574nm 36 mW Yellow Laser

[paul1598419]

True, but the fan runs off 12 volts and decreasing the input voltage considerably will make that part of the driver useless. If it is a problem you can't deal with, I would look for another driver. There are many that can do this and run the fan too.

 

[ZRaffleticket]

The real problem here is that I don't have my own adjustable power supply. I feel it would be a waste to get one though as I'd only use it to power this.

So instead, right now I took the fan off my 565 and I'm running it in parallel with the fan from the 575 and that's doing the job. Not much of a fan of this solution though. What I really need to do is to find a good case positive driver for a low Vf diode like these are and stick it into a portable and be done with it.

 

[Encap]

Where did kecked's laser come from? I don't remember if he bought from OPTlasers or the Australian seller. I noticed the heat problems immediately and took steps to safeguard my driver. I have run my laser for 10 minutes straight, as posted in the OP, since heat sinking these parts.

I went back and looked at Mosc007's driver for his 575nm laser. It is identical to the one I received from OPTlaser. He heat sinked the output transisor, but didn't heat sink the IC right next to it and at the fan's output connector. That IC runs hot too. It is odd that his spectrometer shows a wider band than I have been seeing with mine. Don't know if it is the laser or the spectrometer.

Good points they are one and the same units, other than a couple of wires soldered and a few nylon cable ties.

PS kecked got it from the Australian guy for $115, see post#85

I guess I could split the fan going out from this and give the driver its own. The head sure gets more fanpower than it needs

Fans:
DTR has some excellent Nidec UltraFlo upgraded fans from new XJ-M140 projectors for sale @ 5 pieces for $12.50 60mmX 60mm

For $0.99 you can but 2 40mm X 40mm fans on ebay see: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2Pcs-40MM-12V-Mini-Cooling-Computer-Fan-Small-40mm-x-10mm-DC-Brushless-2-pin-/362301384268

For a $30ea. priced 1 piece minimum order product you are lucky that it works even for a couple of minutes.
Overall long term life remain to be seen.

 

[ZRaffleticket]

So. Does anyone else see an orange line with theirs?





Edit:
@encap I have 5 ordered off amazon that look to be around the same specs as the ones pre-installed on the heads

 

[Encap]

So. Does anyone else see an orange line with theirs?
Edit:
@encap I have 5 ordered off amazon that look to be around the same specs as the ones pre-installed on the heads

Sounds good--- that should solve the overheat problem and the fans will come in handy for other project uses also.

OPT/the manufacturer will probably upgrade the driver if they start getting warranty claims from overheat shutdown. Is not acceptable even as a stage light item if it shuts down in 5 minutes or less.

Would expect they will have to for higher output 100mW and 200mW units as well, I would think.

 

[paul1598419]

Mine has run continuously for 10 minutes at +12 volts in at 550 mA. I'm sure it could run longer, though. I tried to adjust the voltage down on mine and the fan starts decreasing in speed immediately. The output I didn't measure, but could see a definite decrease in output power at 9 volts. I haven't yet tried to figure out how this driver is setup, but there are 5 rectifiers at the input to the driver, so they could be used to decrease the voltage into the driver's output transistor. Just some things to think about if you are planning on modifying the driver to use a lower input voltage.

I don't have an addition line or a wide linewidth on my laser.

 

[kecked]

I got mine from the Australian place. He’s a good guy. I don’t think he knew the drivers were crap. Anyway easy to get a better one. I also have two of the opt ones coming...eventually. I’m v rly happy with the lasers. The orange is interesting. I do wonder if these can shift to the orange and maybe the red.....

Has only one tried to modulate one yet? Anyone put this on a spec yet?

 

[paul1598419]

I got mine from the Australian place. He’s a good guy. I don’t think he knew the drivers were crap. Anyway easy to get a better one. I also have two of the opt ones coming...eventually. I’m v rly happy with the lasers. The orange is interesting. I do wonder if these can shift to the orange and maybe the red.....

Has only one tried to modulate one yet? Anyone put this on a spec yet?

Did you read the entire thread? I answered all your questions in the OP. What do you mean by modulate? If you are talking about a TTL input on the driver that can be modulated with PWM, this ones appears to have that. If you are talking about something different, I have no idea what you mean.

 

[Nexgen]

So. Does anyone else see an orange line with theirs?

Edit:
@encap I have 5 ordered off amazon that look to be around the same specs as the ones pre-installed on the heads

I have orange line and it’s pretty strong if you move crystal a bit.

I guess it’s around 590nm line.

 

[Mosc007]

I have orange line and it’s pretty strong if you move crystal a bit.

I guess it’s around 590nm line.

I will have to check mine more closely. I did not notice an extra line like that but it may be dim.

 

[kecked]

I mean analog modulation for doing graphic shows. Some dpss modulates well and some not so well. I also mean using a real driver not these toys.

That’s interesting about the orange line. I wonder if a different pump diode would yield different lines. Is there a 1280nm diode for a nice red.

 

[diachi]

I mean analog modulation for doing graphic shows. Some dpss modulates well and some not so well. I also mean using a real driver not these toys.

That’s interesting about the orange line. I wonder if a different pump diode would yield different lines. Is there a 1280nm diode for a nice red.

The consensus seems to be that these aren't direct doubled so using a 1280nm pump won't yield 640nm like you're thinking.

Interested to see how well they modulate too. Need someone to stick one on a scope.

 

[paul1598419]

I seem to be missing something here. My laser has one, and only one, strong narrow line. I have looked at it with my spectrometer and also ran it through a diffraction grating. What do you mean by modulating? I am not seeing anything like this at all. Not even sure what you mean by "scope" here, either.

 

[kecked]

Paul there are two totally different conversations going on. I was asking how well the laser analog modulates for the purpose of laser shows. The other guy mentioned that he found an orange line mixed in the yellow. They are unrelated topics. I also only see the yellow line. I have to remember over here that not everyone is into laser shows. On PL it was a given. Sorry for the confusion. Still learning the forum.

 

[Atomicrox]

It doesn't have analog modulation, only TTL.

 

[paul1598419]

Ah. Yes, this driver does have TTL input that can be PWM modulated for what appears like analog modulation. If used in a projector, the PWM frequency needs to be pretty high. I have built a RGB PWM controller for TTL inputs that works very well. It is only running at 2.4 kHz, though. Not high enough for a projector.