new to this and lost lol

ok so i built my driver for the diode great i think,some diodes are dim some iv just gone the adjester is so minute,but ill start with the list i found with the build by google

1-Adjustable Voltage Regulator LM317T
1- 100 ohm Potentiometer
2- 10 ohm Resistors
1- 1N4001 Rectifier Diode
1- 47uf 35v Capacitor
1- Any Size PCB Board
1- Any Solder
1- Any Soldering Iron
1- Power Switch (I like momentary push buttons)
1- 12x30mm Aixiz laser housing Click Here
2- Spools of wire ( Red and Black )
- You will need at least a 6 volt Power source.

i started with 5.4volts to be safe,then 5.8,so i ended up with a 7.2v 2200mah.

my driver dosent get hot its fine.i have a button witch it hold on release off,i tuck my time to make it tidy.iv used a volt meter and adjusted at the same time and the driver works fine.
i ordered a ((808nm 300mW High Power Burning IR Laser Diode DIY Lab))
witch asent come yet,but im thinking if im right it wont work as its ir,iv tryed at least 7 diodes.most from cdrw.just normal dvd readers.and one x8 dvdrw,all so dim.all but one as gone up to the sky.(sorry diodes as i do not know what im doing)

i have a small room and nope there just dim across the room i cant see them.


mine


the plain(not mine)

if im right do i just need to get a dvdrw16x or higher ?
thanks mike

do you have a test load to verify the driver's output?

If you're using a 16x diode, just remove the pot from the circuit, and it'll be set at 250mA.

Most diodes are low powered and probably die instantly when you power them with this driver. IR diodes are just going to appear as a dim red light with the naked eye. Try looking at this through a cell phone camera to see if it's really outputting IR light.

what is a pot ? ill check now though my phone 2 secs

the potentiometer, it's right in front of your regulator in the picture.

i see white in the middle ring then red and black its as small as dot as i could do by eye,

test load? i have a meter

oh the thing you turn lol sorry

that driver is set for a maximum of 250mA, that pot controls how much current your driver will output.
It's entirely possible that the pot is just turned the wrong way, so you're outputting the minimum.
Removing it will ensure it's set to 250mA since you don't have a test load to set it...
A test load is used to simulate the voltage drop of a laser diode so you can properly measure the output current of your driver. There are many around, here is what one looks like.

no i dont have one of them,i dont think the diode i have in it at is going to be that high,i have a 48x cdrw,witch i dont use anymore would that diode be better than what im use now.as the one i have is some slow ir one anyway.and the one in the post is ir witch i only realized after i paid.i dont have a dvdrw to pull apart so im watch ebay for one,but dont want to spend to much if it wont work.

I don't know about current cdrw drives, but back in the "good ol days" You could only use DVDRW drives to harvest red diodes that were capable of burning. Even then you needed at least a 16x DVDRW drive.

It's cheaper now to buy the diode instead of the whole drive..

Throw on an extra 10ohm resistor and then use this diode.

250mW 3.8mm Dual Wavelength 660nm/780nm Laser Diodes - $14.99 : Cajunlasers Store

my houseing is 5.6? will this fit?

wow my bad

ooohh nooh sorry i jsut looked at it and assumed it was a 5.6mm LOC diode. gimme a sec i'll find the one you need.

here are some.

www.rayfoss.com

Mitsubishi 300 400mW Brand New Red Laser Diode Extracted from LPC 826 | eBay

Mitsubishi 658nm 660nm 300 400mW CW Red Laser Diode LPC 826 | eBay

660nm 300 400mW CW Red Laser Diode LPC 826 | eBay

LiteOn iHAS120 - Disk drive - DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM - 20x/20x/12x - Serial AT | eBay

is this any good,it says 20x.and new

I can't say for sure. Some DVD burners use those flat diodes...

Do you live in the UK?