Recent content by overambitious

A couple questions- Is this inherent to the 3s batteries somehow? I have a hard time understanding why it should be different than just using 3 18650's in series. I've picked this battery because I already have it lying around and it's got discharge capacity to spare (a 20C battery from a dead...

WOW. I assumed as a copper alloy it would have similar thermal properties. For those who are curious, brass is 3.5x worse than copper at dissipating heat. Bronze, which is even more copper by percentage, is 15x worse. https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-metals-d_858.html

I posted a while ago asking about drivers, and more recently about beam dispersion. So far I've been out of my element, but we're into the mechanical design so it's my time to ask a few questions but also show off a bit. This is my design for the host. As shown, it will be 11.5" long and 2"...

Hi all, I've been working on a 2W 462nm build for a while now, and tonight I was able to fire it properly (outside at full power with a glass 3-element lens) for the first time. However, I'm noticing that there's still some scatter occurring out to the sides along the same plane where the...

I'm just gonna go for it! I just ordered the blackbuck 8 and already purchased a cheap 2w 445 diode, so it's time to head to the test bench and see what happens. I'll report back if it fails to run under 1000mA (or fries).

As I understand it though it should be fine, since I want to have analog control over a 1.8A diode. I would have issues if I wanted to use that driver for a 250mA diode, since I couldn't run the analog signal to 100% without frying it. Can someone please confirm or refute this?

I see this on the Blackbuck 8, but not 6. In both cases though the datasheet has a lower limit of 1000mA, which makes sense for an engraver or something but doesn't do me much good here. This is what I got for my benchtop, which claims 50-3000mA. Definitely not going to fit in a handheld host :/...

I guess I've been unclear. What I'm trying to achieve is a handheld laser using a 2W diode, that can be given a user-selected current to produce a continuous beam of variable strength ranging from 'amusing toy' to 'engraving tool' with the adjustment of a knob on the housing. It would be nice if...

No, I was referring to modulating the current of a TTL laser while PWM is at 100%, which I still assume is bad. My reason for wanting actual current adjustment is that I assume that for most casual use I'd want to keep the output power low enough that the PWM would be obvious. Would it be okay...

So based on some more research, it sounds like I want to buy/make an analog driver board rather than the TTL driver I already ordered (damn!). The information about analog vs TTL seems mostly oriented around driving multicolor arrays for light shows and precision waveforms for scientific...

I should add that I'm a mechanical engineer by trade, with limited experience with circuits and software but access to a full machine shop and EE lab with professional equipment. I'm taking on this project to get a bit better with circuits (and probably LTspice in the process), and hopefully...

I recently broke my first laser pointer, a 75mW 405 Wicked Laser Nano that a friend gave me. Naturally, I've chosen to replace it... with a fully custom 2W 462nm build. A key feature that I want is the ability to adjust the current in use, I've found plenty of adjustable drivers so far but they...