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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

so discouraging!

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Aug 30, 2008
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:( so i got all of my goodies in the mail from stonetek yesterday..... got my sony 16x diode hooked up....was so very happy.... but after playing with it for a minute, it blinks a couple times and died (into a dim led light)........best i can figure, the LD from the diode to the driver came loose and it killed the diode...these tiny little mishaps are driving me crazy. danguin told me that a momentary disconnection between the driver and the diode causes curent to build up in the driver, and reconnected, it kills your diode.......isn't there a drive with  some kind of safety feature to avoid this?

this is very discouraging, i've spent almost $200 dollars on crap in a little over a month....killed 4x sony diodes...i have another diode but it's not a sony......and the driver i have is fixed output and way too strong for it.... (it's the $10 red diode from heruurscience)

i also bought a test load and fusion driver from stonetek. the test load works fine...but the driver doesn't work.......must of done something wrong...who knows.

i think i'll attempt it one more time.....this time i'll solder on the diode, and then expoxy it to the driver to avoid any movement....
oh, the diode came disconnected from me messing with the lens..when i would turn the lens it was putting pressure on the solder points of the driver/diode.

so i think i'll give it one more shot.....
 





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Yeah laser diodes are very fragile little things, just the main thing is to not give up! :D The hobby starts giving back the second you complete a good and stable build!!


The diode from heruursciences, have you thought about making a lm317 driver for it?
 
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so what came loose exactly? was it the wires you soldered to the terminals of the diode? or the wires on the driver?

what type and size soldering iron are you using?

how hot is it when you solder the wires?

do you tin the tips of the wires before you solder them?

do you use flux?

what tin/lead content is your solder?

how much solder do you wick on your joints?

do you use shrink wrap?
 
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k-shell said:
so what came loose exactly? was it the wires you soldered to the terminals of the diode? or the wires on the driver?

do you tin the tips of the wires before you solder them?

do you use flux?

what tin/lead content is your solder?

how much solder do you wick on your joints?

do you use shrink wrap?

my thoughts exactly.


i think its a sign you need to check over your soldering skills and steps.

take your time. my first question is what kind of solder are you using.

thats a big one. and are you using flux.

not to worries about the iron as i have used very cheap ones just fine. a nice one will help but not needed.

also what diode is this i would love to have it and i'll pay for shipping. i will even trade you a soldering iron and some decent solder for it :)


more info on the diode?
 
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If your wiring comes out of the back of the Aixiz module to the driver the LD can be better protected ;)

There is room in the module to fit a 10mfd 16v capacitor and a 1n4001 reverse voltage protection diode. As long as your soldering is good your LD will be safe against spikes and wrong supply connection.

Regards rog8811
 
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there are no wires, i solder the diode directly onto the driver. the solder point where the LD on the diode connects to the + on the driver came off (it actually tore off from the driver) which is my fault for screwing with it too much.....

i use rosin paste flux eveytime i solder....as it makes it alot easier.....

my soldering iron is kinda crappy...butane powered...and the rosin paste and wore down my solder tip (not very fine tipped anymore)

it's pretty thick soldering wire......rosin core......(i'm going to get some smaller gauge before i try it again)

i don't shrink wrap it.......
 
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i don't think i am going to completely give up on it... but i am certainly going to slow my role alot.....$200 is way too much for my budget....i don't make nearly enough to afford a hobby like.....i think i'll just stick to buying a sony 16x diode here and there untill i get it right......
 
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try some solder that has 62/36/2% tin/lead/silver.

this is ideal for surface mount applications and thats what you are doing.
 
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thesk8nmidget said:
try some solder that has 62/36/2% tin/lead/silver.

this is ideal for surface mount applications and thats what you are doing.

Is this surface mount or through hole?

anyways i use some Rosin core 60/40 tin/lead

most silver solders melt at a much higher temperature then normal solder! but silver solders conduct heat much better and are stronger.

normal tin/lead should melt around 450F.
 
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it's the rckstr driver, there no hole to put the diode leads into...so you just solder it to the pad on the surface of the board
 
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Try, Try, Again. I've already killed 4 BR diodes & 2 RED so don't feel bad, just don't give up ;) rob :cool:
 

Ace82

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I know exactly how you feel. ;)

The frustrating part is when we fail, It is very discouraging. You get to see the beautiful diode, but not the beautiful coherent light. I've toasted more diodes then I've succeeded with...so far. It's all part of the learning curve. Think about it, school cost money, so does self-discipline, and skillz required to perform such tasks. Don't give up, don't let it get the best of you.

I've noticed that my diodes die when they're roughly removed from their original heat sink, and when they are over current-ed.

Don't be discouraged though, because nothing good comes easy. ;)
 
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as of right now... mine isnt exactly dead..it's just not usable. my positive and negative legs came off!
 




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