Monster Laser, My DC to AC Conversion

[James Combs]

Here is the way I converted my Monster laser to AC.

First thing I did was to purchase a bag of 10 of these power jacks (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EQ1UWX4/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), typical of those used on laptop PCs. Search Amazon for power jacks. Very inexpensive, got a pack of 10 for less then $5.
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Then I took the batteries and battery connectors out of my monster battery pack/switch-box. Drilled a hole in the end of the box to accept one of the power jacks. Made the appropriate connections from the existing switch and wires to the jack, then...
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...closed it back up as it was before and plugged in a power supply.
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Initially I thought I had a problem because I didn't see the laser come on. I was down at the power end of the rig and did not see the laser because it was shining on the sloped edge of the tool bar out of my sight. When I finally figured out what was wrong(after dis-assembly of the switch box twice :o) I taped a piece of paper on the cutter end so that I could see the dot.:rolleyes:
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This was my initial view but without the paper. The dot was hidden on the tapered end of the tool holder and I kept looking to see it on the floor.:o
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I didn't have a 3 volt power supply although I have collected 15-20 of the things over the decades. But... it turns out that almost anything will work. I have one variable, 0-12volt DC power supply that is a piece of test equipment. I have a bag of 5 of the laser units that I purchased a couple years back when I thought I was having trouble with the original(turned out it was loose wiring:mad:), anyway since I had extras I hooked up one to the 0-12 supply to see how much voltage it would take. I found that the lasers turn-on(is it called laze) at about 2.25 volts DC and will continue to work all the way up to 12 volts without any damage. I would like to have tested them at a higher voltage but 12volts was as high as I could get with the test supply. So I grabbed the lowest voltage unit I had that had the male version of the same power jack. It is a 5volt unit and everything works fine with it(once I finnally figured out that the laser was actually working ;))
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While I was at it I replace the wires between the laser and the switch-box, I soldered them to the laser wires, the switch and to the power receptacle, then insulated the ones at at laser with shrink tubing. Covered both ends of the wire-way material with larger shrink tubing and ended up with a much neater installation then I started with. For those interested, the modification that added a longer sturdier tool holder can also be seen in these pics.
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Advantages I see to my method of conversion is that 1, I can unplug the power supply when I store away the monster and 2, I can still use the switch on the switch box to turn the laser off and on.

Comments welcomed.

[Peter Fabricius]

Very nicely done James,
You do not mention why it was necessary to go with AC power?
My batteries last a very long time.
I would like to show you a little mod that I did to allow me to swing the cutting arm with the laser in place. My lathe is quite close to the wall and the battery box end comes into the wall when I swing across the lathe. So, I repositioned the laser light so the battery box end can be moved to the left by about 8 inches. The picture shows the repositioned light. I use the short cutting bar since most of my work is on smallish wood but deep up under the inside edge of the HF.
peter F.

[Dennis Nagle]

Very nice James. Thanks for posting.

[James Combs]

Very nicely done James,
You do not mention why it was necessary to go with AC power?
My batteries last a very long time.
I would like to show you a little mod that I did to allow me to swing the cutting arm with the laser in place. My lathe is quite close to the wall and the battery box end comes into the wall when I swing across the lathe. So, I repositioned the laser light so the battery box end can be moved to the left by about 8 inches. The picture shows the repositioned light. I use the short cutting bar since most of my work is on smallish wood but deep up under the inside edge of the HF.
peter F.

Peter, thanks for the comments, that looks like it would do the job, I changed mine because vibration was continually loosening the battery connections. The laser would dim and brighten as I was working. That being said I have yet to try a turning with the new setup, I don't know for a fact that I won't have the a similar problem with the power supply.:eek:

A quick question, what is the clear plastic cylinder thingy on top of your cutter bar?

[James Combs]

Very nice James. Thanks for posting.

No problem Dennis, glad to help.

[Jim Seyfried]

A quick question, what is the clear plastic cylinder thingy on top of your cutter bar?

My guess is a level. Also thanks for the post...good to know that 5v will work as I have several of them.

[David DeCristoforo]

Nice setup. One thing I have discovered is the futility of tying the wire down to the bar. It precludes sliding the bar in the holder and you will forever be clipping the ties to move the bar. I just let mine hang loose and drape it over the top of the post to keep it out of the way.

[John Keeton]

Peter, thanks for the comments, that looks like it would do the job, I changed mine because vibration was continually loosening the battery connections. The laser would dim and brighten as I was working. That being said I have yet to try a turning with the new setup, I don't know for a fact that I won't have the a similar problem with the power supply.JD, that is the same reason I converted to AC and it cured the problem. As I indicated, mine is direct wired with no switch and it works fine for me. I leave the light on the whole time I am working on hollowing and simply unplug it when I take a break.

[James Combs]

JD, that is the same reason I converted to AC and it cured the problem. As I indicated, mine is direct wired with no switch and it works fine for me. I leave the light on the whole time I am working on hollowing and simply unplug it when I take a break.

John, I know that works fine and it is entirely possible that some of the problem is in the miniature switch. I may end-up with a direct wired system also once I try it out with the switch. However, if the switch does give me trouble I will still retain the plug in section. I will just wire the receptacle directly to the wires from the laser.

[Peter Fabricius]

Well this is fun! and educational, also glad to know that 5volt is ok for the laser.
I have Grandchildren and they have lots of toys, so when I saw this "thingy" I asked one of the boys if I could borrow it for a bit. I showed him what I was going to use it for and he actually gave it to me.
IT IS A LITTLE FINGER LED LIGHT. You can see the light shine on the far edge of the HF. This Maple HF is 8" dia and I have reached all the way to the outside edge with about 1/8" thickness. WHY? Because I can and the turners at our Guild always try to stick a finger inside to see how deep it is hollowed and if it is sanded on the inside. I made the cutting tool to fit into the Monster. Bit size is metal lathe 3/16" x 2.5" square.
Enjoy the " thingy", I will tell the boys that you were inquiring....
Peter F.

P.S. I read somewhere that we need to put some folded paper in the battery case to hold the batteries and keep them in proper contact. I have no more blinking laser light.

[James Combs]

Well this is fun! and educational, also glad to know that 5volt is ok for the laser.
I have Grandchildren and they have lots of toys, so when I saw this "thingy" I asked one of the boys if I could borrow it for a bit. I showed him what I was going to use it for and he actually gave it to me.
IT IS A LITTLE FINGER LED LIGHT. You can see the light shine on the far edge of the HF. This Maple HF is 8" dia and I have reached all the way to the outside edge with about 1/8" thickness. WHY? Because I can and the turners at our Guild always try to stick a finger inside to see how deep it is hollowed and if it is sanded on the inside. I made the cutting tool to fit into the Monster. Bit size is metal lathe 3/16" x 2.5" square.
Enjoy the " thingy", I will tell the boys that you were inquiring....
Peter F.

P.S. I read somewhere that we need to put some folded paper in the battery case to hold the batteries and keep them in proper contact. I have no more blinking laser light.
Thanks for the info Peter, was just curious. Yes I can see how the far side is lit up a little. Been wondering what I might do to help see inside hollow forms and that looks like a great idea although maybe use something a little more substantial like maybe one of the small penlight kits you can get from PSI and other online folks. May have to look into doing just that.

BTW, I have an old 19volt laptop power supply. Tried it on one of the spare(original one) lasers I have. It worked for a few seconds but 19volts was just a bit too much for it. It started out extremely bright then started flashing so I disconnected it and tried it on my test supply at 5-6 volts and it never worked again.:eek: I think it would be best not to exceed 5volts on them with 3volts being the minimum.

[Dave Cullen]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a laser for in woodturning?

[Peter Fabricius]

James,
Great topic and suggestions...
I think I read somewhere that a single LED bulb can be used inside the HF. Thinking out loud, if you solder a LED bulb to the end of some wire covered with shrink tubing for a neat set up and power this with one of the power supplies appropriate for the LED bulb. A little electrical tape or duct tape to hold the bulb to the cutting bar and you would have light inside the HF.
Peter F.

[Dwight Rutherford]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a laser for in woodturning?

This is an example of the laser use for this thread. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_L5oNZiKFJo

[James Combs]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a laser for in woodturning?
Dave, Dwight's example YouTube video is a good example but take a close look at Peter's pic in post #2 above. Note the bright spot at the center of the turning just above the end of the cutting tool. The spot is from Peter's laser. The spot is movable and is typically set to shine close to the tip of the cutter. When you have the cutter inside the hollow form the dot shows you on the outside of the hollow form approximately where your cutter tip is on the inside. If the spot is 1/4" from the tip of the cutter and you have the cutter up against the side of the inside of the hollow form and you turn until the dot no longer "touches" the outside of the form you then know that the wall thickness is just at or slightly less then 1/4". Actual wall thickness will depend on the incident angle that the spot is hitting the outside of the form and how soon you quit cutting when the spot no longer "grazes" the side of the hollow form. Hope this is understandable and not too long winded in explaining the laser's use.

[Peter Fabricius]

Another P.S. For James et at,
It seems to me that the computer power supply bricks provide different voltages at the output end. Just test to find one that is between 3and 5 volts and you would have a long lasting power supply. Secure the brick to the wall near the 110 volt receptacle and the thinner low voltage wire would come to the laser and the LED for inside the HF.
Peter F.

[James Combs]

Another P.S. For James et at,
It seems to me that the computer power supply bricks provide different voltages at the output end. Just test to find one that is between 3and 5 volts and you would have a long lasting power supply. Secure the brick to the wall near the 110 volt receptacle and the thinner low voltage wire would come to the laser and the LED for inside the HF.
Peter F.
Precisely, pretty much what I have done for the laser. The 5volt power supply I am using is rated at 2.5amps, more than enough to run a half dozen of these lasers plus a few of the LED lights;). If I go for one of the turned/kit penlights I will probably see if I can adapt it with a one of the receptacles I have. I can splice in another lead from the power supply to power the pen light.:) If I get to doing something like that I will post it for all to review.

[john taliaferro]

Been using 2 1x2 cherry 2' long with 1/2 " holes drilled in each end . Held in the middle with a bolt and nilock nut . Ive found {pocket laser } at staples for 4.00 $ . The cherry seams to have a lot less vibration problems than the steel had . Just twist the laser in to the hole and a touch of supper glue then a piece of masking tape over switch holds it on .