Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Did I fry my diode?

Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
7
Points
0
So I've been working on my very first laser build. I'm building it out of this diode
HighTechDealZ - 405nm PHR805T Blu Ray Laser Diode in Aixiz Module

I recently got done soldering leads to the pins and I took tons of caution. Surrounded the module in aluminum as a heatsink and was very cautious about how long heat was applied to make sure I didn't over heat the diode.

I built the common LM317 Driver build that is instructed from the "DIY Driver" thread. Only difference is that I used a 1k ohm pot instead of a 100ohm.

Now the problem is that I couldn't get my diode to turn on! I was using a 15 ohm resistor in the build and powered it through a 9v battery. I don't believe that the diode is burnt out though because it never did have a "bright flash" or show any signs of it turning on at all. I have yet to see my diode on! Also when I put a volt meter to it when it's hooked up to the driver, there is a reading going through it.

If the diode were to be fried, wouldn't that mean that there wouldn't be a reading? Can anyone confirm this for me. It would be greatly appreciated.
 
Last edited:





Joined
Oct 26, 2007
Messages
5,438
Points
83
Take a picture of your setup so we can see if anything went wrong. Also those 405nm laser diodes are notoriously fragile.

Finally, next time you should rig up a dummy load and measure the current with a multimeter so that you know how much current is flowing through your laser diode.
 




Top