- Joined
- Dec 13, 2010
- Messages
- 108
- Points
- 0
After building a couple small high-power reds, I was looking to build a 445. This is what I ended up with. My very first 445:
Enjoy!
For the host, I was originally going to use a regular old junked computer PSU. But then I happened to acquire a dead professional monitor PSU that was about to get thrown out (this is what one looks like on the back of a monitor). It had a very nice anodized aluminum case, not cheap steel.
But it was rather small, so getting everything to fit right without shorting the hell out was a bit of a pain.
Here is the heat sink I used before I machined it to fit the case. I got it cheap on ebay ($16 for two iirc), but it needed to be heavily modified.
Here is the heat sink after machining and installed in the host. The hole just happened to be near-perfect for the module (I had to use a vice to get it in when I used thermal epoxy). This thing is cool even after half an hour of continuous usage.
The inside of the case, with the driver board flipped over to show limiting resistors. It's horrifyingly messy, I know. All the zip ties I used didn't really seem to help. Also, being so cramped doesn't do any good with airflow either. :cryyy:
Inside of the top half of the case. I used an 80mm fan from a junked PC mounted externally in a push configuration for cooling. There are two switches: a key safety switch, and a toggle switch with a safety cover mounted on it. The board shown is an ordinary 9v 2A power supply. The case was removed and it was mounted on the side because of space restrictions.
Bottom half of the case. I used a LM350T (rated for 3 amps) linear driver with a ceiling of about 1.5A (I originally intended for the ceiling to be about 1.8A but I suppose the resistors are slightly off). I originally thought such a huge heatsink (which I salvaged from a broken computer PSU's MOSFET) would be overkill, but it ended up being necessary. It gets pretty damn warm at 1.5A. That other little chip glued onto a foam block is a $5 9v to 12v converter for the fan.
Testing it out while set to 1.2A. Pictures taken in a lit room with normal exposure times. This thing is BRIGHT. I don't have a LPM yet (too cheap to buy one), but I'm pretty sure it's putting out 1W+. It was burning a hole in the wall when I took the first picture. Second photo is of the beam from the side.
Now onto the beam dump. I wanted a way to view the awesome beam from a reasonable distance without barbequing my retinas. This thing is basically a small aluminum project box painted black on the inside with a rock glued to the end, and a 10mm hole drilled in the front.
Opened
Beam dump in action. Okay, maybe it isn't the greatest beam dump in the world, but it's a hell of a lot better than staring at the beam while the dot's bouncing off a white wall.
So, what do you guys think? Thoughts, comments, concerns?
Overall, I'm pretty damn happy with this as my first 445nm build. Hopefully it'll last a while at 1.2A.
Update: I just got my laserbee 2.5W usb lpm, and decided to meter this laser. This is what I got (with an ordinary aixiz AR lens):
So either I got a freak diode or my DMM is broken, because I clearly remember setting it at 1.2A. :huh:
Enjoy!
For the host, I was originally going to use a regular old junked computer PSU. But then I happened to acquire a dead professional monitor PSU that was about to get thrown out (this is what one looks like on the back of a monitor). It had a very nice anodized aluminum case, not cheap steel.
But it was rather small, so getting everything to fit right without shorting the hell out was a bit of a pain.
Here is the heat sink I used before I machined it to fit the case. I got it cheap on ebay ($16 for two iirc), but it needed to be heavily modified.
Here is the heat sink after machining and installed in the host. The hole just happened to be near-perfect for the module (I had to use a vice to get it in when I used thermal epoxy). This thing is cool even after half an hour of continuous usage.
The inside of the case, with the driver board flipped over to show limiting resistors. It's horrifyingly messy, I know. All the zip ties I used didn't really seem to help. Also, being so cramped doesn't do any good with airflow either. :cryyy:
Inside of the top half of the case. I used an 80mm fan from a junked PC mounted externally in a push configuration for cooling. There are two switches: a key safety switch, and a toggle switch with a safety cover mounted on it. The board shown is an ordinary 9v 2A power supply. The case was removed and it was mounted on the side because of space restrictions.
Bottom half of the case. I used a LM350T (rated for 3 amps) linear driver with a ceiling of about 1.5A (I originally intended for the ceiling to be about 1.8A but I suppose the resistors are slightly off). I originally thought such a huge heatsink (which I salvaged from a broken computer PSU's MOSFET) would be overkill, but it ended up being necessary. It gets pretty damn warm at 1.5A. That other little chip glued onto a foam block is a $5 9v to 12v converter for the fan.
Testing it out while set to 1.2A. Pictures taken in a lit room with normal exposure times. This thing is BRIGHT. I don't have a LPM yet (too cheap to buy one), but I'm pretty sure it's putting out 1W+. It was burning a hole in the wall when I took the first picture. Second photo is of the beam from the side.
Now onto the beam dump. I wanted a way to view the awesome beam from a reasonable distance without barbequing my retinas. This thing is basically a small aluminum project box painted black on the inside with a rock glued to the end, and a 10mm hole drilled in the front.
Opened
Beam dump in action. Okay, maybe it isn't the greatest beam dump in the world, but it's a hell of a lot better than staring at the beam while the dot's bouncing off a white wall.
So, what do you guys think? Thoughts, comments, concerns?
Overall, I'm pretty damn happy with this as my first 445nm build. Hopefully it'll last a while at 1.2A.
Update: I just got my laserbee 2.5W usb lpm, and decided to meter this laser. This is what I got (with an ordinary aixiz AR lens):
So either I got a freak diode or my DMM is broken, because I clearly remember setting it at 1.2A. :huh:
Last edited:
