Dorcy Jr. Diy RED ... Please help!!!

[tone1132]

The yellow wire is the negative. It doesnt matter if you put the resistor on the pos or neg side.

 

[Kenom]

The yellow wire is the negative. It doesnt matter if you put the diode on the pos or neg side.

This is essentially correct.  However, if you diode is polarized, meaning it has a negative and positive side, you will NEED to put the negative end of the diode to the yellow wire or you will BLOW IT UP!!!  Capacitors are fun to blow up by hooking to reverse polarity but it's not cool inside your laser!!

I got my 6 ohm resistor from a local store. I had to do some calling around to find out if there was a retailer that sold individual electrical components BESIDES radio shack. Luckily I found a place that sells them locally. Just pick up the phone, let your fingers do the walking through the phone book in electronics and start-a-callin

 

[tone1132]

[quote author=tone1132 link=1204517381/15#16 date=1205212585]The yellow wire is the negative. It doesnt matter if you put the diode on the pos or neg side.

This is essentially correct.  However, if you diode is polarized, meaning it has a negative and positive side, you will NEED to put the negative end of the diode to the yellow wire or you will BLOW IT UP!!!  Capacitors are fun to blow up by hooking to reverse polarity but it's not cool inside your laser!!

I got my 6 ohm resistor from a local store.   I had to do some calling around to find out if there was a retailer that sold individual electrical components BESIDES radio shack.  Luckily I found a place that sells them locally.  Just pick up the phone, let your fingers do the walking through the phone book in electronics and start-a-callin[/quote]

Damn it!! i meant to say resistor. I took my sleeping pills before i wrote the post..... maybe ill stop doin that.... Sorry again. ill edit it.

 

[Kenom]

it's quite alright.  I just called a steve, jase.  Brain farts unite!!! I swear I should have a straw inserted in my head so as to let out all that gas!!!

 

[tone1132]

LOL!! [smiley=laugh.gif]

 

[Amnizu]

I've freudian slipped and I can't get up!!

 

[cbrian4]

So, are the diodes from stonetek.org polarized?

 

[MB500]

I would suggest ordering a voltage regulator component from digikey instead of just a resistor.

 

[tone1132]

damn it!! my diode just died! it was in my dorcy i made about a month ago. i used a 10 ohm resistor and only used a duty cycle of about 60 seconds. whats the deal?? thanks!

 

[cbrian4]

damn it!! my diode just died! it was in my dorcy i made about a month ago. i used a 10 ohm resistor and only used a duty cycle of about 60 seconds. whats the deal?? thanks!

Maybe your resistor failed to limit the current were you using 1/4 watt? Through calculations i came to the conclusion that i was going to use at least 1/2 watt resistors. Or your leads could have shorted if you didn't put anything in between them. In the video kenom explains that shorting leads has happened to him numerous times. Did you use the dorcy a lot?

 

[tone1132]

yes i used 1/4 watt, there is no way they shorted, i have every thing individually taped with electrical tape. And yes i used it alot! it was awesome!

 

[chido]

If all the connections were ok and you didn't see anything wrong, plus say you used it a lot, then I think it was time for your LD to go to a better place.

 

[cbrian4]

I don't think the diode would have gone that quickly, as kenom said 6ohms would give you 6 months to 1 year and tone used a 10ohm. Kenom told me that there is an initial current spike when you turn the flashlight on that can exceed 1 amp! maybe you got a particularly nasty spike that blew your resistor (if thats possible). Theres definitely still a possibility that it was time to go, theres just too many factors and every diode has a mind of its own. The good news is that you can buy one of the new beefier diodes that SenKat started stocking on his site.

 

[chido]

Like you said, every diode has it's own "personality" sometimes you'll get some weird ones that will die really soon even though you did everything right. There's no way around it. I don't think the current spike is possible since Kenom mentioned many times in his thread the driver already has capacitors on it and there is no need to include any. Just a resistor.
Tone, double check all your connections to see if something went wrong, also, did you ever drop the laser? That could've also contributed to your diode's death.

 

[tone1132]

yeah.... im gunna order a few in tomarrow. i was gunna use a capacitor but the 47uF i got from radio shack was preety big for the space in the aixis housing. plus i dont know how to tell the pos from the neg.

 

[cbrian4]

Like you said, every diode has it's own "personality" sometimes you'll get some weird ones that will die really soon even though you did everything right. There's no way around it. I don't think the current spike is possible since Kenom mentioned many times in his thread the driver already has capacitors on it and there is no need to include any. Just a resistor.
Tone, double check all your connections to see if something went wrong, also, did you ever drop the laser? That could've also contributed to your diode's death.

Im repeating what kenom said when i was inquiring about running an open can at 400ma in this flashlight and this way i wouldn't need any resistors because the natural current of these flashlights are ~400ma. This is quote what he said: well if it's the dorcy Jr. like the one's I've used in my tutorials it will spell instant death. I mean it. I've yet to suceed in getting an open can to work in there at anything over 160mw. it's a boost driver. Meaning it boosts the voltage from 3v to 5v. so there is an initial spike that will instantly cook your diode if you dont' have at least a 1 ohm resistor inline. Sorry to burst your bubble. it just aint happenin on that driver."