Please help me! (i need driver to 2W 445nm diode)

Ok crappy first post on my part...
I didn't mean "DRIVER", I meant "TEST LOAD"...
Sorry all, I should have proofed my own post!
I hope that makes more sense.

nsielaff23 said:

Hello there.
Noob here.
I hope I am not too late to the conversation!!
If the driver is a select-able driver (like what jufran sells), then don't we actually need at least a range of voltage that the diode can handle so we "select" the right jumper on the board?
Or I am I missing something?

Click to expand...

A simplified explanation would be that the driver will do its best to force the current it is set for through the
diode by increasing its output voltage higher and higher until it "sees" this current actually flowing. Diodes
do not have a voltage "requirement," but a characteristic operating voltage that is inherent to the device.
The voltage being dropped by a diode is no indication of the actual electrical power going through it.

Yes on the test load you use you want to be close to the forward voltage of the diode which usually with most test loads is about 4 diodes or what is commonly marked with the red setting like in this description.


What they meant by "current not voltage" means the driver only regulates current and the diode will draw all the voltage it needs. The voltage will fluctuate based on the temp in the diode so the wattage supplied to the diode is not constant.


I will say be careful with that driver. Test it well to make sure it is set correctly and properly regulating. Also be sure to short the output leads before connecting it diode to bleed any possible stored charge in the cap. I have seen a lot of people have had trouble with that driver but there are people that have used it without issue. I really would also suggest you consider one of the forum recommended drivers as eBay is just not a good source for them. Anyway good luck.:beer:

So, you're saying I am basically confused.
I can work with that.:banghead:
@DTR, I did switch and decide to use the fixed current 1.8A driver from Survival Laser. I took your previous warning to heart. Thanks!:beer:
@Lightning, thanks for the correction. It really does help.
I know that I have the ability to order a bunch of parts, follow some basic directions and assemble a working laser. I did that with a green 100w cheapy. I am finding that I DO NOT yet have the electronic theory to fully grasp what exactly is happening at each stage of the process. Sorry, if I am asking some totally basic questions, but I am reading and trying to learn as much as I can.
Thanks all for your help so far.

glad to see you're doing a lot of reading:beer:. keep it up and you will soon grasp the concepts involved in building your own laser. good choice on the driver - you will not Need to test it with the test load. be aware that the driver from survival lasers will need 2x 3.7V cells to deliver full output (1.8A) from the driver to the diode. you can run it with just one cell, but this will drastically reduce the diode's output

Personally I test every driver even preset/fixed ones before connecting them to a diode and I believe Cliff even recommends it as well on his site. It is just a good precaution. Something gets mislabeled, damaged or knocked about in transit or whatever you can be sure if you test it first.:beer:

DTR said:

Personally I test every driver even preset/fixed ones before connecting them to a diode and I believe Cliff even recommends it as well on his site. It is just a good precaution. Something gets mislabeled, damaged or knocked about in transit or whatever you can be sure if you test it first.:beer:

Click to expand...

sound advice jordan. :bowdown:
good exercise for him also, as he said he ordered a test load from jufran.
as he is a beginner i wanted him to know it wasn't something he Had to do to get the whole thing working. but indeed i misspoke, being a beginner he should be encouraged to develop the good habits pros have

Well, Cheech and DTR(Jordan), I am sorry that I missed your posts before now.
Not because something went wrong, but because you are right to insist on good practices.
That said...
I assembled the M140 in the Survival C6 host with driver, pill, etc.
All I can say is holy crap. Can I say that here??? (sorry, if I cannot)
I was so excited to get it together, and now it is!!
With goggles donned, I fired it up and focused it. Worked awesome. Shines, burns, amazes. Everything a ??W blue laser should be. Thanks for all your help and encouragement. My next plan is to harvest a diode from an old computer DVD burner and build that up. I will continue to read, learn, and follow safe practices as I go.
I am grateful for this forum.
Thanks again!!

Hey! I would need your help about an a working wrong 2w 445 nm diode. I bought everything and i make everything together about an video the only difference is my diode is 2w.
Video: DIY: How to Build a 1W Blue Laser! - YouTube
After i done everything everything work well. But something happened with it today coz its lighting like a 5mw laser diode. What you guya thung what can be the problem?
Maybe it can be a problem if i didnt use the focus lens? Because i did use it and after i get off from the laser it disnt work and when i put it back it worked but like an 5mw laser.
In theese picture you see how it worked when it was godd at the secund picture you see how now works and at the third pic u see what i get off from the laser:

Looks like it led. Which means it may have shorted and died. This happened to me recently too.

It can be something as simple as a dead battery, or what Tmack said. Check all your connections,
switch(es), batteries, and measure the actual current from the driver with a dummy load. If it does end up
being the diode, then it will need to be replaced. Are you observing all proper ESD precautions?

Something tells me you've lost a diode or two from ESD lighting. Maybe? . Or are you just very aware of the problems it causes?

Yes and yes. While it cannot be confirmed with absolute certainty, I have had several diodes go LED
under likely circumstances. Laser diodes are after all the most susceptible of all electronic devices.
Even if you wear a strap at all times when handling, it is still no guarantee there won't be ESD damage.
Say for instance the diode is at some potential sufficiently above or below ground and you are grounded.
Touching it in any way that would cause a flow across the junction can cause damage. So you also
have to be careful what you set it on and how you pick it up after setting it there. You have to be aware
of any situation which could cause energy to flow through the diode.

I have also had failures of other components which I am absolutely sure were from ESD, mostly
MOSFETs - probably the second most ESD sensitive component that we often encounter. Then there
have been other strange computer hardware problems which have cropped up after lax handling of
components.

I have seen the opposite, too. One time in a computer repair class I was in I witnessed a fellow student
point to some RAM that was installed in a PC and heard a snap. We both thought for sure it was fried,
but after running a few diagnostics, no problems could be found. Of course we did not use the hardware
for very long, so who knows weather there was some latent issue which cropped up at some later time.
My best guess is that it went into the ground plane or a power rail and flowed around the susceptible
components. It also could have gone harmlessly through some circuit that was an active low or high
and thus presented very little voltage drop.

Wow, the snap was heard and no immediate damage? I would have had a heart attack as you probably did. But these components are temperamental beast. You never know what may not phase it, or immediately ruin it. Gets the heart going to say the least. When I recently shorted my m140 I had a lot more than a racing heart lol. Almost had a host imbedded in my tv

If it is installed in the PC, the CMOS inputs are connected to more ESD resistant output terminals so it is less likely to be damaged by ESD.

I usually touch the device case before handling the pins. This way, the entire device would then be at the same electrical potential as my body so there won't be any ESD jumping to the sensitive pins.

I probably would have had if it belonged to me. It was a school computer, so neither of us really cared. It
was a pretty interesting set of circumstances though to say the least.

Cool story about that M140. So far it's only been keyboards, mice, and game console controllers for
me. There may be a more practical reason why there is a lanyard on the Wii remote. The old CRTs
were so much tougher.