mfgcn 200mw laser

[jay210683]

hello i have recentley bought a 650nm 5mw 12X30mm case and a
650nm 200mw laser diode from m f g c n i want to mount them in a flashlight but want to know if it can be run off batteries or i need some sort of driver iv been looking on the internet for days now with no look

please could someone with knowlage of laser help me

 

[Greyfox]

You need a driver for this. Please look through the Experiments section to find a driver that looks good for you. There have been a few designs posted, along with tips and tricks to aid you in setting up a high powered red laser.

 

[jay210683]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

i have looked at that section but i want to power y laser of 2 aa bateries 3v and he drivers iv looked at are for a 6v supply could any one please help me

 

[rog8811]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

The very minimum you need to make a burner that will burn more than just itself is a capacitor across the LD, a diode wired reverse polarity across the LD and a limiting resistor in series with the LD.... 2 X AA batteries will get it going.

BUT!!!! read around at the number of posts from people who ignore the advice of experienced builders, who will advise the use of a constant current regulator, and then come back with a post saying my LD has gone dim, what did I do wrong.

Good luck

regards rog8811

 

[SenKat]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

And, you kinda paid WAY too much for that diode !

 

[jay210683]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

please could someone tell me if there is a driver i could buy online or a diogrom of how to make one

 

[SenKat]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

Jay - you have now been directed many times to the experiments and mods section to LOOK for a driver. There are plenty of options available there, but it takes a little bit of reading and absorbing of info. You will not be able to build your laser if you are in too big of a hurry to actually read, sorry to break that news to you.

 

[rog8811]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

How fixed are you on using 2 AA batteries? Take into account there that many AA's only output 1.2volts which would leave you short of the required voltage to lase many high mw LD's.

Do you already have a host torch in mind?

Most of the builds you will see on here use torches with CR123 batteries some have drive circuits in them that may be modified, Deal Extreme do a number of suitable hosts as long as you are prepared to wait on delivery.

Regards rog8811

 

[Greyfox]

SenKat is right. Even the experienced users and builders get a kick in the pants in the form of dead or non-working lasers when they rush. This is something that takes patience and work, especially with components as fragile as laser diodes. There are drivers available to run your LD safely on 3V, but they don't come both cheap and tiny. You won't be able to safeguard your laser and still have something the size of a Mini-Mag.

 

[jay210683]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

thanks

 

[rog8811]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

I guess your worst problem is you already have your LD and you want to be able to bathe everything in a red glow NOW!
As a newbie I was in a position where I had my LD on order from SenKat and had plenty of time to build and test driver and host torch before it arrived. I had success first time ( and 3 times since ) because I didn't rush into it.

Regards rog8811

 

[jay210683]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

would this be ok for a 200mw ld
EU-38 laser diode driver board

constant current control up to 1.2 A (with external heatsink)
size: 35 x 14 mm²
supply voltage: 3.0...6.0 VDC
laser diode power adjustable

 

[jay210683]

Re: mfgcn  200mw laser

sorry i ment this from roithner-laser

EU-38 laser diode driver board

constant current control up to 1.2 A (with external heatsink)
size: 35 x 14 mm²
supply voltage: 3.0...6.0 VDC
laser diode power adjustable

 

[Greyfox]

I haven't seen a review on that one, but it looks like it would be able to power your diode. For a good output from this laser, the current should be 180mA-200mA. This should give you roughly 140mW laser output, which is more than enough to light matches, pop balloons, and have a beam slightly visible in the dark. If you're willing to risk your investment, you can try pushing it to 250mA for short times only. This will give you around 180mW expected laser output.
I strongly recommend against pushing it further without doing some research, experiments, and without an extremely good heatsink and thermoelectric cooling (TEC) module to keep it from overheating.

We're still waiting to hear from one of our more experienced laser techs on whether or not this particular laser diode can safely, reliably, and properly put out the full rated power. Even if the diode can handle it, running it at full power will greatly reduce its life.

 

[Gazoo]

I am very skeptical of that diode being 200mw's cw. Before anyone else thinks of buying one, please read through the following thread then make your own decision:

http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1189903200/0

Currently, the best deal on a diode hands down is the one SenKat is selling.

http://sales.stonetek.org/

We know what they are, we know what they are capable of, and we have a spec sheet for them.