Need help extracting diode from DVD burner.

[chenb]

I am attempting to make a DVD burner laser, and I think I have found the visible red diode. My only question is, how do I take the diode out of it's heat sink?
Because I am new, I can't post pictures right now, but I can see the diode inside the heat sink and three prongs soldiered to a piece of plastic (I assume it was to connect it to the circuit board. The diode appears to be either soldiered inside the heat sink or forced in.
You can PM for pictures.

 

[Stianbl]

Try attaching the picture (not posting it). Would give us a better view at what diode it is.
Also, you could check out some of the other diode harvest tutorials here. =)

 

[pseudolobster]

The diode won't be soldered into the heatsink, that just isn't done... It might be held in place with some thermal adhesive of some sort, but that's generally pretty brittle and doesn't make much of a difference.

There are a few approaches you can take, you can try to find a metal tube big enough to fit over the aperture of the diode but small enough not to touch the heatsink, then you can just forcibly press it out of the heatsink... This method is good because you can also use that tool to press the diode into your aixiz module...

The other options can be a bit more destructive and you have to be a bit more careful... You can use a dremel with a cutoff wheel to cut a notch in the heatsink all the way down to the diode then use a flathead screwdriver to widen the gap and the diode should just fall out... Or, the third way, which has become a lot more common lately, is to grasp the heatsink between two pairs of diagonal cutters and try to snap the heatsink in half. This option works well for PHR-803T bluray diodes, since their heatsink is made of a very brittle magnesium alloy that snaps easily, though for a lot of red diodes they may have a tougher and more malleable metal that doesn't snap as easily.

If you can't post a picture you can just tell us what drive you got it out of and we should be able to make an educated guess...

 

[phoenix77]

use the brass empty from a .22 caliber long rifle shell