Current for 12x Blu-Ray?

[Wolfman29]

Hey there everyone.

I set up my driver for my 12x build and it is putting out 508mA on the dot (it's incredibly constant, but a bit off of 500mA). 500mA is a safe current, right? I figure 508mA will be safe, too, but I just want to be sure. This is alright? It will have a decently sized aluminum heatsink that touches the whole host quite a bit.

 

[rhd]

Whenever I'm looking for this kind of info, I generally just google the diode name, and then flip google over to "images" to find the photos of PIV curves. There are usually 2 or 3 for common diodes like these, from a few different sources. So for the BW512L, you get these results:
bw512l - Google Search

And there are a ton of PIV curves. You can just assess the credibility of each source, average them, or choose the one you trust most. Here are three that came up in that search.
http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=...1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=653&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1
Google Image Result for http://s243333424.e-shop.info/.media/523778797476.png
Redirect Notice

 

[Wolfman29]

Well, PIV curves are fantastic (I use them all the time), but they don't take into account the life of the diode or how heatsunk it is :\

 

[rhd]

Another decent resource are the charts (no longer updated) for both 405 and 445 builds. They give you a sense as to life, since they initially kept track of when I member's build also died. They might still be sticky'd.

Apart from that though, it's tough to predict life. But to your question, I think 500 should be fine. I'm running my 12x build at 612.5 (easy 2 ohm DDL) and it works great

 

[jayrob]

Lots of information on all components and settings of many 12X builds shown and compiled here:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f38/12x-br-diodes-46798.html

Many are pushing them way beyond what I would personally consider 'safe'. Personally, I would say maybe 400mA's for good longevity.

But people are pushing them much higher than that!

Now days, the diodes are much cheaper. So it's not too bad of a gamble to go for a higher current...

 

[Wolfman29]

@rhd: Don't you mean 2 Ohm?

@jayrob:
Hmm, alright. Seems 500mA is fairly safe.

So I will stick with 508mA and hope I am lucky. Of course I will keep my duty cycles to a minimum (I generally do).

 

[mfo]

I keep mine @ 400 mA with a 405-G-1 lens. Unlimited duty cycle and it's a beast.

 

[rhd]

Wolf: Yep. Initially wrote 1/2 DDL ref voltage, but thought it would confuse. So I reworded, but missed changing the numerical value. Good catch, thanks.

 

[Wolfman29]

mfo: I understand the unlimited duty cycle... but I am not a duty cycle guy. I am fine leaving it off for a while, as long as I get 30-60 seconds for every minute of off time.