Do i need to attach a heatsink to the driver?

[DTR]

It doesn't have thermal shutdown and doesn't need it.

Alan

If the driver does not have thermal shutdown it is probably because they were designed to run a 2-3V LED @ 1.25A and the driver probably does not need it under those parameters but it is being asked to run a 4-5V load @ 1.5A or 1.8A which it was not designed for. The X-drive is the same it can run the high power red 638nm diodes that have a 2-3V forward @ 1.25A without ever hitting the thermal shutdown temp. My bet is the driver is getting hotter than the X-drive would allow itself to get due to running it past what it was designed for. I am not saying that it is dangerous to do that as many people do use those drivers and maybe the X-drive is just very conservative where the shutoff begins and could have been set higher. One thing that is for sure the chips should be producing similar levels of heat if they have near the same efficiency when powering the same load at the same currents.

Some other drivers they sell don't say "Made in USA", my 1.5A driver even has the Survival Laser logo on the back:

The pictured driver is a very different driver. It is the one I usually recommend people get if they are getting one from SL. I believe it was based on the FMT driver design which is an actual laser driver designed for laser diodes and a damn good driver. You can also see the components on that driver are moved in more so they are not near the wall of the pill.:beer:

 

[Garoq]

I just saw this thread so pardon the delay in responding.

The SL-branded fixed current and adjustable drivers are designed and assembled in the USA by a Utah company specializing in power electronics. They are not repurposed LED drivers. Some of the components are obtained from China or elsewhere of course.

The SL fixed current driver includes a controller which is used on other LED and laser drivers, with some modifications to the circuit.

The SL adjustable driver is a totally custom design and proprietary to SL.

The lower cost 1.25A driver is indeed a commonly used LED driver that works great as a laser driver if installed and used properly. The ones we sell are 100% tested by us and a coating is applied to one area that is prone to shorting on the brass ring.

I should add that the SL fixed current drivers have gone through a few design iterations including moving some of the components further away from the edge of the board. Here's the latest:

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi, yes heat sink it could only help with heat dissipation CU Vs AL over all . M140-1/8A, 450B-1/8A, 450 a little less don't quot me on that one. 700-1/8A, 7475-2.4A.. The larger the heat sink on the host CU and have much mass the the 9mm diodes. Persolly I like sinking my drivers. My 1.6W 450B puts out 2.379mw's no kidding but it's in a C6 AL host with CU diode sink. The M140's are great they perform well.
Hope I had some kind of input on this.
Wish you well )