I have a V5 Flexdrive that I have a feeling may not be boosting right. I put together my laser with a GGW (which is now dead :yabbem: ) when I turned it on with a 123 3v primary battery (brand new) I would get a flash of light that would immediately dim after a half second. I added a 1.5 volt AA battery into the line and was able to power the diode without a problem and actually get a nice beam, this didnt last long either though. I do not know if the diode got a shock, spike, or was just a bad diode. Before I attach my new GGW I want to make sure the Flexdrive is working. How can I explain why my first GGW would be bright then dim and how can I make sure I wont fry another GGW.
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Testing Output Voltage of a Flexdrive
- Thread starter martianpc
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Glutton
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did you test it with a test load?
are you sure you didnt have any shorts or unwanted solder bridges?
are you sure you didnt have any shorts or unwanted solder bridges?
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This just happend to me kinda, only I think what happened is the power leads supplying my flexdrive my have caused some inductance that killed the flex or at least damaged it as now it draws way more current than it used to and won't put out as much as it used to.
You should check your laser diode with an other driver it could very well be OK.
Best Regards Pyro...
You should check your laser diode with an other driver it could very well be OK.
Best Regards Pyro...
Well, I dont have another driver to test it with, but what I did do was attach the Red diode from the GGW sled to the flex drive and it did make light. I didnt have it in a module so it wasnt focused. The driver is set to 190ma. The red light was not blinding on the surface of the white paper is was shining on. So I have no idea if it was as bright as it should be. My driver was already assembled from Jayrob in the pocket mini kit and the GGW diode is actually one you tested. Number 19 to be specific, this is what confuses me. All I did when I put things together was solder his output wires from the Flex to your wires on the diode and heat up my heat shrink, Had probs immediately. How would you suggest I check my Flex to see if it has a prob like you had? I suppose my best choice could be to just get another flex and if they both work then make a nice red laser with my GGW red diode to accompany my GGW violet.
Nass
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possibly while putting it all together u had a spark of electricity touch the flexdrive or the diode that shouldnt have... test your flexdrive b4 connecting another diode to it.. we dont want to burn another 1 
HIMNL9
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I just hope you had not powered your flexdrive without any load ..... it's an unconventional use of a boost regulator, and powering it without any load, also for short times, can damage it .....
I never have powered the driver without a load unless a fried ggw counts. I still don't knowhow to test the driver though to make sure it is putting out proper volts and that it is indeed boosting. Would a test load tell me this? I can get the resistors at radio shack n my way home from work today and make a load if it will tell me
jayrob
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The driver will allow your diode to take what ever voltage it needs as long as you have between 2 - 5.5 volts input.
With a test load, you adjust the current. But yes, if you wanted to connect a test load, and then use your DMM to test voltage to the test load, you could do that as well.
Read this page from rog8811. He shows a DDL driver, but it is the same set up for the test load shown when using a FlexDrive:
It can be done - Laser driver
99% of the time, it is the diode, not the driver. Just check for connection issues. Most likely, it's not going to be the driver unless it got damaged somehow... (plus you said it worked for your red diode correct?)
With a test load, you adjust the current. But yes, if you wanted to connect a test load, and then use your DMM to test voltage to the test load, you could do that as well.
Read this page from rog8811. He shows a DDL driver, but it is the same set up for the test load shown when using a FlexDrive:
It can be done - Laser driver
99% of the time, it is the diode, not the driver. Just check for connection issues. Most likely, it's not going to be the driver unless it got damaged somehow... (plus you said it worked for your red diode correct?)
Yea, my red diode did light up. I just wondered if the red needing 3 volts and the 405 needing 4.5 was just a coincidence that when I had the GGW on there it would not work with a 3v battery but it would with 4.5v setup. I questioned if the driver was boosting since red worked on a 3v battery but violet did not
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You must never, ever do this. You can only combine batteries in series or parallel if the batteries are the same kind. If not then your batteries might leak or explode. Not a good idea.
HIMNL9
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Uhm, it depend ..... if the diode is fried in the sense that is an open circuit, then yes ..... if it's fried cause is led or damaged, but still act as a diode, then no .....
There must be something wrong with my Flexdrive. I got my new GGW today. I first tested the flexdrive with the red diode and it made a nice dot, so far so good. Then I VERY VERY VERY carefully assembled my GGW and wired it up. Everything worked up for about 3 seconds of nice purple, then nothing. Doesnt seem like the diode LED'ed because there is 100% no light at all. So there are 2 things I can think of.
1.) the flex drive killed 2 GGW diodes on me.
2.) The flex drive is dead and unable to power my GGW diodes.
I am thinking the driver killed them, the 1st GGW stopped making light, I hooked up this one, light for a second then nothing. If I killed a second GGW then I am going to leave this hobby. I just cant afford this
Any input?
1.) the flex drive killed 2 GGW diodes on me.
2.) The flex drive is dead and unable to power my GGW diodes.
I am thinking the driver killed them, the 1st GGW stopped making light, I hooked up this one, light for a second then nothing. If I killed a second GGW then I am going to leave this hobby. I just cant afford this
Any input?
jayrob
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This may be a dumb question, but you did try a different 'new' battery already correct?
ZheolD
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did you use a dummy load to Set/check the correct current on your Flexdrive? its Possible that the current out was changed somehow, always check to make sure the flexdrive is at the what it should be before connecting a diode.
Cheers
Josh
Cheers
Josh
No, I bought Jayrobs "hot" version so that this would be pre set and easy.... :cryyy: man I have bad luck. I know I didnt damage my driver out of mistake, everything was good. for 2 seconds then no more light.
