sony nec optiarc AD-7203S -> No-No

Tempted by the higher dual layer recording speed (12x) compared to other 20x drives (10x), I got a Sony Nec Optiarc AD-7203S 20x drive only to find that both LDs are the notoriously useless flat frame-type. Below are some pictures. The red one looks exactly like SHARP's GH16P35A8C rated for 125mW CW or 350mW pulse. Its chip looks shorter (1.80mm) than open cans, of which evidence is also the higher fwd drop across it.

When i was trying to get the open can, i almost went for the 720x model, as the 719x was hard to find.. Luckily i didn't buy that.

The laser chip looks yummy tho. And it is possible to turn these into a laser with adjustable focus, even tho you can't just stick them in a module.

The end result is usually not perfectly centered behind the lens, but my first laser worked quite good that way, untill i gathered up the courage to rip it out of the heatsink it was soldered in.


This think would be amazingly easy to mount on a Peltier. What are you gonna do with it?

i have hidden it from my disappointed stare, wrapped in antistatic foil and thrown in a drawer