need advice from a pro

i have an m140 diode that i think either has something burned into the diode window or the diode window has been burned by the photons from the inside. of course i don't want to lose Another diode.
i'm wondering if it would be possible to remove the window without decanning.
my feeling is that extracting the diode from the module (pressed in by dtr) then decanning and then re-pressing into the module might be riskier than simply (yeah, right) breaking out the window while holding the module upside down to allow gravity to help in keeping fragments from falling inside.
i've tried cleaning it with acetone several times with no luck. the beam spot looks like crap now, looked great after the build

here's 2 pix - i am camera challanged remember

Yeah I've broken the window before and it work perfect. Blord recommend it to me and still works just fine.

What is your technique for breaking this window while it's still pressed into the module?

A hammer and an 8-penny nail sounds a little crude for something so delicate.

that hasn't been decided yet, looking for ideas. i was thinking more along the lines of a fine stiff wire - and a hammer ;-)

A small screwdriver will do the job. You don't need to use brute force to bread that tiny window. Very small pressure and the glass will break.

Try it first on a dead diode for some practice.

thanks all. i'll probably try acetone another time before i go breaking glass, but i have my doubts of it working.

I've done that once, but the piece(s) remained in the can and distorted the beam when the laser was at certain orientations.

break the window at the extreme angle as to not touch the actual diode. Ive done it myself. After the first break , turn it upside down so the loose glass falls out. if you hit the diode facet, its over.

I had the same experience as Cyp , broke the window and bits of glass stayed inside, the diode eventually gave up the ghost.

Success! i tried a rough cleaning with acetone again with no luck. i practised removing the windows on 2 led'd diodes first and then busted out the window on my m140. great god photon was with me and my spot looks good (for an m140 with a g1 lens).
the diode is in my ms v3 - review of the host coming soon. thanks for the help guys:beer:

No problem I also had good success my first time with no practice.