Double burning MXDL laser New PIC ! =)

[mauswiesel]

Hello forums !
One of my friend wanted a laser, so i decided to build a new one using the same host but with 2 module inside it : A PHR-803T set at 125 ma trought a Rckstr's driver and a Stenkat's diode 1239JL-54 at 348 mA (for specification of these diodes see http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1217284580 )
Here is a couple of picture :  

harvesting the sled...

Some thermal grease is applied to the module, and i open the DX lens to allow more light to pass

Stenkat's diode fitted in a DX module and soldered with a variable Rckstr driver set at 348 mA

Some detail of construction, the 2 wire "+" are directly connected to the drivers (blue+red), the "-" will connect to the jumper

Here is the connection diagram. By choosing one or 2 jumper (from motherboard, DVD,..) it will create a shortcircuit wich allow the current to feed the selected driver

My first design, more convenient that using jumper. In fact, my switch can't do what the jumper can so i destroy it (i needed a switch which can do on1/off/on2)  :-?

I can burn red match with the blue ray, and red match covered with black marker with the red laser.

Some test on my wood-bed  
It was a little hard to fit the connection and the modules in one MXDL, but with time no problem at all. Don't forget to isolate all the metal part with some scotch tape. I worked 3 day on it. After 2 min, the red diode stop to emit because its a bit warm, but when it cool , it reemit again. My beamshot are a V not || (a bit hard to adjust)
Hope it will give some idea  
I wish to thanks TheMOnk and IgorT too for their kindness and their useful advice  
Here is some from IgorT concerning the supplying of the driver. Thanks a lot !   :

Linear drivers, like the 317 or the rkcstr need a certain voltage on top of what the diode needs.

For the 317, this is 3V for the rkcstr, this is 2.25V.. This means the MINIMUM voltage for the driver to be able to give the diode the desired current should be at least 3 or 2.25V higher than the diode needs, respectivelly. Not the max voltage with full batteries, that should be even higher.
When you power a red diode it only needs 3V. Two 3.6V Li-Ions will give you 8.4V when full and 6V when empty. This means a 317 driver will be getting enough voltage to regulate the current over the entire battery capacity..

A PHR can need up to 6V depending on the current! For higher currents it needs more voltage. But it's never more than 6V. This means the minimum required voltage for a 317 is 9V and 8.25 for the rkcstr driver.
If you don't give it enough, the driver will waste 3V or 2.25V anyway, and there won't be enough left for the diode to reach that currrent! The driver will drop out of regulation.
So for a PHR with a linear driver you need three Li-Ions. This gives you 12.6V when full and 9V when empty. Again, the driver will get enough voltage to regulate the current untill the batteries are completelly empty. The power will always be the same, regardless of the battery voltage, as long as it is enough.

There is only one kind of driver, which doesn't need a certain amount of voltage more. A boost driver, like my micro driver or the LavaDrive.
The LavaDrive only needs 2.5-5.5V and don't care about the diode voltage. It just boosts it to exactly what the diode needs, and can put out between 2.7 to 6V.
So either give your driver more voltage, or get the LavaDrive. Then you can make a laser with only one Li-Ion battery for power..
There is nothing wrong with the two linear drivers, as long as you give them what they need..

Many people did the same mistake with reds. They used a 317 and two 3V batteries, which gave them 6V with full batteries. But 6V is the absolute minimum required voltage for a 317 to regulate the current through a red. The minimum should only happen with EMPTY batteries. Not with full. If 6V is the full voltage, the current will be what you set it to for a few seconds, and then it will drop. That's the same as using no driver at all. If 6V is empty voltage, the current will be the same over the entire battery capacity.

At last a short vid (xvid) :

 

[ArdvarkOfDoom]

Re: Double burning MXDL laser 803T 125ma/Red 350ma

Wow great pics and nice concept! The vid isn't working for me though... would be pretty nifty to see in action

 

[thesk8nmidget]

Re: Double burning MXDL laser 803T 125ma/Red 350ma

wow great little concept! now make a nice heat sink and get that beast running for longer and staying cooler!

 

[Switch]

Re: Double burning MXDL laser 803T 125ma/Red 350ma

Wow, that's awesome! Your friend is lucky to have you as a friend

 

[mauswiesel]

Re: Double burning MXDL laser 803T NEW PIC =)

Thanks !
But i didn't like it, so i dismantle it, to rebuilt it ( to have beam //) and now im very satisfied, it 's so nice, that i am a little sad to send it :/  (190 $).
During the dismantle , i test the phr 803T with a solar cell, and find the "knee". Here is the final image now :

 

[lazerguy]

WOW, awesome idea to build two laser in a host! Really cool to have dual burning power, and to see two parallell beams rip through the sky.

Thanks for sharing this with us, great concept!

 

[Jimmymcjimthejim]

That's awesome. I love the beamshots!

 

[Benm]

Hehe.. now thats a nice build - you must have had some problems fitting all that in the mxdl host.

In all honestry i think your construction is a bit messy and heatsinking is probably problematic, but its a proof of principe

Next challenge: fit beam combining optics in there too so it comes out as a single beam with selectable color. That would probably look nicer with red and green, but i doubt its possible to mount it yourself in a host like that.

 

[GooeyGus]

I'm impressed with how seemingly parallel the beams are in the last pic. Good job! What is all the black 'dirt' looking stuff that's between the two modules?

 

[GooeyGus]

For some reason it reminds me of this:

 

[mauswiesel]

Thanks !

What is all the black 'dirt' looking stuff that's between the two modules?

Hum, in english word, i could descrive that as "felt" (but mine in france is in fact, plastic felt). You can use something like that :

 

[mauswiesel]

Yesterday i made an other double with the same design. Here is some pic (i build it in 5 hours) and made more solid connection.
The red module come hot in 1 min 30, my next design will use a heatsink; but Mike did a plot from them just with an aixiz housing ? im sceptic  :-?.    Red is at 340 ma and use Rckstr's driver, 803T at 125 mA

 

[Benm]

Nice collection of pics.. must have taken you ages to build that thing?

 

[thesk8nmidget]

very nice! i do like your thinking and concept!

 

[sad_sagi]

this made me look through my little pile of parts scrapped from a cd drive, and I found this lever style switch that controlled the tray I believe... it had 5 pins, but the inside three are connected inside I think... the outside two correspond to the lever. a switch like this might be useful in a build like this.
I got bored with a 2 way led I also found and threw this together... it proves the theory I think


the outside pins of them are connected, the inside ones were connected to battery, and two extra wires on the outside pins too.

one way is yellow,

other way is green

connect those two spare wires, and either direction of switch makes both colors light up

maybe I'll attempt something like this using the switch...

 

[mauswiesel]

WOW very interesting !!! i have some cd drive, i will test it asap ! thanks you !