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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

homemade red laser

S

SenKat

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OMG - yes !!!!! It is VERY sensitive to static. Get yourself grounded, THEN touch it.
 





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eek i hope it hasn't been buzzed.... uhhh what should i do while de soldering to keep it safe....?
 
S

SenKat

Guest
As long as you are grounded - you will be fine - the desoldering iron likely is grounded - so, touch that BEFORE it is hot !!!! ;D

I know - you know better - but I just HAD to say it !
 
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i must admit i chuckled at that.... at the moment it is still earthed to the heavy metal casing (will that be protecting from static). im hoping to have it out tonight and in its (bright orange) casing as well :D. i am wondering though, do i need to build a circuit for this with resistors and such? ( i have lots so thats not a prob) if so what should i be making to run it without blowing the diode.
 
S

SenKat

Guest
Most often, the diodes will lase efficently - without burning up, provided decent heat dissapation is available in the area of 3 volts, and 320-350ma. Now - you can run it at 3.2v and 200ma - it just will not be as bright, or powerful. So - what I try to do, to lengthen the life of my babies is to run them between 3 and 3.4vols, and 300ma. That will add life to the diode, by not pushing it too hard. They can be fickle little critters, so be cautious, and take your time - I have only blown up diodes by my lack of patience - doing it too fast, and making mistakes that way.
 
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thanks mate ill try to get 200 ma tonight ill let ya know how i get on... tho i gotta finish some schoolwork before i can be having fun with lasers
 

Kenom

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When your all done We can give ya lots of good idea's for mounting your new red module inside of lots of cool flashlights. pics are as follows to give you an idea of what I did.

mag2jv6.jpg



mag1ay2.jpg



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dsc00182ur9.jpg



dsc00184vp9.jpg



dsc00177gn3.jpg



dsc00178ot9.jpg
 
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awesome pics man! thanks for the ideas:). ill think I will mount mine in a old flashlight, when i have the time... will probably be tomorrow now before i get a chance to get them out, ah well. ill post lots of pics when im done.... jsut one thing how do i know which end is positive/negative?
 

Kenom

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that was the toughie for me as well. I posted a question similair to that on CPF. the method I used to determine correct polarity of the pins was actually very simple. Get a multimeter and set it to Diode test "[ch9658]l" kinda looks like that but crude in ASCI. Test it one way if it turns red then the "polarity" of your multimeter is correct with the understanding that you have your probes hooked up to the correct places. So if it lights up and the probes are correct then the red wire or + is going to be the + on the diode and the Black wire or - is going to be negative on the diode. You can also take a close look at the diode itself on the back and one of those pins is going to go into the casing with a "black sheild" around the pin. that is usually but not always positive + best to stick with the multimeter testing the diode. As with all Diodes it will only test one way.
 
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thanks mate ill be sure to test it like that:p. i noticed one of the pins is brass and hasn't been soldered i assume the other two are +ve and -ve ?
 
S

SenKat

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Thories said:
thanks mate ill be sure to test it like that:p. i noticed one of the pins is brass and hasn't been soldered i assume the other two are +ve and -ve ?

That would be a safe assumption - you got lucky, there - all the ones I have torn into have had all three pins soldered ! Also - to be honest, I completely GUESSED on my first LD project - luckily, it came through - or I most likely would not be where I am today ! LOL
 
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in Texas? kidding :p.... I'm hoping to get this thing made up tonight.. tho i gotta finish a big assignment due tomorrow .... gotta love final year of school :p
 
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sorry for delays,but ive been VERY busy... last year of school and all... anyway i just fired that diode up with a 5 ohm resistor (2 10s in para) and WOW........used a lens out of dvd drive and straight thru black plastic bag just gotta design some housing for lenses, read up in physics book bout lenses and start trying to make it with as little divergence as possible :D i love lasers :p
 

Kenom

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Excellent. Glad to hear it worked out for you. Easiest thing for mounting that is in a Aixiz module. You can find them here http://mfgcn.com/_wsn/page2.html you want the 650nm 5mw 12mm X 30mm full brass case $4.50 USD that will allow you to mount your diode and have a lens
 
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thanks mate looks snazzy.... ill member that for my 2nd laser im starting in bout 2 weeks.... for now im trying to make everything or scrounge it all from my house... i just have to work on lenses and mounting them.... also, new question, my laser diode when i fire it without a lens it has rings in the light, like i shine on walls and there a blobs, could this be oil on the laser diode because the patterns look very familiar. sort of like when someone touches a microscope lens....
 




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