neo64
0
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2013
- Messages
- 5
- Points
- 0
Hi everyone, newb in town 
So I've owned a couple of lasers from DX (red @ 250mW and a green @ 150mW). At that time I didn't get into specifics like laser wavelength, current handling, module sizes etc..
This changed when I decided to build a laser of my own. After a short while of googling stuff, I realised that most of the hits were on this forum - and with good reason :wave: And after spending some time reading about you guys' work here at LPF, now I know where to ask for help!
I'm somewhat of an electronics enthusiast and have sound knowledge of components, power, and soldering
So I intend to build a 445nm laser. Bought a host from ebay and with it came a boost driver rated at 2A. After some reading here I found out that buck drivers would be a better solution to my use - nonetheless I wired up the boost driver to gain some practice. And I have some questions if you don't mind
Below is the driver in question... details can be found here:
Adjustable 2W 445nm/445nm blue laser driver booster circuit/ 2A/9*20mm | eBay
This is a more detailed image of the back where the power resistor is
And an image of the top of the PCB..
Now my question is this.. The boost driver claims to be current adjustable up to 2A. I couldn't test for currents up to 2A because my 1N4001's in the test load I had kept desoldering themselves with the heat buildup (didn't solder them onto a veroboard)
What I found out though, and what I'd appreciate some clarification about, is that the output current wasn't adjustable fully down to 0%. I estimated the output current to be adjustible only in the range of 70% to 100%
Is this true for all drivers or only boost drivers? Or is it due to this being a shoddy driver off ebay?
Don't worry, I intend to treat a 445nm with the respect it deserves by driving it from an X-drive or similar
Sorry for the long post and large photos, please let me know if I can improve my posting etiquette.. I'm a new member eager to learn
So I've owned a couple of lasers from DX (red @ 250mW and a green @ 150mW). At that time I didn't get into specifics like laser wavelength, current handling, module sizes etc..
This changed when I decided to build a laser of my own. After a short while of googling stuff, I realised that most of the hits were on this forum - and with good reason :wave: And after spending some time reading about you guys' work here at LPF, now I know where to ask for help!
I'm somewhat of an electronics enthusiast and have sound knowledge of components, power, and soldering
So I intend to build a 445nm laser. Bought a host from ebay and with it came a boost driver rated at 2A. After some reading here I found out that buck drivers would be a better solution to my use - nonetheless I wired up the boost driver to gain some practice. And I have some questions if you don't mind
Below is the driver in question... details can be found here:
Adjustable 2W 445nm/445nm blue laser driver booster circuit/ 2A/9*20mm | eBay
This is a more detailed image of the back where the power resistor is
And an image of the top of the PCB..
Now my question is this.. The boost driver claims to be current adjustable up to 2A. I couldn't test for currents up to 2A because my 1N4001's in the test load I had kept desoldering themselves with the heat buildup
(didn't solder them onto a veroboard) What I found out though, and what I'd appreciate some clarification about, is that the output current wasn't adjustable fully down to 0%. I estimated the output current to be adjustible only in the range of 70% to 100%
Is this true for all drivers or only boost drivers? Or is it due to this being a shoddy driver off ebay?
Don't worry, I intend to treat a 445nm with the respect it deserves by driving it from an X-drive or similar
Sorry for the long post and large photos, please let me know if I can improve my posting etiquette.. I'm a new member eager to learn
