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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

First Build

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Jan 14, 2011
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Hey guys. New around here. So I have recently gotten into lasers, and I decided I want to do my first build.

Right now, I don't have access to PayPal (hopefully will soon) but I can't seem to get a laser diode from anything around the house, and no one seems to have any.

I have been asking for broken DVD players... played around with a couple, I couldn't find any diodes in any of them. I take it that normal DVD readers don't actually have diodes in them? The internet lied to me!

Nonetheless, what does have laser diodes in them? I am just looking for cheap extraction methods here... probably just going to practice on extraction and then eventually buy myself a nice sled or something once I get good at it.

Anyway, where can I find diodes (or sleds)?!
 





anselm

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Are you serious?
I suggest you get a lot more reading done before you post again, you can start
with the first link in my signature.
Next step, befriend the search engine and read some more.
You're welcome (to the LPF).
 

TTerbo

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You need a DVD burner 16x 20x 22x etc
Normal dvd reader drives have a 1-5mW red diode not worth using,
CD players and CD burners have an IR laser diode (do not use this for a first build)
when you get paypal you can buy a LOC diode capable of 300mW for about $8,
or a 100mW blu ray diode called a "PHR-803T".
once you have mastered these builds you could move onto a 445nm diode which is 1W of a nice blue colour.

As for where to get some sleds to use, try hightechdealz.com
HERE is the PHR diode wich you can make run at 100mW at about 100-110mA.
HERE is a red diode that will do over 200mW

REMEMBER: Buy some laser safety glasses!
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
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If I may suggest...
Greg at Stone Tek is great to work with.(I picked up a bunch of empty sleds from him) On his site he has most of the parts you need to build your own.

http://stonetek.org/shop/

The rest is all here in LPF through some good reading you can learn anything you want.
Welcome and good luck!:beer:
 
Joined
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Hey, thanks everyone. As for the reading... I actually have done a lot of reading and searching (been spending hours on this forum every day for a couple of weeks now), but I only saw diodes being located in laser projectors, Blue-ray players (right? memory is killing me right now), and DVD Burners. I figured, however, that due to the nature of a DVD or a CD-ROM, a laser would be necessary in order to read it.

Guess not? Or maybe I just missed it (it was my first time searching for a diode [I went right for the sled, obviously, but I didn't see anything round with three pins in it and a lens... bizarre]), but that doesn't really matter.

Anyway, I guess I will need to scavenge and hope more until I can actually buy myself a sled/diode. Then comes the rest of the build.
 
Joined
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To my knowledge all dvd and cd-rom drives use a laser diode or two.
The only exception that I can think of is the old style Video Disc Players that used a Helium Neon gas laser.
There are quite a few post here on how to harvest a diode from a sled and they will show you where the diode is located, how to extract it from the sled, and how to extract it from the heat-sink.
Continue reading and your questions will be answered.
 
Joined
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I saw a bunch of lenses and other optics... so there probably was a diode in there. Just may not have done it right and may have obliterated it to be unrecognizable. Ah well, it was a free broken DVD player my friend had. Nothing wasted.
 




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