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FrozenGate by Avery

My newbie laser building project...

G

Gendo

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May 6, 2009
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Hi guys,

I've had a few cheap red keychain lasers in the past, but I decided I wanted to try building a Blue-Ray laser pointer. It's just something I'd like to learn how to do. I purchased a kit on Ebay from seller lasers4u (Creative Technology Lasers) that uses the Sony PHR-803T diode.

It includes instructions for building a 9v driver, parts included. I plan on powering it with 3 Ultrafire 3.6v AAA li-on batteries. As he suggests, 50mw seems like a good output level for the included heatsink.

I'll likely be posing some questions to you knowledgable folks this weekend once I have the kit, depending on how detailed his instructions are. I have a basic understanding of electronics, soldering, and using a multimeter. However, if all he provides is an electrical schematic, I may need some assistance in understanding it as I've never been all that great at deciphering those. I hope he includes pics of what the driver should look like assembled, both sides.

I'll try to post some progress pics here as well.

Comments, suggestions, thoughts about it are definately welcome.
 
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Hey bud, you can step that phr to 120mA with ease, 50mW is like nothing, unless you want it that way... And 120mA would last a long time, if you heatsink it and have duty cycles of about 1-2 mins on 30-60 secs off. Someone here has ran a phr at 100+mA for 45 days or so straight with heatsinking so your safe.
 
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Well, I built the driver. It works well. I'll throw a schematic here of how I arranged it when I get back home at the end of the week.

However, in press fitting the diode I must have broken that teeny little piece of glass in the front of the diode, so now it's spend another $25 and wait for another PHR diode. This time I'm not going to "press fit" it in there with a vise (even though I was trying to be gentle I think that's when it cracked). Next time I'll polish the bastard with a Dremel until I can push it in with my fingers. Unlike those Aixis diode/driver/lens assemblies, this one seems slightly too tight for the PHR diode.

Not a total success, but at least my novice electronics understanding was enough to build the 9-12volt driver.
 
Hey gendo. For 2 reasons it is a bad idea to mess with the size of the hole for the diode. 1- a press fit is needed for good thermal conductivity, if you wanna run up the ma/mw. 2- by messing with the size/shape of the hole you run the risk of the lens not being able to set the beam. also have you familiarized yourself with making a dummy load to set the current of your driver? If not i can steer you in the right direction. I also assume you have a digital multi meter.

edit* to save you some grief here, if you don't have a laser power meter you should refer to your drivers milli amp and milli volt readings. Many people here are a little to literal if you catch my drift.
 
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While I'm gone, perhaps some of you guys could look this over and tell me if you see anything wrong with this layout. Just curious if it's a better design for a PHR-803T being run on (3) 3.6v Li-ion (Ultrafire 10440s). Better to have some reviews before I hook the next LD up.

It seems to work just fine. I'm just not sure if it's what Will over at Creative Technology Lasers intended. He designed the circuit for ~9v input with reverse polarity protection. He also noted removing the 15R for full current, but I wasn't planning to run it at full current.

I can 3D model better than I can understand electrical diagrams. I guess the real question would be did I take Will's diagram too literally? Maybe there's a way to use even less board space with these same components.

LM-317
16v 10uf cap (blue)
100R pot
15R resistor
6v 47uf cap (grey)
(2) diodes (1N4001?)
.1uf cap (orange)

PHR-803T_Driver.jpg


*You can run the connection between the +Blue Cap to the +LM317 in a straight line under the left side of the pot instead of around it as the rendering shows. This also gives you a convenient place to grab the board with tweezers when installing/removing the board/heatsink assembly from the housing.
 
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chipdouglas said:
Hey gendo. For 2 reasons it is a bad idea to mess with the size of the hole for the diode. 1- a press fit is needed for good thermal conductivity, if you wanna run up the ma/mw. 2- by messing with the size/shape of the hole you run the risk of the lens not being able to set the beam. also have you familiarized yourself with making a dummy load to set the current of your driver? If not i can steer you in the right direction. I also assume you have a digital multi meter.

edit* to save you some grief here, if you don't have a laser power meter you should refer to your drivers milli amp and milli volt readings. Many people here are a little to literal if you catch my drift.
Click to expand...

You're probably right. I'm just paranoid of cracking another one. It did shear off tiny pieces of LD metal around the edge which is why I was thinking it's not large enough. Still seems to me like it should at least start into the hole easier. It's not an Aixiz unit, so it might need just little widening.

I saw a diagram somewhere around here for a dummy load, but it probably wasn't specific to the PHR. Originally I was just going to leave the pot in the middle which I assume is around 50-60ma. I thought that setting was quite bright enough, even though the cracked glass in the diode was messing up the beam. I thought maybe if I was really lucky I could remove the cracked glass, but the attempt killed the LD.
 
Don't go with your way of setting the pot. there are so many pots out there. 1 turn 2 turn half turn. see what i mean. here is a pic of how to make a super duper simple dummy load for setting your driver. and once you have it made, depending where you place the resistor, you will always have it.:D you can thank rog8811 for this one. hope it works out. oh, also this just hit me, don't widen the hole but you can bevel the edge. and yes if the glass breaks it still can be used if you safely get out the debris.
 

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chipdouglas said:
have you seen the ddl driver yet? it is very simple to make.
Click to expand...

If it can handle (3) 3.6v 500ma batteries, yes I'd be interested in taking a look at it.

This setup actually fits into the flashlight housing I'm using quite nicely now. The LM317 gets bent towards the board. I left more length to the pins than my diagram shows. I was going to heatsink the LM-317, but that won't fit, even cut way down.


Also, does it matter which side of the pot is Vin or Vout. I based it on what I've seen here but there are many pot types, and no one seems to have this exact one. I checked the resistance both ways with the 3 pins and it was very similar readings in both directions. Roughly 57 in the middle, and 104 at full.
 
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I went through most of that thread already, but in every diagram the circuit is designed for 6v to 7.2v battery source.
 
crap. I think i used up all my knowledge and resources on this one man. Hopefully a more knowledgable member can help you in the morning. Peace Out...
 
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