Why Did My Laser Pointer's Beam Dim So Quickly?

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The discussion centers around the performance and battery life of a 5mW, 650nm laser pointer powered by AG-3 button cells. Users noted a significant decrease in brightness after just 60 seconds of use, leading to questions about the rapid power loss of the batteries. The original advertisement claimed a battery duration of three hours, which was found to be misleading, as the laser dimmed noticeably within a minute. The AG-3 cells, which are typically 1.5 volts, were suspected of being inefficient for this application, contributing to the laser's quick dimming. Comparisons were made to other laser pointers, indicating that red lasers generally have longer battery life than green ones. Overall, the consensus is that the product's advertised specifications do not accurately reflect its real-world performance.
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I got a 5mW (class 3A), 650nm laser pointer yesterday and it came with 3 AG-3 button cells and over a day, it was on for about 60 seconds, maybe more however I noticed the beam wasn't as bright as it was when I first put it on. Over 30 seconds worth of use, it seemed to dim further until I replaced the batteries with some AG-3s that came with another product and it was noticably brighter. The 3mm white LED wasn't affected.
The website I ordered it from said its battery duration was 3 hours (it's the 2 in 1 at the bottom). It also said it came with 3 2.5v watch batteries (I thought AG-3 cells were 1.5 volts).

Why did the button cells lose their power so quickly?
Why do the AG-3s cause the laser beam to dim instead of allowing it to be at a constant intensity?
Did the website get the facts wrong?

Thanks for any replies
 
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Does the advertisement tell you about the intensity of the beam for the continuous three hour duration?
 
No, but we're only talking about roughly 90 seconds for the beam to half its brightness at this rate, the beam will dissipate by 5 mins not 3 hours.
 
The advertisement is a lie. I have laser pointer running on two AAA batteries and it lasts for less than ten minutes. The laser diode is simply a power hog, inefficient at that.
 
Thanks for your help.
 
Red laser pointers last longer than green ones .
 

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