The red driver

HI,

Did anybody of you had experience with this driver ?
How do I have to set up it ?
Thanks

New 650-980nm 20-250mW TTL Laser Diode Driver 4.0-5.0V | eBay

That driver is a lot more trouble than it's worth.

rhd said:

That driver is a lot more trouble than it's worth.

Click to expand...

That post was also amazingly useless; most of us aren't surprised that such a quality post is coming from you, to be honest.

To answer the OP's question, that driver can be configured like any other driver is, and in fact it's one of the most versatile drivers out there that run off <5V. I've (along with member MoonShad0w, who introduced me to them) used a handful in a variety of projects, and I must say they work amazingly well.

It's a linear driver, so simply ensure the input voltage is 1.5~V (to give you some headroom) greater than the voltage drop of the load. As this is a linear driver, a test load to simulate voltage drop is not needed.

Simply hook up the output to a multimeter set to measure mA, and dial in the current on the pot.

If you need >100mA output, either contact the seller (they might be able to do the soldering for you), or buy from O-Like, which sell them with the full range (up to 400mA) output.

O-Like's site seems to be down right now; I'll get you a link as soon as possible.

Despite what my good friend said above ^ that driver cannot "be configured like any other driver is"

Why? - Because there is a TTL input that needs to be enabled. To make matters worse, in some setups you can't just tie the TTL to the input voltage, but have to actually add an additional diode to the circuit. In fact, there is quite a long thread on these very forums about the process you must go through to get that driver to work. Here's the link:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f67/making-your-aixiz-driver-work-solution-56733.html

So, I stick by my comment that "That driver is a lot more trouble than it's worth."

rhd said:

Despite what my good friend said above ^ that driver cannot "be configured like any other driver is"

Why? - Because there is a TTL input that needs to be enabled. To make matters worse, in some setups you can't just tie the TTL to the input voltage, but have to actually add an additional diode to the circuit. In fact, there is quite a long thread on these very forums about the process you must go through to get that driver to work. Here's the link:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f67/making-your-aixiz-driver-work-solution-56733.html

So, I stick by my comment that "That driver is a lot more trouble than it's worth."

Click to expand...

The TTL connection can be folded back into itself (the input voltage).

It's not supposed to work, but it does. Bear in mind that the TTL threshold may well be as low as 2 to 3 volts in many drivers, and unlike analog, once it's on, it's on at full power.

I've run these off 5V with the TTL input folded into the input, and I think MoonShad0w's got an LOC running off one of these from a single CR123A (once again, TTL folded into Vin).

Having said that unless they're selling NOS again it shouldn't be an issue. MoonShad0w has bought drivers both from O-Like and from eBay (AixiZ's store), and all have been absolutely fine with the modulation line being fed from input voltage.

^ That's probably true.

But 5V is a very unique voltage to actually have as a supply voltage in most hosts. A more common input would be 1 or 2 lithium ions. One cell may be no problem, but if you want to utilize the upper current range of that driver, you're going to be pushing the LOC (or other red LD)'s PIV curve into the range where Vf + dropout is more than a single cell can supply.

So, for most portable builds, this probably implies using 2x lithium-ions, and a result of ~8V. What happens with the TTL input then? You need to start thinking about adding a diode to the circuit because the TTL input can't take the full 8V.

This is doable of course, as long as you have a diode to drop some voltage on hand. But it's not an "easy" driver to setup. OP has 68 posts and 1 rep. You've got 15x that in posts and 50x that in rep. What's simple for you (and maybe for I - although I still think this is an annoyingly burdonsome driver) is not simple for everyone. OP asked for "experience with this driver", and I gave him mine

IE, that it's a lot more trouble than it's worth (which is about $3 if memory serves)

I agree with rhd, that driver can be a pita, but it is a servicable driver in some cases (voltage in required, size limits placement sometimes, and don't for get to tie the TTL modulation input high). However, IMHO, you would be bette served to keep looking around. If you are gonna be using REDs , you might want to consider finding a driver that has a common ground (V- id tied directly to LD-). OdicForce offers one for a reasonable price (i don'rt recall who makes it). I have used it and the one you asked about in several RED builds each, and I prefer the bigger one from OdicForce. But it is up to you, your suggested driver will work, if you are willing to mess with it.

Thanks for the replies. I want to run an ir 808nm diode @ 250mw. So could you suggest me another driver ?

808 is a much lower Vf.

So if you're going to run it off 1-cell, which you can, this driver will work as long as you enable TTL.

That said, I would take any of OdicForce's drivers over this one, if you have the option.

Well found these two:

808nm 100-500mw Laser Diode Driver Reverse Protection | eBay


LM358 Constant Current Laser Driver, 3.5 -5.0V - V2 | eBay UK

Anybody used them before ?
They are already having a momentary switch installed, which is good for my build.

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pls answer because i don't know how set up the odiforce driver in a pen housing.

Patience butterfly.
I hooked up the ttl modulated driver to a 300mW 808nm diode, set the driver to 190mA (tied V+ directly to ttl mod, with a 22600 as power source). Power on, I.R. detector card lights up. All I had was plastic lenses, but with an O-like module, I was able to focus the beam enough to start melting black electrical tape at two inches. Camera showed a blue/white dot about 2 mm on target.
Have two of the Chinese 808nm/500mA drivers on order, but they will take AT LEAST 2 weeks to get here......
Have not tried a LM317 or LM1117 current driver, don't know if I'll bother. The only use I have for I.R. is NVS illumination (wild pig hunting). Unfocused lasers don't seem to work much better than I.R. super LEDs.
IMHO I.R.s pretty much suck. cheap, but not worth the safety hazard for cutting/burning. But, what the hey, to each thier own....

Can you measure the ouput @ 190ma?
If not can you estimate it ?
Thanks

Sorry, no. No gottem LPM. Assuming 60% efficiency (pretty optimistic), 190mA in, maybe 100 to 114 mW optical output. Just a LONG stretch guess. 300mW I.R. probablly take a max of 400-450mA in. 300/450= 66.6667..% ??

Another question btw , do i need a test load to measure the output of my driver ?
Or can i just put the leads of my DMM directly to the driver ?