How to Make a Laser Pointer Red Dot Sight

     This is an instructable on how to make a laser pointer red dot sight for playing video games. This is a handy way to fire your weapon accuratly when the provided sights are difficult to aim, or not provided. I use this setup for playing games like Call of Duty, Halo, and Borderlands. This build is really easy and cheap and offers an accurate bang for your buck.

     Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
    Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

How This Laser Works

When complete this laser can be set on a coffee table behind the gamer, a cord running from the laser to a foot petal switch will be depressed (with your foot ) to turn on the laser.

      *The Laser can be "sighted in" with any in game sniper rifle or red dot sight by       looking through the sights (in the game) while adjusting the laser on the coffee table.

       *Once the laser is aligned with the chosen sight from the game it is now accurate for any gun in the game, regardless if the gun is equipped with any usable sights at all.

        * This works because.........While playing 1st person shooters your sights are always centered in the same spot (the middle of the screen). When you move about only the background changes no matter what direction you happen to be looking, up, down, left, right.
      Lets proceed to the material list
          Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

Material List

1.) cheap laser pointer preferably mounted to an adjustable base.

2.) Foot petal switch ( with a normally open momentary contact switch) *when button is pushed it turns something on, When button is released it turns off.
Note: My foot petal switch is from a treelawn salvaged sewing machine, you could always buy a small project box and switch from radio shack and build your own foot petal switch.

3.) 3 AAA Battery Holder, from radio shack

3.) Two conductor cord, any cable with two wires around 18 gauge would work fine ,the length should be about 6'.

4.) soldering gun, solder, flux, liquid electrical tape

5.) wire strippers, electrical multi-tester with a setting for continuity, (you could also use a test light) if an electrical meter is unavailable.
Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

Choosing the Right Laser

     I chose this laser because it was cheap $4.99 from Harbor Freight, It also is great for the job because it has a nice base that comes with an optional double stick pad for mounting, in addition the bottom of the base has 3 strong magnets to mount it on metal.
     The laser is mounted on an adjustable base for up and down adjustment. This laser is sold for mounting to a circular saw and has a lens that changes the laser dot to a laser line, have no fear the lens pops right out so you can have a 1/8" laser dot. This laser is not super bright but definitely bright enough for this purpose.
          Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

Removing the Lens

The lens in this particular laser changes the laser light into a laser line for the purpose of saw cutting, It was very simple to pull the large black cap off the end then remove the smaller black cap that holds the "line making lens." I simply used a small screwdriver and pushed the clear lens out. Here are a few pictures of the lens removal and before and after shots of the laser beam.
Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

Preping the Laser

I first removed the batteries from the laser by unscrewing the gold cap. Next you want to drill a hole into the side of the laser (somewhere in the middle). The hole should be just slightly smaller than the diameter of the cable so the cable can be held in securely. The batteries removed from the laser will not be re-installed because that room is needed for making connections. I stripped about 2 inches of cable off to expose the red and black wires then gently pushed the cable into the hole while guiding the black and red wires out the back end off the laser pointer.
     Next I soldered the black wire very carefully to the spring way down inside the laser (this was not easy because everything is so tight, but with a little patience it can be done. This black wire is the battery negative.
     The red wire is then soldered to the inside of the gold cap right in the middle. From the factory this gold cap has a large dab of solder here and it is designed to contact the positive side of the battery. This large dab of solder is what I melted and attached the red (battery positive)wire to.
     Next I carefully screwed the cap back on, as I screwed it on the red wire was also twisting with it, and this is why the red wire must be left a little long as to give it length to coil up and not twist off the solder joint.
          Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

Installing Battery Holder

                           Now I will show you how I installed the battery holder.
       First let me tell you why I chose this battery holder. The three batteries that came with the laser are called LR44's and they are 1.5volts each. The way they are installed in series multiplies the voltage of 1 battery times  3. This means the origional batteries give the laser diode a supplied voltage of 4.5 volts.
       The three AAA battery holder from radio shack is perfect because it holds three AAA's that are also 1.5 volts each. This matches the supplied voltage from the origional batteries. at 4.5volts.
The battery holder also comes with a black and red wire ready to solder to a project.

Next I inspected the foot pedal switch for a good location to mount the battery holder. I chose a good spot and drilled a small pilot hole for a screw to mount the battery holder. I also drilled a hole to pass the battery pos. and neg. wires into the foot switch. I screwed the battery box onto the foot switch and pushed the red and black wires into the foot switch.
Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

Making Foot Switch Connections

In order to make the right connections I used my electrical multi-tester, and located the wires that went to the switch.
       I soldered the negative from the battery directly to the negative coming from the laser. Then I soldered the positive from the battery to one side of the switch. Next I soldered the positive from the laser to the other side of the switch. (look for wiring diagram in photo's)
      Thats it for the soldering. The foot petal switch is metal in the inside and I did not want my connections to short out so I used liquid electrical tape to cover the exposed solder connections.
    Finally I installed the batteries and tested my new setup.
          Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

Setting Up and Using Laser

Here is how I set up my laser.
        I use a small metal box on my coffee table and set the laser on it, since the laser base has magnets it stays put. I place the foot petal switch in front of my t.v. stand and pull up my favorite gaming chair. I sit off centered from the t.v. as to not block the laser.
      Next I put in a video game, In this case Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 and Join a match.
      While in the game I select a gun that has a red dot already or a sniper with good cross-hairs.
     Now I look down the sights in the game with one hand and with the other I adjust the up     and down on the laser, when I get the up and down set I rotate the metal box my laser is on until    both the laser and in game sights are aligned perfectly. Now I am free to switch weapons, every weapon will be accurate to my laser. I show some examples of sighting in the laser. There are also examples of in game sights with and without the laser dot.
          Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob

When to Use Laser Dot Sight

I use the laser dot sight in call of duty when im using a gun that has 2 attachments and no in game red dot sight. I also use it with the Acog scope because it enhances the Acog sight. While using any weapons with akimbo "a weapon in each hand" the in game sight is so wide and lame, the laser dot fixes this problem with a click of your foot.
   The laser dot sight comes in handy when hip firing a weapon, we all know that hip firing is less accurate. The hip fire sights are also very crappy and this only adds to the inaccuracy while shooting.
    This was a fun build for me and I wanted to share my Laser Dot Sight with other gamers. Hopefully you guys found this instructable helpfull.
          Here is a link to a youtube video of this setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXqZJwGPq4
Have any questions you can send me a chat invite on xbox live, my Gamertag is deaths knob