Lpc 815 build

So I've got a LPC diode and a rkcstr micro drive, just want to make sure I have everything right here. I've got 8 AA's in a holder hooked up to the driver, because thats the only AA holder radioshack had. How many volts should be coming out of my driver? I'm planning on setting the driver at around 350mA. Thankies :yh:

Don't worry about volts. The diode will draw the number of volts it needs which is about 2.5v in the case of the 815. it's the current you need to worry about. Build a test load with 4 1N4001 diodes in series with a 1 ohm 1W resistor and measure the current across it. 1 mW across the 1 ohm resistor is equal to 1 mA of current. You need to adjust the pot on the driver accordingly to get your desired current. I haven't used a rkcstr but if it's like the flex or micro boost drives turn the pot slowly because they are very sensitive. If you can't find a 1 ohm you can use a 5 or 10 ohm but you have to multiply the results by 5 or 10. you could probably get away with a half watt resistor if you can't find a 1W but I wouldn't go lower. IIRC radio shack has a 2 pack of 1N4001 diodes for a buck so you should be able to build a test load for about $5 unless you decide to build it on a breadboard or proto board. I would actually buy 6 of the diodes in case you decide to ever build a blu-ray laser since they draw about 4-4.5v. Unless you're using rechargeable AAs you may want to jumper one or two of those battery slots because 12v is the max a rkcstr can take without modding it. 6 standard AAs would provide about 8v which should be plenty of power for both the driver and diode.

I plan on extracting the LPC I bought from its sled tonight and power it with a flexdrive set to 300ma which should give me a decent amount of power and good diode life as well. Take your time with it and be careful with the LPC since open can diodes are easily damaged. Be sure to take pictures as your build progresses and post the finished project!