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Forewarning:
Lasers exceeding 5mW are to be taken very seriously. They are able to cause instant, permanent damage to you eyes. I strongly urge you to purchase laser goggles that block the corresponding wavelength of the laser you are making.
Pre-Reading:
The Laser Diode:
The laser diode is the main component of a handheld laser. The laser diode is commonly abbreviated as "LD." It is a highly sensitive device that can be blown with something as little as an electric static discharge. These must be handled with the utmost care. Most diodes used in handhelds are the 5.6mm variety. When talking or referring to diodes, it is highly advised to refer to the pins on the diode whereas the middle pin is on the right side. If my words are not depicting a clean enough picture, you can refer to the diagram below as the standard layout.
445nm and 405nm Diodes:
This pin arrangement is the most common arrangement in most Blu-ray or 405nm laser diodes as well as in the XJ-A130 and XJ-A140 445nm Diodes.
Red Diodes:
This is not however the case for red diodes. Red diodes have a more random pin layout. Some have the top pin as positive, the middle as negative and case, and the bottom not used like so:
Other Diodes:
On some certain diodes I purchased on eBay, the top was negative and the bottom was positive and the middle was a case pin. As you can see, with the reds, the pin layout is somewhat random.
The current is regulated through the driver which is directly connected to the driver. They are fit in into modules, usually by being pressed together in a vise.
The Laser Module:
The module. This is the house that your laser lives in from the beginning to the very end of its life. A diode is able to be pressed into the module in one piece but removing it in one, working piece is near impossible. The standard module is the Aixiz module, costing about $5 each for the blanks. With the blanks, are an acrylic lens which is adequate up to ~200mW. This is what a complete blank module looks like from the top with all the parts together.
Below this text is all the module parts laid out in the order they go together.
The back part is the biggest. It is what the driver sits in. It has a small hole in the back that the wires from the driver can come out of. It is also commonly used to press a diode into the front of the module with. This is done by setting the diode into the back of the front piece of the module, then using the back of the back piece of the module to press against the diode. Then you squish the three pieces into the vise and twist, making sure that the diode isn't going in crooked. This is very important. There is however, a few flaws with pressing a diode this way. First, the diode is supposed to be seated past flush the back in order to be "Properly Seated." Also, the material that the module is made out of bends easily. I always tend to find the back of my modules slightly caved in after pressing. This is, however, the only way I know how to press a diode without a tool.
When grinding the end off one of them, I found myself with what looked like brass shavings. What the exact material they are made out of, I am unsure. I have also found that the metal focusing ring does not stick to the plastic sides of the lens and when changing the focus, the lens has a habit of twisting into the front of the module but not back out with the ring. This can be prevented with some teflon tape or some glue along the threads of the lens before twisting into the front.
The Driver:
The driver is what keeps the power between your battery and diode stable. Without a driver, the power is unstable and can and most likely will blow your diode. Think of an imaginary tank full of fluid high up (Battery), and its flowing down through a hose. What the driver is, is a fancy clamp that controls how much water comes out after the clamp. This analogy isn't perfect but it's easy to think of that way. These drivers can run from cheap around $2.50 to $25. There are also different kinds with different features, like a car, or something you can get customized. Some can boost the voltage so you are able to use cheaper batteries or smaller batteries for smaller designs. Some can do something called "Bucking" which is reducing voltage if there is too many volts. Others have things called TTL switches, although I can not say what they do. That is, of course, not saying it doesn't do something. It is not necessary to use any form of TTL or modulation.
You can, also make your own. Here is a link that may also be very helpful on the configuration of your driver:
Laser driver - It can be done
The Host:
The host is the major housing of the laser, as well as the batteries. There is almost always a pill where the driver sits and, unless its a pen or very small host, a heatsink. The driver connects to parts of the pill.
Lasers exceeding 5mW are to be taken very seriously. They are able to cause instant, permanent damage to you eyes. I strongly urge you to purchase laser goggles that block the corresponding wavelength of the laser you are making.
Pre-Reading:
The Laser Diode:
The laser diode is the main component of a handheld laser. The laser diode is commonly abbreviated as "LD." It is a highly sensitive device that can be blown with something as little as an electric static discharge. These must be handled with the utmost care. Most diodes used in handhelds are the 5.6mm variety. When talking or referring to diodes, it is highly advised to refer to the pins on the diode whereas the middle pin is on the right side. If my words are not depicting a clean enough picture, you can refer to the diagram below as the standard layout.
445nm and 405nm Diodes:
This pin arrangement is the most common arrangement in most Blu-ray or 405nm laser diodes as well as in the XJ-A130 and XJ-A140 445nm Diodes.
Red Diodes:
This is not however the case for red diodes. Red diodes have a more random pin layout. Some have the top pin as positive, the middle as negative and case, and the bottom not used like so:
Other Diodes:
On some certain diodes I purchased on eBay, the top was negative and the bottom was positive and the middle was a case pin. As you can see, with the reds, the pin layout is somewhat random.
The current is regulated through the driver which is directly connected to the driver. They are fit in into modules, usually by being pressed together in a vise.
The Laser Module:
The module. This is the house that your laser lives in from the beginning to the very end of its life. A diode is able to be pressed into the module in one piece but removing it in one, working piece is near impossible. The standard module is the Aixiz module, costing about $5 each for the blanks. With the blanks, are an acrylic lens which is adequate up to ~200mW. This is what a complete blank module looks like from the top with all the parts together.
Below this text is all the module parts laid out in the order they go together.
The back part is the biggest. It is what the driver sits in. It has a small hole in the back that the wires from the driver can come out of. It is also commonly used to press a diode into the front of the module with. This is done by setting the diode into the back of the front piece of the module, then using the back of the back piece of the module to press against the diode. Then you squish the three pieces into the vise and twist, making sure that the diode isn't going in crooked. This is very important. There is however, a few flaws with pressing a diode this way. First, the diode is supposed to be seated past flush the back in order to be "Properly Seated." Also, the material that the module is made out of bends easily. I always tend to find the back of my modules slightly caved in after pressing. This is, however, the only way I know how to press a diode without a tool.
When grinding the end off one of them, I found myself with what looked like brass shavings. What the exact material they are made out of, I am unsure. I have also found that the metal focusing ring does not stick to the plastic sides of the lens and when changing the focus, the lens has a habit of twisting into the front of the module but not back out with the ring. This can be prevented with some teflon tape or some glue along the threads of the lens before twisting into the front.
The Driver:
The driver is what keeps the power between your battery and diode stable. Without a driver, the power is unstable and can and most likely will blow your diode. Think of an imaginary tank full of fluid high up (Battery), and its flowing down through a hose. What the driver is, is a fancy clamp that controls how much water comes out after the clamp. This analogy isn't perfect but it's easy to think of that way. These drivers can run from cheap around $2.50 to $25. There are also different kinds with different features, like a car, or something you can get customized. Some can boost the voltage so you are able to use cheaper batteries or smaller batteries for smaller designs. Some can do something called "Bucking" which is reducing voltage if there is too many volts. Others have things called TTL switches, although I can not say what they do. That is, of course, not saying it doesn't do something. It is not necessary to use any form of TTL or modulation.
You can, also make your own. Here is a link that may also be very helpful on the configuration of your driver:
Laser driver - It can be done
The Host:
The host is the major housing of the laser, as well as the batteries. There is almost always a pill where the driver sits and, unless its a pen or very small host, a heatsink. The driver connects to parts of the pill.
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