Have you ever killed a Laser?

[Deleted member 46822]

Ouch!! Sounds to me like you blew off the top of a big capacitor with a short, but can't be sure not enough evidence.

I had the "piece" out with no electrical sources near it. It was most definitely a gas type leak when the drill when through. This was some toxic stuff!

 

[ElectricPlasma]

I had the "piece" out with no electrical sources near it. It was most definitely a gas type leak when the drill when through. This was some toxic stuff!

Capacitors can hold a charge without an active circuit. But, it could very well have been a gas container of some sort! Cyp could probably weigh in here and tell us what he thinks, he's the electronics expert around here.

 

[Deleted member 46822]

Capacitors can hold a charge without an active circuit. But, it could very well have been a gas container of some sort! Cyp could probably weigh in here and tell us what he thinks, he's the electronics expert around here.

Yeah it didn't seam to be a solid type of a charge holding cap. You read my mind on Cyp Or anyone that might!

 

[alessnilsen]

Killed so many LPC-815 that I lost the count! Broken pin, assassin charged capacitors, too much current etc...

I killed my 445 1W LD by soldering it with reversed polarities. :cryyy: So I bought another (PL TB450) and assembled a better laser than the previous one. :beer:

Also killed a 405nm blu-ray drive LD when transplanting my test module to a 303 host.

Killed too another 303 405nm laser when trying to open it to adjust the lens after a drop.

Yup, killed a green 303 laser by dropping it, lucky I got it changed by RMA.

 

[Rivem]

Yeah it didn't seam to be a solid type of a charge holding cap. You read my mind on Cyp Or anyone that might!

I know some capacitors use a compressed gas as a dielectric, but the usual gas (SF6) is odorless. They're expensive and usually used in test equipment for good precision and response. I wouldn't expect them in a cable box, but maybe it's some other type of capacitor that's been adapted.

Edit: On the original topic, I've had plenty lasers die, but not many I'd say I directly killed. Maybe a very old red that had alkalines in it too long. I'll have to get back on this topic when I mess with higher power levels. Still have yet to build anything over ~200mW.

 

[Desoline]

I need to setup a proper graveyard for all my modules and diodes as well

Uuuh... it's a mass grave of killing china pointers! :eg:

 

[SyKo]

My box for defective modules etc is growing, might post a picture of it soon .

 

[Pman]

Think you need to resize that pic Des
Dont throw out all those Ebay pens. If people don't want them they can send them to me
I have removed at least a 100 of those top caps and the way you do it is put a piece of leather just thick enough to be able to handle the teeth of the pliers you use. Do NOT try and remove the cap by turning as that will NOT work. What you do is wrap a single layer of leather around the cap as close to the joint as you can and then grab it with your pliers almost to that joint and then rock the pliers left to right and slowly work your way around it in different positions until you work it out. Using that method I've never had to remove any glue or score along the joint.
Another thing you should do is unscrew the bottom section before doing it as there is a chance that you will get the pen halves out of alignment from each other although that is fixable too as it is just pressed in like the cap is. The bottom end cap can also be easily removed. I think I show all that stuff in my old "make your Ebay pen focusable thread from my Sig. Here's the link:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/how-make-your-way-overspec-5-pen-focusable-new-bonus-section-added-82902.html

 

[Alien Laser]

i test some and keep some on for long time just to test it, i even turn on some using no heat sink just to see how long it will last.

 

[SyKo]

i learnt the hard way that i cant always go without a proper diode press after killing my first HL63193MG and PLT5-510 laser diodes last night -_-
Smashed the front windows as they didnt press straight into the housing and instead went in at an angle.

 

[paul1598419]

OUCH! that's learning the hard way. I got extra diode presses as I have actually worn out the outer casing of my TO-18 press. I don't worry about it any longer.

 

[SyKo]

I was using a flathead screwdriver in a drill press and on my first run with $0.2c diodes it work flawlessly, but the expensive diodes didnt like it at all.

Can only get away with bodging things so often i guess.

 

[Hibro]

I never killed a laser but I did killed a few red laser diode will I trying out my DIY laser driver. I end up giving it up and buy ONE from ebay.....

 

[Deleted member 46822]

I know some capacitors use a compressed gas as a dielectric, but the usual gas (SF6) is odorless. They're expensive and usually used in test equipment for good precision and response. I wouldn't expect them in a cable box, but maybe it's some other type of capacitor that's been adapted.

Edit: On the original topic, I've had plenty lasers die, but not many I'd say I directly killed. Maybe a very old red that had alkalines in it too long. I'll have to get back on this topic when I mess with higher power levels. Still have yet to build anything over ~200mW.

A little late on the reply but whatever it was I popped, the gas that came out wasn't odorless thats for sure and it was some what pressurized as a 'shaken" beer can. Like I had mentioned any metal like drill bits, pliers, screw drivers in a radius of 3 ft. from it were almost completely stripped of any coating they might of had and the finish on my coffee table was gone in that area.
This cable box was one of the bigger ones that seem to have become obsolete in the past 5 or 10 years.

 

[joeyss]

Killed a 200mw red from olike my first burning laser ( wasn't aware of duty cycles back then) and then dtr 9mm 445 modules by mixing up the polarity

The way I see it if you havent killed one laser you've not into the hobby much.

 

[paul1598419]

Accidents happen occasionally, especially if you are trying to over drive these diodes. But, the ones I killed have never been because I didn't observe polarity or the driver current or anything else that one who has spent their entire adult life in electronics would do.