I need some advice :D

[RYANZKWL]

Hello everyone, i was wondering a few things.

One: How do i adjust the current on my Rickstr microdrive V3?

Two: How much current should for my "SFAW210" diode to make it have a long lasting life. (As long as possible keeping the burning capabilities)

 

[udanis]

Edit: Oops I miss read your post. Thought you were talking about 12x diode. Sorry.

 

[chipdouglas]

DO NOT LISTEN TO ^^^^ his advice is for a 12x. your diode is much weaker and much more fragile.

the sfaw is a 6x you want to run it around 170ma for long life. with a basic lens you will have an ok beam and good burning

next. to set the rkcstr you need to have your power supply. and a dummy load. are you familiar with either? if not go to www.rog8811.com and he has all the instructions there.

here is rogs pic how to make a dummy load and hook it up to your dmm. and to your driver.


michael.

 

[RYANZKWL]

thank you so much! but one more thing. How many mA should i run my 6x SFAW210 diode at? I want something that will last me a long time, since this is probably the only laser i will ever build

P.S. : How do i wire my push button switch to my laser?

 

[IsaacT]

Hey, chipdouglas said in his above post that you should run it at 170mA for long life.

Wire the pushbutton switch in series between your Driver and your power source and it should work great! If it is in a small pen type build, wiring it and aligning it may be difficult, but if you are making one inside an enclosure, or project box, it should be quite easy

Peace,
Isaac

 

[midias]

With a decent heatsink mine has been great at 210ma for months.

 

[RYANZKWL]

i need six 1N4001 diodes and a 1ohm resistor anybody have some?

 

[warriorx15]

Wait to everyone on this thread sorry for bringing it back but I was wondering if you HAVE to have 6 diode and a 1 ohm resistor. Can't you use a LED ? What kind though? Adn if you did use the 6 diode method, after you measure between the resistor, is that the mA going into a PHR diode? Or do you need to do math etc?

 

[Pontiacg5]

a LED will blow if you push it much harder than 30mA. 1Nxxx diodes are good for 1A.

The voltage reading on the 1 ohm resistor is the exact current the diode would be getting. One millivolt across the resistor is equal to one milliamp of current. You have to use math if you use a resistor with a higher or lower resistance.

 

[bluuray]

radioshack.com has all those..

 

[coldice]

I’ve used a LED before to set/check drivers, though I was using a spare 3w Cree white led so it can handle up to 600ma. Don’t know if it’s a good idea to use one though but it seemed to work fine and read the same as a test load I’m now using.

 

[warriorx15]

Wait a minute so I COULD in theory use a stronger LED to test? and I don't think my radio shack here carries the diodes thats why -_- Also Does it really matter if you use a 1/4 watt 1 ohm resistor like 50 pcs 1

or 10 pcs Resistors 1 Ohm 5W Cement - eBay (item 350223965346 end time Dec-30-10 23:13:26 PST)

and for the diodes? 10 x 1N4001 Silicon Rectifier Diode 1A 50V - eBay (item 220633031048 end time Jan-01-11 17:18:45 PST)

Would these work?

 

[bluuray]

Component Parts, Switches, Knobs & Transformers | RadioShack.com

 

[midias]

Wait a minute so I COULD in theory use a stronger LED to test? and I don't think my radio shack here carries the diodes thats why -_- Also Does it really matter if you use a 1/4 watt 1 ohm

1N4001 should work fine but for the resistor higher wattage the better. As resistors heat up they change value fast and often don't go back to normal when overheated. A 1/4 should be fine for low amperage diodes but i would not use them for a 445 high power build. Personally I use 3A diodes and 4 4ohm 2W resistors in parallel.

 

[Coherent Light]

You could always buy a test load. A few members here sell them for a reasonable price.