Building The Red laser

Hi guy's !

I wanted to build a 445nm laser but i had no money to buy a diode.

So i found an old CD-RW

Amazon.com: Hitachi/LG GCE-8483B 48x24x48 CDRW IDE Drive (Black): Computers & Accessories

I exctraced the diode but i dont have any idea of the power or the Nm.

That's why i needed some help.

What type of driver do i need ?
Lens ?
Host ?

I have only the diode and 12 / 5.5 / 3.3 / 5 /9 V power supply.

I have 445nm googles ? Do i need new ones ?

And im very busy atm so i might delay the reply !

Thank you all

You should read these threads. The choices for your diode are overwhelming.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/i-want-build-laser-thread-52972.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/how-select-your-laser-parts-73851.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f67/how-laser-diode-drivers-work-explanatory-thread-71513.html

Prototype18 said:

Hi guy's !

I wanted to build a 445nm laser but i had no money to buy a diode.

So i found an old CD-RW

Amazon.com: Hitachi/LG GCE-8483B 48x24x48 CDRW IDE Drive (Black): Computers & Accessories

I exctraced the diode but i dont have any idea of the power or the Nm.

That's why i needed some help.

What type of driver do i need ?
Lens ?
Host ?

I have only the diode and 12 / 5.5 / 3.3 / 5 /9 V power supply.

I have 445nm googles ? Do i need new ones ?

And im very busy atm so i might delay the reply !

Thank you all

Click to expand...

There are many diodes with correct drivers on ebay, life is too short to build everything from scratch. But you need a very stable power supply (so that no over-voltage spikes can occur at turn-on or turn-off) with protection circuitry, AND an optically driven power regulating circuit providing negative feedback to guard against over-current destruction when you start your laser.

It depends on the 445 nm goggles that you have. Some goggles can provide protection against blue and red simultaneously. I have attached a simplified diagram of a laser diode driver.

You really do need to read the forum a bit more before you spend any money. For one, CD-RW drives use infrared lasers, not visible (red) lasers. They're no fun, and possibly dangerous as you can't see IR very well.

You need a DVD burner for a red laser diode, but I wouldn't buy a drive to extract the diode. You'll probably break the laser diode getting it out, and many of those laser diodes are now built directly into the sled, so they're useless for DIY lasers. People sell the bare laser diodes, so unless you really want the rest of the DVD-RW drive (you might, if you want to make some sort of etcher), you should just buy the bare laser diode.

Anyway, read the forum some more so you can learn more about what to buy.

Thank you all guys.

Well i will just try that IR for the first time. Than maybe i will jump to the 445nm.

Also does this IR laser damage my eyes if not pointed to them ?

And ill read those threads .

Edit: Well i just come from some threads and ended up ordering new googles (Ebay FTW ) but about the drivers i just now only the types not the models.

As IR lasers need ~2V i have 3.3V so in the "How to choose parts " it says i need either a linear or buck driver.

But how do i recognize them ?

The problem is that you can't see much from it, so you won't know if it is hitting your eyes or not. You should really start with a red laser. Also you need to heatsink these lasers or they'll die on you.

Than im going for the blue one.Have had to many red ones and im just sick of them.They werent powerful the biggest was 15mW but sill i like blue more !

Edit : Can you tell me the driver i need to use for that IR diode. Its 225mW (Max ) . I just want to play with it before making with the blue one. If i succed in building it the 445nm will come soon.
Edit 2 : I have some CPU coolers so ima use them for this IR one. Than i will get a host with heat sink and use duty cycle .

Any laser drive will work. Try the DDL one because it's cheap and easy to build.

Adjustable Current Laser Diode Driver 80 500mA w TTL | eBay

Does this work sir ? And i couldnt find this DDL on ebay .

Edit : I was thinking to get this as a host http://dx.com/p/c6-diy-cree-led-flashlight-full-casing-shell-with-driver-pill-2-cr123a-1-18650-15969

Sorry to say it... But you really need to read more before expecting to be spoonfed.... But in saying that, Good luck on your first laser build.

Well im not new in electronics just in laser. Just dont want to kill the diode (Hard time this week ).

So if you can point me just the driver i will figure out my self the rest.

Thank you

This are the pic of the diode. Does the driver i posted above work?

I suspect its a 220mW IR (according to this http://optics.ph.unimelb.edu.au/atomopt/diode/gh0781ra2c.pdf)

I would not even consider building an IR laser. Frankly, as a first build I think it would be stupid...

As you have no experience building lasers, you will not be fully aware of the risks. Aside from the fact that 200 mW is very powerful and could easily blind you, IR is practically invisible and you will probably not even notice a mistake until it's too late...

I would just buy a visible wavelength diode (preferably one of lower power) and start from there. You can always build your invisible laser later, when you have a better idea of how to handle them...

Anyway having said all that, no one can stop you, so yes the driver will probably work. Although it says you need an input V of 5V, you maybe able to run the diode off a single Li, as the diode should run around 2 - 2.2 V. If you try to run a linear off 2 batteries with a low V diode, the excess voltage will be wasted as heat ie it will get very hot very quickly! You will also need to set the current correctly or you'll kill the diode, so you will need a test load for that.

The C6 is a standard and very common laser host, but you'll need to add a module and heatsink for the diode.

Lastly and probably most importantly, if you are intent on making an IR laser make sure you get proper safety goggles! SOME 445 goggles such as the EP1's (Eagle Pairs) will protect you against IR, but you MUST make sure! If you have cheap orange/yellow coloured goggles that do not specify IR wavelengths, they will not offer any protection! :beer:

Blue is not where you want to start- too much $$ to risk until you have done some builds with cheap reds- don't think right now about the color so much as the need to learn without killing an expensive diode- and sorry but there is really no way around doing the homework needed to NOT kill too many diodes. This just takes some reading and study- no money spent doing that- and there is no other way to learn- no real quick shortcuts around all this.

Well grainde nice post

I just want to build that IR just for fun and some training. (So if i kill that diode np)

I have a pair of google (blue one ) but i dont know the wave length.

Im very carefull with electronic's as i work with PC's and small elect projects.

Soldering its not a problem and tests too. Have all the tools i think i need except the Laser Power Meter.

I think i should try that IR than jump to Red/Blue one.

Will the aixis module work ? And im thinking to get that diode in the CPU heatsink later in a host.

As i mentioned before i have 3.3 and 5V PSU and also some rechargeable 1.2V Nimh batteries.

Profession 808NM100 500mW Laser Diode Driver Constant Current Reverse Protection | eBay

This would be more handy ?

And hakzaw1

Ive tried reading as much as i can about lasers and seems pretty easy.

So thats i why i wanted to start with that IR (IR = Dead who cares )

And ive owned some 1-2mW red laser and 5mW green . I did diasemble them just to have a look at .

And i NEVER , NEVER pointed that to sm1 eyes.

So there is 1 last question. How much mA do i need to power that diode ? And i think ill use 2 x1.2V batteries =2.4V . Cuz in that link it says 141mA . Is that right ?

Thank you again !

Prototype18 said:

Well grainde nice post

I just want to build that IR just for fun and some training. (So if i kill that diode np)

Click to expand...

I don't think he is concerned if you kill the diode. Infarct we probably all would all be relieved if you did kill it while building it. I don't say this to be mean. I like to think I have some experience with lasers and I won't even build an IR laser. To dangerous and not a good choice for a first high power laser.