nood to all this need help!!!!

[audigy-187]

hi i bout a laser diode (SANYO 635NM 3MW DIODE CAN 2.2 v 35 mA) from edmund optics and i got it in and i tried to put it in my mini mag flashlight and it lit up very little and it got hot. i was holding it in place so as soon as it got hot i took it off so it wont burn out. what am i doing wrong? its i know 2 double AA's are 3 volts. i saw people on youtube but the diode in the flashlight and bamm burning laser!!! y not mine.

 

[audigy-187]

sorry 654nm 10mw i typed it wrong everything else is the same

 

[pwnstar]

Welcome to the forum,
10mw is a very weak laser. you need a laser from a dvd burner, those can power from 80mw-300mw
you also shouldnt hook it up directly to the batterys.

 

[pseudolobster]

You shouldn't work with lasers in the nude. You could burn something important.

Also, don't listen to kipkay or any other random person on youtube or metacafe, most people who post those videos either don't know what they're doing and they give you instructions on how to kill your diode, or they are experienced people making a video for other experienced people and provide no explanation what they're doing.
I suggest you lurk here for a while and just read as many posts as you can for a long while before you try again... You really do need to make a driver circuit if you want to have any hope of using your laser more than once without killing it.

 

[chido]

If you want a video guide on how to build a laser the right way look here.