O-like 150mW module and Li-Ion batteries?

[ReNNo]

I plan to buy 150mW module from O-like and power it up with 1X 18650 battery that gives 4.2V when fully charged.

130~150mW Green laser Module£*>5¡«500mW green laser module£*>Laser&lighting products£*>www.0-like.com

Working voltage: DC 3.0~4.2V

Specification says that laser should work on 4.2V but Susie says that 4.2V is not recommended for this module.

Do anyone has this module that works with Li-Ion battery?

If 4.2V is too much can I use silicon diode in series with driver to lower voltage a bit?

 

[LarryDFW]

ReNNo;

You are on the right track.

Using a 1N4001 silicon diode will drop the voltage about 0.7 volts.

Most of these green drivers were designed for 3 VDC.

Higher voltage dissipates more heat in the pass transistor.

LarryDFW

 

[samsomiler]

o-like link doesnt work for me! Does it for anybody else?

 

[ReNNo]

ReNNo;

You are on the right track.

Using a 1N4001 silicon diode will drop the voltage about 0.7 volts.

Most of these green drivers were designed for 3 VDC.

Higher voltage dissipates more heat in the pass transistor.

LarryDFW

I thought that only resistors are problem if I give higher voltage to laser.
And some people told me that If I change resistors with bigger ones problem can be solved.
I can change resistors but that will not change too much, will it?

Here are some pictures of 150mW module and as I can see resistors are way too small to dissipate excess heat. (1R0 and R47 in parallel)



Where should I put silicon diode?
On positive or negative pole of driver or doesn't matter?

Maybe I can put diode in tail cap and save some space.

This module can use about 650mA of current, can silicon diode withstand with that high current without cooling?

@samsomiler
Doesn't work for me either since yesterday.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

I doubt that I have the same module, but I'm planning on using a single 10440 with a spacer with a diode in it for my green (advertised 30mW) pointer. It didn't work for long on 2xAAA alkaline (about 2 minutes) and I'd rather use rechargables than have to keep buying AAA batteries (and top brand ones at that! I already know the no-name brands don't work)

 

[ReNNo]

I have just finished testing 1N4007 in series with driver and I'm satisfied with my solution.

First I tested with dummy load and everything looked just fine.
Then I tried with my O-like 150mW that came to my house today

I used one 18650 battery in this test (4.03V when nothing is connected to it)

When I connect module in series with 1x 1N4007 voltage across driver is 3.08V that is ideal for this module.
Voltage drop on 1N4007 is 0.86V that means that voltage on battery drops for 0.09V when battery is under load.

When battery is fully charged (4.2V) maximum voltage across the driver shouldn't be above about 3.25V and this is still safe for module.

I just don't know what is lowest voltage of battery when driver can still work... but this shouldn't be problem with 18650.

About current....
When I use 1N4007 in series with module, current trough driver is about 715mA, and when I connect module directly to battery current is 730mA.
That means only 15mA difference and that will not have influence on output power of laser.
It doesn't matter if you connect 1N4007 on negative pole of driver or positive pole of driver. Voltage and current will remain the same.

That means that you can install silicon diode in spacer or in tail cap of host.

I hope this will help to anyone who plan to use O-like modules with Li-Ion batteries.

 

[zxn474l]

YouTube - Black&Decker cordless laser I have a 150mw green O-like too there a great module going for the 200mw green next in a similar host all blsck with decals!

 

[ReNNo]

Do you have problems with divergence?
When you point laser to sky, can you notice that beam becomes fatter as it goes further?

 

[HIMNL9]

I just suggest a thing, if you have space for do it ..... considering the current (and the fact that 1N serie hold at maximum 1A, so probably they become hot), just place 2 of them in parallel, for divide the thermal dissipation and reduce the possibility to a fail (and this will also decrease a little bit the dropout).

Or, if you have a bit more space, use a better diode, like as example a BY255, that hold more current and have a better resistance (but have a diameter bigger than the 1N serie, so it depend from the space that you have)

Also, if you plan to use it in a holder (host), use thermal silicone for fill the space between the driver and the host body, so the heat can be dissipated better, and also your driver live longer and happy

 

[ReNNo]

I did quick test and one silicon diode (1N4007) doesn't get too hot when current is about 700mA.
Maybe I can find diodes with higher resistance but I don't want to decrease voltage too much. 1N4007 looks like the best choice (If they don't overheat above maximum temperature)

I plan to install diode in tail cap to save as much space as I can.

Some people use O-like modules directly with LI-Ion batteries...why would I care about driver temperature?

 

[jaycey]

Thanks for the info here guys, I have just ordered a 50mW module and it requires the same voltage and im using CR123a's which also put out 4.2v full.
I was thinking about removing the stock driver and using a DDL, but now ile give the diode method a try.

Cheers

 

[ReNNo]

DDL will require two CR123 batteries and will be very inefficient.
And you will probably be forced to use heatsink on LM317T

You can use one 1N400x diode and diode will not overheat on that current (about 250-350mA).

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

Glad to actually see this in writing instead of always hearing "it will probably work" or "no, impossible to use Li-Ion, only alkaline."

My green has been working great on a single 17670. My only concern is that I don't know what voltage the green stops working, so I don't have a good indication of when to recharge (I only have unprotected cells except for my 14500 that is being used in a flashlight).

In previous experience, the green works only for two or three minutes on 1.5V batteries before the batteries need to be replaced, so I'm going to guestimate it drops off at 2.5V. 2.5+.7=3.2, which is still safe for li-ion. But what if it doesn't drop off until 2V? 2+.7=2.7V, borderline dangerous.

So basically, anybody know at what voltage most lower quality greens drop off?

 

[ReNNo]

Drivers for green lasers need about 0.3V to work.
Diode from 150mW O-Like module works at about 700mA and makes voltage drop of about 2.6V.
In theory you need 2.9V to make this work.

But I think it can work on even lower voltage.
It's better to ask someone who uses this module with AA batteries.