Help with blown lasers

[DB8088]

Hi. I joined I believe in 2013 and had some great experiences, met some great people and bought a some fantastic handmade lasers. I then went dark for awhile taking care of an elderly couple which became my soul duty. Lasers went to the wayside. Now I’m back and have been fiddling about with my collection. Unfortunately, one thing I neglected to do was make sure I knew which way the battery(s) went in so I wouldn’t blow the things out, which of course happened with some of the real beauties. I’m heartbroken. Can anyone help with assisting me in ways in which I can fix them as well as not destroy the others? Do I need a volt meter to start, or are the lasers destroyed, which is what I’m guessing and I would need to buy either a new diode, or...damn, it’s been so long I forgot the other terms. In any case, I know I have mostly diodes, but the ones I had built from very brilliant builders here, I believe most are not. Any assistance would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks,
Doug

 

[gazer101]

you could try wiring a small current regulator into the laser (capped at no more than 50 mA) at each polarity and see which one causes the laser to light. The one that causes it to light will be the correct polarity

as for repair, without schematics chances are you will need to either swap out the driver entirely (cheaper) or swap the driver AND laser diode (do not use the old driver with new laser diode as it may have been the cause of failure to begin with)

 

[ultimatekaiser]

It’d depend heavily on the build and parts used. I’d judt test them with a bench supply with a very low current limit. A diode test could give clues too

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi,
Can you post what lasers are damaged?? could be an easy fix ..
Rich