To make a homemade pencil laser with a red diode, you need a laser module, wire, battery clip and battery, which can be found at a hobby shop or electronics store, a mechanical pencil to encase the laser, and common house tools, such as a soldering iron and wire stripper. Your homemade pencil laser will function similarly to a store bought laser pointer.
Instructions
1. Hold the end of the mechanical pencil so that the point faces away from you. Grip the point of the pencil with a pliers. Twist the pliers to separate the point from the pencil.
2. Grip the center of the pencil with the pliers. Twist the pliers to separate the front section of the pencil from the back section.
3. Hold the front section so that the point is facing up. Shake the front section to dislodge the tube from inside. Pull the tube out of the section. Shake the section again to force out any lead that is still inside.
4. Place the laser module with a red laser diode face down on your work surface. Rotate the diode so that the contact near the edge is facing right.
5. Heat up the soldering iron as you cut two 8-inch lengths of wire from the wire spool, using a scissors. Strip a 1/2-inch of insulation from the ends of both wires.
6. Solder an end of one of the wires to the contact near the edge. Let the solder cool for a minute. Solder an end of the other wire to the contact to the left and above the one by the edge. Let the solder cool. Unplug the soldering iron.
7. Run the two wires through the point of the pen and out the back. Twist the exposed end of the black wire from the battery clip to the end of the wire that is attached to the center contact. Twist the exposed end of the red wire from the battery clip to the end of the other wire. Wrap a piece of electrical tape around each twisted pair of wires.
8. Place the back of the module against the point of the pen. Tape the module to the sides of the pen, using strips of masking tape or duct tape.
9. Tape the back of the battery clip to the back of the pen, using strips of masking tape or duct tape.
10. Check that there is no one near you or near the wall that you are about to aim your pencil laser at. Aim your pen laser at the wall.
11. Insert the battery contacts of the battery into the battery clips to shine a beam of laser light on the wall. Remove the battery from the battery clip to turn the laser light off.
Tips Warnings
Only use your red pencil laser indoors to avoid any chance of it hitting anything outdoors, such as a window of another home or anything in the sky.
Wear gloves to protect your hands when using the soldering iron.
Add a switch to the pencil laser to let you turn it on and off, rather than connecting and disconnecting the battery.
Never aim the beam of a laser, no matter how weak, at a person or pet or at any reflective surface.
The battery used with your pencil laser will drain quickly.
Adult supervision is a must if someone underage is building, or using, a laser.
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