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Cooling an 1W IR?

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Stianbl

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Dec 4, 2008
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Hi again folks :)
Waiting for my red laser (200mW DX), which should be able to do some burning :)

But then I bumped into this 2W handheld IR thingy... =D

What I notice of my greenie (50mW DX, probably working at 30-40mW, since it doesnt even sting on my skin) is that it has to be used for like 20 sec before the really bright laser shows. If I'm outside now, it wont show for long. I have to holdt the whole thing in my hands, heating it. Itæs about 0c outside. This is way to cold for my laser to work. So, is it like this on every laser? that if you actually cool it too much, it wont lase?

In my case, I want to build a fairly cheap 1W laser (or what you call it when its an IR diode). If 2W is not that much of a bigger problem, then that might be a great idea too.. :)

Firstly. What do I need? The Diode, an aixis lense, a module (homemade or bought) and some housing with batteries. I guess these need cooling, but what kind of cooling would be enoug for it to run safely? As I dont have any access to any metal workshop, I cant make the housing to fit. I will have to find other stuff to put it inside (flashlights, and other stuff). What kind of cooling do I need for a 1W, or even a 2W handheld?

Me want to burn! ;D (yes yes, I will get a pair of glasses before doing this^^)
 





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StrictlyBudget

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Stianbl said:
Hi again folks :)
Waiting for my red laser (200mW DX), which should be able to do some burning :)

But then I bumped into this 2W handheld IR thingy... =D

What I notice of my greenie (50mW DX, probably working at 30-40mW, since it doesnt even sting on my skin) is that it has to be used for like 20 sec before the really bright laser shows. If I'm outside now, it wont show for long. I have to holdt the whole thing in my hands, heating it. Itæs about 0c outside. This is way to cold for my laser to work. So, is it like this on every laser? that if you actually cool it too much, it wont lase?

In my case, I want to build a fairly cheap 1W laser (or what you call it when its an IR diode). If 2W is not that much of a bigger problem, then that might be a great idea too.. :)

Firstly. What do I need? The Diode, an aixis lense, a module (homemade or bought) and some housing with batteries. I guess these need cooling, but what kind of cooling would be enoug for it to run safely? As I dont have any access to any metal workshop, I cant make the housing to fit. I will have to find other stuff to put it inside (flashlights, and other stuff). What kind of cooling do I need for a 1W, or even a 2W handheld?

Me want to burn!  ;D (yes yes, I will get a pair of glasses before doing this^^)
Click to expand...
yup all lasers have an optimum temperature range. too cold, it won't lase. too hot, it might die.

required:
-IR Diode
-Aixiz Housing
-Driver
-Host

the housing will act as a heatsink already.

i'm not in a good state right now so i might have missed something.
 
Switch

Switch

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Actually no.The instability you are witnessing with your green laser is typical for DPSS lasers, especially DX lasers. :p A diode laser is much more stable.And much more cold resistant....You probably won't manage to make it stop lasing even in Antarctica :p Usually , as far as I know , cooling a diode will result in a slight drop in wavelength, so with DPSS lasers, when they're too cold, the pump diode wavelength drops from 808nm and the Nd:YVO[sub]4[/sub] needs 808nm to work.

For a 1W or 2W a nice bulky heatsink with good thermal contact should be enough if you keep the duty cycle limited.If you don't have access to a workshop this will be pretty hard to acomplish though.Maybe someone here would be nice enough to make you a custom heatsink. :-/

May I suggest you buy IR goggles before you order anything else, a keylock on the laser, and put your goggles on before turning it on, and turning it off everytime before you take off your goggles? ;D
 
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Stianbl

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Thanks for the answers :)

Yes, I will have to find some IR goggles. Where can I find these for a fair amount of mony? :p

About the custom make heatsink. This would be a sylinder, wich fits the aixiz perfectly (or with 1mm clearing round the edges for thermal paste?) and fits inside of my object?

What unists does require cooling of the laser? The diode itself? Or mainly the driver? if its only the driver, wouldnt it be possible to get a small cheap peltier? (or what its called). If that is possible, how much power does one of those draw? :p Would imagine it draws a lot.

I want this "cheap". As I aint got much mony right now. So I will need a cheap diode of 1W, and going to build the driver myself.

Also, the IR diode I extracted from my CD-burner (see other thread), what mW could I expect of this one? I guess not much, but it could be a start to make my first DIY laser. :) wouldnt require cooling either I guess.
 
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digital_blue

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Higher powered IR diodes(1 watt and up) only come in 9mm can and C-mount configuration; a standard aixiz will not fit either. You will need a Meridith module(for 9mm diodes) or a custom made head for a C-mount. As for the IR goggles, they can be found on ebay for pretty cheap...

As per the original question, you only need active cooling if you are going to run these with a continuous duty cycle.
 
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Stianbl

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Ok. Thanks =)
How much would a meridith module cost? Or if I get hold of a C-mount diode, where can I get a module for this (here I guess), and for what price?
 
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