Anyone recognize this? I can't find part #'s

[SpecialtyLEDSOnlineWeb]

Hello there,

I am new to lasers, but not to electrical engineering specifications. I just took apart this huge HP DraftMaster II poster pen plotter printer and found this little guy that came out of it. I think it's a laser, but I probably burned it out when I tried to test it!

Here's the pics:

Anybody recognize this? Is it a laser driver and broken laser diode?

 

[HIMNL9]

I'm not sure from the pics, a macro of the "diode" can be helpful ..... anyway .....


As far as i can see, the small square up can be a phototransistor or a photodiode (or at least, it looks similar to them) ..... where instead the chip on the low place can be anything, from the pic is not clear ,,,,, but don't look, apparently, as a laser chip, it looks more as a LED chip .....

Just a personal impression, as i said ..... but this can be an alignment photodetector, or something similar ..... i mean, a can with both an emitter and a detector in the same package, (and, maybe, a lens on the top, originally ?), that is used for detect "presence" or "distance" of an object, for align a moving part to a precise position ..... just wondering .....

 

[SpecialtyLEDSOnlineWeb]

There was another "alignment" looking module attached on the right hand side of the final circuitry image that I ripped off.

I couldn't figure out if the lenses attached to the inside these "modules" were part of LED -or- Laser Modules, though.

The first image is of the ?laser? module that tore apart from the metal cylindrical encasing that had been attached via 4-input ribbon wire to the lower right hand corner of the last picture (denoted by the "W1" symbol clearly seen in the bottom right hand corner of the last picture) - which also had a red lens that was embedded inside the top part of that module.

I thought it was a laser, but when I tried to test the module with a low voltage power source it appeared as an led would have - maybe it was the red lens that was throwing me off. I could be wrong. Maybe they were just LEDs.

However, from the looks of the circuit though and what I have been seeing from laser drivers being sold on eBay, I could have sworn that this was a laser driver circuit (capacitors, resistors, IC Chip). AH, but I do remember seeing plenty of "light sensor" circuits that had this similar "square" looking apparatus that would serve as a motion detector. I think it makes sense to me now, thanks HIMNL9. Very smart.

 

[SpecialtyLEDSOnlineWeb]

I guess I was wondering how Laser Printers worked. I was wondering if I could take a laser out of an outdated laser printer or dvd burner, dvd lightscriber, or CD Burner to mod into my own driver circuit that would create a "burning laser". I have aluminum heatsinks and everything already.

I wonder why they use aluminum as the proper material for "heatsinks", too?

 

[Benm]

The supposed laser diode bottom looks like an old fashioned opamp casing to me. Its hard to tell from the pictures, but it seems to be a TO-9 cased IC to me.

 

[HIMNL9]

Some old alignment optics, and some old "quadrature encoders" readers looks similar, too ..... still wondering, but, if there was another piece, looking like a black plastic block with a slot, and if in this slot was passing a "strip" of semitransparent plastic (and the unit with the slot was moving with the carriage, with the "strip" sliding in the slot), this can be almost for sure a sensor for a quadrature encoder strip ..... (they read position and shifting of the carriage, usually) .....

 

[SpecialtyLEDSOnlineWeb]

HIMNL9 and Benm,

I do not know what at old fashioned opamp casing TO-9 cased IC looks like or serves to function, but HIMNL9 seems to hit the nail on the head. I would like to know what you are referring to Benm. I am curious. Both of your inputs are interesting and appreciated. Remember, this IC chip and "whatever LED or photodiode Laser etc..." came off an old HP DraftMaster II pen plotter printer, which was run on pre-windows xp operating sytems. It did, however, sell for around 5,000 USD $ when it was in its prime.

After researching many FAQ's and posts embedded in this forum I have come to the conclusion that I should just purchase an official regulated laser and goggles w/o trying to mod things myself. That IR radiation and all of the electrical specifications give me a headache. Better to be safe than sorry. Some great information on this site!