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Installing and Testing the SL-SD-1/DX 26110 Driver in a C6 Pill

Garoq

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Aug 27, 2010
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There has been some discussion and controversy recently about this very popular buck driver for 445nm diodes, many have enjoyed repeated success but some have experienced difficulties. The driver has been widely used in lasers built with the C6, S4, Survival Laser Stainless Steel and other similar hosts.

An "Analysis of Electrical Performance" of this driver may be downloaded here in PDF format.

First of all, this is a buck-type driver that uses the AX2002 switching controller. It can handle a wide range of input voltage and can be modified to output from less than 100mA to over 1.8A. In this schematic, the 'R2' resistor controls the output current:

14007824333_64dd8a4cfd_o_d.jpg


And this equation allows you to calculate the value of R2 based on the desired output current:

13964720136_06da6f3464_b_d.jpg


However, driver current modification is not the purpose of this post. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide a step by step explanation of how to install, test and use the stock driver properly and avoid the problems that some have experienced.

The driver appears to be very well designed except for one issue. One of the pads for the output current setting "R2" resistor is placed extremely close to the edge of the board and is prone to shorting out against the brass ring when assembled (this is the resistor marked "R200" in the photo below). The usual result of this shorting is that the driver will fail and not produce any current at all. I have experienced about a 15% failure rate if the driver is soldered to the brass ring without any prior preparation.

10860385914_e4cc244f60_c.jpg


To combat this failure rate, I apply a small dab of silicone caulk to the exposed R2 resistor pad and allow it to harden before proceeding with assembly. All the SL-SD-1 drivers sold by Survival Laser have this silicone applied, and we also perform regular lot acceptance testing on the drivers we receive.

So, let's begin the tutorial. First, remove the nubs from the sides of the driver board with sandpaper or a small file:
10860230145_59f7cfb35f_c.jpg


Optionally, you may want to replace the short, stiff stock wires with FP's silicone insulated wire before proceeding. ;)

Next, insert the board, component side first, into the side of the brass ring with the recess:
10860279136_874020b226_c.jpg


Push the driver board completely into the recess in the ring:
10860385664_30dd502b26_c.jpg


NOTE: When soldering a driver to a brass ring, apply the solder very sparingly and be extremely careful not to let the solder flow under the ring and onto the component area of the driver board. If the solder flows onto the component side, it can render the driver non-functional and may even damage your diode when used.

Solder a small spot on the negative board trace next to the brass ring about 1/4" wide. Ensure that the solder has wetted both the board and the ring:
10860569263_49120be01a_c.jpg


Solder a similar spot on the board 180 degrees from the first spot:
10860385124_ff5bc057d6_c.jpg


Before installing the driver subassembly in the pill, remove any loose chips in the pill remaining from the drilling process using a knife or a small steel ruler:
10860397434_8cee53e1fb_c.jpg


Place the brass ring & driver subassembly, tapered side first, into the recess in the pill, while threading the driver wires through the holes in the pill:
10860239175_afd657942c_c.jpg


Lightly press the brass ring & driver subassembly into the pill recess until is evenly spaced above the pill:
10860230245_b70e573d03_c.jpg


Using pliers, gently squeeze the brass ring & driver subassembly into the pill recess. Work your way around the pill to push the ring evenly and completely into the pill:
10860230305_2dcc2a3902_c.jpg


Side view of the completed assembly:
10860385494_20c2e0c41a_c.jpg


The driver and pill assembly is finished. Now the most important part: testing. You should never connect an untested driver or driver assembly to a diode, as you may risk losing the diode if the driver isn't outputting the proper current. Install the completed driver and pill module in your host and attach it to a selectable test load and DMM to measure the current output. Set the test load at 4 diodes for this driver. After the connections are made, install two 16340 or 18650 batteries in the host, screw on the tail cap and turn the unit on. Your DMM should indicate approximately 1.25A, although the normal range of output from this driver is 1.20 to 1.27A.
10860229925_35847ca742_c.jpg


Shut the unit off, remove the batteries and disconnect from the test load. Never allow the driver to operate without a test load or diode attached.

Optionally, especially if you are using the stock driver wires, it may be helpful to apply some strain relief in the form of silicone or hot melt glue to the holes where the wires exit the pill:
10860386044_c387717b6e_c.jpg


You are now ready to connect the driver and pill assembly to your diode. I've posted a tutorial here about soldering a driver and pill assembly to a diode. Before attaching to your diode, be sure to touch the output wires together briefly to remove any possible remaining charge in the circuit.

Enjoy! :beer:
 
Last edited:





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Hi
Is it required/highly recommended to use a test dummy on the 1.25a driver on your website and if it is can you link me all of the parts required on a UK site please
Thanks William
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
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acidicreaper,

First, thanks for bumping this old thread that somehow didn't get any replies. That post ought to be stickied in the driver section!!

Second, a test load is a sanity test. You can make a test load for much much much much cheaper than the cost of a nice laser diode. The idea of using a test load on a preset driver is basically that it is very rare for a failure to occur, but it would be nice to catch the failure before the failure kills your $50 diode.

Third, in most cases you simply need your test load to be somewhere in the driver's output range. It is just another sanity check to try to get the Vf of your test load close to the Vf of your diode. This way, you can observe how your driver acts when driving a load comparable to your laser diode.

It is up to you, but most folks highly recommend making/buying one.

Do you dabble in electronics? If so, you can find black barrel silicon rectifier diodes in just about everything, especially if you count full bridge rectifiers. The hardest part to find is the resistor. A 1 ohm is recommended, only because that way you don't have to do any math. Just set your meter to volts, put the leads across the 1 ohm resistor, and the display will tell you how many amps (even though it says V). Thing is, 1 ohm resistors that can handle the amps we stuff through our diodes are much harder to find in old circuits. You may have to buy one or source one some other way.

Since you bought yours from Survival Lasers, perhaps the shopkeep will have a better answer that takes into account Survival Lasers' QC procedures for these drivers. I

If you bought it from DX, I'd recommend making a test load. Their QC procedure is something like, "If product is same shape as picture, it is good"
 

Garoq

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Joined
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Messages
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All our 1.25A drivers are tested for rated output prior to shipping. We also apply a dab of silicone in the area that is prone to shorting against the brass ring.

When soldering any driver to a brass ring, apply the solder very sparingly and be extremely careful not to let the solder flow under the ring and onto the component area of the driver board. If the solder flows onto the component side, it can render the driver non-functional and may even damage your diode when used. We highly recommended that you test ANY assembled driver with a “dummy” load before attaching to a diode, to verify proper operation and current output.
 
Joined
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Messages
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Hi
Is it required/highly recommended to use a test dummy on the 1.25a driver on your website and if it is can you link me all of the parts required on a UK site please
Thanks William
It is not. They can assure it will be around 1.25A.

You do realize that even if the driver somehow puts out 1.8amps you diode will be fine... Its not like you are at the edge of the cliff.

YOU DO NOT NEED A TESTLOAD

:beer:
-Matt
 

Garoq

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Joined
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Messages
1,525
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It is not. They can assure it will be around 1.25A.

You do realize that even if the driver somehow puts out 1.8amps you diode will be fine... Its not like you are at the edge of the cliff.

YOU DO NOT NEED A TESTLOAD

:beer:
-Matt

The problem arises after the driver is soldered into the brass ring and installed in the pill. If sufficient care is not taken one or more components on the board can be shorted and that may result in unpredictable output current, possibly over 1.8A. DTR and I have both had to deal with customer issues with this driver, and that is why I posted the tutorial.
 

Garoq

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Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
1,525
Points
83
OP updated with driver schematic and equation that allows calculation of output current based on R2 value selection.
 
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May 4, 2014
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which way do we put the batteries in?
positive touching the middle part?
 
Last edited:

DTR

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It is not. They can assure it will be around 1.25A.

You do realize that even if the driver somehow puts out 1.8amps you diode will be fine... Its not like you are at the edge of the cliff.

YOU DO NOT NEED A TESTLOAD

:beer:
-Matt

Wow wish I had saw this when you first posted it. This is terrible advice. I test every driver I ever connect to a diode with no exceptions and for ones that are press fit in pills with known issues with components shorting on the pill wall.

How about if regulation is bypassed altogether which I have seen with these after installing in the pill and you give it 3-6A directly from the batteries will the diode be fine then?:rolleyes:
 
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Welcome Danny, and may I ask what diode you plan to use for your green build you're planning?

I'm planning on my own high powered 520 build, but can't decide between the NUGM01T or NDG7475....
 
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Jan 28, 2016
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Whoops! That post was for an entirely different thread! haha :crackup:

Oh well, thanks for being a champ about this insane necro post. And those beamshots are so impressive I think I'll have to get that diode now lol.
 

Voldy356

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
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There has been some discussion and controversy recently about this very popular buck driver for 445nm diodes, many have enjoyed repeated success but some have experienced difficulties. The driver has been widely used in lasers built with the C6, S4, Survival Laser Stainless Steel and other similar hosts.

An "Analysis of Electrical Performance" of this driver may be downloaded here in PDF format.

First of all, this is a buck-type driver that uses the AX2002 switching controller. It can handle a wide range of input voltage and can be modified to output from less than 100mA to over 1.8A. In this schematic, the 'R2' resistor controls the output current:

14007824333_64dd8a4cfd_o_d.jpg


And this equation allows you to calculate the value of R2 based on the desired output current:

13964720136_06da6f3464_b_d.jpg


However, driver current modification is not the purpose of this post. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide a step by step explanation of how to install, test and use the stock driver properly and avoid the problems that some have experienced.

The driver appears to be very well designed except for one issue. One of the pads for the output current setting "R2" resistor is placed extremely close to the edge of the board and is prone to shorting out against the brass ring when assembled (this is the resistor marked "R200" in the photo below). The usual result of this shorting is that the driver will fail and not produce any current at all. I have experienced about a 15% failure rate if the driver is soldered to the brass ring without any prior preparation.

10860385914_e4cc244f60_c.jpg


To combat this failure rate, I apply a small dab of silicone caulk to the exposed R2 resistor pad and allow it to harden before proceeding with assembly. All the SL-SD-1 drivers sold by Survival Laser have this silicone applied, and we also perform regular lot acceptance testing on the drivers we receive.

So, let's begin the tutorial. First, remove the nubs from the sides of the driver board with sandpaper or a small file:
10860230145_59f7cfb35f_c.jpg


Optionally, you may want to replace the short, stiff stock wires with FP's silicone insulated wire before proceeding. ;)

Next, insert the board, component side first, into the side of the brass ring with the recess:
10860279136_874020b226_c.jpg


Push the driver board completely into the recess in the ring:
10860385664_30dd502b26_c.jpg


NOTE: When soldering a driver to a brass ring, apply the solder very sparingly and be extremely careful not to let the solder flow under the ring and onto the component area of the driver board. If the solder flows onto the component side, it can render the driver non-functional and may even damage your diode when used.

Solder a small spot on the negative board trace next to the brass ring about 1/4" wide. Ensure that the solder has wetted both the board and the ring:
10860569263_49120be01a_c.jpg


Solder a similar spot on the board 180 degrees from the first spot:
10860385124_ff5bc057d6_c.jpg


Before installing the driver subassembly in the pill, remove any loose chips in the pill remaining from the drilling process using a knife or a small steel ruler:
10860397434_8cee53e1fb_c.jpg


Place the brass ring & driver subassembly, tapered side first, into the recess in the pill, while threading the driver wires through the holes in the pill:
10860239175_afd657942c_c.jpg


Lightly press the brass ring & driver subassembly into the pill recess until is evenly spaced above the pill:
10860230245_b70e573d03_c.jpg


Using pliers, gently squeeze the brass ring & driver subassembly into the pill recess. Work your way around the pill to push the ring evenly and completely into the pill:
10860230305_2dcc2a3902_c.jpg


Side view of the completed assembly:
10860385494_20c2e0c41a_c.jpg


The driver and pill assembly is finished. Now the most important part: testing. You should never connect an untested driver or driver assembly to a diode, as you may risk losing the diode if the driver isn't outputting the proper current. Install the completed driver and pill module in your host and attach it to a selectable test load and DMM to measure the current output. Set the test load at 4 diodes for this driver. After the connections are made, install two 16340 or 18650 batteries in the host, screw on the tail cap and turn the unit on. Your DMM should indicate approximately 1.25A, although the normal range of output from this driver is 1.20 to 1.27A.
10860229925_35847ca742_c.jpg


Shut the unit off, remove the batteries and disconnect from the test load. Never allow the driver to operate without a test load or diode attached.

Optionally, especially if you are using the stock driver wires, it may be helpful to apply some strain relief in the form of silicone or hot melt glue to the holes where the wires exit the pill:
10860386044_c387717b6e_c.jpg


You are now ready to connect the driver and pill assembly to your diode. I've posted a tutorial here about soldering a driver and pill assembly to a diode. Before attaching to your diode, be sure to touch the output wires together briefly to remove any possible remaining charge in the circuit.

Enjoy! 🍺
Ok, I know this is an old post, but I don't know where else to ask this. What if a component on the driver board is touching the brass ring?
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
17,238
Points
113
Ok, I know this is an old post, but I don't know where else to ask this. What if a component on the driver board is touching the brass ring?

Try starting a new thread to ask these questions instead of necroposting to old threads.
 




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