Pocket-Sized Do-it-all multi-tool Shiny Light (aka Laser)

This Instructable will show you how to create a pocket sized tool capable of doing almost anything! It can cut paper, light matches, set newspaper on fire, point out objects that are far away, save your life in a natural disaster, and can even be 100% waterproof.

Now you may ask "What can do ALL of these things?"
Well the answer is pretty simple - a LASER.

In this Instructable, you will be creating a pocket-sized laser capable of doing all of the above things... and more. And the best part? It costs less that $10 to make. So even if you don't have an immediate use for it, you might as well build one and keep it with you - It may just save your life one day.

Step 1 The Parts

One of the best aspects of the "Do-Anything" Tool is that it is so cheap! This entire project can be built for a minimum of $6.50!

Here is a breakdown of the required parts:

• Laser Heatsink/Driver: $4.50 - (order from here: Aixiz Module Get the "650nm 5mw 12X30mm brass case")
• A Button: $1.00 - (you can order a fun one from All Electronics)
• A Casing: $1.00 - (pick whatever size you want from All Electronics - this is under "Enclosures")
• The Batter Holder: Free-$0.75 - (You can make your own or get this one)
• Laser Diode: Free (check out step 2 to learn how to get a free laser diode).

This first image is taken by KipKay...

Comments

[damodder]

Can I do this with my blu-ray diode?

[Sparrowhawk]

Just want to point out that this is no good as a rescue beacon. It seems a good idea but the beam is only visible when you're close to the end - get someone to shine it up and then look at it from 20 feet away, you'll see what I mean. I have both red and green lasers with visible beams and neither is visible from a distance unless you're looking along the beam.

[_soapy_]

A high powered green laser will scatter plenty off-axis. A red of the same power will be nearly invisible. The shorter the wavelength (the blue and violet end of the spectrum) the more scattering, and the more visible off-axis the beam will be, per mW.

[3DMHuff]

That is why the sky is blue.

[Sparrowhawk]

You'd have to have a pretty powerful laser to be visible sideways-on from a couple of miles away though, as it would need to be for use as a beacon. A 30mW green is much more visible than a 200mW red (roughly what this is) and even that's no good.

[_soapy_]

I don't know - at night, my 45mW green is visible from a very long way. It is visible on the underside of clouds. I should do some actual tests of this. I live in one of the few still-dark places in England, and I've got red, green and blue diode lasers. If I can find the 45mW one and fix it, I'll test it next to a 15mW red I've got (though that's a HeNe, not a diode, the wavelength in the red is very close to the same) and the blue ones are not yet played with PS3 laser diodes, so I'll have to review my notes to drive those properly. I could compare yellow as well, but that's only a sub-mW beam from a little HeNe. (Very expensive bit of kit, though!)

[Sparrowhawk]

Yes the dot is visible from far, but not the beam if you're out to one side. Get someone to shine it up at the sky, walk away a short distance and see if you can see anything.

Blue and yellow? *drool* :p

[Colonel88]

Yeah Okay, So I cut away MOST of the electronics on the diode, I found it, but it is covered in metal. What do I use to cut it off SAFELY? What do I use? I have Dremel but Ih ave doubts about it...

[hintss]

surface wire cutters, or desolder it

[ANDY!]

i used pliers. may the forcebe with u.

[ned98]

The link for the laser is broken. This one is correct: http://www.mfgcn.com/id2.html

[Vulcanator]

if i was mugging you a shiny red light is totally going to scare me away. this laser wouldn't blind anything with a widened beam. the purpose of a laser is a concentrated light beam. when you take away that concentration it essentially becomes a LED.

[bylerfamily]

The purpose of a laser is to provide a concentrated light beam,yes.But,even if you widen the beam the light still will not spread out quickly like an LED.A laser concentrates the light no matter how big the dot.

[disturbedreaper]

DON'T LOOK AT THE BEAM IT CAN INSTANTLY BLIND YOU IN UNDER A SECOND AT THIS POWER that being said if you just flash this by their eye it will be enough to almost certainly permanently damage their vision

[_Scratch_]

what would happen if you used a 75W laser diode?

[disturbedreaper]

it would probably be to weak to burn

[loorJackal]

can you use the diode from a orignal xbox??

[disturbedreaper]

probaly not thaey would most likey be infared which we cant see and since it only reads the discs and wont be that powerful

[Colonel88]

Cool, I'm goinng to make one into an Altoids tin when i can.

[Nicola Tesla]

i heard that they are invisible

[555mst555]

only 808nm lasers.....a.k.a. infra red laserd

[covey12]

lol, no the radiation is invisible, obviously becuase you cant see radiation

[LVLaserTech]

Actually, radiation is all you can see.

What we humans call "light" is merely a teensy, tiny slice of the electromagnetic spectrum to which the rods and cones in our eyes respond. We only "see" wavelengths from about 400-700 nanometers.

"Light" is merely the term we give to visible radiation, but the public immediately thinks "radiation = bad" because of nuclear power and X-ray machines, etc. The (greatly simplified) main differences between "good" and "bad" radiation is the energy and frequency. X-ray and gamma radiation go fast enough to knock out bits of your DNA.

That's also why your microwave can't cause cancer, but they do an excellent job of vibrating water molecules....or transmitting your voice via a cordless telephone! Check the frequency on your cordless phone, then check the frequency of your kitchen microwave! If you're using a 2.4GHz phone, they're very, very similar. Every time you answer the phone, you're putting a microwave radiation transmission source RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR BRAIN!

Ironic footnote: One of the largest laser manufacturers in the world is Coherent from California. Their original name was "Coherent Radiation" because that's exactly what a laser is. They dropped "radiation" from their name because "radiation is bad" to the unwashed masses.

[DrPizza777]

Actually, it is actually bad for you if the Radio Frequency (RF) Radiation gets to your senses, particularly eyes and ears. That is why the signal is only sent and recieved from the back of your cell phone. if it trancieved everywhere, the radiation would cause some problems. The microwave does use some power, but it has a small frequency. it would evaperate the water in you, leaving ash. if the current was high enough.

[PsyWasabi]

Lets just point that you are not literally "cooking" your brain... A kitchen microwave is far more powerful, in question of energy... .. Sorry for the bad English, I am a Brazilian, and i still have some grammatical errors in my writings... :)

[Owzcarde]

now THAT was an explenation.

[smeddles]

amen to that!

[Briguy9]

I third that

[raykholo]

and i quarter it... i quadruple it? idk lol

[3DMHuff]

That would be fourth. I'm fifth. The person after me could be sixth if they agree. If not, it would be the one after them, if they agree. That is, if my math is right.

[dmhjah]

Where could buy get a laser diode? No electronic stores to get a free laser from.

[K1LLZ U]

No store will have one but hes were you can buy one. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=200mw+laser+diode+650nm+Kip+Kay+project+suitable&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

[dmhjah]

Hi, How do you orient the diode (since it a circle) so that you know where + and - are? Is the circuit board in the Aixiz the driver? Thanks David

[sukinmaru]

I need to learn how to build a driver circuit so I don't destroy the diode

[Kopolis777]

can you put in some led's to make a flashlight?probably a separate switch for the light (so you don't burn what your looking at).=Þ

[raykholo]

yep, check out the KipKay instructable for how to do just that with a maglite...

[Ian01]

That is a good idea; it increases the usefulness of the device. :)

[Briguy9]

one word: cool (that was three words. Well I guess i'm the exception that breaks the rule)

***** 5 stars!

[Liberty92]

the prongs you get out of the DVD burner are no where near that long, its annoying

[Opalinus]

No of course not. But with a piece of cable you can solve the "problem" ;-)