Is my SF-AW210 dead?

hondaman900 · Mar 7, 2011

I bought a SF-AW210 405nm diode and was running it off my LM317 power supply. I have been running my harvested DVD 16x burner laser diode in this setup for ages. Anyway, it was performing brilliantly in a heatsink, glass lens case, running at a measured 160mA at 7.5v. Then it simply turned into a purple LED

. Can't seem to get any better from it.

Is it toast? Did I just get a bad one? I've been careful not to overdrive it or even bump it as I've read thay can be very sensitive. Never ran it more than 20 seconds at a time. Is it recoverable, perhaps I can drive a tad more current through it?

Any suggestions?

Coherent Light · Mar 7, 2011

If Your Diode was getting 7.5v it's fried. How did you measure the voltage and current? Also pictures will help.

nouthyella · Mar 7, 2011

As mentioned before, I believe there is no way of recovering from a LEDing, as the internal die would have been damaged.

hondaman900 · Mar 7, 2011

Yes, I was afraid of that. I had read though of some diodes that overheat and then recover somewhat, but had guessed it was toast. What I really need to determine is what was the cause of the failure so that I don't fry any more of these diodes.

I calculated the resistor to give me my amperage (7.2 ohm) and also measured it with a digital multimeter at 162 mA. Voltage also measured with DVM and it's from a lab power supply (see pic).

From other posts here I thought 7.5V was well within range for the SF-AW210 (mine is form Modwerx). Some posts power it from 6 x AAA which would be 9V.

Did I make a mistake (which I'd like to correct) or did I just get a bad diode?

Thanks for all the help.

Drew · Mar 7, 2011

7.5V to the lm317 driver is fine, it dissipates the extra as heat, the full voltage doesn't actually reach the laser diode. The actual voltage reaching the laser varies by the amount of current. Assuming your wiring is correct and 160mA is the actual amperage through the diode, it just sounds like bad luck and a dead sf. I've read that directly measuring current rather than with a 1ohm resistor parallel to the diode can be detrimental though I'm not sure why other than LD's are just so sensative. Welcome to LPF:wave: Nice name, reminds me of my '03 honda 919

hondaman900 · Mar 7, 2011

Hi Drew,

I would think that an ammeter in series at the output of the circuit (after the resistor) can't increase the current above that of the circuit and therefore couldn't harm anything. (?)

I too am concluding that I got a bad diode. Darn. These puppies are not cheap.

Yes, my handle comes from a beloved '83 Honda CB900F I bought for $400 as a basket case (literally, it came in parts in a series of boxes and baskets) and restored. I had a lot of fun on that awesome torque-monster bike for about 3 years and then sold it on eBay to a collector in Japan for $1,500. He sent one of those multi-level car haulers to my house to collect my little bike.

It's spiritual successor, your 919, is also an awesome bike. Keep the rubber side down.

Drew · Mar 7, 2011

You are correct about amperage not increasing. However, it's the ESD that is the danger, possibly other issues too. I'm a mechanic not an electrician. I've had bad luck with sf-aw210's also. Play with some reds to get used to, they're about half the price and just as powerful (laser safety goggles), then move up to the more expensive colors.

I love my 919. Had it for 5 years, has 38k miles. Honda matte black, fender eliminator and led turn signal mirrors. All my buddies with 600 rockets hate me because I walk away from them. Good job on selling yours, hope it was worth your time

hondaman900 · Mar 8, 2011

Yes I've been using reds without issues and that was why I was confident with my circuit. I have a CNC engraving project and need a better burning laser. i thought a 405nm would be a good choice (now I'm wondering about that). I have to laser etch a melemine surface.

I have an '83 Yamaha Vision at the mo, also restored, this time from a wrecked state. I did a custom "Bumblebee" paint job, more for the kids than me. Still have to dial in the carbs. I got about $2K's worth of fun rebuilding and riding the CB900F over two years so I figure I came out $3.5K ahead in that deal

Drew · Mar 8, 2011

If I didn't already have a 1 watt blue and wanted a cheap (albeit more dangerous because it's IR) burner, I might try a 1 watt 808nm diode and 9mm module off ebay ~$30. I think most industrial etching/cutting laser tables use IR for its ability to burn everything indiscriminately, regardless of color. Not sure on beam specs though, on tables the laser is usually pretty close to the piece it's working on. A <200mW blu-ray would be slow going for etching

hondaman900 · Mar 9, 2011

Just spotted a lot of 5 808mn 1W diodes for $44 or a 3W for $60. Are there IR safety goggles, and can it be seen using a CCD/digital camera? Also, does the burning performance of a 1W IR differ from a 1W blue (apart from materials differences), or is the power output and therefore the burning power the same?

hondaman900 · Mar 9, 2011

Well, just ordered my 9mm diode housing w/glass lens and 808nm safety goggles from O-Like. I've bought from them before and apart from dreadfully slow shipping, they provide good stuff. I'll know later how my eBay bid for a set of 5 808nm's went

Drew · Mar 9, 2011

Good choices. I know regular shop type safety glasses block a lot of IR but that might only work for 1064 and up? so I'm glad you ordered the 808 glasses. O-like is a good company, and you're right shipping for me it's been about 3 weeks. Your eyes can see some 808nm, it appears dim dark red. Many cameras can see it clearly. One watt is one watt as far as burning energy. The issue is that with a visable light laser, the energy can be reflected as it is light. With infrared, it's like a concentrated beam of heat (more or less) that will burn just about anything. If you end up with 5 diodes, I'd gladly buy one or two from you

I'm surprised no one else is chiming in. Alot of people here know alot more than me

hondaman900 · Mar 9, 2011

Yeah, but they don't own a cool motorcycle

I'll let you know how it goes. That $44 was a bid on eBay (I thought it was a price) so I have a bid in and should know in about 5 hours if I have a set or not.

Drew · Mar 9, 2011

Right on, thanks! Those 5 pc lots usually go for around $60. There are "buy it now"s for $23 shipped for 1 diode and $12.50 for a module shipped. The module looks the same as the o-like one, black with built in heat sink and glass lens

hondaman900 · Mar 28, 2011

So, got my 808nm laser diode up and running, but need to know what my expectations should be running this at 1 - 1.5W @ 2V? It can burn dark/black materials at the exact focal point, but not paper, wood or card stock. My 405nm etched white card stock quite nicely.

Any idea where I can find a list/table of applications for an 808nm diode? I was hoping to rig this up as a laser etching head on my CNC machine.

Drew · Mar 28, 2011

1 watt 808 lab Check this out. It's a long read and there's a lot of not-so-usefull stuff, but it should get you closer to your goal. For etching you do need to be at the focal point. It doesn't sound like you are using a current driver, lasers are current driven not voltage (they're diodes). 600-1250ma depending on duty cycle/ cooling of the module. That thing should "burn like crazy" according to the op in the link post

Is my SF-AW210 dead?

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