EDIT: I turned the pot up around 45 degrees and I got it to over 200mW. Does anyone know approximately how many mA such a rotation means on the microboost drive?
It seems lots of people are seeing a lower output than the current tests would suggest. DTR have you tested any other units? I am wondering if you yourself got a freak diode.
I am deciding on a 520 diode for a beautiful custom host I got from Ehgemus and I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of each one.
Hm. I wonder. I knew I definitely don't have 90mW diode but more of 75mW flavor of the garden variety 50mW diode, and driven at 200mW by the boost converter sold altogether in the G-2 kit offered by DTR. Nevertheless, I am not complaining. It's freaking bright for a 70mW+ green laser.
Also, battery voltage shouldn't matter that much as the boost switchmode driver, if bought together with the X-driver option at DTR's shop page, has cut-off voltage at 2.2 Volts (I went that low, to the point the driver shuts down, as I am using A123 18650 Lithium Iron Phosphate battery in single cell configuration with this laser). Nevertheless, that still depends on the drivers used herein.
Dr Mario if you are using an Xdrive I think using 2 cells instead of 1 may help with output. If I recall correctly, these need to be paired with 2 LiIons to get their max output.
I use a single 10440 with an x-boost set to 500mA, and I've also used this module/driver in a single 18650 host. 141mW:/. If I could Id like to pull this diode out and put it on a bench power supply to rule the driver/batteries out but I'm beyond that at this point.
Yea I would test it out on a bench supply. The one I did the testing with I built into a nice host for myself with a Microboost set to 500mA and it is only doing 180mW. Also if using a buck you will probably need 3XLi-ions to maintain regulation through the battery cycle.
Damn. Clearly these diodes aren't perfectly happy with a single liion from a boost driver. Are there any 2x battery setups that wouldn't wreck the driver?
I stand corrected. X-boost driver. I bought the single cell compatible diode module knowing only one 3.2 Volts Li : FePO4 cell will be used. It's bright enough, not dark pine green that is to be expected when the diode is being underpowered.
EDIT: I remember that Gallium Nitride has slightly higher injection leakage so what that mean is that the 7 V laser diode will behave differently compared to three or five IN4004 PIN diodes being used as a dummy load, by couple precentage. GaN diode is a nonlinear semiconductor as far as my knowledge on them goes.
Well I was thinking about it, and while 300mW would be nice, 200mW is also a good output. What lens do yall think would be the best?
My issue with diodes are the lens reflections that give the outputs like this
\..|../
_\||/_
If that makes sense? Like to each side of the main beam there is a arc like reflaction extending at a 45 degree angle between the beam and perpendicular to the host. I just want to get rid of that.