Does Anyone Have a Test-Load I Could Buy?

Hi, I'm just getting into laser building and I just bought a multimeter and have no test load. I really don't want to build one, since I'll probably make some mistakes, so does anyone have a spare I could buy?

If you plan to "get into laser building", a test load is a good and cheap place to start.
What type of soldering iron do you have? Soldering is important to building.

HMike

Here you go.:beer:

Can handle up to 3A. He also has a smaller one but if you are going to be setting Flexdrives for 445 @ high current pay the extra $5.


http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/fs-laser-tools-44115.html#post585654

They are easy to make yourself as Mike said and good soldering practice too. Here is a pic of mine I made. It uses a 10W resistor...overkill, but I included jumper points for each color diode I was testing. I put corresponding colors of tape on the resistor. I also put pins on the resistor ends for easy to clip measuring points when driver setting.

If you get one of Flaminpyros get some of his wire too. Its silicone insulation at a reasonable price.

Great, thanks a lot you guys. By the way, sorry to be such a noob, but when I get the test load, I hook the driver up to the wires that are on the test load already and hook the multimeter up to the test load right? Also, I just have a pretty cheap but good soldering iron from radio shack

At some point you will always be a noob. The more you read here, even with a decent background, you'll find the more you don't know. Especially abt lasers. lol
Learning to use the search is your best friend on this forum and then ask abt something you don't understand after reading. Effort on your end is better received.
A search here for test load will find this. Its pretty self explanatory.

I didnt even put my test load on a circuit board. Simply soldered the diodes end to end (observing polarity, and a set of helping hands helps here!), and added the resistor to the end. Mines the high power version using 7x 1N5408 diodes and a 5 watt 0.1R resistor, which should quite happily sink 3 amps without blowing up.

The first five diodes will be heatshrunk, and a switch added to short the 6th or 7th diode depending on what laser diode I intend to use the driver with.

Note that I am using a .1R resistor as I have a dedicated LED panel meter spare for the test load that calls for a 0.1 R resistor as its shunt to make it read milliamps, up to 5 A.