HELP! I don't know what im doing

[Macca]

lets get straight to the point- i want to build a homemade laser.


I've had an interest in lasers for quite a while and currently got a broken cd/dvd drive with the laser working so i thought i would do something cool.
I have read up a million forums and tutorials but cannot understand the pysics behind the laser circuit board.

Can anyone inform me step by step on how to make a laser driver board for the laser diode from a "Lite On ltr 52327s" from their webpage this is a 32x

If anyone can help (i know you can) i will need a step by step instructions on how to assemble this driver circuit including the positions and accessories needed.
In regards to the power of the laser - i am not sure what this diode is capable of but a high power but not too dangerous beam will be sufficient. I do know that all lasers are dangerous and i will definately NOT shine it at any living thing or in the sky...


You could also refer me to other posts but i do need tailored answers as i dont know anything about building a circuit board for this type of device.

 

[DTR]

Start here.:beer:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f67/laser-driver-can-done-rog8811-87507.html

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

That is a CD-RW drive. Those have a nearly
invisible, yet still very blinding,
infrarad laser inside. They're pretty
dangerous and almost guaranteed not to do
more than about 150mW. That is barely
enough to pop a balloon, and the intense IR
looks so dim that anyone picking it up that
doesn't know any better will think it's
broken. Then they will probably put it
right up to their eye to try and see what's
wrong with it and fry their retina. If you
want to have a play, be VERY careful and
always aim it away from you. You will need
IR safety glasses and an LPM to measure the
output.

 

[Eudaimonium]

I would advise against using a CD-RW diode, for reasons mentioned by Stalker.

It's barely any fun to build, and definitely a danger to anybody else.

If you need to get some diodes, I'd recommend checking out this shop:
https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/

Regarding the drivers themselves, that's a bit of a lengthy topic, but some search keywords which should get you started are linear drivers, buck drivers and boost drivers. Each is a different component, dependent of other components in your laser build.

Remember: the real Google search bar for the forum is on the very bottom of the page, for some reason. Don't use the integrated search functionality.