FREE DIY open source BOOST driver!!! Tested & working!!

[kiyoukan]

well seeing at dorkboard its around 5$ per square in and you get 3 boards so that goes down to 1.67$ per in unless im reading his site wrong.
You can get board much cheaper than 1.67 an square in.
If you buy a whole panel that is, there are a few different size ones but depending on interest we could get boards for under 1$ a square inch easy.
i do see his medium-run order for 1$ a square in.
Up to you guys, i like saving money.
My st drives were made there. at that gb

 

[Tech_Junkie]

So rhd would you guys be up for getting a LPF pcb panel done?
That way anyone with boards here can get one done for a good price.

I know this is open source, but please dont let the Chinese get the list of components. Best to keep in house.

 

[tsteele93]

So far it's look like production cost of $5.01ea without counting the cost of the PCB board.

That's with a Mouser part list.
http://www.mouser.com:80/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=b43371e29c

not sure if others can view the project parts list....
sense resistors for
495mA
879mA
1.2A

using .768,.316, and .432 ohm resistors
So you could actually get the following combinations.

247mA
495mA
601mA
687mA
879mA
1041mA
1.2A

Moh, you are awesome! This community is amazing. I learn a LOT on here that is useful in more areas than just lasers too! +1

 

[Tech_Junkie]

You got a fan Matt. :umbrella:

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[benmwv]

^Thats a great episode

OK guys here is a list of resistor combinations, going by the resistors digikey has in 0805.

R1,R2,Current (ma)
1R0,xxx,190
R75,xxx,253
1R0,1R0,380
1R0,R75,442
R75,R75,507
1R0,R50,570
R75,R50,633
R50,R50,760
R33,R75,830
R30,R75,888
R33,R50,955
R50,R30,1013
R33,R33,1151
R33,R30,1210
R30,R30,1267

I'll add it to the OP also.

 

[tsteele93]

Jerry:
If the reverse polarity protection was not desired, then it could get down near $3.

As someone who has nearly fried a laser (and nearly blown up Li-ion batteries in my hand?) I would REALLY like to see rev polarity protection kept in place.

I think we should strive to equal or exceed professional quality design on these. They appear to really be a well-done job by you guys and it would be a shame for people to make a version that has a fatal flaw like that.

I think even you said it cost you a 445 at some point?

I mean all of this in the most positive way, I'm really impressed with the great job you have done and I'd like to see it stay as classy as possible for the price you have managed to attain!

To everyone else on the topic of making these. The parts will cost under $5. I think what Ben and I settled on is the notion that anyone can make these. We'd like to see them sold for no more than $10. I'd like it if everyone would donate $1 back to Ben per driver sold. But of course this is just a request - and it's on the honour system. But I think he deserves it

Very fair!

I learned how to reflow properly about two months back, and it's the easiest thing on the planet to do. You don't need a stencil, or fancy thermometers. A $20 Walmart toaster over is just fine. In fact, an oven worked in a pinch before I got my toaster oven (and once I had confirmed that all my parts and solder paste were lead free).

It takes about 2 minutes per board, assuming you're doing more than just one or two. So, if you have half an hour, you can pretty much paste up and reflow about 15 boards. Now the cool thing is that this gets even better if you're doing more at once. You could probably do 15 per half hour, or maybe 45 per hour. It's not difficult.

What temp do you use? Any tips? Thanks,

 

[Tech_Junkie]

The driver/diode will fry, not the battery.

 

[benmwv]

As someone who has nearly fried a laser (and nearly blown up Li-ion batteries in my hand?) I would REALLY like to see rev polarity protection kept in place.

I think we should strive to equal or exceed professional quality design on these. They appear to really be a well-done job by you guys and it would be a shame for people to make a version that has a fatal flaw like that.

I think even you said it cost you a 445 at some point?

I mean all of this in the most positive way, I'm really impressed with the great job you have done and I'd like to see it stay as classy as possible for the price you have managed to attain!



Very fair!



What temp do you use? Any tips? Thanks,

Me and Rhd have both lost a 445 diode in the testing of this driver

When I reflow boards I just turn it up in ~50 degree increments every few minutes until the solder melts then I leave it on for 15-30 more seconds. Then turn it off and let it cool down.

 

[Mohrenberg]

Even if you would have achieved a $1.00 total cost someone would
want to know if you could do it for $0.50....:crackup::crackup:

Jerry

SO true.

 

[tsteele93]

Also, if the MOSFET is incorrect, and anyone has already ordered boards prior to Jerry's bringing it to our attention here, I'll happily cover the cost of anyone's boards.

It looks like everything is ok, but even if it weren't I don't see ow that should be your responsibility. You posted a design you believe to be correct, it is everyone else's responsibility to check it.

That is admirable of you, but I don't think it is necessary or even reasonable to expect.

:thanks:

 

[tsteele93]

The driver/diode will fry, not the battery.

Not the one I have, ask RHD. I had the batteries reversed and turned on, nothing happened. IMMEDIATELY turned off. Opened case, batteries where HOT.

Put in a fresh set of batteries, same thing, new - previously cold - batteries, HOT!

Got on the horn to RHD and found it had a different design than I was used to and turned the batteries around and both batteries and laser worked fine (and still do!)

You got a fan Matt. :umbrella:

Not that there is anything wrong with

You're jealous! That is so cute! :na:

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Matt can have friends, but he knows who's the boss. :crackup:

Never heard of batteries frying. You learn something new everyday.

 

[Hiemal]

Batteries only get hot when you short circuit/draw a lot of current from them....their internal ESR causes them to heat up a lot, and then you get a hot battery. (maybe there was a short or something when you connected the batteries?) With li-ions, this is particularly dangerous...for obvious reasons.

 

[tsteele93]

Matt can have friends, but he knows who's the boss. :crackup:

Never heard of batteries frying. You learn something new everyday.

I don't know what driver it is using or why reversing the polarity was causing that, but with some of the pics I have seen of exploding Li-ion batteries, it freaked me out!

I will be very careful with polarity from now on! Lasers have unusual battery configurations sometimes.

:beer:

 

[Hiemal]

Occasionally you'll find drivers that draw huge amounts of current when the batteries are reversed... You have to be careful...

 

[rhd]

It was Lazeerer's X-Drive.

I've gotta give it to that guy - his driver not only protected the diode, but protected itself too!