my first laser , driver question for cutting

hello
this is my first thread (but a bit following this post)
i am about to by my first laser from DTR s shop ,so i am going for a A140 in module plus the 405-G-2 Glass Lens and the flex on the side

i will be using this laser as a laser cutter as it is (already over my budget) way less expensive that CO2 laser and it is much smaller ,
i am planing on putting it on my "vertical" cnc machine (drawing machine)
i am planing on cutting through cloth and papers (i will have to make some tests to know what colors are possible to cut)
my machine can t support the weight of a heatsink so i don t know if i should go for a 900mW config or a 1W config for the Flexdrive
the cuts will approximately be 30mn to 1h long (but i guess i can reconfigure that part to have it slower if it is not cutting of i can make it have breaks for the heat),

-what would be the best setup for the Flexdriver ? I am affraid to not be able to cut under 1W
-and are these glasses for the right wavelenth ?
-do you think i can have all this send to france and receive it without problems ?
-can i turn off and on the power of the FlexDrive without damaging the diode or driver ?
-what kind of power do i need to feed the driver with ? (i guess DC 5v 1A ?)

thanks

Looks good. You may want to consider the flexmod though. The disadvantage is that you'd need 6V+ for power, but you can turn it on/off with a 5V signal instead of directly turning it on and off.

Thanks Cyparagon, if i understand it right , i buy this FlexMod instead of the FlexDrive right (because it is not good to do the on and off thing)?

i started reading the user manual , i ll post more questions once i finish it.

soooo, it s complicated for me ,
i ll say everything i think i understood , and if somebody know about the driver please tell me if i am right

-this driver will never enter the aixiz modul
-this driver will need a heatsink if i want to drive it over 250mA or over 5,5V
-the TTL is the M+ is the control from the microcontroler and it is 0 or 5V it is not something like a PWM
-the interlock pin controls the Soft Startup Safety Delay (SSSD)
-the SSSD is a progressive 7 seconds slowly increasing currant curve for startup only ?
-the Balance pot is only for unregulated power supply?
-the Gain pot is for fixing max currant
-the driver always output 5volts?


specific questions:
-if i want to drive my diode at 1000mW , with this driver at 5V ,i would need only 200mA?
-a modulation bandwidth of DC-160kHz means the driver is making some kind of high frequency PWM for the diode ?
-where can i get the data sheet for the A140 to find the minimum currant to feed it to keep it in ready the state when i what to setup the 0bias?
-what is the output voltage of the driver?
-if the driver oscillate at 16kHz at 5V and 200mA and my microcontroler is capable of feeding the diode that , could i not need the driver at all and drive my diode from m y micro?

-TTL control over a Laser would be for high frequency ? like laser projector ?
-if i drive my laser between 2 seconds and 5 minutes for ON state and 2 seconds and 35 seconds for OFF state , do i really need TTL control ?

thanks !!

linekernel said:

-this driver will never enter the aixiz modul
-this driver will need a heatsink if i want to drive it over 250mA or over 5,5V
-the TTL is the M+ is the control from the microcontroler and it is 0 or 5V it is not something like a PWM
-the interlock pin controls the Soft Startup Safety Delay (SSSD)

-the Gain pot is for fixing max currant

Click to expand...

Yes

linekernel said:

-the SSSD is a progressive 7 seconds slowly increasing currant curve for startup only ?

Click to expand...

It's just a delay on startup for safety. It can be disabled.

linekernel said:

-the Balance pot is only for unregulated power supply?

Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure what the balance does - best to leave it alone. It's not needed for most applications.

linekernel said:

-the driver always output 5volts?

-what is the output voltage of the driver?

Click to expand...

It is a current source, not a voltage source. It will output whatever current you set it to.

linekernel said:

-if i want to drive my diode at 1000mW , with this driver at 5V ,i would need only 200mA?

Click to expand...

Only if everything is 100% efficient - and it's not. You need to supply the driver with 6V or more, and set the current to about 1A to get 1W of laser light output.

linekernel said:

-a modulation bandwidth of DC-160kHz means the driver is making some kind of high frequency PWM for the diode ?

Click to expand...

That just means you can drive it with up to 160KHz input. It will work on 0Hz, too.

linekernel said:

-where can i get the data sheet for the A140 to find the minimum currant to feed it to keep it in ready the state when i what to setup the 0bias?

Click to expand...

You set it visually. Set the current just below lasing threshold. It will be around 200mA. This is not crucial unless you plan to modulate it very quickly. For your application, you could set the bias current to 0 if you wanted.

linekernel said:

if i drive my laser between 2 seconds and 5 minutes for ON state and 2 seconds and 35 seconds for OFF state , do i really need TTL control ?

Click to expand...

No, but the outputs of a microcontroller can't generally supply the 1A you'd need. If yours can, great. Think of the flexmod as a "flexdrive with a built-in solid state relay".

waouw , Cyparagon , thanks , you know a lot about the driver !

i understood a lot better
but i still have some blurry spots

You need to supply the driver with 6V or more, and set the current to about 1A to get 1W of laser light output.

Click to expand...

-i give the driver just a few mA at 6volts , and i get something such as 1Volt 1Amp (=1W,because P=U*I)?
-what if i give it 5Volt at 5Amp , would i get and output like 1V 1A after the right setup?
-every time i change the power supply i have to calibrate the driver?

You set it visually. Set the current just below lasing threshold. It will be around 200mA. This is not crucial unless you plan to modulate it very quickly. For your application, you could set the bias current to 0 if you wanted.

Click to expand...

-i understand it , but what about the Gain calibration ?
I guess you dont set it visually , so you calibrate with a high power resistor instead of the diode , then you turn off the driver , and you do the shortcut thing , and then you put you diode .
but if you don t have the voltage drop of the diode , you cant find the equivalent for the resistor ?

-what is "LasOrb Protector" on the order page?

I just want to toss this out there -

I think you'd have better luck cutting with a 12x 405nm diode, notwithstanding the fact that it would be a lower power.

Single-mode, and a slightly better absorbed wavelength than 445.

Hi rhd , thank you for the info , could you explain me more please ?

I think you'd have better luck cutting with a 12x 405nm diode

Click to expand...

-what is the "12x" does it mean something or is it the name?

Single-mode, and a slightly better absorbed wavelength than 445.

Click to expand...

-what means "single-mode"

i don t know that much about laser , i started reading the forum just few days earlier with this post so this is the reason why i was going for the 445nm
i have read that 405nm were easier to focus , i thought it would be a great thing , but couldn t find a 1W diode (in or out my initial budget)

i see from your signature that you have a 700mW 405nm and a 1500mW 445nm lasers
could you be able to compare them as cutting "tools" ?

linekernel said:

Hi rhd , thank you for the info , could you explain me more please ?

-what is the "12x" does it mean something or is it the name?

-what means "single-mode"

i see from your signature that you have a 700mW 405nm and a 1500mW 445nm lasers
could you be able to compare them as cutting "tools" ?

Click to expand...

12x is basically a 405nm laser diode that can output 600-700mW.

Single-mode means (among other things) that the beam can be focused down to a more precise single point.

I think the 405 would be a better cutting tool all things considered.

good to know , do you think the hardware i was choosing has to be upgraded if i go for a 405 ? (lens , module , diver )

i was thinking the A140 is a 1500mW diode (right?) , and i was thinking running it at 1W would be quite good as it will have to cut for around (max) 1 hour long (but i can program pauses)
if i run a 405 at full power i might minimize its lifetime ?

at this point it will be essentially based on budget as i am doubling it already (50euro initially = more or less 65 dollars) (now over 135 dollars)

could you indicate me the approximate 405 price equivalent of the A140 cutting power?
or
the price of the 12x 405nm ?

do you have a shop to advise me for 405nm diodes , as i cant find anithing over 100mW

A 12x will generally cost $40 to $50, and will be capable of reaching somewhere between 500mW and 700mW depending on the lens, your luck, your driver, etc.

I think 700mW of 405 single-mode will be a more practical cutting tool for your application than 1W of 445.

Modwerx is good for diodes, as are some of the sales threads here on LPF (I think glenn may still have some for sale at around $45)

i cant find diodes superior to 300mw at Modwerx (except a 1W 445nm)
i can t find a user with the exact name of Glenn.

-does these glasses will work wit a 405nm laser?
-should i keep the 405-G-2 Glass Lens W/Focus Ring 30% Increase Over Aixiz
-is the standard Aixis module will be sufficient?
-is the FlexMod still compatible with a 405nm 600mW laser diode?

i need to be able to estimate the 2 setups prices

i am sorry taking so long to decide
with such a thin budget , i cant make mistakes

i d also appreciate more people s opinion with laser cutting 405nm 600mW VS 445nm 1000mW

Thanks

I think power is more important that beam profile in this case. I'd love to see an actual study. Maybe you can buy both and tell us which cuts faster.

linekernel said:

-i give the driver just a few mA at 6volts , and i get something such as 1Volt 1Amp (=1W,because P=U*I)?
-what if i give it 5Volt at 5Amp , would i get and output like 1V 1A after the right setup?

Click to expand...

You supply 6V to the driver, it draws what it needs. If you set it to power the diode at 1A, it will also draw 1A. It is a linear driver.

linekernel said:

-every time i change the power supply i have to calibrate the driver?

Click to expand...

No additional "calibration" is necessary. It will work for all supplies (that are relatively noise-free) 6V up to 24V.

linekernel said:

-i understand it , but what about the Gain calibration ?
I guess you dont set it visually , so you calibrate with a high power resistor instead of the diode , then you turn off the driver , and you do the shortcut thing , and then you put you diode .
but if you don t have the voltage drop of the diode , you cant find the equivalent for the resistor ?

Click to expand...

Just put your ammeter on the output. It will supply the programmed current no matter what the load (within reason).

linekernel said:

-what is "LasOrb Protector" on the order page?

Click to expand...

It is a device that protects against static discharge. You probably won't need one.

Just put your ammeter on the output. It will supply the programmed current no matter what the load (within reason).

Click to expand...

this is strange , do you have a load at measuring time? because if you measure without load , it would be like short-cutting the output , and if you do it with the diode and spiky probs you have a high risk of not having a perfect contact permanently creating a sparkle and killing your diode ?
but this is just a wild theory guess

Maybe you can buy both and tell us which cuts faster

Click to expand...

actually i was thinking that , if i can use all the same accessories (driver lens module) for both diodes (just readjust the driver s output) , i might buy the second diode in few month , and keep in touch about the results .

for now i havn t found the 405nm 600-700mW diode

linekernel said:

this is strange , do you have a load at measuring time? because if you measure without load , it would be like short-cutting the output

Click to expand...

That's right. But please try to grasp the concept: It's a constant-current driver. It will output the same current with a 0.01 ohm load as it will with a 3 ohm load.

If you're going to measure the current with the diode in place, put the ammeter in series with the driver - not in series with the diode.

Cyparagon said:

I think power is more important that beam profile in this case. I'd love to see an actual study. Maybe you can buy both and tell us which cuts faster.

Click to expand...

Gosh, I don't know. He's trying to create a CNC cutter, and presumably the finest singular dot is preferable.

I think 700mW of circular beam is going to be more useful than 1,000 mW of rectangular multimode.

We never see multimode diodes used in optical driver, and it strikes me that some of the requirements (primarily a fine point and precision) are similar for this application here?