L1117 Driver

[foulmist]

Here is my recent build driver for LOC Red diode running at 390mA
all is hand drawn and hand made

i used L1117

whacha think?


P.S. the led on the finish pcb is for size reference only
P.S.S. the shape is actually a rectangular but my super macro lens makes it look like it's curved

 

[foulmist]

ok no comments...

i guess nobody likes my driver

so I made a new one on 2 sided pcb (again hand drawn and hand made)

this time i run it at 431mA Long Open Can Red Diode
this time it fits Aixiz Module (or copy ones)

pls post some comments :bowdown::na::evil:

 

[Kevlar]

Nice job! Now thats a true DIY build!! I like seeing home etched drivers like this, +1 to you for that. :beer:

Are you going to make your own host too?

 

[foulmist]

Thanks Kevlar

about the host i haven't yet figured it out although i have a copper circular heat sink from a CPU radiator that i will probably use to put in my host but i haven't figured it out yet

i might change the driver a little bit to eliminate the wires and put a spring for the positive terminal and remove the enclosing case of the Aixiz module


I'll post photos when there is something new :beer:

 

[Eudaimonium]

Always good to have somebody willing to make something himself, isntead of buying premade. Kudos! Nice work on the PCB etching, but design itself is a little bit more complicated than it needs to be.

Here's mine:

Sorry about the last two crappy photos.

 

[foulmist]

Eudaimonium your driver is pretty simple indeed but i did the complicated board because i wanted to use as less space as possible to be able to fit it in the Aixiz module loosely

i am making a bigger one right now with a spring for the positive terminal for a flashlight host with a 18650 battery and get rid of the closing case of the module and use the host as ground with a tail switch

i will post pictures when it's ready

nice to see someone etching their boards by themselves :beer: :bowdown:

 

[Eudaimonium]

Those are aproximately 14x9 mm in footprint and as such fit isnide aixiz no problems.

But yeah, true driver DIY is pretty rare on these forums.

 

[foulmist]

Hey nice i see you can actually put it in the aixiz module but I also see that you don't use any caps even at the ouput .....

I like to add the input and output caps and the rectifying diode just in case.

I just finished the other pcb - see the pics. and amazingly - IT WORKS

I left a lot of space on the back side (i want to put higher wattage resistors).
But I don't have them lying around just yet.

This time I won't fit it in the Aixiz module ... these days I will try to put it in a flashlight host and see what happens

the not connected piece of the board is for the 3rd pin of laser diode which is not in use .. for extra durability

 

[Eudaimonium]

Hey nice i see you can actually put it in the aixiz module but I also see that you don't use any caps even at the ouput .....

I like to add the input and output caps and the rectifying diode just in case.

I just finished the other pcb - see the pics. and amazingly - IT WORKS

I left a lot of space on the back side (i want to put higher wattage resistors).
But I don't have them lying around just yet.

This time I won't fit it in the Aixiz module ... these days I will try to put it in a flashlight host and see what happens

the not connected piece of the board is for the 3rd pin of laser diode which is not in use .. for extra durability

Ofcourse I used a capacitor, it's the little brown SMD component in parralel to diode, and "421" component, a resistor which serves as cap bleeder.
I never put rectifying diodes in my DIY drivers, I have never forgot which way do batteries go. I alway have a strict "case negative" policy, except for greens and IRs.

Nice work there!

 

[foulmist]

Ofcourse I used a capacitor, it's the little brown SMD component in parralel to diode, and "421" component, a resistor which serves as cap bleeder.
I never put rectifying diodes in my DIY drivers, I have never forgot which way do batteries go. I alway have a strict "case negative" policy, except for greens and IRs.

Nice work there!

oh yeah ... now I see the cap sorry my bad
I never forget the battery polarity but someone might

I saw your builds - very nice looking
I would like to build some other color lasers but I only got red and IRs ... Maybe my next one will be a high power IR

cheers :beer:

 

[rkcstr]

Reminds me of when I started... Etched all my boards myself, cut and drilled all the holes, inserted vias by hand, and so on. Even sold over 500 of them like that, which was a crapload of work!

If you're drilling holes in the board, my suggestion is a Dremel (or other high speed rotary tool) and carbide bits. Regular steel bits wear out pretty quick. Then, I used spring-assisted sewing shears for cutting the PCB, but make sure you get the thinner board (0.032" vs the typical 0.064"). And try to find the 2oz copper for better heatsinking.

Also, I'd suggest staying away from the SO-8 or SOT-223 packages as they don't tend to stay very stable due to poor heat dissipation. The D2PAK seems to be the best for stability.

 

[foulmist]

rkcstr thanks for the advices

 

[nikitospav]

Does it it need heatsinking with that current rating?

 

[3zuli]

Eudaimonium, can you give us the project files (if you have any)? I was just going to start building a simillar driver (only for 100mA though)

Does it it need heatsinking with that current rating?

at 400mA, it should have some form of heatsink (but these chips should work fine even at 80°C :eg

 

[foulmist]

Eudaimonium, can you give us the project files (if you have any)? I was just going to start building a simillar driver (only for 100mA though)


at 400mA, it should have some form of heatsink (but these chips should work fine even at 80°C :eg

I didn't put anything to heatsink the chip except for it's out pad on the pcb... it doesn't get that hot but it would have been nice though