(I'm not sure where to put this thread, so if it belongs under another forum, please feel free to move it).

I have an HP dvd1035 drive that was replaced in my work computer. It does work, at least to the point of reading and writing CDs and DVDs. But it was causing my computer to hang after a while, so something went freaky inside it. It does still at least read CDs, and can burn CDs and DVDs....

The IT guy at work said to just toss it, but I was curious if there's anything salvageable inside it? Maybe not for a newbie like me to learn anything on, but maybe for someone else to use?

It's a DVD Multi Recorder (DVD RW + R DL) and CD-RW

Specifically, it's a model dvd1035i-4H10, made in May 2008. More details can be found here.

The warning label does state it's a Class 3B (visible and invisible) laser radiation device.

Can anyone use anything from this drive? Is this something I should hold on to? Would it be good to "practice" my disassembly skills on at least, to try to get the diode(s) out (strictly as a learning tool)? Or just trash it?

Thanks.

Edited to add: I found a thread here that talks about this exact drive. So maybe I can salvage something worthwhile!

Dave;

That drive will have a nice Red diode in it.

It should be the one that reflects off the cube.

It will make a nice burner with an Aixiz module and glass lens.

LarryDFW

LarryDFW,

Thanks for the reply. I haven't gotten "into" the drive yet to extract anything, but I plan on doing so soon. I'm both excited about this project and a little nervous/scared. This will not only be my first DIY laser project, but also my first electronics project. Ever. Meaning I have no experience in soldering, or handling something so "fragile" like LD's, electronics circuits, etc.

Everyone:

A few (OK, many) questions:

What should I salvage out of this thing? I mean, other than the laser diodes? Should I keep the IR diode for anything, too? Or toss the IR diode? Are there mirrors or lenses in there that will come in handy? Should I keep the sled, or housing, or other circuit boards?

As for constructing my laser:

Is the aixiz housing the only "option" I have for mounting the diode? Do I also need a heatsink? What sort of driver should I use? Is it easy to solder the driver to the diode? Is there a tutorial on these "basics" somewhere?

sorry for so many noob questions, but when it comes to electronics and lasers, well, I am a noob!

Thanks for any input.

When I disassemble an old dvd drive, very little gets in the garbage...

top and bottom case: Can be used for the steel, if you need a piece of steel of an odd shape, you can cut it out from the cover.

PCB: Some fine quality SMCs on this, just quickly blowtorch the PCB on the parts-free side and the components just drop off! Salvage caps, resistors, diodes, tiny electrolytics and other goodies.

motors (very small motors with high torque), gears, bearings and hardware like screws, washers and c-clips.

The sled itself contains a lot of very useful optics, dichros and splitter cubes, as well as the valuable red diode. Keep the infra diode, it might be useful just to practice on soldering and desoldering the tiny pins on it...

So I'm left throwing away a nearly depopulated PCB and the plastic case that holds the drive's innards.

Robert

Toss the IR diode....Keep the 20X red diode.

What kind of processor is in it....It might be worth it to sell it on ebay.

As for your other questions. Start by reading this.
Pro Tips w/ Spyderz20x6: Building your first DIY Laser!

roddenberry,

Wow. Sounds like 90% of the drive is of use somewhere/somehow. That's nice to know! Now, to convince my wife that I need to keep all this stuff laying around "in case" LOL....

Great tidbit on blowtorching the PCB so everything falls off. I never would have thought torching something like that would be a good thing. Great point to keep the IR diode for practice!

Thank you!


iskor12,

I think I'll keep the IR diode and use it as practice. I'll definitely be keeping the red one though! What sort of output can a 20x CD-R diode get?

I have no idea what sort of processor the drive has. I didn't even know those little chips inside were worth anything. I guess they can be used for other devices? Or do you mean the computer's processor? That still works, just this drive was crap.

And I've already saved that tutorial as a Word document, and I'm expanding on it by adding pictures and descriptions from each link, and my own notes. It will become my "Intro to DIY Lasers" notebook (with proper credit given of course) that I'll use to help me understand everything about this hobby a little better.

Thanks!

I feel dumb...I thought that you where talking about a laptop...not just a cd-rom drive.
Yes, I meant the computer's processor.

That 20X red diode should be able to put out about 250mW @ 400-420mA and a glass lense + a good heat sink. ( I usually stick with 380mA...to lengthen the life of the diode)
A 20X diode is most likely a Long Open Can diode.


If you have any other questions, feel free to ask or even PM me.

iskor12, Don't feel dumb! I guess I just got confused with what you meant. Thanks for the info and chart! It sounds like this is quite the decent diode, huh? I never expected it to be that high of an output, but I guess it would have to be a burning diode since it came from a burner. LOL.



Well, I suppose I'll continue with this thread as my "progress report" thread.

Tonight, I decided to go as far as I could with a "regular" screwdriver, just to see how close I could get to the diode center of a DVD drive. I actually got farther along than I expected. I've never dissected a drive like this before, so I may have done it "wrong" here and there, but I'm guessing it's the end result that counts, right? I took progress photos as I went along, too. I'll upload and link those later.

Here are the photos and related steps I took. I'm not posting EVERY photo here. I'm sure you've all seen DVD drives opened up before for some reason.

01: Overall drive
This is just an overall view of the drive. Nothing great.

02: Label close-up
Close-up view of the label on the bottom of the drive. It's a relatively new drive.


03: Took outer cover off
Here's where the fun begins! I simply started taking what I could off/out.


04: Unplug cables
I simply pulled on the thin cable on the left, and it came right out. The wider cable has little clasps on each end that you have to pull out so the cable is released.

05: Took faceplate off
I'm sure I went about this all wrong. I just took a flathead screwdriver, pushed each tab in, and then pried at each side until it popped out. After getting it off, I figured there was probably an easier way of doing that. Oh, well. LOL.

06: Took tray board out
There are small tabs holding the board in. I started at the left side, and released the board from under the tab. Next I released the tabs in the middle (tray). Then I pulled it past the right-most tab. It came out very easily.

07: Took main board out
Same idea as the previous board: pull the tabs out so the board can move past it. I started on the right tab, and it pretty much just fell out after that.

Time for the next "layer"!


08: Took spindle motor out
Three screws hold this motor in place.

09: Took auger motor out
Two screws hold this little motor in place. I also unplugged the little cable.

10: Took outer case off
With a little bit of wiggling, the plastic "frame" came out of the metal case

11: Pushed rubber absorbers out
I'm not sure if this was necessary at this point, but I did it anyway. I just used my screwdriver to push the rubber shock absorbers through their housing.

12: tray view
There's a tab that prevents the tray from sliding out. So I just slid the tray as far as it would go, pulled the tab back, and wiggled the tray all the way out.


13: tray removed
now with the tray removed, it's time to "attack" the sled assembly. After unscrewing the larger screws holding the upper rubber shock absorbers to the frame, the whole thing came loose.


14: sled and frame
The other side of the sled

15: sled and frame - lens side
With the removal of two more screws (a), and a slight "shifting" of the thin meandering spring (b), the module will be free to come right off the rails. Don't drop it! LOL.


16: all apart!
All the sled assembly pieces. Not much to show.

17: finally off the rails
All that's left is the cable. The cable is held in by a "latch" on the top side. Just open the latch and the cable falls out


18: labels
The two labels near the diodes

19: labels
Another photo of the labels.

20: diode end
I can see where that larger cable came into this module. Then it split off into two copper "cables" which seemed to go to each diode.


21: lens
View of the lens side.

22: different angle
another photo of the power cable and heat sink



This is as far as I can go for tonight. I don't have any really tiny screwdrivers! Plus, there's some kind of blueish-green stuff around the screws. I assume this is a lock-tite kind of product.

This final "assembly" seems to be a circuit board on one side where the lens is, then a copper-colored cover on the other side. I don't think I can see any of the laser diodes directly at this point.

If I follow the ribbon cable (now removed) onto the diode/optics board, there are three distinct pins. Then there is a copper colored "ribbon" going to each diode. The one diode's pins are almost lined up in a line, and the heat sink is "exposed" on the edge of the plastic assembly. I think this is the IR diode.... The other diode's pins are more radial, but a copper "cover" hides the actual heat sink and diode from view. I'm guessing this is the red laser diode. But I could be wrong.

On that copper cover are two small labels. I'm guessing they're indicating information for each diode inside? I have no idea what the "gibberish" image part of the labels says, but the text is easy to read.

One label is blue and simply has:

10G

The other label is black and has three rows of characters:

8110K1--B
DS17LV1 I
DJ3ROI3FH

What does all this mean?

So, what's my next step? Do I unscrew all the screws on this assembly now (after getting past the lock-tite)? It seems like the copper cover thing is around the one diode. I just don't want to tear into it and break anything trying to disassemble it to get to the diodes.

Hopefully the photos can help you see what i'm talking about. If you need a different photo/view, please let me know.

Thanks for reading along everyone.

Good going Dave, Your next step will be to go to the dollar store and get a set of mini jeweler's screwdrivers... or buy higher quality stuff at the hardware store like: DealExtreme: $10.17 Precision Screwdrivers for Electronics DIY (34-Piece Set)
I have a kit similar to that and the scrtewdriver tips are very sturdy. You might have to apply a bit of pressure while turning very slowly to loosen the screws without stripping them.

When you get to the optics... a screwdriver is a lens' worst enemy... use either a small wood dowel or a plastic wedge to pry off the various lenses and prisms, drop them on a piece of lint free tissue and save them for further experimentations. The diodes will be encased in small metallic blocks (the heat sinks) that you can just pry off the sled with a tool. be careful not to send the poor diode flying off!

Then check out some of our member's youtube videos on how to "harvest" a diode from a heat sink without utterly destroying it. As I mentioned, practice on the IR diode before attempting to free the red diode. If you f**k up with the IR, you will have learned how not to repeat the same on the valuable red diode.

Robert

Thanks, roddenberry. I'm now in unknown territory for myself and my skills, so any tidbit of advice will be greatly appreciated! I'll definitely work with the IR diode first, once I figure out which is which. I'll re-read the tutorial about using a small file to get through the heat sink material.... I'm more of a "short fuse lose my patience and beat something with a rock" kind of a person, so this intricate fragile electronics stuff will be a test of my willpower and patience.... LOL.

I'm a little worried about Dollar Store tools. The quality is obviously sub-par, and I can foresee stripping the crap out of tiny screwdrivers.

I guess in addition to the jeweler's screwdrivers, I should also pick up a soldering iron and some solder.

Anyone know of a store (East Coast, USA) where I can find a good deal on quality supplies? I have a Harbor Freight, Wal-Mart, Radio shack, Sears, Target, Pep Boys, Auto Zone, Tools and More, and various hardware stores really close to my apartment. Where would you go to shop? Also, keep in mind that I'm on a budget, so I want to find a good balance between affordability and quality.

I suppose I may as well order the laser-related items now, too....

I'll get a few Aixiz housing assemblies (I'm sure this won't be the only laser I try to make myself). I've seen sites that sell them without diodes, and some sites that do. Where's the best place to get them in your opinion?

One thing I'm unsure about is the driver. Yes, I know there are a few great drivers out there... but which one do I want? And not only for this project, but for future projects, too? Should I buy a few of the same one, or buy one at a time based on my needs for the specific peoject?

Does this need a heat sink, or does the Aixiz housing act as a heat sink?

As for a host, I'm leaning towards an MXDL type of flashlight housing. Although I wonder: can the "components" simply be attached to a block of wood, like a simple home lab laser?

Again, thanks for everyone's help!

I have found that for your basic stuff, Harbor Freight is actually a pretty good bang for your buck. Best part is, if any of the tools break, they will usually replace them for free.

You are also going to need the following(especially if you plan on building a laser)....sorry if I am repeating anything that some one else already said.

1.) Helping hands (They help make things easier when it comes to soldering small parts)
2.) Jewlers tool kit (small screwdrivers)
3.) Small Vice (for putting the diode in the Aixiz? Module)
4.) Soldering Iron (Low wattage)
5.) Soder Wick
6.) Plenty of work light (You got to be able to see what you are doing.)
7.) Laser Driver (Because connecting the diode strait to a battery will likely kill it)

The list does go on........especially when you start building the laser.

Since I drive right past a Harbor Freight on my way home every day, I think I'll just use them as my equipment supplier, especially based on their prices and my "noobness" in this hobby. I can always upgrade to better equipment in the future.

Here's my wish list. Please tell me if I'm missing anything important:

- Jumbo Helping Hands
- 32-piece or 33-piece precision screwdriver set
- 30W soldering iron
- Solder (rosin core, lead-free)

These items will run me a whopping $24. LOL. I also belong to their "email list" so I often get a 15%-25% off one item coupon, so that'll save me a little more.

I already have an "adjustable" wire stripper (was my Grandfather's) and a small vise.

Thanks for everyone's continued support and input!

Good start Dave... the helping hand is nice but don't use it for anything more than holding wires to a component while soldering... anthing heavier and the part may slip from the alligator clips.

The 33-piece kit' driver looks smaller, go for that on, since it may be quite useful in hard to reach holes where a regular driver might not fit.

the iron is a good bargain. I'd go for a 3-prong grounded unit but this one is gonna be fine.

Careful with the solder though... I'm not too keen on leadless solder, it has a higher melting temp than eutectic 63/37 solder and be especially sure you're getting the "organic rosin" core solder and not the acid core solder used in plumming (real bad for electronics)

A good vise with a rotating head is a good thing, but a plain old little vise like the one below will be quite useful to securely hold heavy stuff for grinding, bending, twisting or soldering on a PCB.


Now go on the DX site, in the Electronics/Professionnal Tools section and go apeshit! Lots of great goodies from inexpensive meters to solder paste and ultrafine tweezers for "reeeal cheeeeep".

Robert

Thanks roddenberry!

Yeah, I figured those alligator clips wouldn't hold up a car or anything. LOL. I do like that Helping Hands, since it also has a coiled iron holder, sponge holder, and a light and magnifying glass.

I'll go for the 33-piece set. Good point on getting into tighter spaces with that set vs other ones.

I remember reading about plumbing solder being BAD for electronics. While I'm at HF I'll look at the other solder they have and get something more appropriate (63/37).

I also have an analog (moving needle) multimeter. I'm guessing that'll come in handy one of these days, too.

If they don't have it, stop by your local Radio Shack. They will have it

They're close, too. Will do. Thanks!

Well, I put my new precision screwdriver set to good use tonight. I got through the copper cover and found the goodies inside! Whoo hoo! I did have trouble with the last screw though. Man! What a difficult task! I ended up using a flathead screwdriver and a lot of torque, since the phillips head wasn't doing anything except for slipping. LOL. But, I got through it, and the cover practically fell off by itself.

23: Diode view
Here's a photo of the "diodes end" of the assembly. I'm guessing that the IR diode is the one to the lower left (sort of outside the black plastic frame), and the red diode is on the lower right? Not to be confused with the rectangular silver thing to the left of the diodes of course. I have no idea what that is.


24: Optics View
I can see the little cube! It's smaller than I expected. Actually, the diodes are smaller than I expected them to be, too. And I can easily see the mirrors.


Do I want the lens on the other side, too? And is there some sort of magnet inside this assembly? The one screw and washer kind of got sucked inside somehow (on the lens side). I'm guessing something is magnetized in there??

I must say that you are handling your 'noobieness' in a very professional manner. Great photos surely are making it SO much easier to give you help. oh Yeah those are some powerful magnets for thier size --for sure(rare earth --I think?). Also the 'cubes' in the center came come in handy to join or split beams of the same wavelength as well. Flamingpyro likes/takes the leftover sleds to do pyro stulff with (dont ask). I give you a +rep for your efforts---Len

Wow. Thanks for the rep point! And thank you for the kind words on my professional noobiness. LOL. I might be new to lasers, but I'm not new to taking photos and writing reviews and articles and posting it all online. One of these days I hope to have a store-bought laser that I can review here.

So, is my assumption on which diode is which correct, or is it backwards? Or must I dissect the diode assembly further?

I will certainly keep the optics for future use.

So should I disassemble the lens part and grab the magnets, too? Or is that part worth "more" intact like it is now?

Do you think Flamingpyro wants my drive carcass parts?

Thanks again for everyone's help!

DieselMarine knows about firearms lasers-DX(looonnng shipping time) sells overspeck green pens for around $10 which can be modded up quite a bit(search DX true 5mW) by john lawson-AixiZ sells lots on Ebay- AND -everything from just parts to kits to completed units can be gotten here from trusted LPF members galore. I really learned a lot from the Pros in the tutorial section- and look forward to seeing your info there too.

Well, I'm learning a lot on this forum, and I'm just trying to read as much as I can here. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to post something "expert" on LPF. For now, I'm taking my time with all of this info, and trying my hands at this little DIY project.

More progress tonight!!!

It took me a little while to gather my nerve, but tonight I took my X-Acto knife to the assembly. I cut the power "cord" near the circuit board, using the X-Acto. This is very easy. For the diodes, I had read somewhere around here that you just have to "work" on the glue (i.e. cut carefully and slowly) until the diodes (w/ heat sinks) kind of come out. So, I started carving away the glue that connects the heat sinks to the black housing.

I started with what I thought was the IR diode (the one outside the black plastic). Basically, you carve away the glue between the black plastic housing and the silver heatsink. I was worried about cutting into the diode, but the heatsink is much tougher than the glue is. Cutting glue away from the one side weakened the other and it just fell off.

Then, I started cutting away the glue from (what I think is) the red diode. This one is tougher, because it has more glue holding it in place because it spans the plastic housing. But with some patience, I got through the glue and was able to gently(!) pry it out with a tiny screwdriver, being careful NOT to scratch anything (except the heat sink if necessary). If the glue bond is broken, the entire heat sink should lift right out.


25: diodes removed!
Here's what it looks like "empty" so you can tell what gets cut out and what is plastic housing:


So, now I have two laser diodes still inside their heat sinks.

One has a strangely-shaped heat sink with a hood (or something). It appears that the heat sink extends to the front of the diode somehow, too. The three pins seems to be in a single line.

The other has a basic rectangle-shaped heat sink. The three pins make up a triangle-shaped layout. But this one seems to have some sort of black plastic "attachment" in front of the diode. The black "frame" looks like it's holding a diamond-shaped lens of some sort, which has a silver metal holder on the top and bottom.

Here are a few different shots of the diodes, at different angles and views:

26: Pin view
Yeah, I know that one still has a ton of glue on it. It looks so messy and fat! LOL.


27: Front view


28: Another front view



On the red diode, what is that black plastic "thing" on the front of the heatsink? Is that simply held on with more glue? Do I need to cut the glue away to expose the front of the diode?

I'd really appreciate some guidance as to what to do next. I didn't expect some sort of black lens-holding tumor on the front of the heat sink here....

Thanks for reading along so far, and for any more input you may have!!

I couldn't tell you for sure with that particular sled, but...from my past experience I can tell you this.

The Easiest way to get the diodes out of the sled is to simply grab a pair of plyers, grip on the heat sinks and rip/snap it off of the sled frame. The glue is fairly weak. (Of course make sure you cut the power connector first)
Now I am not saying that you did it the wrong way...it's always good to be very cautious...especially when your doing it on your first try.
That thing..(Black thing) that you speak of...most likely is attached to the heat sink with some more glue.



Before you try to get the diode out of the heat sink...take the ribbon cable off of it. This can be done a couple of different ways.

1.) You can try to cut it off with an exacto knife...(This doesn't always work)

Or

2.) Put a glob of solder on the tip of your soldering iron. Then touch that glob of hot solder on the diode's pins, close to the solder that is currently on them. While the solder on the pins is in liquid form, pull off the ribbon cable. (This whole step should take less than 2 seconds. The longer it takes you...the more you risk damaging the diode due to heat) (Practice this method on the IR diode first)

To be honest with you...the easy part is now done...now comes the hard part.

There are a couple of different ways to extract the diode from the heat sink.

1.) Grab 2 plyers. With the plyers...grasp on opposite sides of the heat sink....now twist the plyers in opposite directions. (Make sure that neither of the plyers are gripping on the diode...heat sink only) Now, if the heat sink is thin enough, it will split open, thus freeing the diode

If that doesn't work.

2.) Cut the Heat sink on one side...(Thin wall side) While doing this, make sure that...
>>>>>A.) The diode doesn't get hot while cutting it out
>>>>>B.) The diode doesn't get cut..while cutting the heat sink
After you make a cut on the thin side of the heat sink...try the Plyer step again. The heat sink should be weaker now and doing the twisting action in step 1, should free the diode. If it doesn't, cut the opposite side of the heat sink from where you made your first cut. Then try step 1 again.


Thats all for now.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Later,
Iskor12

Well, I answered my own questions by accident just now. LOL. And I see that Iskor12 and I were typing our posts at the same time. Thanks for those tips!

Upon trying to cut away some of the glue from the red diode's heat sink (just to make things look a little more presentable, I basically cut through the glue that was holding that black plastic "frame" with lens inside it. It pretty much just "peeled" off in my hands. I was like "Oh. OK then!"

It was such an enlightening and fulfilling moment when I could finally see the "business end" of that diode! Whoo hoo!

29: Diode in heat sink, view 1:


30: Diode in heat sink, view #2:


Now all that's left is to get my little vise, hold the diode safely in the vise, remove the power cable from the pins, and then file down the heat sink a bit so I can "break" that off!

I'm so excited!!! Although I don't have any "laser-related" parts yet, like an Aixiz housing, driver, heat sink, or host. LOL....

Here is an excellent video made by Mohrenberg that shows exactly what I was trying to describe earlier.


You did make the correct guess as to which diode was the red one. Good job

Once you get it out of the heat sink, it will most likely look exactly the same as this one, except cleaner.