How to power a whole NUBM06 array

[ChemicalKevy]

Hello everybody!

Im trying to power a whole NUBM06 array. Im hoping to get some guidance, or maybe somebody already knows the perfect solution.

Each diode will take a max of ~5v and 4A. I could power the whole thing in series (40v, 5A) or power each diode individually. I need to be able to control power throughout the whole range, not just on/off.

I could just buy 8 BlackBuck 8 drivers, they are small, and offer analog modulation, but I was wondering if there was a more cost effective solution.

I found some current limited boost converters on ebay, but they are pretty sketchy.. Thoughts?

 

[diachi]

You could build this driver.

Good for 5A if you swap the LM317 for an LM338 (with adequate heatsinking of course). Could build two and run 4 diodes in series off of each one. Or stack the regulators (you'd need 8 LM338s) and run all of the diodes in parallel with appropriate balance resistors. R11 will need to be rather beefy though, and at a fairly low resistance, especially if you plan on running the LDs in parallel.

 

[ChemicalKevy]

Thanks for the info, Id prefer something off the shelf, but I will remember this if I cant find anything.

 

[diachi]

Thanks for the info, Id prefer something off the shelf, but I will remember this if I cant find anything.

The Blackbuck is probably the cheapest off the shelf solution that's actually any good. The other options are all either more expensive, or a similar price but with lower output current.

 

[Cyparagon]

What is your intended application for this device?

 

[RedCowboy]

8 x 8w BB drivers are going to cost as much as the block of diodes, at least use just 4 BB drivers and parallel 4 sets of 2 each.

Have you tested the 06 diode? They burn good for about 5 feet with the factory GBall lens, but after that they are floodlights, if you remove the GBalls you expose the emitter to oxygen and that I have found to be a throw away method, but trashing 8 at a time for what, a bright blue flashlight, just get a 100w blue led grid 10x10.

If you want a blinding bright flashlight then you can score a 12T6 for under 50 dollars and they are pretty sweet, or one of many others, then you can mod it to really crank out some lumens, just run high quality IMR 26650 cells.

To echo an already asked question, what's your purpose?
If you are wanting to bundle those diodes I would buy the whole parent projector and use the dust sealed engine and lens from the phosphor intersection point, but due to the radical and uneven divergence you will be disappointed with all but starting up close trashcan fires.

I found some current limited boost converters on ebay, but they are pretty sketchy.. Thoughts?

Those DC to DC converters will kill your whole block because of the way they surge at start up and shut down, they are not off the shelf ready for driving LD's.

 

[ChemicalKevy]

My intended application is to make a laser rifle in the 40W range, duh

No really, it is! I like the HALO video games, and the Railgun is my favorite weapon.
This is what it looks like when it fires.


I 3D printed the gun, made from 16 parts, which took over 250 hours of printing.. on draft resolution. I have not assembled or painted it yet, but It will look like this when finished. (note: Not mine, credit goes to @lostvikingprops IG)

I printed the parts with 4mm walls, and they are hollow on the inside. The plan is to cast the whole gun in aluminum, then weld the pieces together. So I currently have all the plastic in plaster molds, with the PLA melting out in my kitchen oven as we speak. Hopefully its done before my girlfriend get off work, at least melted PLA smells alright.




Anyway, I purchased 8 blackbuck 8 drivers and assembled them onto perfboard. I burned out 1 of them by a very unfortunate solder tag, which connected the 5v reference to a small MOSFET promptly killing the driver AND LED'd a diode. I used an Arbor Press to push out the diode using a hand made tool resembling a flathead screwdriver with 2 holes drilled in it. It worked fine and the diode still 'worked' after that. I know some of you were wondering how to extract diodes from the banks, just letting you know that method worked. I couldn't just heat the whole thing. Ive got another diode on the way, but installing it into the heatsink might be hard, from a heat management view.


Regarding sketchy boost drivers, I have an idea.
I use this driver for a LED light. http://a.co/bpj7BSN
I can independently set both CC and CV. It can supply up to 50V at 8A
If I wire up the diodes in series, I could set it to 40v @ 4A.
I know the surges may be bad for single diodes, but even with a large voltage spike, each diode would only see 1/8 of the spike. I don't know if the spike would allow more current to flow, but if its limited to 4A, and there are capacitors at the output, that makes me feel safer.
I would rather use this driver, its smaller, less wiring, and heat dissipation is not as much as an issue.
How would I test to make sure this driver is safe? I could use a scope at my local hackerspace.

 

[Accutronitis]

Oh wow be very careful when casting aluminum ! any splash so to speak will be a life altering event, I knew a guy a long time ago that use to work for Alcoa near Portland Oregon and he was involved in a accident and all I can say is "life altering event" !

I casted aluminum using sand cast molds that we make our self in a vocational metal shop course in high school and you can not be too careful with molten aluminum because it can jump up and bite you hard and without any warning or time to react ! especially during large pores which your cast sounds like it will require a fairly large pore......

 

[HydroSean]

Wow, I am very impressed with that. Looks expensive and heavy but badass! Please keep us posted and show some much needed beamshots! I wanna make something like this too, would be very cool. Maybe send it to the military as a prototype weapon and who knows you could be the next billionaire.

 

[Cyparagon]

I use this driver for a LED light. http://a.co/bpj7BSN
I can independently set both CC and CV.

Current limit is usually very slow on those types of things. It is baffling to me that you would trust your device to a $10 pile of chinese garbage. There's a possibility it would have a clean output, but an oscilloscope would be required to verify that. You don't strike me as the type of person that would ever get an oscilloscope, though.