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AR-15 » Lights and Lasers » Take apart a chinese PEQ.............and convert it to IR. UPDATE. FINISHED. (Page 1)
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Posted :: 26/4/2008 4:17:07 AM EDT Last Edited :: 14/9/2008 4:22:01 PM EDT by DCS
DCS Joined :: December 2003

Post Number :: 551
Member
OR, USA
Thread summary:
1 - how to take apart a chinese PEQ.
2 - How I learned and built an IR conversion.
3 - How I learned more and revised the IR PEQ to the finished version.
This a loooong thread. Be sure to read the long post at the bottom of the 1st page before you start.
Taking it apart:
Buy peq from ebay or Cobra Airsoft Company or similar, about $135 delivered.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

Remove the rail mount, battery caps, & lens covers. Loosen the hex screw on the selector knob, pull the knob straight off.
The "adjusters" for the flashlight are a non-functioning clone feature. Use a razor to pry straight up on the edge of the side adjuster-knob protective cover. Work one side then the other until the glue bond
breaks. Go slow. Eventually, the cover lifts straight off.

Underneath, it's male on one end, female on the other. The female side serves as a clamp to hold the two case pins together. The fake adj knob comes right off.
Do the same thing on the laser side. Those adjuster knobs are real. Don't take them off. Only remove the protective covers on the sides of the unit, not the top.
Starting with your fingernails, tug on the rear cover until you find a weak spot in the glue bond, insert a screwdriver into the small gap you created, and start working around the unit to break the glued spots
free.

The cover comes off like this. Go easy.
Remove this screw.
The top cover comes off like this. The bezel in front of the laser will fall free.
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Posted :: 26/4/2008 4:32:31 AM EDT


Post Number :: 552
Member
OR, USA
Use a screwdriver to pry on the side of the laser housing to break the glue bond between it and the lower cover.
Take note of the rounded corner on the laser housing. You have to use that orientation at reassembly.
Shave off the melted plastic retainers that hold the push-button board in place. Go easy.

Remove screws.
Lift the assy out of the bottom cover.
Flip it over. Make notes on the wiring.

Reference photo with single-battery case removed.
I shaved the shrink wrap off the splice area on the wires leading from the main board to the laser and flashlight, and unsoldered the connections. They were twisted and then soldered, so it took a while. I also
unsoldered the wire from the screw-head on the flashlight barrel. I removed that screw, but I don't think you need to remove it for a conversion job.
At this point, all the components are separated.
Drive the pin out of the rear of the laser box.

Remove the band-springs from the laser box. Start them with a screwdriver...
...then drag them out with a fingernail.
Ease the box-cap out of the front of the laser box. The module will come with it.
Reference photo.

Posted :: 26/4/2008 4:52:33 AM EDT
GeorgiaBII Joined :: January 2006

Post Number :: 6369
Team Member
you called?
GA, USA
I've missed something. What is the purpose of doing this? Thanks.
This site NEEDS an ENEMA!!!
Posted :: 26/4/2008 5:04:01 AM EDT

Post Number :: 553
Member
OR, USA
The module unscrews at the middle. If you see any glue on the edges of the laser driver board flush with the base of the module, pick that glue off.
Remove the dab of glue holding the collimator screw in place, unscrew it. You get the screw, lens, and spring.
Put the two brass module pieces back together. Tuck a wire out each slot in the rear. Find a pin that is as close as possible to the diameter of the laser diode. I used a section of an aluminum nail. Use a vise and
the pin to press the diode out of the module.

Here's the driver board / diode assy. The board has a pot for variable intensity. I reconnected some wires at this point, played with the pot, spec'd some voltages, and I think, damaged the diode by accidentally
shorting something out while testing current or tweaking the pot. Lesson - use a tiny ceramic (non-conductive) screwdriver to tweak the pot, and use small clamp-style test leads when doing voltage / current
tests. I'm not 100% confident in my specs, so i plan to test my other peq unit before deciding if a simple diode swap is all that's needed, or if I'll also need to modify the power circuit for the IR replacement
parts. Generally speaking, IR laser diodes operate at less current than red lasers. If you slap an IR diode into too much current, you'll fry it instantly. While I'm prattling on, you also have to have static protection
when working with diodes, and you have to make sure any capacitors are discharged before introducing a diode into a circuit, otherwise you'll kill it. I'm learning that their may be a baking / drying process
required for IR leds as well.
This is the little screw that probably does not need to be removed from the flashlight barrel.
Unscrew the cap on the flashlight to get the glass lens and reflector out.

Here's the cree emitter board sitting on a brass driver housing. The fiber washer is an insulator between the reflector body and emitter board, so don't lose it.
Close-up. My plan is to get the led off the emitter board, and install an IR led in its place. I haven't yet attempted to spec the voltage/current with the light powered up. My replacement led is the Osram
SFH4230, which has a very wide amperage operating range, so I'm hoping for a simple swap there. I found some 8-degree optics that I'll try to use with the IR led (kai domain). I'm pretty sure it will be an
effective spot past 100 yards. We'll see...
It's Little League season, so this project got back burnered for now.
Posted :: 26/4/2008 9:36:31 AM EDT
Specop_007 Joined :: August 2004

Post Number :: 14343
Member
KS, USA
Very, very impressive write up DCS!
I actually havent bought a clone yet as I havent decided 100% thats the route I want to go. I ended up getting one of these but am thinking seriously of going with a clone and doing a swap.
I'm not a big fan of offset aiming devices however, which is my biggest reservation about going with the peq clones. I like the inline units. As I would like to use them with a .22 for squirrel and rabbit, I would
liek to minimize the potential to miss. While being offset doesnt add that much difference between POI and POA, it is an extra degree of error which could lead to a miss.
Posted :: 26/4/2008 9:37:43 AM EDT
Specop_007 Joined :: August 2004

Member
KS, USA
Originally Posted By GeorgiaBII:

I've missed something. What is the purpose of doing this? Thanks.
Price a peq, if you can find one.
This allows one to have a clone peq thats "The same thing!" (Queue Dollar Store commercial).
Its a way to get an ir laser aiming device mounted on a weapon, thats about it. At a pretty reasonable cost too.
Posted :: 26/4/2008 9:50:11 AM EDT

MOS2111 Joined :: December 2004

Post Number :: 1976
Team Member
TX, USA
Nice work - Thanks for taking the time and effort.
Being a contributing member means you contribute – to a TECH FORUM...

"If another mod is needed the current mod will let us know." TBK1
Posted :: 28/4/2008 4:14:19 AM EDT
ruthless Joined :: January 2004

Post Number :: 260
Team Member
IN, USA
impressive
Posted :: 28/4/2008 5:12:28 AM EDT
TheGrayMan Joined :: April 2007

Post Number :: 3138
Team Member
Confusion, misdirection, obfuscation
USA
Now that's a mod people can use... very nicely done, and great pictures.
Please... do continue.
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
Posted :: 26/5/2008 4:21:42 AM EDT

Post Number :: 561
Member
OR, USA
finally had time to work on this again.
Good news and bad:
IR LED works, IR laser does not.
To swap the LED's, I desoldered the two wire leads on the cree LED plate, then unsoldered the board from the bottom of the LED brass housing. The LED plate is glued in place on the brass housing with heat-
sink glue. That glue doesn't let go even at 200°C.
After removing the board from the bottom, I heated the brass housing with a pencil torch just until the solder melted on the plate. Right when it melted, I flicked the Cree LED off, and wicked the excess solder
off. Let it cool.
I then used tiny amounts of (leaded) solder paste under the Osram LED, and placed it onto the Cree plate in a diagonal fashion so that the LED contacts rested on the contact points of the Cree surface mount
plate. I put it on a cookie sheet and laid my digital meat thermometer next to it (set for celsius). I closed the oven, set the dial to 400°F, and watched the thermometer. When the thermo it hit 183°C, I counted
30 seconds, turned the oven off, and cracked the door open. 30 minutes later, I pulled it out.
The original LED drew 400mA in light-only mode, and 240mA in light+laser mode. This was easily within spec for the Osram LED, so I didn't change anything in the circuit. Just put everything back together, and
flicked it on.
It's badass. Using the Cree reflector, it's a semi-spot. It brightly illuminates a huge field of view out to 100 yards. Looking down on a pine forest, it turns trees at 300 yards from black-nothing to semi-
illuminated, easily distinguishable individual trees. I'm super happy with it. Almost too bright for indoor use though. It washes things out pretty good indoors.
Unfortunately, the IR laser didn't work. If I remove the converted IR module and clip my other factory red module into the circuit, the red laser works fine. So my circuit is good, but either my IR laser board is
damaged or I killed the diode.
The original laser drew anywhere from 30 to 72mA, depending on pot setting. 30mA is easily within spec for the IR diode. So i dialed the pot to the minimum setting, then assembled the module with the IR
diode, and powered it up. Nothing, not even a flash. I adjusted the pot full cycle, with no effect. Bummer.
I'll troubleshoot more tomorrow, hopefully figure something out.
Posted :: 26/5/2008 3:05:45 PM EDT
eodinert Joined :: April 2001

Post Number :: 1127
Member
AZ, USA

Absolutely kick ass.
Posted :: 26/5/2008 5:27:14 PM EDT Last Edited :: 26/5/2008 6:24:59 PM EDT by DCS

Post Number :: 562
Member
OR, USA
This is a picture of the Osram SFH4230 installed on the cree emitter plate. I bought a handful of these Osram emitters from digikey.com.
The Osram has three contact points: each obvious wing, plus the heat transfer contact directly under the emitter. You put a tiny dab of solder paste on each, place the emitter on the plate using tweezers, and
bake it on. The Osram website gives a heat-cycle vs time graph that explains how to do it. You're looking at my first ever experience with reflow soldering using paste and an oven. It's pretty easy.
The Osram is placed at a diagonal to "fit" the slightly shorter Cree dimensions. Works great.
I used paste and a pencil iron to solder the wire leads on after the reflow job.
I made no other changes to the circuit. It's a simple plug and play. However, next time I do this, i may try the oven approach for flicking the cree emiter off. It gives better control than the pencil torch method.
I did not test the current between the driver board and the Osram emitter. It would be very difficult to do without exposing your eye to a hefty shot of IR.
However, I did test the current between the main board and the LED driver board: it was 820mA with the Osram, whereas that same point was exactly 1 amp with the Cree. So the Osram is pulling slightly less
current from the main board.
I haven't yet determined why the laser is dead. But i did learn more about the main board. See next post...

Post Number :: 563
Member
OR, USA
Basically my objective with this project was to remove the white Cree LED and the red laser, and replace them with IR components.
The chinese PEQ is straightforward. It has 3 AA batteries wired in series to provide 4.5v supply to the main board. The main board has a 6-way selector switch: Off - Las - Las+LED - LED - unused - unused.
Then there are two open "button" switches: one on the PEQ body, and the other a jack for a pressure pad.
I have learned that this thing works great in dual mode for only 5 minutes. When the batteries droop even slightly, the laser gets really dim. If you switch to either laser-only or led-only mode, you get bright
light again. But using dual mode even with brand new primary cells or freshly charged NiMH, the laser gets really dim really fast.
Look at the Main Board "reference photo" in my 2nd post. When the selector is in position #2 (dual mode), the current has two paths. The first thing it hits in the "upper path" (LED side) is a little black bit
labeled D2. I'm pretty sure it's a resistor. It gets damn hot within 2 seconds of closing the circuit. It does this in factory configuration on either of two PEQ's I have disassembled, and it also does it in IR
configuration on the PEQ I have modified.
Or at least it used to. This morning it popped once and let out a wisp of smoke, and now my main board on my PEQ#1 has at least one failed component. It will work in LAS-only or LED-only mode, but not in
dual mode.
So I have two basic problems with this circuit:

1 - it's underpowered and makes for a dim laser after only a few moments of dual mode use.
2 - In dual mode, the D2 resistor gets way too hot. You can't hold your finger on it for even a second. It fries your skin.
I see two possibilities:

1 - I'm too much of a noob, and i did something wrong that killed a laser diode and led to confusion as well as damage to the board. I've inadvertently converted a simple swap project to something bigger. It
should have worked, but I did something wrong.
2 - the factory circuit design is poor, and eventually would have cooked itself anyway. I am unable to figure out exactly what each component of the factory circuit is supposed to do, so I'm kind of shooting in

the dark. On the other hand, I can "copy" a DDL circuit from laser forums, and I do know what each DDL componet does. So i can build a circuit to provide exacly the the led and laser power i want, rather than
trying to match or mod the factory circuit to drive IR emitters. Furthermore, I can incorporate either 2 or 3 rechargeable lithium 14500 batteries into an 8v or 12v system that will extend burn-time dramatically.
I don't have the $$ or the gumption to risk frying more $22 laser diodes in a circuit board I don't completely understand.
So I'm gonna try plan 2, and build a better PEQ with DDL circuits and lithium power cells.
In the mean time, if any electronics experts read this, maybe they can identify what went wrong with the simple laser diode swap plan. Because if that got sorted out, this conversion would be both cheap and
simple. Right now it's just cheap.
The IR laser diode I am using is the 850 or 904nm 10mw diode from Thorlabs.
Link
Posted :: 28/5/2008 6:06:11 AM EDT
avengeusa Joined :: December 2001

Dealer
American
MI, USA
it is easy to cook a laser diode..... ask me how i know..... lol
make up a new module with the same outside dimensions as the unit you removed, reinstall it and you are good to go
SUPPORTER OF ISRAEL
YESHUA AKBAR! ???? ??
pray for my son in Mosul Iraq
Wolverine Laser Co/Wolverine Technologies LLC

http://home.comcast.net/~wolverinetechnologies/site/?/home/<B
Posted :: 12/7/2008 12:26:39 PM EDT
wicked_chicken Joined :: February 2005

Post Number :: 247
Member
UT, USA
Hey DCS!
This is a great thread! Have there been any updates? What do you think it'd cost to build your own board?
I might try to do something simular!
Cheers!
Posted :: 13/7/2008 3:05:47 AM EDT

Post Number :: 583
Member
OR, USA
Hello chicken!
I totally got sidetracked on this project! Haven't worked on it since May!
BUT, I do have all the parts!
And I have some free time starting in the last week of July.
I will post again once I build a unit.
Posted :: 13/7/2008 3:10:25 AM EDT
wicked_chicken Joined :: February 2005

Post Number :: 251
Member
UT, USA
Hey DCS,
Sounds great man! I really hope things work out! Take lots of pictures so morons like me can follow your footsteps!
Posted :: 11/8/2008 3:22:05 AM EDT

ruthless Joined :: January 2004

Post Number :: 287
Team Member
IN, USA
Originally Posted By wicked_chicken:

Hey DCS,
Sounds great man! I really hope things work out! Take lots of pictures so morons like me can follow your footsteps!
+1
www.Breakthematrix.com

Post Number :: 595
Member
OR, USA
EDIT - This post summarizes my first attempt. I later revised a few things, which are described in the long post at the bottom of this page. So you'll have to read that too.
Comment – this PEQ is pretty easy to convert to IR. I did it with a constant current driver I built using using “through-hole” components on a proto-board. I skipped the breadboard stage (bad idea), which led
to later revisions.
This circuit could also be built with smaller surface mount components: you design it on pad2pad.com, and have somebody make it for you. Since everything is smaller in the surface mount world, you could
easily preserve tighter layout or keep driver bits at the lights instead of on the main board. You could also keep the exterior push-button and on-indicator led features.
Anyway, here’s what I did:
Step 1 – decided that the oem circuit was crap.
Step 2 – learned how to make a Constant Current Regulator (CCR) circuit for use in driving lasers or LED’s.
Here’s how it works:

Use an LM317 chip (for 6 to 10v systems) or an LM1086 chip (for 3 to 6v systems).
The 1086 has a 1 to 1.5v dropout voltage. 1N4001 diodes have a .6v dropout voltage. Three NiMH batteries provide 3.6volts. 3.6 minus 1 for the 1086 chip and .6 for the 1N4001 diode = 2.0 = perfect voltage
for our IR laser diode and IR LED.
Power is supplied to the V-in pin of the chip. The chip works to maintain a 1.25v reference voltage across V-out and V-adj. It will output whatever current is necessary to maintain the 1.25 potential. In the
configuration shown in the drawing, we use resistance between V-out and V-adj to cause it to output the current we want. R = V/I. V = 1.25. If the desired I = 750mA (for the Osram LED), then R = 1.67. “On
paper”, that means that a 1.76 resistor placed between V-out and V-adj will result in 750mA of current downstream. The forward voltage floats, and will sort of magically arrive at whatever level the light
requires, as long as that much voltage is available downstream of the LM1086 and 1N4001. On the V-out leg, you can use a resistor to hold current to the max desired level combined with a pot (as a variable
resistor) to make the total resistance adjustable. With that combo, you can adjust the reistance and therefore current level until you achieve the desired result. Alternately, you can test and tune on a

breadboard until you find the resistor that fixes your current exactly where you want it, and then use only that resistor, with no pot.
Edit - let me try to clarify the role of the resistor. By adjusting the resistance between V-out and V-adj, we can control the current output. That's what makes this circuit a Current Regulator. We are not
regulating voltage, we're regulating current. You can do this with a single resistor between V-out and V-adj. Or, as shown in the picture, you can have both a resistor and a pot. The resistor would be of "low"
value. You choose it by calculating the maximum current you want available to the downstream load. Once that resistor is installed, the downstream current can never exceed the maximum allowed by that
resistor. The pot is simply a variable resistor, wired in series with the fixed resistor. At the pot's lowest setting (zero ohms), the current would be limited by only the resistor. As you dial the pot up, you add to the
total resistance between V-out and V-adj, thereby reducing current from the pre-established maximum allowed by the resistor. Therefore, when building, you always set the pot to its maximum resistance before
you start testing. That way you're starting at the minimum current level, and adjusting upwards to the maximum.
BTW - this is a common circuit. It's been around for years.
Moving on... A diode is placed “backwards” between the V-adj power-line and the return line. This diode is protection against improper battery polarity. If you put the batteries in backwards, the power will dump
across the diode and back to the chip, instead of instantly frying your laser or led. There is no voltage dropout associated with this diode when the batteries are installed correctly, because there is no current
across it.
A cap is placed between the V-adj line and the return line, to capture potential voltage spikes before they hit the laser, and to filter line noise. Note: caps hold charge. If you hook a laser diode up to a cap
without first shorting the cap, you will kill the diode. Short the cap 1st, then hook up the laser diode, and it will be well-protected by the cap from then on.
Step 3 – design a dual-mode circuit that will keep the essential function on the oem unit. The oem unit is built using 4 boards, all of them with surface mount components. That stuff is to small to work with. To
mod the PEQ, we need to use bigger stuff on a through-hole board. The other option is to pay someone to make new surface mount boards. Anyway, here’s the basic design:
Important! – the drawing is for illustration only. Fitting this stuff on the board without losing the fixed locations of the mount screws, switch, and jack, will not be so easy.
Power supply comes to the switch, and then is sent to either the laser, both, or the LED. The diodes on the dual mode leg prevent current from crossing the circuit when in either single mode. The diodes on the
single legs are only there so that the single modes see the same voltage as the dual modes (because diodes have a .6v dropout). They serve no other purpose.
Power goes through the CCR circuits to the laser or LED. I didn’t use a pot for the LED CCR, because the Osram will operate nicely anywhere between 500 and 1000Ma, so I just picked 750mA and used a
resistor that should get it close. The cap for the LED driver is in the LED head. Power return is to the jack. The circuit is open at the jack, and only closed when the pressure switch is depressed. So the modded
PEQ has a mode switch and a single external pressure switch. We have lost the external chassis-push-button and the green external led that serves as a warning-on-indicator. Note – this is therefore an IR
laser/led package that does not have a visible led on-indicator. It’s potentially quite hazardous, because you can’t tell when it’s on with the naked eye. Use common sense. Label it clearly with any kind of sticker
(a piece of masking tape and a marksalot will do in a pinch). Lock it away in the safe. Don’t let morons or imbeciles touch it.
Step 4 – scavenge the switch off the oem board, and cut three of its pins off so that it will fit into proto-board.
This switch is a 6-pole rotary. It has seven pins: Power-in, & 6 modes. Cut off the Mode 1, Mode 3, and Mode 5 pins. The remaining pins will form a diamond shape, with the Power-in pin being the top of the
diamond.

Do this carefully. Another way to look at it: the Power-in pin has a white mark above it, and a protruding key to the side of it. Keep that pin. Cut the next one. Keep the next one. And so on, alternating, until
you’ve made the full circle. There is no Pin 8.
Step 5 – scavenge the jack off the oem board, discard it’s outer box.
Step 6 – cut a piece of protoboard the same size as the oem board. Use a razor to score it, and then snap it. Go slightly big, and then use a file to file the edge down to the desired size. Drill the mount holes in
it. Mark the switch holes with a sharpie.
Step 7 – Lay the oem board on top of the new one, to confirm that the mount and switch holes line up.

Use a fine-tip sharpie to mark the locations for the notches for the jack.
Step 8 - Use a 1/16” bit to hack holes for the the notches into the board.
Overlay the oem board again to confirm the fit.

Step 9 - Use epoxy to glue the jack onto the board. Use only a tiny dab in the dead center of the jack.
Posted :: 18/8/2008 8:35:49 PM EDT Last Edited :: 14/9/2008 11:58:49 AM EDT by DCS

Post Number :: 596
Member
OR, USA
Cont.
Step 10 –Build the board! (HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!) It took me 6 hours. You’ll need to do some planning and thinking. Don’t copy mine, because I skipped the planning and thinking steps, and therefore mine could
be improved upon.
Edit - the photo above was taken before i installed the power supply wire. That wire connects thru the top of the board at the 4:30 o'clock position near the switch, and is connected to the Power-in pole of the
switch underneath the board via a solder blob. You can see that solder trace in the photo below.
For jumper wires on the board, I got an old scrap of in-the-wall phone cable and stripped the solid wires out it. Worked great.
Use solder-beads for traces. Use 24g wire for flexible leads off the board.
Step 11 – use a soldering iron to clean all the SMT components off the driver disk-boards for the laser and LED.

In this photo, I already have a wire soldered back into the cleaned LED-disk.
Step 12 – Press the old laser diode out of the module. Press the new IR laser diode back in its place. See the vise photos earlier in the thread. You’ll need a hollow pin to press the diode back in, because the
contact pins on the laser diode pins have to go up inside the press-pin. I used a small C-Clamp this time. Worked great. I used a .225” roll-pin to press the diode back in. I lined up the notch in the roll pin with
Pin 2 to help avoid stressing that pin.
Step 13 – bend the laser diode leads until each is close to the outer edge of the module, and then cut them off, leaving about this much sticking out of the module.

Step 14 - Drop the disk-board over the leads, and solder it in place. It doesn’t matter which side is out.
Step 15 – LED disk-board: this board does have an “inside and outside” surface. The outside surface is the one with the circle in the middle and three pads on the out edge. The middle circle is plus. The outer
pads are minus. I placed the capacitor inside the LED module. Note - Caps have a plus and minus side. On the LED disk, there are two tiny holes in the positive pad and 2 more on a negative pad. See photo for
reference. I used 1 each for the cap, and the others for the phone-wire leads. Make the wire leads long enough to reach the top LED plate and lay over onto its pads.
Reassemble the LED module. Overlap some solder from the negative pads to the brass housing (lots of heat required, so heat-sink the brass away from the solder area to protect your led from excessive heat).

Solder the leads back onto the led plate.
After that, it’s pretty much re-assembling everything back into the housing. It goes back together in the same way it came apart. See original posts.
Don’t glue the housing shut until you’ve finished testing and tuning. Check out my pot placement – you can access it by removing only the housing tail-plate. Handy!
When you are ready to glue stuff down, don’t forget to glue the laser box to the floor of the housing.
Definitely build everything first on a breadboard, and use a DMM to measure current to both the led and laser.
I skipped the breadboard step, and that was a mistake. My PEQ works, but the led current is less than 300mA!! I have no idea why, so I gotta go find a problem that would be much easier to find if I have data
from a trial run on a breadboard.
Also, if the laser shines ugly light and won’t collimate, take the lens off, clean the dust out of the module, and clean the lens with alcohol. Try it again.
Tips –
Laser diodes are ultra sensitive to static shock. Always use ESD protection.
Wash parts with 99% Isopropyl alcohol before you glue or solder. Get 99% alcohol from a veterinary clinic. Wash again after soldering to remove excess flux.
Build your circuit on a breadboard and test it before you assemble it.
Always remember that if you hook up the laser diode to a circuit with capacitors WITHOUT shorting the cap(s) first, you just killed the laser diode.
Use a video camera for basic “light-on” testing. They will show IR light on the viewfinder.
IR is potentially dangerous.
You can’t see it. Your blink reflex will not work if it shines in your eye.
The Osram is capable of damaging your eyes, especially if you drive it at a full 1amp. Don’t look at it. It is an extremely bright IR led. It’s not a toy. It’s not “safe because it’s just an LED”. It can and will
permanently impair human vision if you are negligent or abusive.
Obviously, the same eye-hazard applies to the laser. Direct impingement can cause permanent retinal damage in a fraction of a second. This is a 10mw laser. I’m driving mine at 30mA because I want minimal
output so that I don’t have bloom issues.
That’s it.
A few months ago, I knew nothing about integrated circuits or using a DMM or laser diode sensitivities, whatever, etc.
I searched a lot, and I hit a lot of dead-ends because I frequently was looking for fast answers to big questions. If you have basic knowledge of electronics and IC’s, this was probably boring for you to read. If
you don’t, you probably have 20 questions already.
Fortunately, I already have an answer for all of them:
NOBODY CAN LEARN IT FOR YOU, SO GET STARTED!
Good Luck! If you kill a laser diode or two, don’t sweat it. You’re in good company!

Posted :: 18/8/2008 8:40:35 PM EDT

Post Number :: 597
Member
OR, USA
G&P 467A PEQ Cobra Airsoft $110.00
Thorlabs L904P010 IR laser diode Thorlabs $22.00
LM1086 TO-263 ADJ regulator (LM1086IS-ADJ-ND) Digikey $2.42

Osram SFH 4230 IR LED Digikey $10.50
Potentiometer - 50 ohm, 25 turn Digikey $4.30
Capacitor -22UF 16v - get two Digikey $1.50
Resistor kit (RS150-ND) 1 to 1M ohm, 1/2watt Digikey $16.95
Antistatic work pad MorseX.com $15.00

Antistatic wrist band MorseX.com $5.00
small wire strippers MorseX.com $7.50
small precision dikes MorseX.com $6.00
Set of test lead jumpers MorseX.com $3.50
antistatic foam pad for components MorseX.com $2.00
Soldering iron 15860-TL mpja.com $14.00

Chisel tip 15865-TL mpja.com $2.00
Desoldering iron 16922-TL mpja.com $6.00
Solder wick braid mpja.com $1.00
Tweezer kit 14389-TL mpja.com $7.00
test hook clips for dmm 7455-mi & 7163-mi mpja.com $1.00
proto board 15912-pb mpja.com $1.00
breadboard 4444-te mpja.com $9.00
Solder - .025" #4811290 frys.com $8.00

3/64 heat shrink frys.com $2.00
spool of red wire - 24 gauge 1614497 frys.com $3.00
spool of black wire - 24 gauge frys.com $3.00
solder paste 2754933 frys.com $4.00
Real solder paste sku 4711 dealextreme.com $4.00
Digital multimeter Ace Hardware $16.00
If you break the rotary switch, #10MT217 mouser.com $8.00
So, if you have all the IC tools and stuff already, you can build an IR peq for $170. If you gotta buy all the equipment, it'll be $300.

Post Number :: 598
Member
OR, USA
One more thing:
I haven't put it on a rifle yet, so no test results.
However, I bought three of these things, and I've shot about 100 rds through an AR with an oem PEQ on it. The laser didn't drift.
Once I shoot the IR model, I'll post back, but it may be a while. Painting my house now, and hunting season coming up.
FWIW - I like the IR LED because it's the brightest small IR LED on the planet, period. At ~600mA, it was so bright that it sent my NV into blurred wash-out indoors, even pointed behind me. It lights up trees
300 yards away. Now that I'm thinking about that, I may need to dial it down some from the aforementioned objective of 750mA current, if i can figure out why it's only getting 300mA now. Indoors, it's pretty
bright at 300mA, and will light up objects 75 yards away outdoors. But i want; at least 500 or 600mA.
I like the laser adjustment mechanism because it's indexed. Feels like a scope knob. You'd have to beat the crap out of it to make it slip.
Anyway, have fun with it if you try. Post back with your results. I'm sure there's ton's of room for improvement over my first model.
Good luck!
Posted :: 18/8/2008 11:50:03 PM EDT
11b4v Joined :: January 2001

Post Number :: 518
Member
GA, USA
wow! awesome thread! and thanks and a good job to DCS.
Posted :: 14/9/2008 4:14:33 PM EDT


Post Number :: 602
Member
OR, USA
Update: I made a few more changes, and the finished version works great.
My biggest problem in the first version was that I could only get 300mA of current to the IR LED. By design, the circuit should have been capable of delivering a range of zero to ~1 amp to the LED, adjustable
via the pot.
The reality was that the current maxed out at 300mA in the 1st version of the circuit. I’m not sure why.
I went back and started testing on the breadboard. I discovered the 4v-powered circuit would deliver a max of 587mA to the LED with zero resistance between the Vout and Vadj legs of the LM1086 chip. I tried
it with different components; and got the same result.
Conclusion - Used with a 4v (3.6v nominal) power supply, you don't need a pot or a resistor between Vout and Vadj on the 1086 chip driving the LED. You just use the 1086 by itself, and couple the Vout and
Vadj pins together. This actually frees up some room on the board.
The next change I made to the 1st version of the circuit was on the laser-side: eliminate the resistors between the Vout and Vadj legs of the 1086 chip, and replace the 50 ohm pot with a 100 ohm pot (part
number 490-2873-ND at digikey). The zero-to-100 ohm resistance range of the new pot is all that's required to supply the laser with anywhere from zero to 88mA of power. We only need 21 mA. This was just a
simplification step.
The next problem with my 1st version circuit was related to the shared power supply.
Background info: In my opinion, a useful IR rifle targeting laser should make highly visible 2MOA green dot on your target, but not be so bright that it creates bloom on the target. As I have mentioned in other
threads, a 5mw 850nm IR laser that is properly collimated to a 1 or 2MOA dot will bloom so badly on a man-sized target that it will obscure everything from the knees up. In other words, you get worse than
minute of torso capability. There are two ways to combat this problem:
1 - use tons of illumination to wash out the bloom.
2 - dial the laser back by either:
.....a - severely underpowering an 850nm laser
.....b - somewhat underpowering a 904nm laser
Note - in my experience, 980nm lasers are ineffective for use with Gen 3 NV. The NV simply doesn't see 980nm light very well. Wavelength is too high.
In my 1st circuit, the 904nm laser could be adjusted to an optimal output level (highly visible but without bloom) by adjusting the pot on the laser side until the current to the laser was 21mA. This was easily
achievable for either laser-only mode or dual-mode, BUT, due to the shared power supply, it was impossible to have a single pot setting that would supply 21mA to the laser in BOTH laser and dual mode. The
LED is too much of a power hog, and would drop the laser current by 25% when in dual mode.
The solution: separate power supplies.
This was accomplished with 14500 lithium rechargeable batteries from dealextreme.com. 14500 battery A 14500 battery is the same diameter and ~2mm longer than a AA battery. They fit nicely in the PEQ
battery cases. They are 3.7v (4.1v peak) 700mAh batteries. If the LED is operating at 600mA, one of these batteries will drive it for over an hour of run-time. The laser will have ~35 hours runtime.
I used one 14500 in the small battery tube to drive the laser. I used one 14500 plus a dummy battery in the large tube to drive the LED. A dummy battery is just a wooden dowel with plus-nipple and a wire
connector passing through the whole thing. OR, an aluminum dowel with a nipple dremeled on one end, and black tape insulating the dowel from the case interior. See photo.
I use the DSD charger from dealextreme to charge these batteries as well as RCR123A batteries for surefire lights, etc. DSD charger
RCR123A's
To charge a 14500 in the DSD, you'll need to make spacers to fit the batteries into the longer slots. Read about this in the user comments on dealextreme. The DSD is a great charger for 8 bucks. Independent
channels, auto shutoff.
Anyway, the end result was this:

1 - removed 4 diodes, three resistors, one pot
2 - changed the remaining pot (laser side) from 50 to 100 ohms
3 - converted to separate power supplies.
So, if you’re shopping from the list in the earlier post, remove the resistor kit and change the pot to the 100ohm variety.
Here's the finished circuit layout.

From the small tube, power goes to a contact point on the board near the laser-side 1086 chip, thru the chip and the pot, past the polarity protection diode and laser-protection capacitor and then on to the laser.
On the return leg, the "ground” goes from the laser to the row of ground contacts at the cap and diode, then jumps by a wire (green dotted) to the open side of the jack. When the pressure switch is squeezed,
the circuit is completed and the laser lases.
REMEMBER - YOU MUST SHORT-CIRCUIT (DRAIN) THE CAP BEFORE EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU CONNECT OR DISCONNECT THE LASER FROM THE CIRCUIT. Failure to do this will kill the laser diode. This is
very simple. Just disconnect the power supply, then lay a tweezer tip or other conductor across the two capacitor leads to "drain" the capacitor. Then connect or disconnect the laser. An example of how to do it
wrong: forget to drain the cap, disconnect the laser. On a nanosecond scale, as you are disconnecting the laser, the wire comes off the laser pin and then bumps it again slightly as you are pulling it away. The
cap will dump to the laser and kill it. In a nanosecond. It's easy to avoid.
From the big battery tube, power goes to the rotary switch. We are now using only one position on the switch. As you'll recall, there are six positions. The way I wired it, the 1st position is on, the other five are
all off. When on, power goes to the LED-side 1086 chip, through it and past the polarity protection diode, and then on to the LED head. In the LED head, power passes the capacitor there, goes through the
light, and returns past the cap and diode to the ground contact point on the board and then to the neg wire from the large tube.
Therefore,
Laser = ground interrupt circuit.
LED = power-interrupt circuit.
Other Notes:
1 - to use a pot as a variable resistor (which we are doing), power goes to the #1 pin, and comes out the coupled #2 & 3 pins. You have to join the #2 and #3 pins together. When you adjust the pot clockwise,
you increase resistance. CCW = decrease resistance.
To save space in this particular layout, you can do it backwards: power goes to #3 and comes out the coupled #1 & 2 pins. The only thing this affects is pot direction: CW = decrease resistance, CCW = increase
resistance.
2 - we eliminated all resistance from the LED 1086 sub-circuit. No pot, no resistors. We just couple Vout and Vadj straight together, and we get maximum 1086 output for this circuit of ~600mA.
3 - since the oem circuit employed 3 AA batteries in series, the “ground” wire on the large black tube is a red-colored 22g wire. The power wire is the red 20g wire soldered to the outside of the tube case. In
other words, they're both red. No biggy.
4 - it is theoretically possible to modify the large tube to accept two 14500 batteries inserted nose-to-nose, with both red wires becoming "ground". A new wire soldered to a new contact spacer between the two
battery noses becomes the plus side. The new spacer must be insulated from the tube case. This would be tricky to accomplish, but would double the runtime of the LED by placing two parallel 14500's as its
power supply. I chose the easier dummy-battery approach because I'm not in combat or LE, and can triple or quadruple LED run time by carrying a few spare 14500's in my pocket. Besides, midnite is past my
bedtime anyway.
5 - you cannot install two 14500 batteries in series in the big tube and "go big" with this circuit. That would be 8v. It will fry this circuit. You could re-design the circuit to operate on 8v by using a LM317 chip
instead of a 1086, but you'll need to start from scratch on the resistance for the chip sub-circuit, and you'll also be wasting power in the form of heat because the Osram operates at 1.8 to 2.5 volts. The other 6v
have to go somewhere (...heat).
Results:
With the multimeter removed, my LED is getting ~610mA. It doesn't get hot at the head or on the circuit board. It is damn bright. It will shut a NV down inside the house. At 50 yards, it’s bright red to the naked
eye when pointed at you. Warning, don’t do this at close ranges, unless you also like staring into ultrabright led weapon lights or perhaps the sun.
I bought a roll of print film and pulled it out of the canister at the processing counter. They developed it and gave it back to me in 10 minutes. It’s a roll of black plastic. I cut out three lens of this plastic and
inserted them under the glass lens on the peq. You can still see it at 50 yards, but much much less noticeable. This has almost no effect on NV illumination.
On the recent bright moon nights, it completely overpowers the ambient light in a 45° field of view out to 75 yards. On dark nights, it clearly illuminates trees beyond 200 yards. If you want an IR peq for indoor
use, build an indoor-only model that has some resistance in the 1086 sub-circuit. Using a breadboard, you can easily determine the lowest current that the LED will operate at, and then work up from there until
you achieve effective but not overpowering indoor illumination.
The laser is better than I hoped.
It collimated very well with the oem lens from the red laser. To get a 2MOA dot, the collimator screw is turned out until it's nearly protruding out of the laser module tube. Once collimated, I dripped a tiny drop

of superglue on one side of the collimator screw threads, and she locked up nicely. I collimated indoors during the day with a Sony handycam. I tweaked it slightly after dark with NV. Then glued it. Total time to
collimate = 2 minutes.
With the pot, you can very easily fine tune the laser to an intensity that works best with your particular NV. The 100ohm pot linked above is a 25 turn pot (1 turn = 4 ohms), enabling precise fine tuning of
wattage. Adjustment can be performed easily on an assembled unit by removing only the rear housing cap. I adjusted mine with the LED off (in laser-only mode). I set it to "just shy of bloom". With the LED on
(dual mode), the laser is easily visible on targets from 10 to 200 yards. In other words, it's exactly what I wanted from a targeting laser: bright enough, completely invisible to naked eyes, no bloom, effective
either with or without illumination, effective for aiming at targets from 5 to at least 200 yards. Deer and horses do not notice it playing on the ground in front of them. (Deer in my yard. Not “poaching” type of
deer. I am not condoning deer poaching.) (The horses are also in my yard. I feed them and they poop. Sometimes I ride them.) ( I couldn’t find my damn cat, so no test data for her.)
My breadboard testing showed that when the pot is dialed to zero resistance, the laser side circuit is capable of 88mA. The Thorlabs laser diode I’m using is made to operate at up to 70mA. What does this
mean?
1 - don't dial the pot all the way to zero ohms in a finished product, or you'll overdrive the laser and kill it.
2 - when testing and adjusting an assembled unit indoors, don't dial the pot to the lower ranges of resistance, because even reflected output from this 10mw laser could permanently injure your eyesight. It's
damn bright.
3 - When adjusting the laser anywhere, remember what you did and what you know from item 1 in the Other Notes above.
4 - When you are outside at night doing the final laser-wattage adjustments to the pot before sealing the unit, do (for fun) dial the pot towards lower resistance. Keep track of your turns. When you get down to
about the 30 ohm range, you'll have a star wars beam that will make you smile. I lit up a barn that is a mile away. It just disappeared in a green blob. I would have called in an airstrike immediately, but I didn't
know who to call. Don't fuck this up and shine it at your neighbor’s house or a dog or anything else you wouldn't point a gun at.
Zero - I set a target at 50 yards in my driveway. Rifle = AR15 with YHM FF rail & BUI’s, with Aimpoint. The BUI’s fit perfectly into the gap between the LED and laser lenses on the cloned peq. Sweet. The top-
mounted peq is visible only in the lowest FOV of the aimpoint. Sweet. Anyway, I clamped the rifle in a towel in a Craftsman Workhorse bench. I shined a floodlight on the target and positioned the bench until
my aimpoint was on the bullseye of the target. Turn off the floodlight, turn on the NV, press the pressure switch to turn on the laser, adjust the alignment knobs on the peq until the laser is on the bullseye.
Don't bump the workbench. Double check with both devices. It took longer to set a target 50 yards down my driveway than to zero the peq. That made me smile too.
I have 40 rounds through it no problems. I knocked on the peq housing this way and that, and banged the rifle butt on the ground. It holds zero fine.
So I guess I spent $600 to buy three Chinese peq’s, tools, components, etc. I’ll have three IR PEQ’s to show for it, plus I spent time with the kids doing it, and now they’re reading and learning and making their
own stuff from electronic ear kits, solar powered stuff, etc.
Are these worth the effort? I think so. Some careful silicone rtv work could produce a very water-resistant (if not submersible) unit. The performance of the led and laser are beyond excellent. There’s no
pressure switch for the LED, it’s either on or off, which works fine for me. The laser is just perfect. The nice thing is it can be easily customized to a perfect dot for whatever NV you are employing.
I'm still painting my house.
I'll take some downrange photos in a week or two once the moon is gone.
Whew. SSL.
Posted :: 14/9/2008 4:43:33 PM EDT Last Edited :: 15/9/2008 12:37:41 AM EDT by DCS

Post Number :: 603
Member
OR, USA
Edit - poopypants was right, that sounds a bit asinine.
Let me re-phrase my final reminder about the hazards of infrared light.
You can't see it so it won't trigger a blink reflex to protect the retina.
So be careful not to shine it someone's eye.
Be careful not to leave it where kids can find it. Typically, a kid may pick it up and stare into a lens, trying to figure out why the light doesn't come on. That could be bad for the kid. My understanding is that
there is no discomfort associated with being blinded by an infrared laser. It just sort of blinds you.
A real PEQ has built-in safety features. This DIY model doesn't have any for the LED. If there's a battery in the tube and you trun the switch to the right notch, it's on. At least with the laser, it can't come on if
the pressure switch is removed from the jack.
I didn't mean to sound like such a dick when i wrote the little "warning" that poopypants quoted below.
I didn't have the average arfcommer in mind when i wrote it.
I was thinking more that I just posted a DIY on building an infrared laser, and I had no control over who may read it or try to build one. In fact, theoretically, a person with a username like "poopypants" might
try to build one, and IMO, that's the kind of person who may need things spelled out really clear.
Alrighty then.
Good luck.
Posted :: 14/9/2008 6:17:58 PM EDT
PoopyPants603 Joined :: October 2006

Post Number :: 1663
Member
OK, USA
Originally Posted By DCS:

Final warning.
It's as safe as a gun. If you use your brain, no one gets hurt.
This is a source of invisible light. Very bright invisible light.
You actually determine how bright.
If you look into the led or laser, your blink-reflex will not work. You won't blink because the eye does not register incoming light. The wavelength of this light is
higher than the visible spectrum. You won't blink, you'll just suffer eye damage.
Direct or indirect (reflected); it doesn't matter. Closer = worse.
This applies to any living organism.
If you hate your (horse, dog, sister, neighbor, friend, frog, fish whatever) and want to cause injury and suffering, then build this and shine it in their eye.

If you build it and leave it laying around, your 8 year old son will shine it in your 4 year old daughter's eye for a cumulative 18 minutes while you are in the garage.
Your daughter will feel nothing but will be blind for life, and your son will have no idea how or why.
Clear enough?
Gee, it must be really bright.
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DCS Joined :: December 2003

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

The cover comes off like this. Go easy.

Remove this screw.

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Posted :: 26/4/2008 4:32:31 AM EDT

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

DCS Joined :: December 2003

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

Lift the assy out of the bottom cover.

Flip it over. Make notes on the wiring.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

Reference photo with single-battery case removed.

At this point, all the components are separated.

Drive the pin out of the rear of the laser box.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

...then drag them out with a fingernail.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

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Posted :: 26/4/2008 4:52:33 AM EDT

GeorgiaBII Joined :: January 2006

I've missed something. What is the purpose of doing this? Thanks.

This site NEEDS an ENEMA!!!

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Posted :: 26/4/2008 5:04:01 AM EDT

DCS Joined :: December 2003

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

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Posted :: 26/4/2008 9:36:31 AM EDT

Specop_007 Joined :: August 2004

Very, very impressive write up DCS!

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Posted :: 26/4/2008 9:37:43 AM EDT

Specop_007 Joined :: August 2004

Originally Posted By GeorgiaBII:

Price a peq, if you can find one.

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Posted :: 26/4/2008 9:50:11 AM EDT

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=20&t=375627[10/18/2008 8:07:31 PM]

MOS2111 Joined :: December 2004

Nice work - Thanks for taking the time and effort.

Being a contributing member means you contribute – to a TECH FORUM...

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Posted :: 28/4/2008 4:14:19 AM EDT

ruthless Joined :: January 2004

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Posted :: 28/4/2008 5:12:28 AM EDT

TheGrayMan Joined :: April 2007

- Sir William Osler -

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Posted :: 26/5/2008 4:21:42 AM EDT

DCS Joined :: December 2003

finally had time to work on this again.

Good news and bad:

IR LED works, IR laser does not.