- 1). Remove the casing from the optical drive; most optical drives use small Phillips head screws, but you'll need to check the screws on your own drive to see what kind of screwdriver you need.
- 2). Find the laser diode; it's the part with the small, round piece of glass and should be in the center of the drive. There are two rails on which the laser assembly slides back and forth; pull them out and lift the assembly from the rest of the drive. Several screws hold the assembly together; unscrew them so you can take out the laser diode.
- 3). Take apart the AixiZ 650nm laser pointer and push out the laser. You can use a pen or screwdriver to push it out. Set this laser diode aside and install the laser diode you removed from the optical drive. Solder the contact pins to the negative and positive terminals of the laser diode with the soldering gun. If you're unsure which terminal is which, use two AA batteries to test the diode's polarity. Touch the positive end of one battery to one terminal and the negative end of the other battery to the other terminal. If the laser turns on, you'll know that the first terminal is the negative one and that the other is the positive one. If it doesn't light up, the reverse will be true.
- 4). Take apart the Mini Maglite. Unscrew the ring and take out the light bulb. Pull the reflector out and use the Dremel to widen the hole in the center so you can fit the laser housing into it. Reassemble the flashlight by sliding the reflector back in and securing it with the ring. Install two AA batteries and turn the flashlight on.
- 5). Fold a piece of paper so that it will stand on its own and aim your homemade burning laser at it. It should start to smoke and burn within about 10 seconds.
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