Help - Blue and Red Laser

[creanzworld17]

My 20x LD died the instant hooked up. My luck i guess.:scowl:

 

[Bluefan]

Luck is not that common with laser diodes, very often the cause is an improper driver. Just post what driver you used and how in a suitable thread. Things like "I used a LM317 circuit, turned on the power and connected the laser diode" is an example how NOT to to it! LM317 drivers are a bit crude for laser diodes, the work fine when you only connect/disconnect with discharged caps and without power applied.

To answer question 4 of the first post: a direct connection to your multimeter in current more should be possible too, the driver should be a current source, so the current should be independent of the voltage and thus also work with a short (or a multimeter in this case). But a test load would be a better way.

 

[creanzworld17]

Luck is not that common with laser diodes, very often the cause is an improper driver. Just post what driver you used and how in a suitable thread. Things like "I used a LM317 circuit, turned on the power and connected the laser diode" is an example how NOT to to it! LM317 drivers are a bit crude for laser diodes, the work fine when you only connect/disconnect with discharged caps and without power applied.

To answer question 4 of the first post: a direct connection to your multimeter in current more should be possible too, the driver should be a current source, so the vurrent should be independent of the voltage and thus also work with a short (or a multimeter in this case). But a test load would be a better way.

Ok, thanks for quoting me, but that was a broad statement. Of course that's not all i do. i always discharge cap and then hook up power supply lastly. But this time my loc went to diode heaven.

 

[Bluefan]

Of course with a proper driver the diode can die too, from something as ESD (also easily avoided) to a diode that just can't take the usual current. It can die many ways, sometimes it indeed can be bad luck.