mA for a 22x LG DVD diode

[BeavRat]

I have a 22x lg closed can dvd burner diode with daedals homemade driver. At how many mA should I drive it at?

Thanks

 

[pseudolobster]

420.

Be sure to provide lots of heatsinking and make sure you have eye protection.

 

[Jimmymcjimthejim]

As per the original question, anywhere from 400-500mA is good. 500 is going a little on the risky side, most people settle for around 420mA. If you want to run it for longer than a few seconds, a heatsink is recommended. A heatsink is a large piece of metal that takes heat from the laser diode, so the laser diode doesn't get hot as fast. You want to have lots of heatsinking (metal).

Aww, Pseudolobster beat me to it.