New to all this, am i doing it right?

so, current cart is this:
1-1.5 watt 445nm blue laser diode and lens (seller says will fit in a 5.6mm t0-18 aixiz housing)
aixiz housing
12 v momentary push button switch
this driver: 2 Pieces 445nm 450nm 1W 2W Blue Laser Diode Driver Constant Current Protection | eBay
and a 18650 battery from leftover vape stuff.
i also have a CPU heatsink i will mangle around the diode

still not sure what housing for everything i'll use

I'm pretty sure this should all work once wood-glued together, but im not super sure about the driver. Thoughts?

MOST IMPORTANT, Do you have laser safety glasses that attenuate 445nm light?
You seriously need safety glasses to work with these diodes, I'm not kidding, instant eye damage can happen faster than you can blink.


Do you have a diode press, you will need to press fit into that housing past flush with the back. Also who is the seller? Ebay seller?

That driver claims 1.8amps @ up to 5.6volts, that would be fine for a M-140 2Watt diode, if you bought a 1-1.5 it's likely an A-130 and 1.8 is way too much current, 1.0 amps would be as high as I would go, plus you probably have bought a USED diode as well because 1.0 - 1.5 diodes have been out of production for a long time. You really want a fresh diode! They do wear down.

Those drivers often peak around 1.6amps anyway and there is a pot you can adjust, but you need a test load and a meter to set it or it can blow your diode.

You are better off going with DTR, he sells new diodes and good drivers with actual specs, also you can get them ready to use. Link below.

https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/home

Looks good to me. Except you'll need a way of connecting the 18650 to the driver and switch.

I'm not up to date on the recommended current levels, but you can adjust the driver's output as you see fit. It's not a 1.8A-only driver. You would want to connect an ammeter in series with the diode initially to set the current to your preference. If you're not sure of your abilities in this regard, search for data on, and construct a test load (aka dummy load). You can also read the voltage on the driver's current shunt. Multiply the voltage by the resistor's value to get the current. All of the above should be done on a complete circuit, by the way.

vaportrail said:

I'm pretty sure this should all work once wood-glued together

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Wood glue? You'll need to solder the diode/driver connections.

So, i slapped it all together and glued/electrical taped everything to the heatsink i was using, and now i can burn my roomates arm hairs all the way across a room! thanks for the help guys

TheDukeAnumber1 said:

Wood glue? You'll need to solder the diode/driver connections.

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i was joking, i soldered and heat-shrink-wrapped everything i could.

vaportrail said:

So, i slapped it all together and glued/electrical taped everything to the heatsink i was using, and now i can burn my roomates arm hairs all the way across a room! thanks for the help guys

i was joking, i soldered and heat-shrink-wrapped everything i could.

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I hope you haven't actually been burning your roommates arms from across the room...

diachi said:

I hope you haven't actually been burning your roommates arms from across the room...

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i did once just to see if it would work. this thing is pretty neat. any cool things i should try with it?

vaportrail said:

i did once just to see if it would work. this thing is pretty neat. any cool things i should try with it?

Click to expand...

Follow safety practices, don't point lasers at people :tsk:. I don't imagine he had safety glasses on?

If you have safety glasses - you can try burning an assortment of things like matches or electrical tape or balloons, or point it at things.