Get yer lase on

As of last night I got my 16x sony diode all plugged in and turned on! I’ll have some pictures to prove it in a bit. I’m excited, but I really was expecting a bit more danger in the process. It’s bright, and it cuts very thin, dark things. It might even do a decent stencil if cut out of black paperboard, but I was hoping for something with a bit more killing power. I guess I had my hopes a bit high for a laser that cost $30!
I’m still gonna try to mount it to the cnc router and see what it can do. Hopefully I can find a type of wood, or a stain that makes wood “singe-able” I’d be pretty happy about that.
Here’s a pic of the laser diode and enclosure(silver thing in mid-air) and the power supply (thing on the breadboard) Yep, it’s not pretty.
sony 16x diode DIY 620nm red burning laser

Here’s a pic of the output. Shining gloriously on my hardwood floor.

laser dot on floor

Lastly, I went out and got drawer slides for the z-axis (at lowes), and bought a hitachi trim router (at ReconditionedSales.com)
With the exception of one L shaped piece of metal I should have everything I need to fully assemble this monster.
If there aren’t any posts for a few weeks, either my body is frozen out in the garage, or I’ve become even more fascinated with the fully functional router.