My freaky PS3 diode..*Update :D *

[Glaserfan]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

Cool! I will try to source one

By the pics, do things look right for a PS3 diode(probably hard to tell).. I am interested to know if this diode *looks* to be a lower or higher output than the *average* one..

Thanks guys for all the advice so far

 

[chido]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

As far as I know (since I never actually looked deeply into bluray lasers before until a few days ago) there are no high powered PS3 diodes, only some xbox HD DVD drive diodes. (sled # PHR-803T)
The same PHR-803T sleds have been found in these drives too.
Like I said, some PS3 diodes may need more current than usual to work, but their output doesn't compare to that of the xbox high powered diodes.

 

[Glaserfan]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

Aaargh..

Well, I redid the driver.. got it down to 74mA- turned it on and BAM.. about 1 second of nice violet light, then nothing at all... completely dead, not even a zombie.

Something tells me that its a good thing this sled didnt go in a PS3, or the owner would have been sorely disappointed...

No more PS3 diodes for me.. I am getting the high power Xbox 360 diode next time....

 

[chido]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

Remember, 74mA is still pretty high for a PS3 diode, most of them run at 40mA, some even as low as 30. I'm surprised yours lasted this much at that current. In other words, it's not the diode's fault. : ;D

EDIT: Did you check all your connections, even if it's dead it still should put out a little bit of light, unless you killed it all the way.

 

[Glaserfan]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

Oh it is dead.. It just seems strange that it died AFTER I lowered the current.. I even decided since it was totally dead to check conductivity between the pins. Absolutley none.. I think the little hairthin wire fried inside the diode. I took all the necessary safety precautions, so I know it wasn't my handiwork tha killed it anyhow. Current, oh I am sure..

It had to be a freak diode though.. at the normal 38mA, it lased..barely. At 50mA.. it was barely visible on the wall.. at 87mA it was as pictured. For the short burst at 74mA, it was dimmer, but useable.

Ah well, ya win some, ya lose some... like I said my next diode will be the newly famed 803T from the XBOX drives..

 

[chido]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

Barely visible on the wall at 50mA!!!! Then I guess it was a freak.
I've never worked with bluray diodes before but I have heard they're really sensitive, I've heard of some die from static even when they were already placed in aixiz modules. Sometimes, when they gotta go they gotta go. ;D

 

[Glaserfan]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

The static problem may be it.. that's the only answer I can find on the net.. A page describing PS3 diodes in detail, and mentioning an ESD damaged one that lased/ran at high mA.

Reading that page made me even more careful with it.. anytime I handled this sled, diode, or even unassembled box laser, I was wearing my grounded wrist strap.. This was of course a new sled when I got it That's why I didn't expect any of this.. especially static damage since they are shipped in a static bag.

Funny thing is that I also since have tested the red section, and IR section of it(although I am not sure I could see the IR- sometimes you can, but at higher more dangerous levels), and ALL was dead :-?. I doubt this sled would have worked at all for its intended purpose...

Here is the page I read if anyone is interested, or hasn't seen it yet...

http://www.fineartradiography.com/hobbies/lasers/blu-ray/diode.html

 

[mpmitch2000]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

The most i ever got from a ps3 laser is 75mw which did work well but i found you need to use good heatsink so i had some freaky ps3 laser but most of the ones i have i run at 50mw for being safe.

I will be making a DX laser blu-ray next week which top end drivers to run it and it will have glass lens not cheap crap plastic one and it will run at 105mw cw power and i will be selling it if anyone is after a topend blu-ray laser pointer .

Many thanks
Mike

 

[chido]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

The static problem may be it.. that's the only answer I can find on the net.. A page describing PS3 diodes in detail, and mentioning an ESD damaged one that lased/ran at high mA.

Reading that page made me even more careful with it.. anytime I handled this sled, diode, or even unassembled box laser, I was wearing my grounded wrist strap.. This was of course a new sled when I got it That's why I didn't expect any of this.. especially static damage since they are shipped in a static bag.

Yes but like I said, some of these get damaged by ESD even when they're already mounted in aixiz modules, they're just so sensitive.

Funny thing is that I also since have tested the red section, and IR section of it(although I am not sure I could see the IR- sometimes you can, but at higher more dangerous levels), and ALL was dead :-?. I doubt this sled would have worked at all for its intended purpose...

Here is the page I read if anyone is interested, or hasn't seen it yet...

http://www.fineartradiography.com/hobbies/lasers/blu-ray/diode.html

It might be possible that it was a bad diode, but I still think you killed it. ;D Sometimes these things die for no reason at all, especially BR diodes.
Maybe it somehow died when you extracted it and what you were working with was a zombie diode. (maybe, just a thought)
How much current have you tried putting into it, try putting in 100mA and up to see if it lases, it's dead anyway. ;D

 

[chido]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

The most i ever got from a ps3 laser is 75mw which did work well but i found you need to use good heatsink so i had some freaky ps3 laser but most of the ones i have i run at 50mw for being safe.

75mW, 50mW???? These numbers are a little too high for PS3 diodes, what laser power meter are you using to measure their output?

I will be making a DX laser blu-ray next week which top end drivers to run it and it will have glass lens not cheap crap plastic one and it will run at 105mw cw power and i will be selling it if anyone is after a topend blu-ray laser pointer .

Many thanks
Mike

What do you mean by making a "DX bluray laser"? What kind of diode are you using, an xbox PHR-803T sled diode or a 6x bluray burner diode?

 

[mpmitch2000]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

It will be done with a blue-ray laser diode which is made to do 150mw max but will be set to 100 to 105 mw for longer life so its not mod .
I will hope to do this next week and post pictures and it will use top spec glass lens for better focus so you get a nice tight spot so it will burn alot better than a 200mw green laser .

many thanks
Mike

 

[chido]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

Where in the world did you get a 150mW diode? Is that CW? And what kind of power meter are you using to measure the output?

 

[IgorT]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

Any ideas on why this PS3 diode takes so many mA's?

The PS3 sled diodes are weird. My first one was dim at 39mA. Much dimmer than a 5mW red.
The second one was BRIGHT! But i touched it to reposition it, and since the driver was powered by a PSU, ESD killed it, well dropped the brightness to 1/3.

So then i had two dim diodes. After seeing how bright the second one was, i pushed the current of the first to 70mA and it got nicely bright but only for a short time, then it suddenly dropped. The next time it was bright was 140mA after that it wouldn't lase anymore at all, and then i pushed 1.6A through it, and since then it works at 220mA, but is a <1mW zombie.

Then i tried pushing the second one to 70 and the same thing happened. Next treshold was again 140mA and then 220mA. Another zombie.

It started out as the happiest and ended as the most depressing day of my life.



Anyway, what i wanted to say was, they DID differ from the start. Some can put out a lot safely, others are weak. Others again are monsters, and can do 80mW! They are weird to say the least.

 

[IgorT]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

completely dead, not even a zombie.

If you want a zombie, you have to use my patented Frankenstein method.

1.6A for just under a second seems to do the trick. That is how i discovered this - i was angry and wanted it to burn, but it became undead instead.

 

[Glaserfan]

Re: My freaky PS3 diode..

LOL

I have read about how badly these vary.. but thats alot of variation.. I bet they have some interestng times tuning those sleds to work :-/

I bit the bullet and bought a used XBOX 360 drive, and lucked out..PHR-803T ;D. I am done messing with the PS3 diodes for now..

On to building a REAL bluray for me.. good thing is I already have the 87mA driver for it. I am hoping to end up with a >60mW bluray when I am done

I thought about hooking the "dead" PS3 diode up to 4 rechargeable AA's-straight- and watching it sizzle LOL.. I am a bit annoyed with it, even if I am the reason it died..

150mW bluray diode???? If that is CW I want one!! I bet that's the pulsed rating though..

Oh, and by the way.. rkcstr drivers DO hold a charge after they are off for a while. I found this out in my testing(no that's not how I killed it if I did though).

 

[Glaserfan]

An update and a happy ending....

After seeing a bluray for the first time with this experience, and having it die, I decided to say to hell with it and went to my local Gamestop store and picked up a used XBOX 360 HD drive(not too bad at $47), and got lucky-it had the 803T in it ;D

I successfully biult it into my project box host, and 87mA driver.. this thing is awesome! No regrets.. From Drlava's graph, not to mention the glass uncoated lens, I should be getting about 60 or so mW out of it

I'll be selling the drive off on Ebay as "Needs Repair", along with it's cord to try to recoup someof the extra cost. I will make sure to mention that the diode is the problem in the auction, so nobody here will buy it and be disappointed.

I went from going thru a harsh learning experience to being one happy camper.. Now to find a real host, get another flexdrive and run it at about 95mA.. maybe.

Cheers! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]