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FrozenGate by Avery

Learn From Mistakes That Can Happen To Anybody...






My mistake was a little less to do with electronics and a little more to do with a case of mistaken identity. While harvesting a GGW or SSF 6X 405nm laser diode I harvested an IR diode and tossed out the 405nm diode. Didn't realize it until after the trash had been taken out.
Let the lesson be learned to positively identify every diode in a sled and test the diode upon extraction. Not a bad idea to label them while their not in use also.
 
When i was young (eh, centuries ago, i know :p :D), "hacker" was someone that, basically, "must dismantle it for discover how it work" :p .....

Ah, good old days *nostalgy* :cryyy:

(:p :D)
 
Interesting Bruno. In the US its always meant a person who didnt take the time to do it correctly.
 
When i was young (eh, centuries ago, i know :p :D), "hacker" was someone that, basically, "must dismantle it for discover how it work" :p .....

Ah, good old days *nostalgy* :cryyy:

(:p :D)

Dude, I love your broken english. Please never learn to speak it 100% fluently. I wouldn't be as happy of a person without your posts :)

Not a diss at all. Compliment it is!
 
^ Well, try to learn Italian from "trials and errors", using only component datasheets and a technical dictionary (and the posts of other users in forums :p), then i will love your resulting Italian, too :p :D
 
HAHA! have to learn english from pinout diagrams, and diode specsheets. Thats awesome. Learn how to read laser style! It's amazing how good you have gotten at speaking it without any formal training.

And you would NOT want me to try italian. Hell, spanish was way too much crap for me too rememeber, so you are right, you would very much enjoy my resulting italian haha:crackup:
 
In my defense, the guy who sold it to me "hacked" the foam case.
And the reason I said I deserved it is because I saw it was "hacked" and used it anyway.

So it's really not a mistake that could happen to anybody.
Just me. :rolleyes:
 
I am hesitant posting this due to sheer embarrassment. But excitement can really get to me :p.


First 445nm 1W porta build.
Connected the diode externally first. Discharged the driver capacitors a million times (just to be sure).
BUT... in my excitement I had forgotten to disconnect the battery when I did it.
LED'd diode.

I was so upset. It's almost like.. that diode bore some deep sentimentality that made it worse than just losing 50$.
He was my friend, my companion that had ventured over the sea to find me. I could have imagined taking him on romantic picnic on the beach with wine and little snacks.. no I joke. But yeah i was really upset.

Oh yeah, another mistake was to try to make my girlfriend understand.. she didn't.
 
My gf didn't get it either, you are in good company ^_^
She came over just as I did it (I was showing her my slapped together labby) and in my hurry I set the driver down on a piece of metal.
She understood that I was pretty pissed off for a while but didn't understand like your fellow LPFers will.
I'd like to call for a moment of silence for another LED'd soldier............
Chin up, you'll be beaming around in no time ;)
 
I am hesitant posting this due to sheer embarrassment. But excitement can really get to me :p.


First 445nm 1W porta build.
Connected the diode externally first. Discharged the driver capacitors a million times (just to be sure).
BUT... in my excitement I had forgotten to disconnect the battery when I did it.
LED'd diode.

I was so upset. It's almost like.. that diode bore some deep sentimentality that made it worse than just losing 50$.
He was my friend, my companion that had ventured over the sea to find me. I could have imagined taking him on romantic picnic on the beach with wine and little snacks.. no I joke. But yeah i was really upset.

Oh yeah, another mistake was to try to make my girlfriend understand.. she didn't.

Lol! :crackup:

Man I just read through this thread over again for the first time since it started, and there are some great experiences. Funny ones too!

It's a good read...

Keep the experiences/lessons coming!



About the term 'hack'. Sites like Hack a Day, and HackNMod have made it an everyday commonly used word...
 
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my mistake was using the wrong setting on my multimeter. instead of 60ma i set the driver to 600ma. needles to say the poor diode fried.
 
I managed to break a very expensive 200mW BRD.

Stupidly decided to decan it, managed to botch it and press the can inwards onto the pins.
Which wouldn't have been a problem but I additionally tried to remove the damaged can with a file and went a little overboard resulting in the +V pin snapping off taking the bond wires with it! (facepalm)

Oh well, it worked fine for a while anyway and with a damaged window it was not much use anyway.

It sucks that a day later I found my *$(*"$ing pipe cutter still in its original packet! Grr.


-A

Who managed to repair his other external pin snapped off diode with fine solder, Superglue and baking soda.
 
Ok, second time I've seen "baking soda" mentioned. How do you solder with baking soda?

I had a diode pin snap off at the insulator. The can was electrically isolated by design, so I just cleaned up the area and the end of the pin that I could still see, made sure solder adhered to the end of the pin, and then added a bit more solder and "wiped" it across the back of the can to connect the pin to the case.

Now doing duty as a DD diode in a single-18650

Don't take for granted the strength of the diode pins. They're made of metal, but that doesn't mean they aren't fragile. I broke mine off when removing the pink spacer. Made sure all pins were perfectly straight, removed/straightened the solder that was on the pins, turned the diode over, and the pink thing almost slid off. Figured it was just stuck on a burr or something, so I gave it a little nudge with my pinky and it came right off. Along with one of the pins :mad:
 
This sounds dumb, but

Put the battery in the right way!

I put the batteries into my 50mW backwards, and then left it on my desk. I left the house, and web I returned, and picked up the laser, it was so hot I couldn't pick it up.

It hasn't worked since.
 


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