445 diode blinking problem

Hello!

I just did my first 445nm build, and i was going to post my build on the 445 area.

The thing is, i have a problem.

Afer everything was done, i fired it up and got light! (YAY! was so amazed of how blue the thing was...people described it as having a violet/purple beam, but it was just pure blue!!)

it burns (i got a hole in a dark paper), as my flexdrive is set to 1A. So id say its outputing between 700mW to 900-1000mW (using Aixiz glass).


The problem is i cant get it to lase for more than 30 secs without it start blinking (going on and off...i can post a video to show it if ud like).

I heard flexdrives do that when the batteries are almost dead. And when i first fired it up i used 2 NiMH almost fully charged and an alkaline that was almost dead (it was just to see if it was lasing). I had the blinking problem and i went to the nearest supermarket and they only had this really crappy AAA batteries. I bought them and after a while it just starts blinking...but not at the beginning...im starting to think that either the batteries are very very bad, or the wire i bought was too bad for the build, and cant handle the 1A draw from flex and the 1A+ from the bats...

Or that or the flexdrive is going mad??

Does anyone know what might be the problem??

Thanks for reading, and hope you guys can help.

*Edit: I dont want to run it much longer in case im hurting the diode and flexdrive*

i used 2 NiMH almost fully charged and an alkaline that was almost dead (it was just to see if it was lasing). I had the blinking problem and i went to the nearest supermarket and they only had this really crappy AAA batteries.

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There's your problem, use proper batteries that can deliver the current the flexdrive needs.
Use 18650 Li-Ions (order them online or salvage from a laptop battery pack).
How much space do you have for batteries?
You could use a bunch of NiMhs, if you made a pack, say 2xseries and 2xparallel
for a total of 4 batteries, 2.6 Volt and maybe ~3000mah, but its not the most practical
and safe idea.

Also, is the flexdrive heatsinked OK, or does it heat up alot (that would be bad)?

^^ What He Said. But i would just go for Getting a Lithium cell. 18650 if your host can fit it. You will be wasting alot of money if you use primary/disposables.

Got any pics of your set up.

Some of you guys post so fast now a days i can never post first to help anymore. Do you guys hit the refresh button every 1 sec to see if a new post has popped up.:crackup:

lazeerer said:

Some of you guys post so fast now a days i can never post first to help anymore. Do you guys hit the refresh button every 1 sec to see if a new post has popped up.:crackup:

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We have grown to the point that there are usually >400 members (and ~4,000 visitors) actively online in any given 12 hour period. :san:

That's a lot of people with their fingers poised over their keyboards

Peace,
dave

I was actually going to do an edit after, but i had to go out for lunch and returned now. After a few minutes experimenting with bats and duty cicles i concluded it could only be from the bats. And the flexdrive might be heating a bit. Its a 1A setup in a 3405 host. I have the protected 10440 bats to do the battery hold mod. and i think that will solve my problem.

Because if i leave the laser static in a table, and if i hadnt fired it up for, lets say 5 mins, i fire it up, I can hear the flexdrive "powering up" to reach 1A. After around 20 secs it starts blinking. I guess the charge carriers in the bats just get depleted too fast and then it stops juicing the flex properly and i have to wait for the "electron density" to build up again inside the bats. The bats i bought were really really crapy...only by the weight of them i could say they were.

I got 4 10440 bats, and as soon as i get home ill do the battery holder mod to get them in parallel (i fried my first flexdrive because i had a 3h sleep in 2 days in a half and plug the 3 10440s series :banghead.

Sorry for not saying what kind of setup i was using.

One more thing, is it normal to have an artifact around the beam when focused to infinity? I guess its not very bad, but i had a Phr that i dropped once and had an artifact around the beam the whole time after that, and i couldnt fix it even with new lenses...i also dropped the Cioas diode the other day as an accident as i was taking it out of the heatsink, think it is related? It is burning fine (blew a hole into my Texas instruments calculator lid^^) though.


And im glad i bought glasses to everyone around me...that thing when focused to infinity at around 2m away is too damn bright (but thats what we want, right :evil:?)

As i said, when i get home ill try the bat mod and then ill see if it still happens.

Thanks for the input!

daguin said:

We have grown to the point that there are usually >400 members (and ~4,000 visitors) actively online in any given 12 hour period. :san:

That's a lot of people with their fingers poised over their keyboards

Peace,
dave

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Yes LPF has Grown. I better start working on my Trigger Finger. These guys are just to Quick for me.



Edit:
@LordKaramazov The Artifact issue could be either dirty on the Aixiz lens or Dirt on the diode window or the acutely diode when you dropped it got damaged.

When you turn the Aixiz lens does the Artifact turn as well or does it stay in place.?

If it stays in place then it can be something like dust on the diode window itself and not the Aixiz lens. Or when dropped you likely damaged the diode.

But iam guess that if its not on the Aixiz lens then you have something on the diode window itself.

To clean this off you can blow it out. But be very careful when doing this. If you are using a compressed air can dont blast it with full power. Use very soft air pressure. I usually use something that you squeeze and it blows air out. I dont know what its called but if you dont know what iam talking about i can post a picture.

Yeah, i know what you are talking about. i will try to figure out what is doing the artifact. It is not very big, its around 10~12cm in diameter at around 2~3m away from the laser.

ill try not to get blinded too xD

thanks

LordKaramazov said:

Yeah, i know what you are talking about. i will try to figure out what is doing the artifact. It is not very big, its around 10~12cm in diameter at around 2~3m away from the laser.

ill try not to get blinded too xD

thanks

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Make sure you dont have the cells connected when doing this because you dont ant to have any accidents.

You might want to retest the driver with your new 10440 cells as you might find that it will be different From when you testloaded the driver with the primary cells.

You also might find that the laser will be brighter do too it having enough power from the 10440 cells then with the Primary.

First off:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f65/there-something-wrong-my-beam-spot-59400.html

Second, I might suggest that you look into the 18650 modification for the 3405. 10440's really cannot keep up with the current draw.

Peace,
dave

Oh! its no problem, ive ordered a 1A set flex from DrLava...so i suppose it will stay at 1A.
i dont want to mess with the insides of that thing again, im afraid of ruining it again.

and i will be careful...eye safety first, then skin safety, then setup safety.

Btw, i had already tried to do the bat mod in Portugal, but the metal of the battery holder is "soft" (dunno how to call it) and solder doesnt stick well to it. The guy that is lending me his stuff doesnt have flux...any idea of how can i overide this problem?

i didnt want to go and buy flux just for this small soldering...but if i have no other option...

*edit* Only now did i see Daguins post.
And i am aware of the bad profiling of the 445 diode beam...i guess its M2 is like what?? 4 xD? i know that...its an artifact, not really the oddly shaped beam. i will try to check the lense dirt thing, to see if it will get fixed.

I wont mind living with a beam with that brightness with that thing around it^^ it still burns too well :eg:

LordKaramazov said:

Oh! its no problem, ive ordered a 1A set flex from DrLava...so i suppose it will stay at 1A.
i dont want to mess with the insides of that thing again, im afraid of ruining it again.

and i will be careful...eye safety first, then skin safety, then setup safety.

Btw, i had already tried to do the bat mod in Portugal, but the metal of the battery holder is "soft" (dunno how to call it) and solder doesnt stick well to it. The guy that is lending me his stuff doesnt have flux...any idea of how can i overide this problem?

i didnt want to go and buy flux just for this small soldering...but if i have no other option...

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Here is a Good tutorial and tips on how to mod the 3X 10440 cell holder to run them in parallel to get you by..

But Dave Raises a good point with the 10440 cells. They will power it but not for long and will struggle in doing so. As he suggested to get an 18650 cell that will work. I dint know that this Host can fit a 18650 cell.

An 18650 cell should fit with no modification.?

lazeerer said:

Here is a Good tutorial and tips on how to mod the 3X 10440 cell holder to run them in parallel to get you by..

But Dave Raises a good point with the 10440 cells. They will power it but not for long and will struggle in doing so. As he suggested to get an 18650 cell that will work. I dint know that it can fit an 3.7v 18650 cell.

An 18650 cell should fit with no modification.?

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I'm aware of the bat modifican to fit in a 18650...jayrob also advised me into it. I just wanted to make it simpler, as this was essentially my first complete build (i messed up the Dorcy jr phr completely :banghead: so i learned with my mistakes).

if i have time, and when i return to portugal ill do the mod for the 18650. Basically is just taking the clicky switch insides and just leaving a part of it (not recalling good enough) and then get a small solder blob on the side, and the first time u get the bat in it will flush everything for a perfect fit.

but right now i wont be running it for insane times and also i will charge the bats every day if needed

*edit* Bat mod here!