.T resurfaces. VirtualDibs are an invisible force field. None shall pass. So watch out!


----------



## tomthebaker

I spoke with Tmack via email a week ago. He is just busy. In the mean time i have one of his 3 watt blue burning lasers in a purple mag host i would like to sell. Email me at farrellbread7 (at)gmail.com if you are interested.


----------



## blah9

tomthebaker said:


> I spoke with Tmack via email a week ago. He is just busy. In the mean time i have one of his 3 watt blue burning lasers in a purple mag host i would like to sell. Email me at farrellbread7 (at)gmail.com if you are interested.



I'm really glad to hear that he's doing alright! I was a little worried.


----------



## wildernessjeep

Tmack,

Look for a PM from me. 

R


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack just sent me back my 3 watt 445, he replaced the diode with a square one, and ruggedized the pill and switch and so forth, solder filled it, etc, as I use it for work and it takes a lot of abuse. It works like a charm.

I think he's a bit buried lately...but, he's still there.


----------



## blah9

Glad to hear that he's alright, and it's good to hear that your laser is in good shape!


----------



## wildernessjeep

TEEJ,

PM me with your email address. Your PM box is full. 

WJ


----------



## TEEJ

wildernessjeep said:


> TEEJ,
> 
> PM me with your email address. Your PM box is full.
> 
> WJ



Made room.


----------



## PhillyAnt

Im gonna place an order with Jetlasers today. I would have loved to give him my business but I still haven't heard back.


----------



## Tmack

Hey fellas!!!! 

Sorry for the absence. 

But...... I'm back! 

My new flashlight parts were held up, and I had guys patiently waiting. 

Everything is back on track, and I'm now taking orders for whatever you photon freaks want! 

6w's all around!!!! Right?!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> Hey fellas!!!!
> 
> Sorry for the absence.
> 
> But...... I'm back!
> 
> My new flashlight parts were held up, and I had guys patiently waiting.
> 
> Everything is back on track, and I'm now taking orders for whatever you photon freaks want!
> 
> 6w's all around!!!! Right?!




Hi Tmack,

We're glad you're back!

Any interesting laser diode developments in the past several months that might require a Tmack upgrade?


----------



## Phased_Array

Great!


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack

PhotonWrangler found the following link to a laser projector component

http://www.ledinside.com/products/2014/6/osram_creates_a_milestone_with_laser_diodes_for_projectors

It is a 50 watt output laser module, with around 20 laser diodes. It draws around 165 watts.

This would make an INCREDIBLE Tmack Custom! I suspect it would have to be plugged into a 120 volt socket due to the wattage and active cooling needed, but it would be an amazing laser cannon. Focusing the laser array might be a challenge as well.

This is probably not pocketable.


----------



## Tmack

50w! Well Damn! 

I have a couple beam and image projectors, but they only have 3-4 diodes. 

Definitely sounds interesting. Throw some real diodes in there!! Or if they already have good ones, rip email out!


----------



## evoandroidevo

Hey tmack you still got that Evo remake? Also what's the highest 405nm you can make for $300 in a pocket size?


----------



## more_vampires

ZOMG! Zazers! (drool)

Subscribed, PM sent!


----------



## tomthebaker

I wonder how hard that would be to focus?


----------



## Tmack

evoandroidevo said:


> Hey tmack you still got that Evo remake? Also what's the highest 405nm you can make for $300 in a pocket size?


I do gave that rebuild EVO. Completely focus able thanks to some custom machining. I got the focus adapter shaped and anodized so it looks like the stock laser, but it turns to focus. That's one of my favorite lasers I've ever made.


----------



## Tmack

I can do around 1000mw of 405 in a pocket size, but I'm going to tell you the truth. I HATE THOSE DIODES!! I've spent a lot of money replacing customers burnt diodes. So much on one case that I refused to put another 405 in that host lol. 
They are 3.6mn which is just too small to be durable. 

If that's what you really want, it's run for less than 30 second duty cycle just to be safe. Especially in a tiny host. 

It's a shame too. Those 405 burn from extremely far.


----------



## Tmack

851mw completely waterproof laser. 
Used the flashlight lens as a protective Window. This thing was showing beam in broad daylight. 

Fixed focus, but you could use this underwater.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> 851mw completely waterproof laser.
> Used the flashlight lens as a protective Window. This thing was showing beam in broad daylight.
> 
> Fixed focus, but you could use this underwater.



There are a lot of aquarium people who want lasers to clean the corals of pests...do you think this would be able to burn underwater?


----------



## Tmack

I've sold many lasers to aquarium guys. They actually burn from outside the tank quite well. But to be able to really get up close would be better. I know they have trouble spots in their tank that are hard to reach otherwise.

Underwater is no biggie. Even 1w will burn underwater. Try it. 

Get a glass of water, drop in a piece of electrical tape, and burn it. It's really cool.


----------



## TEEJ

Tmack said:


> I've sold many lasers to aquarium guys. They actually burn from outside the tank quite well. But to be able to really get up close would be better. I know they have trouble spots in their tank that are hard to reach otherwise.
> 
> Underwater is no biggie. Even 1w will burn underwater. Try it.
> 
> Get a glass of water, drop in a piece of electrical tape, and burn it. It's really cool.



I have, but, the corals are lighter colored not black typically (with any luck).


----------



## Tmack

Well up close, you could theoretically burn even the lightest colors I imagine. I'll have to test a bit.


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack i lost the lens with threaded lens holder for my 220mw 650mn laser. the threads are the same size as my custom ones. Do you have a 3 element lens with threaded adapter that will fit this?


----------



## Tmack

Sure. Im sure i have something

Can you measure the diameter


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> Sure. Im sure i have something
> 
> Can you measure the diameter



Its the same diameter as my tmag if that helps. that adapter threads onto this perfectly


----------



## Tmack

The small splined adapters. Sure ive got them . 

No problem my friend


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack said:


> The small splined adapters. Sure ive got them .
> 
> No problem my friend




YAY !!! that with a lens for 650nm would be awesome. Not sure if different wavelengths require certain lens.


----------



## Tmack

Some of the ar coatings are different , but most 3 element are safe to use universally.


----------



## Alex1234

how much money is it


----------



## caddylover

Tony, long time no talk! Happy New Year! My Zaser still impresses every time I take it out  I still think I need a bad dude green laser though! Got anything laying around


----------



## Tmack

Lol always!

Let me know man.


----------



## more_vampires

Tmack, mailed you a present. Wow, can't wait!


----------



## Tmack

I'll be waiting my friend . 


You know I've said this before here, but I've never seen am episode of star wars in my life lol.


----------



## more_vampires

No problem! We still share an appreciation of wild lighting devices! 

Apparently, there is a movement to get "Jedi" as a government-recognized religion. They currently rank 4th largest religion in England. Source: Wikipedia, "Jedi Census Phenomenon."
I've just got to figure out how to write this off on taxes as "religious gear." 

Don't worry, Force Light all the way. We know how to defeat darkness, we have the technology.


----------



## Tmack

Haha that's hilarious (write off)


----------



## Tdog208

Tmack said:


> I've sold many lasers to aquarium guys. They actually burn from outside the tank quite well. But to be able to really get up close would be better. I know they have trouble spots in their tank that are hard to reach otherwise.



What's the most common requested laser for aquatic use? I have seen a lot of people state that they used 3w 445nm but with mixed results. The most common questions I've seen so far are... Is the laser still effective at salt water depths of 30" - 60"? and, Is it acrylic safe? 

Thanks for your time!


----------



## Tmack

Yeah it'll be fine with acrylics. And those depths should be fine in saltwater with focusable 3w but to be honest, I've never done any pest removal myself, so I am just going off my other fish tank guys .


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

Have there been any significant new laser diodes released in the past couple months?

I'm always looking to upgrade one of my Tmack Customs.

A five watt 520 nm diode would be amazing, or any 3-6 watt single mode diode.

Oh, almost forgot, I'd love to add a UV laser to my Tmack collection. Anything available in the 1 watt or higher range?


----------



## Tmack

Nothing too new yet my friend. 

I'm still holding my breath for a multi watt single mode too. 

5w 520nm. Hmm. So basically you are tired of sight haha [emoji14] 

Oh btw, ED said titanium lights will be finished soon. And he appreciates everyone's patience.


----------



## Tdog208

Tmack said:


> Yeah it'll be fine with acrylics. And those depths should be fine in saltwater with focusable 3w but to be honest, I've never done any pest removal myself, so I am just going off my other fish tank guys .



So acrylic safe, assuming no surface defects and clean. And should work through those depths if focusable. Sweet. Now some safety... Reflections off glass/acrylic/water surface. I would assume the obvious, that the user and everyone else around MUST have safety glasses rated for that wave length. But fuzzy on the whole ODx thing. I get that the higher "x" is the more it blocks, the question is what value is best for this use? I tried reading as much as I could before asking, but thought I'd ask to check my understanding.

Thanks
T


----------



## Tmack

For that high power 445nm, you just want the highest od rating possible. That's the amount of protection your getting from the glasses. 
You also want a high vlt (visible light transmission) that's the amount of regular safe light allowed though. A high vlt means the glasses well have less "tint" so you'll be able to see more. But have a high od rating to protect against the bad light. 

Noir lasershields are the best. 
Fliter dby covers a very wide variety of wavelengths, and had 35% vlt which is very good. For 445nm , they are od7 which is the best. 
There are different filters for different situations. 
If you only are planning to have the blue laser, you don't need such expensive filter to block a bunch of different wavelengths. 
Filter arg is more aimed toward blue. 

Survival lasers had probably the best bang for your buck. 
$50 for the eagle pair. Mire than enough protection. 


Now , everyone in the room doesn't need to wear glasses unless they are right next to you, starting at your beam, or what you're burning. Even if your just playing with the laser, and shining it about, add long as your careful with reflections, glasses aren't a life or death thing. A good idea, yes, but absolutely necessary, no. 

Outdoors, viewing the beam touch the clouds ( on some nights, it will literally touch low lying clouds, I have pictures in post 2 of this) glasses are going to stop you from really seeing the beauty. 

So while your burning, and going through acrylics, yes, defiantly glasses. If just shining in the sky, or across the yard, it's up to you.


----------



## Tmack

Filter DBY 
Style #34 

Love them, but they are pretty expensive. I think almost $200 retail. 
I deal with ask different wavelengths, so I needed these instead of having to switch for different wavelengths, or even buy different glasses. I love these. 

The eagle pair from survival lasers are $50, and protect very well against blue


----------



## Tdog208

Straight up answer for a straight up question. Thank you sir. 
Glasses ordered.
After finally getting through the whole thread, I think this may end up costing as much if not more than my tank.


----------



## Tmack

I'd love to see some pictures of you have any. 

[email protected]


----------



## more_vampires

Anyone else planning to casually wear the NoIR shields in public?


----------



## Tmack

Haha they do look nice enough. 

Oh, my machinist said that pen host I'd a green light, and the design phase can begin. So if you can put together a sketch of what you'd like, we can discuss, or alter it to make it work. 

Exciting to have your exact vision brought to life.  

I'm excited to build it


----------



## Tdog208

Would love to send you pics, but have to have you build me something first.... Just trying to figure out how to explain this purchase for my tank to the better half. She is used to large bills for small boxes, but this might be pushing it. hehehe


----------



## Tmack

Lol preaching to the choir my friend. 

It's for self defense, signaling in case OF emergency, starting a fire when stranded. 
You ate thinking of your safety, and how can you put a value on that.

If your fish die from pests, you'll spend more replacing them. 

You want to get quality stuff, so you'll save money in the long run. 


Use them as you see fit


----------



## Tdog208

Tmack said:


> Lol preaching to the choir my friend.
> 
> It's for self defense, signaling in case OF emergency, starting a fire when stranded.
> You ate thinking of your safety, and how can you put a value on that.
> 
> If your fish die from pests, you'll spend more replacing them.
> 
> You want to get quality stuff, so you'll save money in the long run.
> 
> 
> Use them as you see fit



HAHAHAHA! Great minds think alike!!!! I tried the fish one and the pointing to stars one. I think today I will try the fire starter/signal in the event of an off airport/back country landing with radios out. Usually when I say its for my flight bag she knows that its pointless to push back. DAMNIT now I might need two!


----------



## more_vampires

Tmack said:


> Oh, my machinist said that pen host I'd a green light, and the design phase can begin. So if you can put together a sketch of what you'd like, we can discuss, or alter it to make it work.



If we're steampunking, anything in Luter's style (unless we can scratch up more to look at)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?396574-26650-QUAD
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?395696-Smart-flashlight-SOLD! 

I'd prefer NOT angle-head and with a couple of trit slots. We're going trit on the steampunk pen laser. No idea what color. I'll try and run down the trits, if you like. Need a couple for inside of my TubeVN, anyway.


----------



## Tmack

Hmm, I have plenty our Norland, for tritium, but milling trot slots is some seriously precise stuff. I'll have to run that by the man on the lathe.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Dumb question...hiw dose useing a 1W+ laser in a small space (Aquriam) not blind the fish?

Or are we talking stricktly coral collections only?

I gues you could remove fish but thats a lot of work and risk...depending on size and value of fish and not something that wants to be done often.

maby Im missing something obvious...maby tmack includes tiny fish sized laser goggles with his lasrrs XD.


----------



## Tdog208

Good question... If it were a small "nano" tank then the best solution would be to remove the live rock and set it in the sun for a day or so. Plus side is that it will kill everything on the rock. Thats a good option as long as there are no corals glued to the rock. Other option is to move infected rock to a quarantine tank and treat it there. When dealing with over 100lbs of live rock that has been aquascaped, the above options become not so good. This treatment will be used with other solutions. As long the fish are not directly hit with the laser there are no adverse effects. With the exception of the glass there really is nothing inside a a tank that can reflect the beam.


----------



## CyclingSalmon14

Tdog208 said:


> Good question... If it were a small "nano" tank then the best solution would be to remove the live rock and set it in the sun for a day or so. Plus side is that it will kill everything on the rock. Thats a good option as long as there are no corals glued to the rock. Other option is to move infected rock to a quarantine tank and treat it there. When dealing with over 100lbs of live rock that has been aquascaped, the above options become not so good. This treatment will be used with other solutions. As long the fish are not directly hit with the laser there are no adverse effects. With the exception of the glass there really is nothing inside a a tank that can reflect the beam.



thanks for the reply...I used to work in a fish shop but wow 100lbs of rock thats a big tank XD.


----------



## Tmack

.





Still got some stuff in the works gentleman.  

Check out the new beauty


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

That IS beautiful!

What is the maximum power 445 nm laser diode that can be used in it?


----------



## Tmack

With the weight if this bad boy, a 5w would be fine at a moderate duty cycle.


----------



## more_vampires

Looking slick, sir!


----------



## boofingdragon

Tmack - if mine looks anything like this one I will be a very happy camper...


----------



## star_c_star

Tmack said:


> With the weight if this bad boy, a 5w would be fine at a moderate duty cycle.



Tmack,

How would the duty cycle compare to the Tmag super with giant heatsink that you built for me, with the 5.6 watt 445nm diode?

Also, any news on the titanium custom flashlight?


----------



## Alex1234

Hey Tmack i finally have enough money to buy a 462nm sky blue laser. id love to see what kinda hosts are available.


----------



## justinw3053

Tmack, do you have anything in the 1+ Watt/445nm range readily available? I emailed you a couple days ago, but didn't hear anything back.
Regards,
Jusitn


----------



## more_vampires

Tmack told me he's been really busy lately and life is getting in the way. Hope he gets back to his real work. Lasers. 

We've got to be patient.


----------



## Alex1234

we wait its well worth it, his lasers are beyond top quality


----------



## BeastModeV5

Nice work! That copper host looks great and I would definitely be interested in a few of them.


----------



## tomcat017

waiting hopefully for the opportunity to own one of these one day


----------



## more_vampires

Tmack is currently MIA, and I miss him. I don't actually care about the builds he said he'd do for me.

I just miss an intelligent and informed member of this forum. I'd rather him refund me and start posting again.


----------



## rotor7

Has anyone heard from Tmack? wanting to order a laser from him but no response from his email


----------



## tomcat017

more_vampires said:


> Tmack is currently MIA, and I miss him. I don't actually care about the builds he said he'd do for me.
> 
> I just miss an intelligent and informed member of this forum. I'd rather him refund me and start posting again.



Anybody know that he's OK?? ^.-


----------



## thedoc007

tomcat017 said:


> Anybody know that he's OK?? ^.-



I know for quite a while he was not OK...was feeling lousy for an extended period. He did post a couple times, said he was feeling better, then he disappeared again. I certainly wish him the best as well.


----------



## Str8stroke

Yeah, I am missing him too. I loved his posts and photos. And of course is lasers & lights. He is one good fellow. 
I just hope he is ok. We all know, sometimes life catches us at the wrong time and it takes a while to get back on your feet. I know I have been there before.


----------



## markloehndorf

After hearing about Tmack and his lasers, I wanted to buy one from him. I cancelled my Wicked Lasers purchase, after waiting for over 5 months without anything to show for my $400. I hope Tmack returns to the forum.....


----------



## Alex1234

I hope all is well with Tmack. I learn so much from him


----------



## boofingdragon

Just had a sheath made my Tmack custom Cu laser and I am very pleased with how it turned out. The option of carrying switch down is safe with this sheath as the design minimizes the chance the switch could be accidently activated. It fits very well with zero wobble and it withdraws so smooth. I wanted to share it in case anyone was having difficulty finding a carry option. I don't EDC this or anything but do take when I walk my dog sometimes and wanted a system for it. I am not sure if the rules here allow me to mention the maker, so I left that out,

View attachment 488


----------



## nfetterly

boofingdragon said:


> I am not sure if the rules here allow me to mention the maker, so I left that out,
> 
> View attachment 488



No issue mentioning the maker. Looks a bit like Thor's custom..., except I haven't seen him use that mark on one before.


----------



## blah9

That looks pretty nice!


----------



## boofingdragon

nfetterly said:


> No issue mentioning the maker. Looks a bit like Thor's custom..., except I haven't seen him use that mark on one before.



It is Thor's work. I figured he was known on CPF because he had a mind for flashlight sheaths where others I checked with said they didn't have much.


----------



## atisvt99

Still no word from our buddy...  I've tried emailing and calling, with no luck. Too bad I lost his address months ago, I could drive up there and make sure his house is still standing - I don't think he was anywhere near the riots in B'more... 

Again, we all hope's he's okay...


----------



## Tdog208

Very disheartening that there is no word. Last I heard was he was impacted by the flooding in March. Sucks because I ordered in Jan. I don't have much time to get my money back. I don't want to go that route but what choice do I have. Are there any other builders that I can complete my order with?


----------



## TEEJ

He is in Baltimore right at the heart of the riot areas, and was quite sick the last time I spoke with him. He has not answered his phone messages in a long time, and I fear the worst.


----------



## Tdog208

Well, I heard from Tmac, so he is alive! He is currently going through a thing called "life". If he would like to log on and expand on that, so be it. Hopefuly he will be back soon. All the best wishes.


----------



## blah9

I am so glad to hear that you've heard from him! I wish him all the best.


----------



## ven

Yes wish him the best,he is missed on here,life throws all kinds,hopefully the other side is not far.....


----------



## Str8stroke

Stay strong Tmack. Glad to know there is hope! We miss you!


----------



## radiopej

Tmack is guarded by a Mossberg, insanely bright lights, wicked sharp knives and an array of high output lasers.

It would be safer to attack a Bond villain volcano.


----------



## TEEJ

radiopej said:


> Tmack is guarded by a Mossberg, insanely bright lights, wicked sharp knives and an array of high output lasers.
> 
> It would be safer to attack a Bond villain volcano.



Sometimes the attackers are microscopic, and a mossberg is powerless.


----------



## V54_Fan

I hope he comes back, he is a really nice guy, the 1w I bought off him is a beast and still going awesome


----------



## Tdog208

Got my Zaser today for my fish tank and could not be happier!!!! So Tmack is alive and kicking! I will let you know that he needs to find a new machinist to continue building awesome stuff for photon freaks everywhere. PLEASE have patience. I have expressed everyones concerns and they are greatly appreciated, and rest assured as soon as life decides to go back to his "normal", he shall return better than ever.


----------



## blah9

That's great to hear! Hopefully things will settle down for him soon!


----------



## LumenTodd

Love my Tmack lasers.


----------



## grcforce327

Taking offers on the black 6w maglite in post #2509. Have two sets of batteries and the charger. Probably has a total run time after receiving it,of approx 15min. Just don't really use it.


----------



## Str8stroke

Tdog208 said:


> Got my Zaser today for my fish tank and could not be happier!!!! So Tmack is alive and kicking! I will let you know that he needs to find a new machinist to continue building awesome stuff for photon freaks everywhere. PLEASE have patience. I have expressed everyones concerns and they are greatly appreciated, and rest assured as soon as life decides to go back to his "normal", he shall return better than ever.




Thank you for the update. Great fellow, many miss him.


----------



## Mark Hubbard

grcforce327 said:


> Taking offers on the black 6w maglite in post #2509. Have two sets of batteries and the charger. Probably has a total run time after receiving it,of approx 15min. Just don't really use it.



Hi grcforce327,

If you don't mind my asking, how much did you originally pay for the laser, batteries and charger? What color is the laser beam? What type or color of safety glasses/goggles should be worn when using it?

I'm not really new here, but I've been off the forum for so many years that I had to re-register today. I would have sent you a private message, but I won't be allowed to do that until I'm reinstated. Your laser is probably beyond my reach, but I'm sure others too will be interested in how much you want for it.

Thank you for your time. 

With kind regards,

Mark H.


----------



## TEEJ

Mark Hubbard said:


> Hi grcforce327,
> 
> If you don't mind my asking, how much did you originally pay for the laser, batteries and charger? What color is the laser beam? What type or color of safety glasses/goggles should be worn when using it?
> 
> I'm not really new here, but I've been off the forum for so many years that I had to re-register today. I would have sent you a private message, but I won't be allowed to do that until I'm reinstated. Your laser is probably beyond my reach, but I'm sure others too will be interested in how much you want for it.
> 
> Thank you for your time.
> 
> With kind regards,
> 
> Mark H.




If you are both discussing the "5.7w 445nm Mega Tmag", then the beam is blue. (445 nm = Blue)

The safety glasses would then be OD 7 or higher for a range including 445 nm.


----------



## grcforce327

Mark Hubbard said:


> Hi grcforce327,
> 
> If you don't mind my asking, how much did you originally pay for the laser, batteries and charger? What color is the laser beam? What type or color of safety glasses/goggles should be worn when using it?
> 
> I'm not really new here, but I've been off the forum for so many years that I had to re-register today. I would have sent you a private message, but I won't be allowed to do that until I'm reinstated. Your laser is probably beyond my reach, but I'm sure others too will be interested in how much you want for it.
> 
> Thank you for your time.
> 
> With kind regards,
> 
> Mark H.



$1100 for the 6w blue laser,approx $75 for the charger and 2 sets of batteries,and over $200 for the high end glasses!


----------



## vinhnguyen54

I have a very close CPF friend/customer that just disappear too. He was very sick the last time I heard form him :-(


----------



## more_vampires

Tmack, if you read this... I miss you!

Tmack and I used to talk about lasers, girlfriends, life, and accidentally cutting ourselves with butterfly knives. I really miss his awesome pictures.

Here's hoping everything becomes 100% for Tmack.


----------



## 010112

Lol.......


----------



## more_vampires

010112 said:


> Lol.......


Care to share the joke?


----------



## grcforce327

010112 said:


> Lol.......


----------



## Tdog208

Hummm still no sign? He began not answering emails, again. Lets just hope for the best, because I'm ready to order again!


----------



## sinner-cpf

I sure hope he's doing well , he has been a great guy to deal with its sad he's not as active.


----------



## stephenc

Tmack 

i am interested in purchasing a laser that can burn white paper or white plastic from about 24-36 inches through clear glass.. 
thoughts?????


----------



## more_vampires

He's gone and he owes me two lasers since January.


----------



## Bigwilly

more_vampires said:


> He's gone and he owes me two lasers since January.



That sux. Have you initiated any ways to recoup your money?


----------



## more_vampires

The time is expired. 

Perhaps he will come back.


----------



## Bigwilly

more_vampires said:


> The time is expired.
> 
> Perhaps he will come back.



He lives about 15 minutes from me me and he still owes me a couple things. We talked about hooking up a while back and then he stopped answering calls and texts. Who knows what happened but it seems like he owes a bunch of people.


----------



## TEEJ

The last time I spoke with him he was really sick. His roof was leaking, and he had mold problems, etc. Its been a long time since then, so I can't imagine things are better for him.


----------



## more_vampires

Hope he's not dead, hope for the best for him. We used to chat, I miss him. Please note I'm not jumping up and down yelling.

Just the facts. I liked him. When your life collapses, nothing's good.


----------



## Bigwilly

more_vampires said:


> Hope he's not dead, hope for the best for him. We used to chat, I miss him. Please note I'm not jumping up and down yelling.
> 
> Just the facts. I liked him. When your life collapses, nothing's good.



I texted him last night. He didn't respond to my text from a few months ago so who knows. Apparently he owes me and quite a few people products so again who knows.


----------



## Bigwilly

No answer from Tmack.


----------



## LupinIII

Plus one here - I sent him something for servicing at the beginning of the year. I was patient with the turnaround time and am regretting that now. Last response I got from him was months ago.

Thought I lucked out, but I never got the light nor has he responded to my my multiple emails since then. That is three different custom makers now that I am waiting to send or return what they owe me (been over 8 months for all of them at this point). Really discouraging :scowl:

EDIT: not as familiar with Instagram but can someone tell me if I am reading this right? I found his Instagram, and it looks like he has been pretty damn active:

https://instagram.com/tmackbb4/

That is definitely him, as he gave me that exact name for his shipping address. What the hell? Here I was worrying about him, and it just looks like he has moved on to balisongs and is leaving us all in the dust.


----------



## Bigwilly

LupinIII said:


> Plus one here - I sent him a light for servicing back in February. I was patient with the turnaround time and am regretting that now. Last response I got from him was in July:
> 
> "So sorry man. What's your address."
> 
> Thought I lucked out, but I never got the light nor has he responded to my my multiple emails since then. That is three different custom makers now that I am waiting to send or return what they owe me (been over 8 months for all of them at this point). Really discouraging :scowl:
> 
> EDIT: not as familiar with Instagram but can someone tell me if I am reading this right? I found his Instagram, and it looks like he has been pretty damn active:
> 
> https://instagram.com/tmackbb4/
> 
> That is definitely him, as he gave me that exact name for his shipping address. What the hell? Here I was worrying about him, and it just looks like he has moved on to balisongs and is leaving us all in the dust.



That is fu#!$ him. He looks fine to me. The instagram tag says he repairs balisongs (butterfly knives) 

Who all is owed something from him? I chalked up my $60.00 to my own laziness for not following up immediately and then someone said he fell ill and had some troubles. Apparently he is doing well.......


----------



## LupinIII

Bigwilly said:


> That is fu#!$ him. He looks fine to me. The instagram tag says he repairs balisongs (butterfly knives)
> 
> Who all is owed something from him? I chalked up my $60.00 to my own laziness for not following up immediately and then someone said he fell ill and had some troubles. Apparently he is doing well.......



All of the details here behind what kind of person Tmack really is: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?409626-*RESOLVED*-Read-this-before-dealing-with-Tmack

This has been *RESOLVED*.


----------



## Tmack

LupinIII said:


> All of the details here behind what kind of person Tmack really is: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...s-before-dealing-with-Tmack-(Anthony-McIntee)




Ok guys. Completely understand all the justified complaints and I am going to do my absolute best to square up with everyone. No excuses, just an apology and action. I do really apologize to those I have let down. I never meant for things to get out of hand, and I did indeed lose my job due to health problems. I have the letter as a clear reminder. 

I.know I owe back that titanium flashlight, which I have here , $275 for a light that was never built when I lost my machinist (probably due to me as well) as well as either a full refund, or the product agreed upon (im assuming a refund) to another customer. Please email me and I will respond , and work out my debts accordingly. This community has been nothing but good to me, and this should have never happened. Im truly do apologize, but I want to make it up with my actions, and not words. Thank you


----------



## Tmack

Morevampires, the time may have expired, but I still want to get you what's fair. 

Bigwilly, I can have your adapters and lens out as soon as possible as long as they aren't water damaged.


----------



## Tmack

So.that's more vampires lasers 


The titanium light to return

Bigwillys adapters 

And the $275 for the custom light . 

I believe I can have this righted quickly.


----------



## Tmack

LupinIII I do have your light, but I have no real way to repair that switch as it was installed in the host. I thought I could do something, but no matter what I tried I couldn't get it to consistently work. 
I can possibly give you the money to buy a new switch if you feel that's fair.


----------



## Str8stroke

Welcome back Tmack! So so happy to see you are alive and ok. Also I knew you would be back and make it right with folks! All hail Tmack!


----------



## star_c_star

Hi Tmack,

I am glad you are feeling better, but not that you lost your job.

All of the custom lasers I bought from you are still holding up well.

I ordered a custom titanium light from you a while ago, and can pm you details.


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> I am glad you are feeling better, but not that you lost your job.
> 
> All of the custom lasers I bought from you are still holding up well.
> 
> I ordered a custom titanium light from you a while ago, and can pm you details.




Yes sir you have not been forgotten. 
I can offer greater value in lights I have in my possession ( tk75vnkt and mx25l3vn ) or I can sell them if you want cash. Either way, im eager to try and right this.


----------



## Tmack

star_c_star said:


> Hi Tmack,
> 
> I am glad you are feeling better, but not that you lost your job.
> 
> All of the custom lasers I bought from you are still holding up well.
> 
> I ordered a custom titanium light from you a while ago, and can pm you details.




Yes sir you have not been forgotten. 
I can offer greater value in lights I have in my possession ( tk75vnkt and mx25l3vn ) or I can sell them if you want cash. Either way, im eager to try and right this. 

I also have two bnib laser projectors I can offer to anyone if they happen to be into them. If not I can always sell them


----------



## Tmack

Tmack said:


> Yes sir you have not been forgotten.
> I can offer greater value in lights I have in my possession ( tk75vnkt and mx25l3vn ) or I can sell them if you want cash. Either way, im eager to try and right this.
> 
> I also have two bnib laser projectors I can offer to anyone if they happen to be into them. If not I can always sell them



I will be sending the titanium light in the morning, as well as bigwillys lens and adapter, so that leaves more vampires lasers, which I will be able to complete if he should want to go that route. 
If not arrangements can be made to get his money back, plus anything else he sees fair


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> So.that's more vampires lasers
> 
> 
> The titanium light to return
> 
> Bigwillys adapters
> 
> And the $275 for the custom light .
> 
> I believe I can have this righted quickly.



I'm glad you're back and said you'd right everything. I sold the laser so I'd prefer a refund.


----------



## more_vampires

Glad you're back. I miss how we used to occasionally chat. The lasers? Sure, thanks.

The lasers were a side thing.


----------



## Tmack

more_vampires said:


> Glad you're back. I miss how we used to occasionally chat. The lasers? Sure, thanks.
> 
> The lasers were a side thing.



Haha I did enjoy our charts as well. 

But I will have your zaser up and running man.


----------



## Tmack

$60 coming at you as soon as my check clears


----------



## more_vampires

I'm sure things will get back on track. There's people who care. Chin up, let's roll.


----------



## Tmack

I really appreciate that.


----------



## more_vampires

No problem, friend.


----------



## Tmack

Once I clean up my mess, I will just lurk. No need for my input or presence anymore. Im sure most would agree. Like the original post said, if I've wrong past customers, my reputation is shot. No matter my attempts to rebuild it. I will just build my own stuff, and sick with knives if I haven't ruined my name so much that I have to leave there too. I will no longer repair knives , or offer any type of service,


----------



## Tmack

Email me your PayPal bigwilly so I can get that to you


----------



## Tmack

C star c please email me at [email protected] to further discuss what is going to happen


----------



## more_vampires

Suggestion, man: work hard and at the end of the day, take a deep breath a crack a beer. Do it again tomorrow.

In my past, my life seemed ready to crush me on several occasions. It makes it hard to take care of what you need to take care of. Your outlook is critical towards walking the path you choose, but I can't make a decision for you. I think if you get everything straight, this is respectable and things won't be as bad as you think.



It can't rain all the time and everything's not lost. After all of this, we're still chatting amicably, right?


----------



## Tmack

Lol whatever you want man. Ill talk about anything and everything if you'll have me.


----------



## more_vampires

Tmack said:


> Lol whatever you want man. Ill talk about anything and everything if you'll have me.


There's time for words, there's time for deeds. You can dig your way out, it'll work.

BTW, someone called me a "CPF Saint" today.  I was flattered, I'm no saint. I just try to be the best I can, nobody said it's easy.


----------



## ven

Hey Tony, glad your ok man:thumbsup: you have been missed on here.

Seems the hardest bit has been done, the rest day by day 

ven:thumbsup:


----------



## Tmack

ven said:


> Hey Tony, glad your ok man:thumbsup: you have been missed on here.
> 
> Seems the hardest bit has been done, the rest day by day
> 
> ven:thumbsup:



Ven! Been forever man. Well I should have this cleared up very shortly so hopefully it's just a couple days by days's . After that ill just hang my hat up.


----------



## ven

Tmack said:


> Ven! Been forever man. Well I should have this cleared up very shortly so hopefully it's just a couple days by days's . After that ill just hang my hat up.



I would not make decisions like that tbh, you have a lot of talent and tbh there will always be a demand. Your a great guy, we all know that,*beep* happens and what impresses me more than anything is your trying to put right and move on. This takes balls and some, many would run and stay that way........not Tmack, he comes back after all the problems fighting.....

Time my friend, see how things go, once sorted decide and if you do stick with specific stuff just try and keep it under control. I honestly dont know how you guys do it, lots of time restraints,customers...........wow no easy stuff for sure.

Let time decide, get straight and take from there:grouphug:


----------



## write2dgray

Respect. Better late than never, and I give you much props for coming through. Rest easier with a clearer conscious .


----------



## Tmack

That's very kind of you ven. Again this community shows nothing but love. It's the level of disappointment in myself. Not the respect from others, or reputation or whatever. 

But first ill get these guys squared up and we can see how things work out


----------



## ven

Tmack said:


> That's very kind of you ven. Again this community shows nothing but love. It's the level of disappointment in myself. Not the respect from others, or reputation or whatever.
> 
> But first ill get these guys squared up and we can see how things work out




:thumbsup:


----------



## more_vampires

Anthony, if I could do anything to help you rise up and beat this with a full heart... Maybe I just did.

When presented with no information, people have a tendency to assume the worst. When confronted with a situation where there's nothing you can really do, this causes a lot of people to get angry. Unfortunately, that's illogical... won't solve a thing.

It's like this time I was in the Middle East... "in the sandbox for Sam." I had eaten some bad food and was stuck in a chemical toilet, huddled over in distress. A sniper's bullet passed through the plastic walls above me where I would have been sitting up had I not eaten that bad food. I had no communications, no way to signal help. It was several hours before someone came by, quickly yelled communication through the closed door and they took off running. The sniper didn't know I was still okay, think he was waiting for the other guy to open the door, but the guy running was going to be toast. I took off as well, when presented with two moving targets he couldn't connect. This is because they try for very long range to help protect themselves. We both made it out of there, the situation was eventually handled. No casualties for us that day.

With no information, no way to call for help, and stuck in a chemical toilet is a pretty good example of a situation that makes one feel powerless. Getting angry does nothing, nor does crying or complaining about it. The only way was through it, else I'd just have laid down and died. I had to act, but had no idea what to do. When presented with a chance to save someone else's life, I acted. Actions are more important than feelings.

Once in a while, I think about that situation. It was surreal, I had difficulty convincing people that something was wrong... they were just auto-piloting through their day. After all, it isn't every day someone starts yelling "Sniper! Sniper! Sniper!" I was accused of lying, even when I showed the guys the bullet hole in the chemical toilet. "You're lying, there was no sniper!"

People's perceptions shape their reality, when you think it's hopeless and there's nothing you can do to fix it then you're unfortunately correct.

The trick is to keep going, shape your path for your life and never waver unless it's time to do something else.

Anthony, I can't make your decisions, but I can tell you that I'm not mad. I wasn't one of the people getting all hot and antsy. I never trashed you for a second, so don't think everyone else is.

See the sun. Get some air. Stretch your legs. Your perceptions shape your reality and you can actually affect this.

:grouphug:

After all, where there's breath, there's life. You're not done yet, my friend.


----------



## Tmack

What a horrifying experience. And what a profound message to follow. 

I always acted on the thought that telling folks what is happening, or if your going through something is little more than excuses whether valid or not. People just want results, and 

what they paid for. I forget how understanding, and how amazing this community can be. 


Well im glad your not the one bashing me because im going to need to sell some things to pay for your diode. (Which I have no idea how to do, because im in no position to sell anything) maybe I can send the items to a member so they can handle the money.(they will be compensated of course) since I'm no longer a trusted seller, those may be the only way. Unless someone is willing to take them for payment. I would trade them for much less than their worth to show my gratitude


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> Email me your PayPal bigwilly so I can get that to you



Email sent.


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> What a horrifying experience. And what a profound message to follow.
> 
> I always acted on the thought that telling folks what is happening, or if your going through something is little more than excuses whether valid or not. People just want results, and
> 
> what they paid for. I forget how understanding, and how amazing this community can be.
> 
> 
> Well im glad your not the one bashing me because im going to need to sell some things to pay for your diode. (Which I have no idea how to do, because im in no position to sell anything) maybe I can send the items to a member so they can handle the money.(they will be compensated of course) since I'm no longer a trusted seller, those may be the only way. Unless someone is willing to take them for payment. I would trade them for much less than their worth to show my gratitude



What items are you selling/getting rid of? Maybe I can help. Or not...... your call.


----------



## Tmack

I can possibly use my paychecks, but that's hard for me. And I don't want anyone waiting


----------



## Tmack

I have custom knives (fixed blades, laser projectors which will fill a room with patterns and beams, I have tk75vnkt, mm15vn, mx25l3vn , c20cvn, tcr2vn, d25cvn all can be sold at the moment.


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> I have custom knives (fixed blades, laser projectors which will fill a room with patterns and beams, I have tk75vnkt, mm15vn, mx25l3vn , c20cvn, tcr2vn, d25cvn all can be sold at the moment.



I'll take one of your lights. The mm15vn or mx25l3vn maybe. I can put the rest up for sale if you want. Since we're so close. I don't mind taking pictures and handling the sale and shipping. I'm off work til Tuesday. What do you think?


----------



## Tmack

It would help tremendously if you bought a light. I could get that diode paid for and you'd get $60 off a fan near brand new light. The mx25l3vn mtg2 is an amazing light. One of vinhs past favorites. I have all the color caps too. Box etc.


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> It would help tremendously if you bought a light. I could get that diode paid for and you'd get $60 off a fan near brand new light. The mx25l3vn mtg2 is an amazing light. One of vinhs past favorites. I have all the color caps too. Box etc.


How much for it and how much for the mm15vn?


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> It would help tremendously if you bought a light. I could get that diode paid for and you'd get $60 off a fan near brand new light. The mx25l3vn mtg2 is an amazing light. One of vinhs past favorites. I have all the color caps too. Box etc.



Double post.


----------



## Tmack

$150 for the mx25l3vn and $175 for the mm15vn 
Its been so long since I looked up prices. I know I paid like $225 for the m25 and the mm15vn was like $260? Or close? 

Is that fair?


----------



## Tmack

If you know what you want, I can ship it tomorrow morning


----------



## Bigwilly

Ok and the c20cvn? Any fiat lux?


----------



## Bigwilly

I live 15 minutes away. No need to ship if I do something.


----------



## Tmack

The c20cvn is small. I could give your that to cover my debt


----------



## Tmack

No fiat lux


----------



## Bigwilly

Ok, I'll take it. Wanna meet me tonight or tomorrow? What about selling the other lights for you?


----------



## Tmack

Going to have to be tomorrow. We can talk about it when we meet


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> Going to have to be tomorrow. We can talk about it when we meet



Ok. You still have my #? Hit me up tomorrow.


----------



## Tmack

C star , you're package is on the way. I emailed you pics of contents, and tracking via receipt picture.


----------



## Tmack

Bigwilly. We may have to do this tomorrow night. Or I can drop it off on my way home from work during the well if tomorrow isn't good for you


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack said:


> Bigwilly. We may have to do this tomorrow night. Or I can drop it off on my way home from work during the well if tomorrow isn't good for you



Tomorrow after football is fine. Just let me know.


----------



## Tmack

Email me your address bigwilly and I can stop by when I run out today.


----------



## Bigwilly

Tmack has made good on what I was owed.


----------



## more_vampires

Everything will be fine? People like that. Tmack, it took guts to face things head on. I'm proud of you.


----------



## Str8stroke

Bigwilly said:


> Tmack has made good on what I was owed.



:thumbsup::thumbsup: Awesome to hear


----------



## Bigwilly

Str8stroke said:


> :thumbsup::thumbsup: Awesome to hear



Like it has been said, I'm glad he's making amends. It sux the way it went down as he seems to be a really good guy and his talent is extraordinary.


----------



## star_c_star

I have been fully reimbursed as well. Thank-you Tmack. They are right; your talent is incredible.

Hopefully you can get back on your feet, and earn everyone's trust again, since I'm looking forward to a 25 watt Tmack custom laser!


----------



## more_vampires

> Hopefully you can get back on your feet, and earn everyone's trust again, since I'm looking forward to a 25 watt Tmack custom laser!



This.


----------



## Tmack

More vampires. Last but not least my friend. I am prepping your new toy and she will be done as soon as humanly possible. 

I thank everyone for their kind words. But my respect goes to ask of you guys that have me the chance to make it right. I thanks you all so very much, and I am honestly so so sorry it came to this.


----------



## more_vampires

Hmmm, down to laser talk.

So, Zaser, going 445nm still? Cool. That was 18650x1, right?

I know you lost a machinist, so what were we to do about the second? Maybe we just score a Sinner 18350 copper host or something?

I'd put off getting 445nm glasses so I guess it's getting time to get some NoIR.


----------



## LupinIII

Got my light and parts earlier this week - appears everyone has been taken care of or is in the process of working things out.

Never too late to do the right thing :thumbsup:


----------



## Alex1234

Tmack !!!! whats up man. My laser collection is not like it was but i still have one of yours. i have the 1w 638nm Mrcrouse laser you built me still and a sci fi lasers arcane 2.0 in white 1.7w 462nm. i love them both still.


----------



## more_vampires

> sci fi lasers arcane 2.0 in white 1.7w 462nm. i love them both still.


So the host is white? I'm dying for a white laser.


----------



## Alex1234

more_vampires said:


> So the host is white? I'm dying for a white laser.






20151027_001446 by Alex Littig, on Flickr


20151027_001613 by Alex Littig, on Flickr


----------



## more_vampires

Nice! 

Looks like a perfect host for one of those 4-color lasers that combine to form visible white.


----------



## atisvt99

Welcome back, Tony... Glad to see you're on the mend and this situation is all but sorted! 

- justin


----------



## sushistew

hi TMack, my name is stewart and am looking at maybe getting a new laser as mine was stolen out of my car just last night along with other things, 

wondering if your still building and what prices I might be in store for?

looking for a blue laser to burn things at a distance, focus-able and use at night, also not too big but I don't mind if a lil big.
I already have 18650 batteries from my last laser, so I am hoping to continue to use them unless necessary.
I am in Canada so shipping will be necessary

thanks and I love the custom build pictures you have shared


----------



## more_vampires

sushistew said:


> hi TMack, my name is stewart and am looking at maybe getting a new laser as mine was stolen out of my car just last night along with other things,
> 
> wondering if your still building and what prices I might be in store for?
> 
> looking for a blue laser to burn things at a distance, focus-able and use at night, also not too big but I don't mind if a lil big.
> I already have 18650 batteries from my last laser, so I am hoping to continue to use them unless necessary.
> I am in Canada so shipping will be necessary
> 
> thanks and I love the custom build pictures you have shared


He has a few already in line and said he was thinking about bowing out of the field after the last is resolved. Maybe he will change his mind?


----------



## sushistew

more_vampires said:


> He has a few already in line and said he was thinking about bowing out of the field after the last is resolved. Maybe he will change his mind?



Ok thanks where should I buy from?


----------



## Mmassey338

Welcome back Tmack. It's great to see you taking care of things. I'm not on here much anymore, and even less on the hinderer forum, but I'm glad I saw this and that you're doing well. Take care.


----------



## Tdog208

Tmack said:


> I have custom knives (fixed blades, laser projectors which will fill a room with patterns and beams, I have tk75vnkt, mm15vn, mx25l3vn , c20cvn, tcr2vn, d25cvn all can be sold at the moment.



Hey T! You know what I do and have seen my "office". Tell me more about these projectors; patterns, colors, etc. Are they or can they be DMX controlled?


----------



## Str8stroke

Tdog208 said:


> Hey T! You know what I do and have seen my "office". Tell me more about these projectors; patterns, colors, etc. Are they or can they be DMX controlled?



Tdog, we would all like to see your "office". :thinking: :twothumbs


----------



## Tdog208

Str8stroke said:


> Tdog, we would all like to see your "office". :thinking: :twothumbs




LOL OK... I think this is the one I sent to him, In fact I'm sure of it because I can see his email on my Mac.









And here is one of the JBL Vertec line arrays that I flew for Ringo Star.


----------



## Str8stroke

Oh my, that is nice! Expensive rig there! How much total power? Running Crowns? Seems like everyone who likes JBL aka James Bond Labs, likes Crown for obvious reasons!


----------



## Tdog208

The top pic is the rig I use almost daily. 3 Clair R4's flown per side, 8 JBL SRX700 dbl 18's across the front, Fills are custom made. 1 Crown CTS 1200 for Hi's, 1 CTS 3000 for Mids, and 2 more 3000's for Low Mids. And 1 Crest 10001 for all 8 subs. System is controlled with that P.O.S. laptop in the middle via System Architect.


----------



## Str8stroke

How do you get enough juice from the wall outlet to feed those. Must be fun moving all that gear. Especially that Crest! lol


----------



## Tdog208

Not fun at all. The R4's are almost 300lbs each. And we use standard 3 phase 100amp cam locks to the distro, from there it breaks out into 6 50amp and 3 30amp circuits. 1 50 amp goes to main rack, another goes to monitor rack. 30 amp circuits get put on stringers for stage power. None of it goes to lighting, there is another 500amp service with cams for that.


----------



## Tdog208

Str8stroke said:


> How do you get enough juice from the wall outlet to feed those. Must be fun moving all that gear. Especially that Crest! lol



I guess I should not say "not fun at all". I did have to take the system out on tour with Bone Thugs N Harmony and we have it down to a science on how it gets tore down, loaded, set up and repeat. LOL


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## Bimmerboy

Tdog - M32. Impressive! I'd love to work with that sucker. Just started doing live sound for a friends band a few months ago using an old 16X4X2 Mackie and self-powered JBL's, but have been fortunate enough over the years as a guitarist where studio guys would let me use their Tridents, A & H's, SSL's. (freakin' LOVE SSL's), etc. Wasn't allowed to calibrate the 2" Studers though... haha.

Back on topic - It's uplifting to see how Tmack has handled, and resolved this situation. It stands in contrast to a number of situations in the past where the person just bailed, occasionally with large amounts of money and/or property. Very cool, Tmack. :thumbsup: Hopefully, you'll continue to enjoy the hobby to whatever degree suits you.


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## Mrdeath2000

Working my way through this whole thread.... Wow. 

I like the custom work and have a fair grasp of the details, but wanna read more before I PM you tmack and order something. 

The ms envys are nice, but tempting to look into a maglite. 
Thanks for doing this and shipping USPS


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## Mrdeath2000

Soooooo I made it through 94 pages... Figured out what I wanted aaaaannnnd then see tmack has retired (maybe temporary?) sucky. 

Any comparable people or quality vendors with similar quality and respectable prices? 

Thx
AZ


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## TEEJ

Mrdeath2000 said:


> Soooooo I made it through 94 pages... Figured out what I wanted aaaaannnnd then see tmack has retired (maybe temporary?) sucky.
> 
> Any comparable people or quality vendors with similar quality and respectable prices?
> 
> Thx
> AZ





If you go to:

http://laserpointerforums.com/

And sign in/register, etc....and start reading the intro threads, etc, there is a wealth of info, including who is reputable, etc.


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## atisvt99

Hi all,

I reached out to Tony about a laser repair, and in the event that he doesn't respond, can anyone recommend another custom builder that might be able to take a look at one of his Tmags that no longer works? I bought it for a friend of mine, and this guy let his batteries get down past the point of no return. Not sure if this damaged the diode, or if he even put the batts in the wrong direction, but I ordered some new cells, charged them up, and it does not power on. I need some help... I had only ever dealt with Tmack!

Thanks in advance!

- justin


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## Ps4codfreak

Awesome lasers tmack.. Are you still building lasers?


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## robertkoa

Tmack said:


> Oh and make sure not to say laser in the paypal notes guys. Just the color host, and you cpf name.
> 
> Thanks



Hey Tmack...can you do a low power or mod an existing Laser into a low power 5 milliwatt starting with a Laser with a Focus Adjust...

So a green one 532 nm just lower the power and add IR Filter.

Then possibly a Second Laser where you change the Diode to a Visible Blue
higher than 450nm [ 473nm ?] if not too expensive lower to 5 milliwatt possibly a second mode slightly higher about 8mw with IR filter.

These would be the 18650 or CR123 Lasers with focus adjust that you would mod for me to make them low power and eyesafe...the Focus Adjust might be handy to make the Blue Beam visible at night despite low power by tightening the Focus etc. OR using a blue diode or InGan Transistor that has a tighter beam .

Possible and how expensive ?

Do you feel safe handling a 5 milliwatt laser ? Lol.

Let me know if you are interested.

I have been looking at Z-Bolt Lasers which have 2 good green 532nm and 515nm but their Blue may not be visible...at 5 mw with no focus adjust etc.

The idea is eye safe no goggles and when used carefully outside I won't have to worry about the beam being too bright or going miles where Aircraft might even SEE it NOT in their path but see it period.

Don't want a Pilot seeing it anywhere even across Horizon...


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## Mike Sloan

It appears that he has bailed on us after all the b.s. He is alive and well over on the knife forums. :tired:


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## nbp

Has everyone been made whole? Is there any reason to keep this thread open anymore?


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