Noob question sorry >_<

Hey guys i looked at the forums and cant seem to find (i probably missed it) an answer to my question. I'm a little confused at when you guys talk about power. if i want to build lets say a 500mW red laser would i set the driver to 500mA. is mA on the driver mW for the diode? i'm so lost and feel like a complete moron for asking this. It's just my first build was "successful" (it worked) with a flex drive but my last 2 seems that i blew the diodes.. :/ anyone?

It's been answered a few times, but I'm not upset you asked, at least you're willing to learn.

The answer is no. It all depends on the diode, some diodes can put out 2,200mW at 1,800mA, while others can put out only 1,600mW at 1,800mA (in terms of blue diodes, I never experimented with reds)
You should find some datasheets on your diodes, they provide operating currents as well as what to expect in the diode's output (in terms of mW's).

I c.. so it depends on what diode you are using and how many volts your feeding the driver. Sounds simple and easy now! lol. Thanks for the quick reply i appreciate it.