I decided to get a laser out of a dvd burner that was no longer working and i successfully located and removed it.
except i couldnt figure out how to remove it from the cast iron tomb it was incased! so i thought hey the top of the
diode looks pretty strong ill try and tap it out. firstly it didnt come out and secondly i shattered the little glass lens
that is at the end of the diode. It still works but its unfocused beam is now even further unfocused! i was wondering
if this will still work in a housing and will still get a beam? i eventually figured out a way of removing it which was to
saw one side of the case and using pliers peel away the casing. if i shake the diode i can actually heard the glass moving.
Should i try and remove the glass with a needle or something?

If there are pieces of glass (the window) still in the opening, they may interfere with a good beam. If they are off to the side, sometimes you can secure them there.

In any event, you need to get it into a module with a lens so you can focus the beam. The module should also have some heat sinking to pull heat away from the diode. Lastly, you should have a current regulating driver to control the current (and thus the output) as well as protecting the diode from "spikes."

Have you read the info in the link below in my signature? Have you read the FAQ and the Stickies in the Welcome board?

Peace,
dave

**EDIT** Don't shove a needle in there. There are VERY fine wires in there that can be broken pretty easily that way.

I seem to remember people cutting the cans off of diodes like this so they were open, I don't recall what exactly for, but I remember it for some reason.

These are 9mm diodes, a similar style case. If you had the dexterity I think you could cut the front off of the diode and leave it open like these diodes.

http://www.*****************.com/sho...?id_product=60

I would wait to see if someone with a touch more experience confirms this! I think you got really lucky, hitting it with a hammer like that, I blown diodes with a lot less force than that!

I guess I can't post a link, here's a picture of a open diode though

just because you are a newwwb i will elaborate a little on to what dave said., when he means lens, he is NOT speaking of the glass that you already broke. the bare diode does not have a focusing lens. the glass you broke is a protective shield more or less. you need an actual lens assembly and a housing for your diode.


also good job adding pix... it makes explanations so much easier

michael

I already ordered a Aixiz Laser Module Housing last night, so are you saying i could carefully cut the top off to make that small opening the same diameter as the can?

Click on the search button and search "decan" and/or "decanning"

Peace,
dave

i got the half the can off and the diode is good now, just gotta wait for the housing and figure out what this driver is that i have to make.

You can buy a driver from here:
http://hacylon.case.edu/ebay/laser_d..._FlexDrive.php
or here:
rkcstr.com, Micro-Drive and laser diode electronics

Can i harvest a Driver from a cheap laser pointer? i dont want to pay $20 for a driver. would it work if i just use 2 AAA(orAA) and add a resistor knowing that it will lower the current well below its rated for?

dont skimp on a driver you'll regrett it just get a flex or rckstr or youll fry your diodes

Yes you could, but not if you want your laser to last any longer than a couple of minutes.

If you don't want to spend 20, buy a cheap green laser pointer and take it apart to use its driver. You should be able to find a 5mW green for around $10.

The driver in the green pointer was designed to drive several hundred mA @ 3V. You need about 170mA @ 5V. You do the math.

If this worked, there would be stuff all over this forum about it.

Trust me. There are already plenty of ways to make a mistake and blow a component without trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Buy (or build) a driver designed for what you are trying to do.

Peace,
dave

About $5 to make yourself......

Hey Dave,

He's looking to drive a Red, if I've understood correctly. 170mA @ 5V sounds like a BR requirement? Or do you mean this as input to a linear driver like the DDL?

M

I've used cheap laser drivers with pot adjustments to run dvd diodes, in fact I'm using one to run a 635 diode right now at about 50mA. The laser works fine and has worked for a while, I even fit it back into the original pen housing.

daguin was talking about the fact that dpss is much less efficient than straight diode-lens laser.
DPSS losses include: 808nm ->1024nm, 1024nm->532nm, and lasing medium inefficiencies, and collimating lens (some greens also have a concentrating lens between the diode and the crystals)
diode-lens losses mainly in the single lens.

That being said, to make up for those losses, you need a much more powerful pump diode, and you need to drive it much harder. Might take 200mA to get a red to put out near 300mW, but 200mA from a green laser's source might only put out 20mW of green in the end.

Yes DPSS is very bad for waisting power my yellow 589 puts out 100mW on a good day but it draws 2700ma (2.7 amps) to do this, a 12x blu-ray diode running at 300ma can put out 301mW need I say more

I decan diodes at will, then again my cutters cost $76.00 and are made by EREM in Switzerland
I cut the can off when the window falls into the can or can't be cleaned or gets broken.
Here's a closup of a 6x that had a window that fell in durring shipment.

Yeah. I was thinking about the total required voltage for the driver/diode.

Peace,
dave

[QUOTE=BShanahan14rulz;688022]daguin was talking about the fact that dpss is much less efficient than straight diode-lens laser.
DPSS losses include: 808nm ->1024nm, 1024nm->532nm, and lasing medium inefficiencies, and collimating lens (some greens also have a concentrating lens between the diode and the crystals)
diode-lens losses mainly in the single lens.QUOTE]

Do you mean 1064nm?

M

Absolutely. But I thought this thread was for noobs to make mistakes

besides, 1024 is a much prettier number than 1064.

^ Ha. We're all allowed the odd one here and there! I make more than my share.

@Unclewho - It sounds like you've solved your initial problem so good luck for your future build. More pics when you're done we hope.

M