1.1W 635nm Build in a Fenix TK35 Host using the "ML501P73" diode

tsteele93 said:

Love this laser, finally over a watt of red! And shorter wavelength red too, so brighter.

I have looked at that host and flat out did not like it at all when I was shopping. But it looks so much better in your video! I definitely want to build a laser with this diode in it. Now the trick is to find some!

I am very confused about one thing though. I have been trying to find out about using flashlight drivers and everyone keeps steering me away from them and saying they have too many spikes and will kill diodes.

I feel like I am in some kind of spy movie where I am ignorantly stumbling into some secret that is not supposed to be spoken about and the people who do know the secret are telling me to "quit asking questions or else!" It is kind of like when you accidentally post the correct spelling of KaSee-0 and everyone shushes you and acts like you have committed some unforgivable transgression.

So... Am I blundering into an unspoken secret, or am I just not understanding something? Why are flashlight drivers considered untenable in most builds, but in a build with a new, untested and expensive diode, it is perfectly ok?

Is it because reds are particularly robust?

I don't mean to be difficult, I am just trying to understand what is happening here.

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I love this Host alot. I have 2 more of theses. I have one that i did into a 445nm laser and one that iam redoing and started to polish up. Its Freaking amazing how shiny it came out. Picture coming soon.:drool:

Well its Quit simply actually. There is No Secret to it Like i mentioned to you I think couple of the many risk why there not good to use as well as many others have mentioned to you. There is Nothing wrong with using them, However Please Note that there is Most definitely Problems that go with using them and is the reason people including myself is steering you away from them.

I liked the Modes In this Light so much that i dint care if i lost the diode. I could not replicate the Modes on my mode board for the X Drives so i had no other choose but to use it. So i took the Risk but would never recommend it. The driver in this Light is not a stander 17mm/16mm board its actually like 30mm in size which screws into the battery holder. There is Really no pill. Ive never seen anything like it before.


Anyways People steer you away because in Most case >90% i would say LED drivers are not safe to use with laser diodes. An LED that goes into a flashlight can take those Spikes however a Diode cant and will simply die or degrade your diode more and more. Even adding Caps sometimes is not enough or is enough to fix the Spike issue however the startup and the shutdown can still have problems. LED drivers are Cheap and usually not well build unless you get into the Higher quality lights and even then there nothing to write home about.

Iam Not trying to brag or nothing so please dont take it this way ok but to explain this i have to say it like this, i have a few more of these diodes. I dont care if it dies or not as i dont mind replacing it and iam willing to trade this Risk in order to have these modes. Same goes for my 445nm one. I have many 445nm diodes that i dont care if i loose one or a couple just to satisfy my liking of the modes.

So in short I know its not Good to use LED driver for all the many reason people have been telling you not to use them and would never use them in a laser that iam selling. However if you are willing to loose a diode over it then its up to you if you want to take the risk. I would not recommend it and steer people away from them due to all the reason people have mentioned.

There is many posts of people loosing diodes with LED drivers. I have lost quit a few during telling and blown 2 test-loads with them. I have reason that back up why i dont recommend them to other and most of those people that tell you the same also have done extensive testing on them to know there not worth it and will steer people away.


Hope this has helped you understand it better.:beer:

That does help very much and thank you very much. I know that I am hard headed and I appreciate your patience. I had pretty much put the idea of using flaslight drivers to rest and then stumbled across this thread and wondered why this diode was different.

FWIW, I am building a SMALL collection of drivers for building and NONE of them are flashlight. I have some cheap o-like drivers for a few 826 builds I want to do and some of Moh's linear drivers and one of foulmist's drivers in the mail. I'll be ordering some of Ben and RHD's design soon, once I get a better idea of what currents I want.

I guess I'm going to have to go back to "school" on electronic circuits if I want to come up with my own drivers. I think that I will call them ZR1 drives if I ever do...

Anyway, thank you again for being patient with me and explaining this. That really is an awesome build and as I mentioned before, I didn't think that I liked that light when I saw it online, but it looks much better in your video. I might get one just to have as a flashlight!

P.S. I don't suppose you want to sell one of those diodes for a NOT for sale personal build do ya?

+1

wow, just realized this was done in Dec
good job!
:beer:

tsteele93 said:

That does help very much and thank you very much. I know that I am hard headed and I appreciate your patience. I had pretty much put the idea of using flaslight drivers to rest and then stumbled across this thread and wondered why this diode was different.

FWIW, I am building a SMALL collection of drivers for building and NONE of them are flashlight. I have some cheap o-like drivers for a few 826 builds I want to do and some of Moh's linear drivers and one of foulmist's drivers in the mail. I'll be ordering some of Ben and RHD's design soon, once I get a better idea of what currents I want.

I guess I'm going to have to go back to "school" on electronic circuits if I want to come up with my own drivers. I think that I will call them ZR1 drives if I ever do...

Anyway, thank you again for being patient with me and explaining this. That really is an awesome build and as I mentioned before, I didn't think that I liked that light when I saw it online, but it looks much better in your video. I might get one just to have as a flashlight!

P.S. I don't suppose you want to sell one of those diodes for a NOT for sale personal build do ya?

+1

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I wish I could. 1 is for my self and the Rest Are Pretty much Already accounted for. "Builds"

Trust me I have been going nuts to source these diode for you guys but i can Honestly Say and dont listen to Rayfoss BS they are Not going to be Here Next week or the next week or the fallowing week that these are not going to be a commonly available diode like the 300mW ones soon if not never.


But iam still trying I have not given up yet..:beer:

Very nice, excellence as always Angelos

wow... I want :drool:
Nice build :gj: +1 when I am allowed to give again

Very nice! I just got my first 1.1W out today tested and loged on the laserbee and ophir! Damn it is a brite light! Well worth the cash for this diode! My problem is driver heats up too much even with heatsinking. And I dont like the 1'bar at 30'. But who can complain about 1.1W of 635!

Nice job!

That is one nice host! Did you buy the light just for that? Or was it a defective one that was going to be scraped regardless?

I would live to see a laser in a TK41 host. Powered by 8x AA.

Nice! I actually have this flashlight and it's amazingly bright... But anyways 1.1W of red must be amazing

Gosh, one day I will create something like this. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day. Looks great man!!