Personal projects / Sensors & electronics
Dorm Circuits laser kit
A small electronics kit I designed, packaged, and sold, with visual assembly instructions.
Open the numbered review →Case, kit, and completed circuit
Photos 189–192
A red laser-pointer kit I created under the Dorm Circuits name. I used a laser cutter to engrave the lettering and graphics into the matte black case. The crisp markings gave the small kit a finished appearance.
The opened laser-pointer kit, with the components packaged in an antistatic bag. I liked how the protective packaging complemented the engraved case and made the kit feel like a complete product.
The laser-pointer kit assembled on a miniature breadboard, shown beside a nine-volt battery and its engraved case. The circuit included a voltage regulator and a pushbutton for the laser. I made a small batch under Dorm Circuits LLC—roughly 10 to 20 kits, as I recall—and sold them mostly to family. It was an early experience of turning an electronics project into something other people could assemble.
The completed Dorm Circuits laser-pointer kit switched on. The kit used a red laser module labeled at five milliwatts and brought the components together on a small breadboard.
Instructions and circuit explanation
Photos 193–194
The kit's illustrated assembly guide, showing the components and where they fit on the breadboard. I used matching colored dots to connect each component lead with its intended position. The approach was inspired by IKEA-style visual instructions: I wanted the kit to be as self-explanatory as possible, though I would have liked more feedback from people using it.
The second instruction sheet combines component photographs, a schematic, and an explanation of the voltage-regulating circuit. A Zener diode provides a voltage reference for a transistor that supplies the laser module. I also included handling warnings, including keeping the beam away from eyes and vehicles. The aim was to explain what the assembled circuit was doing as well as how its parts fit together.