Hey All,
Ok. Here is the situation. I am about to purchase a laser diode from Stonetek. If I am not mistaken, its the Sony SLD1236VL. I have read the data sheet and it states that:
Operating Voltage: 2.5 Volts
Operating Current: 130 mA
So I am assuming that the total power output is 0.325 Watts (Power = Voltage X Current). The optical output is 250mW, so I guess the remaining energy is released as heat or something.
Now I have an LED flashlight that uses 3AAA batteries. So this means a total output of 4.5 Volts. If I am able to regulate the voltage, I fear that the current wont reach 130mA, and vice versa. Does this matter? Or it does not matter that I have a different voltage (or different current output) as long as the power still is 0.325 Watts.
I am planning to use that famous driver circuit that everyone is talking about (the one with the LM317T regulator). I know that it requires a minimum of 6 Volts of current. I remember reading somewhere online that the LM317T needs a minimum of 1.5 Volts of difference between the input and output in order to work. So if I use the 3 AAA batteries with a total of 4.5 Volts, will that work? Or do I have to build a different type of circuit? If so, got any suggestions?
Many thanks for your help. This forum really is a good resource. Keep it up fellas.
Ron
Ok. Here is the situation. I am about to purchase a laser diode from Stonetek. If I am not mistaken, its the Sony SLD1236VL. I have read the data sheet and it states that:
Operating Voltage: 2.5 Volts
Operating Current: 130 mA
So I am assuming that the total power output is 0.325 Watts (Power = Voltage X Current). The optical output is 250mW, so I guess the remaining energy is released as heat or something.
Now I have an LED flashlight that uses 3AAA batteries. So this means a total output of 4.5 Volts. If I am able to regulate the voltage, I fear that the current wont reach 130mA, and vice versa. Does this matter? Or it does not matter that I have a different voltage (or different current output) as long as the power still is 0.325 Watts.
I am planning to use that famous driver circuit that everyone is talking about (the one with the LM317T regulator). I know that it requires a minimum of 6 Volts of current. I remember reading somewhere online that the LM317T needs a minimum of 1.5 Volts of difference between the input and output in order to work. So if I use the 3 AAA batteries with a total of 4.5 Volts, will that work? Or do I have to build a different type of circuit? If so, got any suggestions?
Many thanks for your help. This forum really is a good resource. Keep it up fellas.
Ron