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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

new guy with questions

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Oct 26, 2010
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Hello everyone, ive been reading on this site for a couple days now and learning alot. i purchased a green laser off ebay a couple months ago and was impressed. Well i have the bug now. i found some diodes off ebay after watching some videos on that kip kay site.
808nm 300mW High Power Burning Laser Diode DIY Lab New - eBay (item 180577237860 end time Nov-20-10 02:07:51 PST)

and ordered a couple then found this site. Now I see that there can be more to building a laser than slapping the diode into a aixiz module and then into a flashlight. Which is by no means a deterrence. I was wondering, with a diode like that would i need a driver? and what is the purpose of a driver? will the aixiz module work with this diode? what exactly would i need to use this diode? would i just need a heat sink, driver, module battery and housing?

if there is a write up for this, by all means point me in that direction, i have found some tutorials on building them but not sure what would work/be needed with the diode i got off ebay?


Thanks for any help

Eric
 





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Aug 12, 2009
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That diode is a IR, it emits ALMOST invisible laser radiation, VERY DANGEROUS for your first project. Please read about IR lasers on this forum. Your eyes are more important that your lasers !! After all, without your eyes, you wouldn't be able to enjoy your lasers.

Please BE VERY CAREFUL with 808nm lasers, You could easily damage your retina even without noticing. Read LOTS, and then, read more. You don't imagine how dangerous could be managing lasers without the proper knowledge, it is dangerous even for experienced people. Use goggles. All experienced members should agree on this.

Start your race with a visible red 650nm laser, at least you can see it.
 
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thank you for the warnings, I assume these diocese don't have a shelf life as long as they are kept out of moisture and direct sunlight. Am I right on that? I am thinking of setting these aside until I have a few visable lasers under my belt. Can anyone recommend a complete kit for building a laser?
 

Morgan

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Hi Eric, welcome to LPF! :wave: Don't forget to introduce yourself in the, "Welcome", section and tell us a little about yourself, your experience and anything else you don't mind posting on the interwebz.

Check out the guides in my sig. They should answer a good many of your questions above or lead you to where you can find the answers. I give you the same advice I give anyone new to lasers; shelve the 300mW, 808nm diode! This is safety advice. As mentioned above, because the light emitted is nearly invisible you have no appreciation of how bright 300mW really is. Follow the guidance above and go for visible first.

There are some great starter kits here -

Laser Hosts and Laser Kits - Items - OdicForce Lasers Online Shop

I would go for the 300mW kit and ask what else you need, (batteries etc). These kits are cheap enough to make a few mistakes without hurting your wallet too much and give you a good understanding of the skills, tools, and parts you will need to gather to start some of the more impressive builds. They also come with full instructions. I would go for the 300mW kit because the driver comes preset to 200mA and will not kill your diode, (should not at least, if you've done everything correctly! :D ), and you can turn the driver up at a later stage when you get more equipment. You will not NEED a digital multi meter for this build but you will later on. I've built a few of these now and there are also reviews from other members in the, "Reviews", section. Just punch, 'Odicforce', into the search box and something should pop up.

Have a good read about, which you're doing anyway, and good luck...

We always like pictures here, so post a few of your first build when done.

M
:)

(P.S. I'm not aware there is a shelf life for these diodes when correctly stored!)
 
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Oct 26, 2010
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Thank you fOr the links, I will definitely read up on them and post in the intro section when I am done work
cheers for now

Eric
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
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Hi Eric, welcome to LPF! :wave: Don't forget to introduce yourself in the, "Welcome", section and tell us a little about yourself, your experience and anything else you don't mind posting on the interwebz.

Check out the guides in my sig. They should answer a good many of your questions above or lead you to where you can find the answers. I give you the same advice I give anyone new to lasers; shelve the 300mW, 808nm diode! This is safety advice. As mentioned above, because the light emitted is nearly invisible you have no appreciation of how bright 300mW really is. Follow the guidance above and go for visible first.

There are some great starter kits here -

Laser Hosts and Laser Kits - Items - OdicForce Lasers Online Shop

I would go for the 300mW kit and ask what else you need, (batteries etc). These kits are cheap enough to make a few mistakes without hurting your wallet too much and give you a good understanding of the skills, tools, and parts you will need to gather to start some of the more impressive builds. They also come with full instructions. I would go for the 300mW kit because the driver comes preset to 200mA and will not kill your diode, (should not at least, if you've done everything correctly! :D ), and you can turn the driver up at a later stage when you get more equipment. You will not NEED a digital multi meter for this build but you will later on. I've built a few of these now and there are also reviews from other members in the, "Reviews", section. Just punch, 'Odicforce', into the search box and something should pop up.

Have a good read about, which you're doing anyway, and good luck...

We always like pictures here, so post a few of your first build when done.

M
:)

(P.S. I'm not aware there is a shelf life for these diodes when correctly stored!)
Once again great advice from Morgan-- the Odic host he links is a good choice too.

For tons of reading about all kinds of lasers check out our 'Godfather' the good Dr Sam at Sam'sFAQ -

- We love new members --especially if they try hard to do thier own research first--

welcome to lpf


hk
 

Morgan

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Apologies, no, it's this kit where you have everything except the diode -

Focusing Laser Host with Matching High Power Red Laser Diode Driver - Detailed item view - OdicForce Lasers Online Shop

I believe the 100mW kit is the same kit but with the 100mW diode already included, (so you can compare the price of the seperate Rohm diode and see the difference). I'm pretty sure the same drive is used for both diodes you see but the Rohm diode will die before the driver hits maximum whereas the other diode won't, (shouldn't... Must have the caveat!).

The diode you need is the LPC-815 diode. Many members can supply you with one of these for a few bucks cheaper than Jon but as your there... I think you may as well get one from him. Plus, it'll arrive with the rest of the kit. This is what you need -

LPC-815 Laser Sled Diode - Detailed item view - OdicForce Lasers Online Shop

Just click whether you want a diode in heatsink or complete sled.

You'll need batteries and charger I think, but drop them a line. Jon's very helpful.

I hope that's a bit clearer.

M
:)
 
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