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Step 3Tools You'll Need
Tools:
Drill motor, a 3/8" drill bit (for the bolts) and a 1/2" drill bit (make a hole for the 12mm metal tube that holds the laser) for drilling wood. If your drill motor only accepts bits up to 3/8", you can buy a bit that drills a 1/2" hole but fits in a 3/8" motor.
A magnifying glass on a homemade stand will come in handy.
Needle-nose pliers. Wire cutter (dikes), ideally that come to a small sharp point. Some screwdrivers will be needed if you'll take apart a DVD burner to get the laser out.
Solder pencil (20 to 30 watt model) and electronic solder. Radio Shack sells number 64-2802, $8 for a soldering kit with everything you need in one box, even includes an oversize heat sink alligator clip. If they're out, get a similar kit at Home Depot for $14 in the hand tools section. If the tip on yours is a flat, wedge shape, file it down to a cone-shaped pointed tip. This transfers less heat (you don't need much, anyway) but makes it possible to get into tight spots. When soldering, you touch the tip to all the wires at the same time to heat them up, the wires melt the solder, and then get out quickly.
To make the PC board jumper soldering work a little easier, try a Radio Shack Wire Wrap tool 276-1570and some 30-gauge Wire Wrap wire (red, white, or blue) that goes with it. It takes a little practice to use the tool to strip the insulation and wrap thin wire around a terminal or wire, then solder them together to the PC board trace. If you don't like the results, just take the wire off and use a fresh piece. Or, you can buy a box full of U-shaped, pre-stripped jumper wires (Radio Shack 276-173) ordinarily used for breadboard work.
In fact, if you're sheepish about soldering, you could even use a breadboard (276-175) from the Shack and the pre-stripped jumpers, instead of a PC board. It'll be a little clumsy, but it should work.
An alligator clip. Radio Shack 270-373, for more clips than you'll ever need for $3. Or the fat aluminum clip that comes with the solder pencil mentioned above. Or a small, bent-to-suit paper clip (co-worker's desk, $0) or similar to keep delicate electronic components from being fried alive from the heat of your newly-developed soldering skills.
Also, clips of any kind to hold on to things for you while you use both hands to solder will come in handy. One hand holds the soldering pencil, the other hand feeds the solder into the joint. That doesn't leave you with much to hold the pieces you're soldering. You can wedge parts sticking out of the edge of a book to hold them. When you get tired of that, solder a clip to the end of a piece of stiff wire, and use a wood screw to screw the other end down to a block of wood. Repeat, and you've got two ''Instructables helping hands'' to hold your work.
A brick or flat rock or concrete or scrap drywall or similar for a fireproof work surface (goes under the stuff you're cutting or engraving). Ceramic cookware might be OK, too. (Neighbor's backyard or mom's kitchen, $0.) Nothing shiny or reflective!
Or, if you can put an air gap under your work, you might get away with a sheet of plywood sitting a few inches below your work. The laser's beam is essentially in an hourglass shape, with your workpiece situated at the tiny waist of that hourglass. The further you move away from that tiny waist, the weaker the beam gets. Never underestimate it. It is a silent, serious power tool.
A dark test area so you can check for red light reflections off your work and product surfaces. 'No reflection' is good. (Become a Midnight Rambler, $0.)
Though not required if you follow these directions, a Digital Multimeter can be handy for making sure you get up to, but not over 3.2 Volts to supply the laser, or for checking polarity, continuity and other things (like unexpected short circuits before they blow something up, instead of after). Get one for under $15 and use it forever, or this one, or just check on eBay under multimeter.
Some also test temperature (that's not going to work for us -- these temps are WAY too high), or frequency (usually in the audio range - 20Hz to 20,000Hz) capacitance, transistor gain, have a continuity beeper, etc. You're only going to get one; might as well get the one you want. A 10 Amp range will come in handy some day.
Or, just use the parts I've specified. This design should limit you to no more than 3.2 volts from the power supply, the maximum allowable voltage for many LED lasers. Any higher voltage on the LED laser lets all the smoke out from the inside and makes it stop working. ;-)
Drill motor, a 3/8" drill bit (for the bolts) and a 1/2" drill bit (make a hole for the 12mm metal tube that holds the laser) for drilling wood. If your drill motor only accepts bits up to 3/8", you can buy a bit that drills a 1/2" hole but fits in a 3/8" motor.
A magnifying glass on a homemade stand will come in handy.
Needle-nose pliers. Wire cutter (dikes), ideally that come to a small sharp point. Some screwdrivers will be needed if you'll take apart a DVD burner to get the laser out.
Solder pencil (20 to 30 watt model) and electronic solder. Radio Shack sells number 64-2802, $8 for a soldering kit with everything you need in one box, even includes an oversize heat sink alligator clip. If they're out, get a similar kit at Home Depot for $14 in the hand tools section. If the tip on yours is a flat, wedge shape, file it down to a cone-shaped pointed tip. This transfers less heat (you don't need much, anyway) but makes it possible to get into tight spots. When soldering, you touch the tip to all the wires at the same time to heat them up, the wires melt the solder, and then get out quickly.
To make the PC board jumper soldering work a little easier, try a Radio Shack Wire Wrap tool 276-1570and some 30-gauge Wire Wrap wire (red, white, or blue) that goes with it. It takes a little practice to use the tool to strip the insulation and wrap thin wire around a terminal or wire, then solder them together to the PC board trace. If you don't like the results, just take the wire off and use a fresh piece. Or, you can buy a box full of U-shaped, pre-stripped jumper wires (Radio Shack 276-173) ordinarily used for breadboard work.
In fact, if you're sheepish about soldering, you could even use a breadboard (276-175) from the Shack and the pre-stripped jumpers, instead of a PC board. It'll be a little clumsy, but it should work.
An alligator clip. Radio Shack 270-373, for more clips than you'll ever need for $3. Or the fat aluminum clip that comes with the solder pencil mentioned above. Or a small, bent-to-suit paper clip (co-worker's desk, $0) or similar to keep delicate electronic components from being fried alive from the heat of your newly-developed soldering skills.
Also, clips of any kind to hold on to things for you while you use both hands to solder will come in handy. One hand holds the soldering pencil, the other hand feeds the solder into the joint. That doesn't leave you with much to hold the pieces you're soldering. You can wedge parts sticking out of the edge of a book to hold them. When you get tired of that, solder a clip to the end of a piece of stiff wire, and use a wood screw to screw the other end down to a block of wood. Repeat, and you've got two ''Instructables helping hands'' to hold your work.
A brick or flat rock or concrete or scrap drywall or similar for a fireproof work surface (goes under the stuff you're cutting or engraving). Ceramic cookware might be OK, too. (Neighbor's backyard or mom's kitchen, $0.) Nothing shiny or reflective!
Or, if you can put an air gap under your work, you might get away with a sheet of plywood sitting a few inches below your work. The laser's beam is essentially in an hourglass shape, with your workpiece situated at the tiny waist of that hourglass. The further you move away from that tiny waist, the weaker the beam gets. Never underestimate it. It is a silent, serious power tool.
A dark test area so you can check for red light reflections off your work and product surfaces. 'No reflection' is good. (Become a Midnight Rambler, $0.)
Though not required if you follow these directions, a Digital Multimeter can be handy for making sure you get up to, but not over 3.2 Volts to supply the laser, or for checking polarity, continuity and other things (like unexpected short circuits before they blow something up, instead of after). Get one for under $15 and use it forever, or this one, or just check on eBay under multimeter.
Some also test temperature (that's not going to work for us -- these temps are WAY too high), or frequency (usually in the audio range - 20Hz to 20,000Hz) capacitance, transistor gain, have a continuity beeper, etc. You're only going to get one; might as well get the one you want. A 10 Amp range will come in handy some day.
Or, just use the parts I've specified. This design should limit you to no more than 3.2 volts from the power supply, the maximum allowable voltage for many LED lasers. Any higher voltage on the LED laser lets all the smoke out from the inside and makes it stop working. ;-)
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