Eudaimonium, i'm not saying that you are talking about an IR dilda, i'm saying only that these pics are really strange ..... look at what i mean .....
I see only 2 possibilities, if that dilda was really a red and not an IR ..... first one, not too much possible, that it was using a very strange red laser diode, with positive on the case, instead negative ..... but in this case, there's no way for use this driver with any of the diodes that we normally use .....
Second possibility, they use the same PCB for IR and red drivers, with the same serigraphic prints, mounting some components "reversed" when they are used in red dilda, and in this case, are the words written on the PCB that have no sense, in this version ..... if so, this driver can be used for "common" red LDs, but is also for this reason that i have suggested him to check a pair of things with a multimeter, before connect it to a LD and power it (just for not risk to fry a good laser diode
)
Looking better to the PCB, i see only one polarized component on that driver, as capacitors, and is the tantalium capacitor marked R26 (probably a typo) , the one near R23, with "220 T6" printed on it ..... so, the more easy way for check if this driver is a negative-case or positive-case one, imho, is to check with a multimeter if the spring is connected to the positive or to the negative of this capacitor (the positive is the side where you can see the white strip) ..... just use a DMM and check ..... if the spring is connected to the negative side of the capacitor, you know that you cannot use the driver for a normal red LD, and you need to build a new one, if instead the spring is connected to the positive side of the capacitor, you can use it for common red LD, just soldering the diode as i've drawed in the previous pic (cause in this case, the case and NC pins are soldered together to the negative line of the driver, that is marked erroneously as "VCC")
EDIT: and, if this second case is the right one and the PCB have the references printed wrong, i can auge to the builder of this PCB to trip and fall right into a big box of nails, for the sake of all the projects builders, LOL
:crackup: