Heatsink idea feedback please

Hi everyone, this is my first ever post here since I joined yesterday so I apologize in advance if I say/ask something that should probably be common knowledge, I'm working on getting up to speed with the lingo and whatnot. I've been into electronics since I was a kid but the whole area of lasers is new to me. I'd been doing some researching here in the forums for a couple weeks now on the different aspects of DIY lasers and also found some reputable websites and people to buy from, so I went ahead and spent some cash on components for my first home built laser.

I had some time today to sketch up an idea for a heatsink that I could fabricate at home without a lathe or mill, since I neither at the moment. Would anyone be willing to give me feedback as to whether this idea sucks, has a design flaw because of something I am naive to at the moment in the area of LD's and heat dissipation, or just straight up not be worth the hassle of making.

Of all the things I purchased, the first I intend to work with first are the SF-AW210 Blu-ray diode in an Aixiz housing powered by a Rckstr driver.

This picture is a sketch I made today in my spare time with Google Sketchup. Even though I know how to, I have no lathe to machine a custom piece with tolerances close enough to really be worth a damn when it comes to heat dissipation. It will probably have to be aluminum since copper is hella expensive especially in thick bar form, even though it'd be a way better conductor of heat. I'm thinking with this split design I can also dab some thermal grease meant for a CPU or GPU heatsink in the slots for the LD housing and then tighten the two halves together so it's snug and makes a good connection but doesn't crush the thing.

Since you all here know a lot more about lasers and all of the helpful things to know when building a laser for the first time, I would really appreciate your input. Thanks for checking this thread out and I am sure I'll be back many, many more times for advice when I jack something up and kill my first LD.

Welcome- do a search in tutorials forum here for 'heatsinks' and you will find some including this one-- http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-copper-heatsink-6x-phr-45320.html I also recommend a post w/ intro yourself to the members in the Welcome section. Also several members make custom heatsinks that you will never find anywhere else for the same money-some in UK---check the For Sale Trade section. Lastly- hope you enjoy LPF and its many benifits- feel free to express your gratitude by going to the 'donations' forum and help our administrator keep up the great job he has been doing.========================mm(*U*)mm--hak

Flaminpyro makes copper heatsinks, he might be able to make this, or even an aluminum one. Should work, I can't think of any flaws. But you could make the inner diameter of the heatsink exactly the diameter of the module and skip out on a axiz module, but that's just an idea. It would definitely provide enough heatsinking especially if it was made of copper and used with a 6x.

i already have some lab style heatsinks in the shop. just click the link in my sig.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so quickly! I'm probably going to try and make one first since i'm kinda cheap and rather poor after studying abroad for 4 months, plus i love to make things. If it fails though, i'll definitely go and buy one from one of those places. And yeah, i'll go post a thing in the welcome area right now.

You did not tell us if this is going to be a lab laser- or in a flashlight host- or a 'porta-labbie" sorta of a combo- looks like a labby heatsink from your (nice) drawing-- my first home made HS looked like it was made by Fred Flintstone--LMOA-but it did work fine. hak

It's probably only going to be "house-lab" laser haha which isn't a category I know but I have no need for a laser so bright that it requires a heatsink, to be portable. Mainly just on my bench powered from the wall with an AC-DC converter to get the power down to the right level for the driver to handle it. I want to experiment with different lenses, beam splitters and prisms that I've acquired over the years. I guess I need to get a good set of eye pro before I hit the 'on' switch after it's built before I really do anything else. Not going to take any chances with my currently decent vision.

My budget is less than zero-so for my porta labbies I modded the plastic boxes that are part of the wall adapter from HP printers(free) added a free switch from old PC-free battery holders from old toys- made an aluminum heatsink from 1 inch plate(by hand) and put in the modules with drivers(phr from geareb and red 100mW from LPF member)- only cost was modules and my time- they work fine- no duty cycle- and the batt last a good enough time-9v for BR - two AA for the red. I will add photos to my alblum next week--hak

So what is the general consensus, after I make my first laser and it's successful should I post my results with pictures? Or do people not really give a crap?

MITCH!!! u hurt my fellins' of course we give crap==J/K we always like photos and you will get feedback on them- just give lpf members a chance-

People here are ALWAYS interested to see others creations...

haha my bad. this is my first and only 'forum' experience so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Good to know, thanks everyone!