Hey everyone,
I haven't been on here in a long while, but a dorm mate brought over a 1W 445 that re-sparked my interest in lasers.
I still have a PHR-803T sled sitting around at my father's house. I really want to make a handheld laser with it, though I'm planning everything out and I've run into some issues/questions. If anyone could provide me with some advice or information I'd really appreciate it!
So, first off I need a module. I have an axiz with another 803T (dead, electrician friend apparently never worked with laser diodes before, insisted diodes weren't heat sensitive even though I warned him as such :/) in it, but I was considering buying an O-Like module (405nm/445nm laser module housing w/glasses lens [OL1845-BL] - $9.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce) instead, as it seems to be nicer quality in build and lens. Is this going to make any difference in output versus the standard acrylic axiz lens?
Secondly, I need a driver. I had a good experience buying a kit from Rckstr when I made my first attempt, though I worry I may not have soldered it well enough. The university I attend has a very well equipped circuits lab, so I suppose I could take it in and hook it up to a DMM or oscilloscope to check if it is functioning properly. I'm a bit lazy, though, and I was considering buying this 2 pack of drivers, also from O-Like (2 pack Red laser/808nm laser diode driver 80-500mA w/TTL [OLDD20] - $5.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce). It says they are variable from 80-500mA, which includes my intended current of 110mA. Though, I'm unsure what sort of drivers these are. They are marketed as for red/IR diodes and says it outputs @ >2.5V when on, which I worry isn't enough for the 803T diode because the 405nm driver they sell indicates it outputs 4.8V. If all else fails, what would be a fairly cheap driver that could definitely power the 803T?
Another issue I face is that of a power supply. I intend to put this all in a flashlight host from DX, most likely one that uses 2 CR123As (such as this: SuperFire Flashlight 9V BLACK - Free Shipping - DealExtreme), which would provide 7.2V in series, which exceeds that 2-pack driver's input range of 4-5V. Though, if that driver is out of the question, I suppose that's a non-issue. Another host I had in mind was this (9-LED 8000mcd White Light Flashlight with DX Logo - Black (3*AAA) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme) which takes 3 AAAs in series. I figure that would add up to about 3.6V/800mAh with rechargeable AAAs, but that's now too low. Even if I modified the 3xAAA holder to be in parallel, and used 3 10440s, the voltage would be only 3.7V, though perhaps with a bit more mAh of around 900mAh.
A final bit to consider is that of a heat sink. For the 2xCR123A host, I could probably modify the reflector to serve as a temporary heatsink. Not possible with the 3xAAA host. I plan on getting access to a lathe and some aluminum, so I could machine some well fitted heatsinks later on.
Again, any information or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
I haven't been on here in a long while, but a dorm mate brought over a 1W 445 that re-sparked my interest in lasers.
I still have a PHR-803T sled sitting around at my father's house. I really want to make a handheld laser with it, though I'm planning everything out and I've run into some issues/questions. If anyone could provide me with some advice or information I'd really appreciate it!
So, first off I need a module. I have an axiz with another 803T (dead, electrician friend apparently never worked with laser diodes before, insisted diodes weren't heat sensitive even though I warned him as such :/) in it, but I was considering buying an O-Like module (405nm/445nm laser module housing w/glasses lens [OL1845-BL] - $9.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce) instead, as it seems to be nicer quality in build and lens. Is this going to make any difference in output versus the standard acrylic axiz lens?
Secondly, I need a driver. I had a good experience buying a kit from Rckstr when I made my first attempt, though I worry I may not have soldered it well enough. The university I attend has a very well equipped circuits lab, so I suppose I could take it in and hook it up to a DMM or oscilloscope to check if it is functioning properly. I'm a bit lazy, though, and I was considering buying this 2 pack of drivers, also from O-Like (2 pack Red laser/808nm laser diode driver 80-500mA w/TTL [OLDD20] - $5.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce). It says they are variable from 80-500mA, which includes my intended current of 110mA. Though, I'm unsure what sort of drivers these are. They are marketed as for red/IR diodes and says it outputs @ >2.5V when on, which I worry isn't enough for the 803T diode because the 405nm driver they sell indicates it outputs 4.8V. If all else fails, what would be a fairly cheap driver that could definitely power the 803T?
Another issue I face is that of a power supply. I intend to put this all in a flashlight host from DX, most likely one that uses 2 CR123As (such as this: SuperFire Flashlight 9V BLACK - Free Shipping - DealExtreme), which would provide 7.2V in series, which exceeds that 2-pack driver's input range of 4-5V. Though, if that driver is out of the question, I suppose that's a non-issue. Another host I had in mind was this (9-LED 8000mcd White Light Flashlight with DX Logo - Black (3*AAA) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme) which takes 3 AAAs in series. I figure that would add up to about 3.6V/800mAh with rechargeable AAAs, but that's now too low. Even if I modified the 3xAAA holder to be in parallel, and used 3 10440s, the voltage would be only 3.7V, though perhaps with a bit more mAh of around 900mAh.
A final bit to consider is that of a heat sink. For the 2xCR123A host, I could probably modify the reflector to serve as a temporary heatsink. Not possible with the 3xAAA host. I plan on getting access to a lathe and some aluminum, so I could machine some well fitted heatsinks later on.
Again, any information or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
