Can someone help me with burning laser??

[itsenzothebaker]

Hi guys

I bought some parts following Kipkay's instructables but i ended up screwing myself over...

I found this forum and I figured I can get some help from laser enthusiasts.

Now I have a 1000mw 808nm laser diode. I read over the FAQ on the forum and the instructions for making a driver, but I don't know if this applies to the diode that I have.

Can someone guide me through making a kick-ass burning laser?

THanks!

 

[The_Muffin_Man]

Welcome to the forum

First off do you want to put this diode into a host? If you do you can look through the complied list of tutorials and find one you like... The drivers on here (ddl,rkcstr,lavadrive) will work ...(I think never worked with ir diodes before)

You just have to find what current to run the diode at... Then just set your driver to that current and you will have one kick-ass laser...(1W LOL )

Don't hesitate to ask questions

 

[danq]

Hi - welcome!

It's late and I can't get into too much detail now, but wanted to welcome you and give a couple of things to consider at least... others will undoubtedly come along with more advice than you can imagine, though it's a bit sloww right now because of the holidays.

First, you know that your laser is invisible, right? and that nevertheless it can blind you instantly, at that power? Even from a reflection off a shiny object. You need serious eye protection before putting any current to it!

You can "see" the light emitted by pointing it at a piece of white paper; then use a digital camera or better yet a cheap digicam to look at the paper - the receptors on those pick up the infrared and you'll see it as pink on the screen.

You will need some kind of driver to regulate the current.  If you plan to take this on as a hobby I'd suggest making (or buying) a decent variable, current-regulated supply. It's not too hard to make one that will perform quite well, cheaply. You'll also be building or buying individual drivers for lasers, but the bench supply is indispensable.

I've got to get offline but either I or others will post more later.

DanQ

 

[The_Muffin_Man]

Yeah I forgot to mention that 808nm is ir = invisible..... It might have a faint red glow but it is just As powerful...my 200mW red is bright so 1000mW is VERY powerful ... Use protection! (for your eyes I mean lol...)

 

[itsenzothebaker]

Thanks guys! I will definitely look over some of the tutorials on this forum.

It's great to join such a welcoming community =D

I will look forward to more advices that members will help me out with, after the holiday season dies down.

Thanks again!

 

[The_Muffin_Man]

The pocketpal is pretty easy to build ... I finished repairing mine today (swapped out the red diode...I'll help you build it if you need