build in progress, few questions

[Britishkid]

So i am in the process of putting together a 660nm 150-300mw laser that i hope will eventually burn things. So far i have: the diode, driver, glass lense, and module. I still need to decide on a host and then what i'm going to power it with. I have it all soldered together and i have it lasing powered by jumped cables connected to the usb on my computer(no, it doesn't like it!). The usb jumpers put out ~4.9v and ALLEGEDLY 500ma but i seriously doubt it. The datasheets on this driver are either illegible or incoherent. I read the thread on how to use them but i have the one with the blue board(not red) so im not sure how valid it is in my case.

I finally got it to focus to a really small point using the glass aixiz lense but it has to be screwed pretty far out...is that to be expected or am i doing something wrong?

I have a lot of NiMh 9v batteries with 200mah capacity each. Would these power the driver effectively? If so, how many might i have to put in parallel to make it work?

Right now i have it putting a nice bright dot on the wall, the driver gets hot pretty quickly and i'm keeping the duty cycle below ten seconds to try and be safe. I may have zombied it when putting it all together but the diode is still not putting out any heat. I daresay i am more likely to burn things touching them to the driver than with photons! I am pretty certain it will sort itself out when i power it with something better but i'm making the best of things with what i have available at the moment.

as for the power and host. I want it to be a small handheld unit, i dont mind having low capacity batteries provided they will work with the diode and driver ok. Does anyone have any suggestions for a nice little host i can buy? Cost is definitely a factor and i am considering just putting it in a small project enclosure for now...


I'm sure i have other questions but thats it for now...thanks in advance LPF!!:wave:

Any thoughts, feedback, comments, advice, or concerns would be much appreciated.

 

[grainde]

Welcome!

What diode are you using LPC815/826/836 and what driver? I assume you already have the diode pressed in the module?:beer:

 

[Britishkid]

Im sorry, Its the mitsubishi 650nm 200mn diode. The box says 07-PD LDS026-671-5 2501-2600 BDPL-0912 if that helps any. The driver can be found here 2pcs constant current laser diode driver 80-500mA w/TTL, AixiZ

It the blue type though and i soldered a wire from the vcc to TTL+...should i use a diode instead of just a wire?

Yes i already pressed the diode using the back of the module so its flush.

 

[lasersbee]

Perhaps this could help...

I was recently informed that any new members that need help getting answers
to their questions can contact/PM member Eudaimonium directly here..

PM Eudaimonium

He has graciously offered to answer ALL questions from ALL new members...


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

 

[Britishkid]

Ok ill do that. Im not trying to waste anybodies time, i have tried searching but even when i find the same keywords i'm not sure if the answers apply to my case since all set-ups are different...thanks for looking

 

[grainde]

Dont worry your not wasting peoples time...

I think you havent had any answers, because people havent had experience with that driver. Maybe you should just email Aixiz and ask them?

Btw Jerry was being sarcastic... Im sure Eudaimonium will help though, if he can. :beer:

 

[Eudaimonium]

Neither the USB or 9V battery packs are a reliable and good power source.

I have never used the Aixiz's driver but it looks a bit clumbsy to use, why did you pick that up? It's input characteristics are weird, between 3-6V, quite tough to achieve with what we're using in handhelds currently.

If you are serious about packing it up into a handheld, you need to ditch that linear driver and get yourself a switching one.

Good place to seek out for pretty much everything is
Cajunlasers Store

You should look for a driver that suits your needs. If you pack your laser into a host accomodating one 18650 battery, you've got a lot to work with.

You can use a buck driver and 18650, but I'd reccomend 2x 16340 batteries in the same barrel.

Also, where did you buy the laser diode? It'd be great if you can post a picture so we can see at least the type of packaging it's in.

 

[lasersbee]

Btw Jerry was being sarcastic... Im sure Eudaimonium will help though, if he can. :beer:

No I was not being sarcastic...
As a matter of fact I was asked by Eud to link
to his Profile so that all new members could
contact him personally by PM for any questions.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/need-some-answers-first-post-78012-2.html#post1123628


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

 

[Britishkid]

Sorry for the slow response time. Exams! :yabbmad: I bought everything from Aixiz since they are down the road from me thus shipping was not required. The diode is actually one of the mitsubishi diodes which seem to be fairly common. I looked on the cajunlasers site and i expect when my replacement debit card comes in(longest 5-7days of my life!) ill order the rest of the stuff that i need. I'm still not sure which buck driver to get since there seems to be all kinds. Besides that, i have to get a host but again, looking for suggestions...Would it be better/easier to get a kit from jayrob and just put my diode/module in there?

 

[Reaventon]

You can buy a HOT OPTION KIT from jayrob which is basically a host with a heatsink and also a driver. You can even tell him to set the current for you. You just have to solder the laser module to the driver and -- PRESTO!!!!!!!!

your laser is done!!!!!!!

----------------------OR------------------------

You can take a project box, drill holes for the module, switch, etc. Just add a battery holder , add batteries and solder everything.

NOTE- if you have some money you can opt for the jayrob kits or else if it is a budget build do the second option!!!

 

[Britishkid]

Yeah i was just looking through all the options that jayrob has for hosts...they all look GREAT and they are fairly priced for the work done. I just have to decide how much money i am able to spend on this right now...See i would already have gone with the project box option and used a tiny fan and heatsink. Problem is that i still wouldn't know which driver to use. Im getting differing opinions from everyone so its a tough call...