eBay 5mw 405nm "High power laser"...not!

[tmackbb4]

Damn blew them all! That's terrible. What were you trying?

 

[MajorLim]

Damn blew them all! That's terrible. What were you trying?

im trying to make a high power red pointer from a torch and stuff ive got about.
basically because the driver is this one:LM358 Constant Current Driver, 3.5 -5.0V - V2 - Detailed item view - OdicForce Lasers Online Shop

i had to sacrifice one to find a good current.
and the other... well...
i soldered the diode to the driver the wrong way, twice! (which didnt kill it) but then when i had the driver all set up and the laser was working great, i touched the negative terminal of my power supply to the case. which by-passed the driver and fried the diode with 330ma of 4.5v... which is nice!

but i did do it at 5am... so its my own damn fault... stupid brain!

 

[tmackbb4]

So when you get more diodes it will be functional? You found the optimal current? What kind of power do you think? Where can I find a good barber? What time is dinner?

 

[MajorLim]

So when you get more diodes it will be functional? You found the optimal current? What kind of power do you think? Where can I find a good barber? What time is dinner?

Hahaha. 1. Oh yes ive figured it out now.
2. yes... 300ma.. thats just the max for the board... i think i might like abit more. its not as high as the diode will take.
3. it burns unfocused... i have no lpm to know but id say 250+ and the copper rings i soldered to the housing sink the heat well, it warms up a litle after about a min.
4. https://www.facebook.com/bozemanbarber
5, about 6:30..... but only if you go to the store for some potatoes, cause ive got none.

 

[tmackbb4]

Lol your one of the few to oblige my humor. Glad to call you friend sir . That sounds like a cool project! Would love to see some pics when you can. See you at 6:30

 

[MajorLim]

thanks man. you to.
and get those pink skinned potatoes... they're the bomb! well fluffy!

 

[tmackbb4]

What's the host you got for this project? Pman gave me these tiny little flashlights I would love to see in red!

 

[MajorLim]

if you look at the pics above... its the red flashlight in the background.

 

[tmackbb4]

Very nice!! Love the color coding. I was going to get a red survival host for my reds if these tiny hosts don't work out. Pman gave me so much it inspired me to do something with it all.

 

[MajorLim]

I found this badass the other day...

For £1! If you want I could send you one...

 

[Blaster]

if you look at the pics above... its the red flashlight in the background.

very cool, good luck and don't put diodes across 9 volt batteries that will kill them .....lol

 

[MajorLim]

Lol... It wasn't even nine volts... I had my bench supply set 4.5v... It's just because the driver is single sided op-amp... I.e. On the the driver the path for the +v tracks directly to the + LD. And the -v is the side that manages the current. So as I touched the supply on the case it just ran current straight through the diode... I'm gonna have to insulate the inside of the torch head to make sure it doesn't do it when its finished.

 

[tmackbb4]

Holy moly. That's a looooonnngggg tube! At least you know you'll have room.

 

[MajorLim]

I know, it's got some weight to it too. If it fails as a laser I could use as a personal protection device...

 

[tmackbb4]

Yeah I've been looking at that air rivet gun I have in my album and seeing what I can do with it. I'm going to need some serious bits to work with that steel. I might be looking at airbrush units or paint sprayers instead. This rivet gun is just too reinforced

 

[Blaster]

I didn't think you did kill them on 9v batteries ,i remember years ago killing Leds across the same batteries till i worked out i needed a 240 ohm resistor and the leds stopped being cooked in 10 seconds or so