445nm Laser Diode Compilation Thread

[ReNNo]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

These diodes are almost free in large quantities.
Maybe that is reason.

 

[ElektroFreak]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

I severely doubt it would be easy to reach 2500 lumens from such a small package with LEDs. Laser diodes are EXTREMELY high intensity light sources in tiny packages. It's a perfect fit..

 

[Uberstrobe]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

If there seriously is a market for higher current drivers, I will seriously look into producing some. They're really simple.

So, continuous currents of 2A or so? Do they need to fit in the Aixiz modules still?

 

[ReNNo]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

The cheapest solution that will work the best would be LM1117 (TO220) and 2x18350.
Not?

 

[hakzaw1]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

AixiZ says that thier 405nm glass lens should be fine for this diode and that the stock acrylic lens will melt --don't use it.

Feeler for bare 445nmn diode w/ ribbon and stock lens+405 nm glass AixiZ and a blank module(w/ stock acrylic) for 65$ shipped free to US and Canada, PM if anyone wantS---hak

 

[Uberstrobe]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

The cheapest solution that will work the best would be LM1117 (TO220) and 2x18350.
Not?

You are correct. Not. It's rated for 800mA max.

Personally I've used the LM1085IT-ADJ for the driver in my 2W 808nm cmount. It works fine and should be just as fine driving these beasts. I plan on driving them with this at least.

:lasergun:

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

WHY are there sooo many posters on here trying to make different compilations of data? Seems everyone wants to accumulate data and post it but not be involved in testing. Seems like a government job to me.
I'll post my data in the "experimenters" forum. Either do it or get out of the way.

HMike

 

[ElektroFreak]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

You tell 'em Mike!:gun:

But seriously, I think it's because this is a bit of an unprecedented event.. Lots of people are excited.

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

EF --
I'm so excited that I bought 2 diodes plus 3 bars of aluminum for housing parts. It's coming together next week.
I'm tired of kids' post building fogging these forums with wishes and no contributions.
Get out of the way from the keyboard, read, learn and then become a builder. Only then will you become a respected contributor here.

Lead, follow or stop posting brain farts.
HMike

 

[rev0]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

You are correct. Not. It's rated for 800mA max.

Personally I've used the LM1085IT-ADJ for the driver in my 2W 808nm cmount. It works fine and should be just as fine driving these beasts. I plan on driving them with this at least.

Are there issues with heat with a linear/LDO regulator at such high currents? Especially if you're considering packing these drivers into an aixiz.

I haven't gotten a chance to play around with switching converters, and it's too bad, I just put in my Mouser order about 3 days ago, but I think it might be a better choice for such a high power driver.

 

[HIMNL9]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

One thing I do not understand , folks.
They used 24x blue laser diodes of cutting edge technology yet to bloom in laser market in video projector, totaling output of around 14W (!) - to get BLUE color, but a red LED emitter to get red?!

Where is the common sense in that?!

Is if they were deliberately targeting laser community.
As Mario said in that matter "Not that I'm complaining", same applies here,
I'm just a very nosy person so...

How does that fit in?

There is also another possible explanation, about this ..... as you probably know, we already have 30W and 50W red LEDs, but i never heard about a 30W red LASER diode ..... not at a price that an human can afford, at least ..... and there you don't need coherent light, after all ..... so, muuuuuuch more cheap using a 30 or 50 W LED chip, for the red ..... (and remember that you need at least the double of the flux from red, for equipare green and blue in white mixing, due to the relatively low perception of red ..... all the video panels for megascreens that i know, as example, uses RRGB, nor RGB, with one chip blue, one chip green and TWO chips red for each pixel .....)

And about why use lasers for the blue, instead LEDs, well, blue and green LEDs are still less efficent than red, at first, and second, using the beam also for green production, with a phosphor wheel, is much more simple, optically, to have laser beams already collimated, than have to collimate a multichip blue LED on a small spot, too .....


EDIT: @rev0: Why don't use pure current sources, then, instead just voltage regulators used as current sources ?

The LT3080-1 can give you 1A, the "-1" are directly parallelable, without need extra decoupling resistors (anyway, also the "standard" ones can be paralleled with an extra 0.1 ohm resistor for each chip ), and the current regulation can be done using high value trimmers ..... wondering why none uses them ..... i made a pair of current drivers with the samples that i got from Linear (only 2, unfortunately they don't give more samples) ..... decent stability, and with a sense resistor of 0,2 ohm and a 20 Kohm trimmer, i can regulate it from approximatively 0 to 1 A with a total dropout around 0,6V Sorry, typo, it was 1,6V ..... isn't this good enough, for a linear current source ?

 

[rev0]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

EDIT: @rev0: Why don't use pure current sources, then, instead just voltage regulators used as current sources ?

The LT3080-1 can give you 1A, the "-1" are directly parallelable, without need extra decoupling resistors (anyway, also the "standard" ones can be paralleled with an extra 0.1 ohm resistor for each chip ), and the current regulation can be done using high value trimmers ..... wondering why none uses them ..... i made a pair of current drivers with the samples that i got from Linear (only 2, unfortunately they don't give more samples) ..... decent stability, and with a sense resistor of 0,2 ohm and a 20 Kohm trimmer, i can regulate it from approximatively 0 to 1 A with a total dropout around 0,6V ..... isn't this good enough, for a linear current source ?

That is an interesting device, a little less intuitive than the LM317 and other voltage regulators, since it uses a current output to set the voltage/current output?

I thought LM317's or any other linear/LDO is being used as a current source all the same, the output voltage is set depending on the voltage on the ADJ pin compared to an internal reference voltage. This way, we just compare the voltage to the voltage drop on the current sense resistor. Switching regulators would work the same.

Your point is very valid though, a regulator with that low of a dropout voltage, at worst case is only dissipating 600mW, and that device in particular is pretty useful since a small series resistor can be picked.

I think switchers are more compelling to me just because it'd be nice to work off lower voltages, e.g. a single cell Li-Ion to power a 405nm.
Plus, I can't find that particular chip in stock anywhere.

 

[Eudaimonium]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

That is an interesting device, a little less intuitive than the LM317 and other voltage regulators, since it uses a current output to set the voltage/current output?

I thought LM317's or any other linear/LDO is being used as a current source all the same, the output voltage is set depending on the voltage on the ADJ pin compared to an internal reference voltage. This way, we just compare the voltage to the voltage drop on the current sense resistor. Switching regulators would work the same.

Your point is very valid though, a regulator with that low of a dropout voltage, at worst case is only dissipating 600mW, and that device in particular is pretty useful since a small series resistor can be picked.

I think switchers are more compelling to me just because it'd be nice to work off lower voltages, e.g. a single cell Li-Ion to power a 405nm.
Plus, I can't find that particular chip in stock anywhere.

Much dillemas over the drivers that need to be used to get the full potential out of them little beasts.

I plan to drive mine up to limits of driver used - not limits of the diode.

Yeah, I am very conservative guy I drive my PHRs at 100mA, GGW at 190mA, I'll drive this around 0.5 W output power - as long as it's class IV, we are cool, so is the driver (well, not white-hot at least).

I simply cannot wait to pick one of those up. My entire financial plan was thrown out the window with these little diodes.
I was plannign to pick up Aoyue soldering station, Now I have to look for something cheaper and more accessible, so I can save some munay, I also sold one of my red lasers to a neighbour and a friend of mine to stock up on cash just to get one of these.

All you folks, remember that time when Yobresal bough that 100mW blue and 80mW yellow,and blue was like very overspec peakign above 150mW IIRC, and something.
Why does that seem like very far past history?

Like, as if I am remembering the times when I played games on Pentium 133 MHz or something

No offence to Luke, just sayin'!

 

[ReNNo]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

There are some problems with using LM1117.
If you want to put it inside aixiz you need to use SOT-23 packing and it cannot give you high current that you need. Chip need do dissipate lot of heat and size is too small.
That is FAIL.

To achieve current that we need we have to use TO220 version.
But problem is size also. Then you can not fit this chip inside aixiz.
Here is how I solved my problem for UF host

I used some thermal tape to achieve good thermal contact and to isolate it electrically.
It works just great, current is stable, chip doesn't overheat.

18350 are new high-energy density batteries that can give stable current and more than 1 hour runtime on high currents.

That is all we need to make cheap and effective drivers.
Not everyone have money for expensive boost drivers.

 

[Eudaimonium]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

There are some problems with using LM1117.
If you want to put it inside aixiz you need to use SOT-23 packing and it cannot give you high current that you need. Chip need do dissipate lot of heat and size is too small.
That is FAIL.

To achieve current that we need we have to use TO220 version.
But problem is size also. Then you can not fit this chip inside aixiz.
Here is how I solved my problem for UF host

I used some thermal tape to achieve good thermal contact and to isolate it electrically.
It works just great, current is stable, chip doesn't overheat.

18350 are new high-energy density batteries that can give stable current and more than 1 hour runtime on high currents.

That is all we need to make cheap and effective drivers.
Not everyone have money for expensive boost drivers.

Agreed, workarounds, eperimenting and general creative thinking is what makes this hobby.

I will recieve my free laser from Dino, WB502 , similar host, perhaps I'll make the same setup for my 445nm when I buy it.

 

[HIMNL9]

Re: 445nm Casio Laser Diode Compilation Thread

That is an interesting device, a little less intuitive than the LM317 and other voltage regulators, since it uses a current output to set the voltage/current output? .....

Yes ..... the main difference is that the LM317 and similar, being voltage regulators, have a voltage sense comparator, that must be kept at a certain value (Vref), and when this value change, the output change in reverse for keep it always the same ..... we use a resistor for cause a dropout of this voltage (1,25V) at the current that we want, then the current is regulated via voltage comparison ..... when this dropout change in plus or minus, the system increase or decrease the output voltage until the current cause again the same dropout .....

In the LT3080, instead, the regulation happens for direct current comparison, where there is a fixed current generator inside the IC that keep a 10 microamperes flow through the Rset pin ..... and the system works keeping this current constant ..... and this can be done with a very low resistor on the positive wire, and a relatively high value trimmer (much more easy to find than 20 or 50 ohm ones, and they have to support only the 10 uA of the Rset pin, not the full current as in the 317 / 1117 systems).

By the way, i made a typo, in the previous post, the total dropout was not 0,6V, it was 1,6V ..... still better than the 3,75V of an LM317, or the 2,5V of an LM1117, but i had to point to this error i made ..... sorry for that.