Help me with my laser please

[Abel]

Hi everyone, im a newbie with lasers
i was making my first laser and i failed, can someone pls explain to me what i did wrong.

the things that i used were:
No-Diode Host Bundle from survival lasers
G-2 Lens Assembly from Survival lasers
Two Ultrafire RCR123A batterys
M140 M-Type 2W 445Nm
and an external Lens Spring


(and goggles ofc)

So i began by pressing the diode into a copper Host, then i put the driver into the brass ring and pill
I soldered the red lead to the positive side and the black lead to the negative side of the diode and i put shrink wrap over both leads i assembled the laser Host, (the leads didn't twist) when i put the batteries in and pressed on the button nothing happened the only thing the got really hot was the driver does someone know what to do?

Please help me bc im very sad right now
Edit: it's the driver Bc the diode works can I fix the driver or do I need to buy another one?

 

[paul1598419]

Which driver did you use? I have always used a 1.8 amp X-Drive with that diode in all of my builds. It is a buck driver and one usually gets over 2 watts out in optical power with a G2 lens. I have one doing more than 2.2 watts out. These drivers used to be available from DTR's site, but I'm not certain if they are currently available there. I used to get mine direct from lazeerer who built them.

 

[Abel]

i just used the regular driver that you got with the No Diode Host Bundle
set at 1.5 A

sorry i cant post links yet

 

[kecked]

No-Diode Host Bundles

These packages include the host components, heat sink, a driver and pill assembly, lens, lens focusing ring, external lens spring, and lens cap.

www.survivallaser.com

think this is what he has. is there an on/off swicth you need to wire? also don't run the driver without a heatsink. think that's why it's hot.
Doesn't look like it has on/off wires


no experience with this just posting pic for you.

 

[paul1598419]

Yeah, I don't have any experience with that driver either. Haven't used any Survival Laser Hosts, so I don't know if these even take the ubiquitous 12 mm modules that one would install into the heat sink. I would suspect that they do have some hosts that take these modules and that is the way I would go with this.

 

[Encap]

Contact Gary at Survival Lasers, tell him what happened and ask him what he suggests you do at this point as you are deep into assembilng a laser with his kit and driver already.
PM Gary at Survival Laser his LPF nick is "Garoq" here on LPF or send him a message on the Survival Laser contact page.

 

[gazer101]

I once fried an M140 with ESD... those decent-divergence diodes are sensitive as hell until they are built into a laser host

 

[Richie89]

did you make a couple solder contacts on the ring to pill? so its connecting the circuit. maybe you mentioned that but not sure. what i mean is that i wonder if the driver is getting power but its not going to the Laser diode? i made that same mistake once. just keep in mind that in this hobby you can do everything right and still sometimes blow something up or make a mistake, we all have done it. ive done it 3 times now. 4 maybe. accidently fried a diode a week after building it. a 462nm. killed me inside lol

 

[kecked]

I killed 500.00 diode. Nearly cried

 

[Garoq]

Abel, can you post some photos of your build, or contact me via PM? That would help immensely in trying to diagnose your issues. Thanks!

 

[Garoq]

Yeah, I don't have any experience with that driver either. Haven't used any Survival Laser Hosts, so I don't know if these even take the ubiquitous 12 mm modules that one would install into the heat sink. I would suspect that they do have some hosts that take these modules and that is the way I would go with this.

Hi Paul, all our hosts/heatsinks will accept 12mm diode modules. We also have adapters for DTR’s 20mm modules.

 

[Garoq]

No-Diode Host Bundles

These packages include the host components, heat sink, a driver and pill assembly, lens, lens focusing ring, external lens spring, and lens cap.

www.survivallaser.com

think this is what he has. is there an on/off swicth you need to wire? also don't run the driver without a heatsink. think that's why it's hot.
Doesn't look like it has on/off wires
View attachment 71830

no experience with this just posting pic for you.

This is the driver that he is using:

Survival Laser Fixed Current Driver

MADE IN USA. The Survival Laser Fixed Current Driver is a custom 'buck' type switching power supply current regulated diode driver circuit, capable of delivering from 220mA to as much as 1.8A of regulated current at a recommended input voltage of 4.2 to 8.4 volts. The switching regulator IC chip...

www.survivallaserusa.com

 

[kecked]

Nice. I will have to look into mounting some of my yellows in your hosts.

 

[Richie89]

I killed 500.00 diode. Nearly cried

500? must be one im not familiar with, which one was that, im curious now

 

[Garoq]

500? must be one im not familiar with, which one was that, im curious now

Wasn’t the 1W green up there back in the day?

 

[paul1598419]

I've got a 502 nm laser in my collection. Getting one that is 500 nm wouldn't be that difficult to get. Might cost quite a bit depending on who you purchased it from.