building 445nm blue laser

Hello, I have recently become interested in buying a more powerful laser from WL since their price drops. Well I eventually found some laser building tutorials on youtube and a few hours later I ended up here. I would like to build a good quality laser using this diode: HighTechDealZ - 445nm 1W (1000mW) Blue Brand New Laser Diode in Aixiz Module

First off, I would like to build a quality laser. I am not nuts about getting a 1 watt output with this laser. I have spent a few hours looking over some tutorials like the "I want to build a laser thread" and I am sort of lost. I would like to know what exact parts I need. Do I need a lens, heat sink ect...... Another thing is the driver, I don't know if i need to build one or buy a certain one. If someone could please help me or at least point me in the right direction that would be very helpful. :yh:

First of all Welcome!!!

Another member has that avatar... you might want to change it to avoid confusion, but its up to you.

Ok, lets get started.... a laser diode, like the one you linked to are fragile electrical components that need regulated current to operate and prevent damage. Thus a driver is needed. There are 2 main types of drivers that can be used with laser diodes, a linear driver or a buck/boost driver. Depending on your input voltage will determine which type of driver you need. A buck/boost driver can convert low current and voltage to higher voltage therefore only requiring a small capacity low voltage power source, for example 1x AAA battery.

A linear driver on the other hand needs a high voltage source, usually the forward voltage of the diode + ~2v. This is handy when your host only takes three batteries. For example I am running the Rckstr (linear) driver off 3x 10440 3.7v batteries, this means they add up to ~12v at full charge... only a linear driver can utalise that kind of voltage.

But for smaller hosts where high voltages sources are not available a buck/boost driver will be used. For example in my own 445nm laser build I have flexdrive V5 and a 1x 18650 battery at 3.7v running a diode with forward voltage of ~4.4v at >1A. Can you see the benefit??

Now if you want to go with a kit, I highly suggest 2 hosts.... Either the 18650 host from Jayrob or the Tank007 from Flamingpyro. They both are great hosts and provide great heatsinking.

The exact components that you will need are listed below:

Diode: Can be bought at GB price for $45 or $59 on that website you listed above.
Aixiz module: Can also get a heat sink that is able to accept press fit diodes. ~$3
Heatsink/Host: ~$40-50
Glass lens: ~$10
Driver: flexdrive v5 $27 or Rckstr driver $13, alternatively you could build a LM317 driver for ~$3 but it will not be as compact as these drivers.
Batteries/charger: ~$15

Any other questions please feel free to PM me or post here! -Adrian

thank you for the quick reply. This is very helpful. Also thank you for telling me about the avatar I can get rid of it.