Good, cost-effective drivers for violet

I have a PHR-803T diode in an Axiz gathering dust, that I want to put to good use. What are good options available for PHR drivers right now?

One of the name brands? DIY designs? What about those drivers I see coming-out now from some of the well-known Chinese companies?

Want adjustable, but preference is for something inexpensive. Thanks!

i bought one from o-like i can't get it to work i use Ryans rkcstr's drivers
about 45-50 so far i like them very much but if its a smaller host you may need Dr Lavas flexdrive either of the two work great


hmmm i would now like to have a couple recommendation drivers from lava and rkcstr please

I don't know when they'll be ready, but I'm looking at these.

For a built inexpensive proven driver I would go with the Rkcstr Micro-Drive....

http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/micro-drive-laser-driver-rkcstr-22553.html

or you could build yourself the DDL current regulated driver for even less..

http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-homemade-laser-diode-driver-26339.html


Jerry

I tried an o-like one as well and it was a no go. I really don't think you can beat the price for what you get with rkcstr though. No fuss, no labor, just a great inexpensive driver.

rkcstr's, LM317, flexdrive v4 or one of your own creation!

From what i've read in the numerous posts related to this, rckstr has a very good reputation for quality, flexibility and power. Lavadrives are more expensive, but are extremely small for the power they can handle. However I see that rayfoss has very inexpensive drivers too. I guess you get what you pay for. But still, I will order a couple of these cheapo rayfoss drives in a short while, perhaps just to drive the few low-power red diodes I have in my drawer...

Robert

I like the Lava drive, rickstr, and the DDL. But you said cheap therefore I wouldn't hesitate to use the DDL. I have sacrificed my share of LD's, but after the learning curve was over the DDL shines. I'd be careful of higher voltage on the input however. I'm getting long life with the minimum input voltage necessary to get a good beam. I'm also using a larger value cap at 47uf to absorb more transient spikes. I have had good luck powering LOC/reds with a .91 ohm current sense resistor. I don't have a power meter but I'm thinking that it's >350mW. Sorry about the off-topic red though.

Something that seems to have been overlooked here (and something that is rather important) is what you plan on using for a host / power supply (batteries). The Rkcstr drivers require approximately 7VDC minimum to run a PHR diode (so you're looking at a pair of 3.6V rechargeables at a minimum to run the laser, possibly a 9V cell) but if you want to run it on standard batteries or a single rechargeable, then you will need a boost driver such as Dr Lava's flexdrive, which will boost the input voltage to that required for the diode.

Also noteable is that if you plan on using an adjustable driver, you will need some sort of "test load" to simulate a diode for adjustment/setting (otherwise you are risking the diode blowing up if the driver is just set as a "guestimate") - I personally swear by Rkcstrs test load, very inexpensive (especially if purchased with a driver) as well as easy to use. You could always build your own test load usinfg resistors too, but the premade unit by Rkcstr is really slick, only costs a few bucks, and again, IMHO is the way to go.

YGG said:

I tried an o-like one as well and it was a no go. I really don't think you can beat the price for what you get with rkcstr though. No fuss, no labor, just a great inexpensive driver.

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can i borrow your driver and let me try it?? i will try to do a review on it..