Soooo if I was going to buy this....

[yesthisissean]

So if I was going to buy this driver, would I need a current limiter as well? The website says "-Driver Kind: Boost "ONLY"" I am confused as to what they mean by the "ONLY" part. It seems like a really good driver and that it could output a very very high powered laser

http://www.cajunlasers.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=209

 

[NKO29]

That IS a current regulator, but it outputs 3A! You would need a special type of diode to use that amount of current. Some drivers are BUCK/BOOST but by saying boost only means exactly what it says. You only need to regulate current with diodes, voltage isn't of immediate concern.

 

[yesthisissean]

That IS a current regulator, but it outputs 3A! You would need a special type of diode to use that amount of current. Some drivers are BUCK/BOOST but by saying boost only means exactly what it says. You only need to regulate current with diodes, voltage isn't of immediate concern.

Oh thanks for clearing that up for me lol is there a way of converting the output amperage into watts?

 

[Things]

Yes, multiply it by the voltage, but that will give you it's power input, not the diodes power output. Boost means the input voltage must be lower than the diodes Vf, which is 4.5V for 445nm.

 

[yesthisissean]

Yes, multiply it by the voltage, but that will give you it's power input, not the diodes power output. Boost means the input voltage must be lower than the diodes Vf, which is 4.5V for 445nm.

Theeeenks for all the support, but I am still a little confused...here's what I understand so far.

The ouput amperage of the driver is maxed at 3A.
The input voltage to the driver is maxed at 5V.

The description of the driver says that it works on one 4.2V cell, so I guess I should use a 4.2V battery like this one? Or can I use 2x 2.1V batteries?

So since the input voltage is 4.2V, how do I know what the driver output amperage is?

 

[NKO29]

"Yes, multiply it by the voltage, but that will give you it's power input, not the diodes power output. Boost means the input voltage must be lower than the diodes Vf, which is 4.5V for 445nm."

^ Is exactly correct The diode's power depends on many things:
-Heat/Temperature
-Current
-Lens
NO 2 diodes will output the exact same thing even if they have identical running circumstances. You need a lpm to measure the outputted W/mW of a laser diode.
The output amperage of the drive is adjustable with resistors. Any L-ion cell will work on that driver.

 

[yesthisissean]

The output amperage of the drive is adjustable with resistors. Any L-ion cell will work on that driver.

The driver has a potentiometer on it and the resistance isn't specified in the description. So I need to know what the maximum amperage output is for a 4.2V battery...so I don't buy a diode that blows up when I supply all the power from the battery to it..

 

[yesthisissean]

Wait, so why is this driver even made when there aren't any diodes that can handle 3A of current?

 

[NKO29]

There are diodes which can use 3A but theyre not commonly used because of their price. If the driver has a POT, that means you can adjust the current yourself if you have a multimeter. You NEED to know what current the diode is made for as well. I pick a diode THEN pick a driver, if you do it the other way around chances are they wont be compatible.

 

[hakzaw1]

+rep to both for the help== nice job guys!!

 

[Things]

The maximum amperage output for any battery is how much current the battery can supply, up to 3A. But the driver regulates the current, not voltage, so watts are irrelevant.

You can use 2 AA's in series, but you won't get 3A out of them for long. As long as you keep the voltage below 4.5V for a 445nm/405nm diode, a boost driver will work. If your input to the driver is higher than that, you need a buck or linear driver.

 

[yesthisissean]

The maximum amperage output for any battery is how much current the battery can supply, up to 3A. But the driver regulates the current, not voltage, so watts are irrelevant.

You can use 2 AA's in series, but you won't get 3A out of them for long. As long as you keep the voltage below 4.5V for a 445nm/405nm diode, a boost driver will work. If your input to the driver is higher than that, you need a buck or linear driver.

So what you are saying here is that any 1 Watt diode will be able to handle 3 Amps?