Laser materials for eyesafe wavelength generation and Q-switching crystals for short pulse operation were studied and compared with each other. Er,Yb:phosphate glass as a laser material and $Co^{2+}:MgA1_2O_4$ as a saturable absorber were found to be an effective pair for a compact, light-weight passively Q-switched eyesafe laser operation. Simplified rate equation was used to estimate pulse parameters of the diode-pumped passively Q-switched laser.