PHR803 sled extract

Success!

For my 1st laser build, I acquired a sled from our friend Kendall at HighTechdeals (thanks for the bonus rubber cap and laser diode pinout, man!), which arrived last Monday.

I was a bit apprehensive about the extraction process but it did go fine. I started disassembling the sled (which features very nice optics) and when it came to the two diodes, I carefully pried the little heat sinks off the sled module, then gripped one side of the red diode holder in a vise and carefully bent the other side with a pair of pliers. It snapped cleanly and the diode came out unscathed, although it was covered with white gunk (I guess the glue that holds it in the diode in the holder). I scraped that off with my fingernail.

Analyzing the way the little ribbon cable is soldered, I decided to try a radical approach to unsolder it instantly. I slid a very fine steel sewing needle between the diode and the ribbon cable... and I blowtoched that sucker right off with my mini butane torch. Took about 1.5 seconds, so the diode didn't even have time to warm up. Now that the red diode was free and clean, I used the same process with the blue diode.

Now both diodes are free and securely stored in a small antistatic bag. I have taken pictures but haven't retrieved them yet from my cam. I'll post 'em soon.

While disassembling the rest of the sled, I noticed that right in the middle of it (between the very large central prism and the focusing lens), there is a very very nice glass lens that looks a bit like the much touted coated glass lens on numerous other threads. Anyone tried it in a Aixiz module?

The optics were relatively easy to retrieve, except the big prism, which shattered when I tried to pry it out, but I did get the nice middle lens and a very small cube which I imagine is the beam "splitter"...

I have to put the build on hold because I have just replenished my Paypal account and need to order a drive and an aixiz module before doing any experiments. I was tempted to try out the blue diode with a 3V button PC battery but held off for fear of zapping it. So i'll put an order soon to acquire the missing parts and resume my build.

I have selected a nice heat sink (formerly a pentium 1 sink) and I have fitted two small 1.5" fans on each side. it will hold the Aixiz module in its center. With that setup, I think i'll be able to drive the diode safely to the upper limits of its values. Oh and i'll power the driver circuit with a small 110v/5-12v power supply used to power external hard disks (I have a ton of 'em).

Robert

i do a cold extract. i get a razor blade and slide it down each pin and all the way around. the solder comes right off. it takes a little practice but it works. scopeguy20 taught me that.

I like that idea chip! As for Rodden, good write up you did but we need pictures :undecided: Do you have any idea yet what you are going to set your drivers current to?

-Mike

Ok then, here are some photos... sorry if they're a little bit blurry, just getting familiar with the macro/manual focus thingie on my cam.

Here's the blueray diode ready to get extracted. Notice the red diode already free in the background.

The diode still in its holder, is ready to be "flamed". The needle inserted under the ribbon permits me to pull it out gently and quickly.

The holder getting ready to be broken off with a pair of pliers

The holder succesfully broken and the diode ready to be gently pushed out (use a wooden dowel to push it so that you don't scratch or distort the "can")

Free at last! The diode ready to be inserted in the aixiz module. In the next set of pictures, i'll solder the wires to the diode and secure it in a module.

And some other stuff:

some cool UV goggles I picked-up at a flea market. Paid 75 cents for 'em!!!

I love to "recycle" old electronics, and my latest catch is retreiving SMT off old useless boards and equipment. There's tons of stuff you can find, including some nice 2-color SMT LEDs (needle points to it), pots, caps, resistors, diodes, TTL chips and more!

Anyway, next installment (with more stunning pictures) will happen in a few weeks, as soon as I have ordered the remaining components necessary to complete my build.

Robert

nice macro!!!!!:yh:

Be careful with those goggles. On the package it appears that they only block a maximum wavelength of 385nm. Our lovely bluray is 405nm. I would test them out again a wall or similar before I put them on my face and relied of them for protection.

-Mike

Do you plan on using the infra-red diode to make a laser?

Hey folks be assured the brittle nature of the PHR heat sinks is not the same as on the GGW heat sinks, the bending method is likely not going to work well on the GGW. For those, I saw a groove on opposite sides near all the way through the H.S. and then bend 'till the diode can be pulld out easily. -Glenn

roddenberry said:

While disassembling the rest of the sled, I noticed that right in the middle of it (between the very large central prism and the focusing lens), there is a very very nice glass lens that looks a bit like the much touted coated glass lens on numerous other threads. Anyone tried it in a Aixiz module?

Click to expand...

I've been playing around with those lenses for a while now. First, they're not glass. Sorry (I was disappointed, too.)

Second, the focal length on those is quite long (Or perhaps short. I'm not sure of the terminology.) the point is, the lens needs to sit an inch or more in front of the diode to get a good focused dot. None of the readily available lens holders can screw out that far. I'm working on a solution (Basically brass tubing with JB Weld threads; I don't have fancy machine equipment.) I'll post if I can get any sort of acceptable results.

scopeguy20 said:

Hey folks be assured the brittle nature of the PHR heat sinks is not the same as on the GGW heat sinks, the bending method is likely not going to work well on the GGW. For those, I saw a groove on opposite sides near all the way through the H.S. and then bend 'till the diode can be pulld out easily. -Glenn

Click to expand...

Thanks Glenn for noting that! I did break the diode window in my GGW while extracting it! It is a little more difficult and I suggest not "breaking" it out.

-Mike

Thanks guys for the feedback!

to cust11: I will take your advice and try out the blocking properties of these goggles. Anyway, I don't intend to stare too much at the laser dot once it's operational, but you're right, better be safe than sorry! Thanks Mike.

to Momo66342:
The combo red/IR diode is something I might play around with... I was told that the red portion of this little diode can be pushed to 40 mW... nothing to write home about but it certainly beats these < 5 mW dollar store pointers... I guess it would look much brighter than a 5 mW...

to proud2deviate: Aaaw. I thought it was glass... oh well. I guess i'll use the stock acrylic lens that comes with the aixiz module then. But the long focal length is a bit understandeable because there's another lens on top (the two lenses on the PHR sled seem to be about 2 or 3 mm apart), but your idea of the brass tubing might yield interesting results.

Robert

Oh and another thing... you mention that GGW heat sinks are much stronger and wouldn't respond well to bending/twisting...

Would a dremel cutting disk be a good idea? or would the vibration be too hard on the diode itself? The cutting disk would of course be used to only cut part way through... just enough to make the sink weak enough to pry open with a small screwdriver.

Robert

roddenberry said:

Oh and another thing... you mention that GGW heat sinks are much stronger and wouldn't respond well to bending/twisting...

Would a dremel cutting disk be a good idea? or would the vibration be too hard on the diode itself? The cutting disk would of course be used to only cut part way through... just enough to make the sink weak enough to pry open with a small screwdriver.

Robert

Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend a dremel for a high dollar diode. I've heard of people using them successfully on the LPC-815, but for the reasons you stated; vibration, heat, and the possibility of going too deep, I wouldn't risk it.

The method I use on LPC-815 diodes (notoriously harder to extract,) is to clamp the heatsink in a vise, and then use the corner of a coarse file to slowly file into the center of the long side. Caution is the name of the game; once you get into it a bit, make a light half-stroke with the file and check your work. Repeat as necessary until you're almost down to the diode (I actually try to file down into one of the little notches on the rim.) Turn the sink over and repeat on the other side. Using the corner of the file makes a nice, wide V-shaped cut. With both sides weakened, the heatsink should twist apart with minimal effort.

This isn't nearly as time consuming as it sounds. The first diode I extracted this way took a grand total of about five minutes.

roddenberry said:

Oh and another thing... you mention that GGW heat sinks are much stronger and wouldn't respond well to bending/twisting...

Would a dremel cutting disk be a good idea? or would the vibration be too hard on the diode itself? The cutting disk would of course be used to only cut part way through... just enough to make the sink weak enough to pry open with a small screwdriver.

Robert

Click to expand...

A jewelers saw in a vice works really well. I obviously found this out AFTER I broke my GGWs window out... >.>

-Mike