Official specs of BDR-209 diode?

[ixfd64]

It's my understanding that the BDR-209 diodes are presently the most powerful single-mode 405 nm laser diodes available. But from what I could tell, the BDR-209 is technically the Blu-ray Disc drive marketed by Pioneer Corporation. I could barely find any official specs about the diode itself.

The fact that 405 nm lasers can go well over 1 W suggests that the nominal output of the BDR-209 diode is very high. However, most of the single-mode 405 nm diodes I could find are of low power, like 100 mW or less. So I'm wondering:

1. Who is the OEM for the BDR-209 diodes?
2. Are these diodes specifically made for Pioneer Corporation?
3. Does anyone have an official spec sheet for the BDR-209 diodes?

 

[Alaskan]

I've been hoping to find specs for two years and haven't yet. Just asked DTR a few days ago what the emitter size is, he doesn't know, but it can be extrapolated with measurement of the output. This diode is best run below 800 mw collimated output for longivity, most of us have had failures at 900 mw or higher out of a lens.

 

[paul1598419]

Yes, for a TO-38 diode it packs quite a punch. I have not seen a spec sheet on them and if it does exist, it is kept hidden from the public. Because they are a single mode diode they do quite well with single element asperical lenses. These will give the most power output while the small emitter makes for a tight beam with good divergence specs. Trying to get 1 watt out of these has lead to the loss of many of these diodes, so, as Alaskan said, it is best to keep it around 800 mW. There are other diodes that can output close to the BDR-209. Such as the 12X diodes that DTR also sells.

 

[Alaskan]

Being single mode they have very low divergence due to that, as well as the wavelength, being so short, both contribute to a low divergence for a given lens diameter. Too bad 405 nm is only 1 percent as bright to the human eye as 532 nm green, about 15 percent as bright as 450 nm blue which I believe makes them more hazardous because being near UV, 405 nm is a very high energy wavelength which appears to be relatively weak when quite the opposite. To the unwary, this combination can make them more potentially destructive than other longer wavelengths because we can't see how much energy is really being reflected while also being more hazardous to vision and skin due to the short wavelength too. Also, I read a report some time back that viewing high power reflections of the shorter blue wavelengths can accumulatively bleach the photo receptors in your eyes..

Due to the extremely low divergence of this diode, when tightly collimated, the beam spreads very little at distance compared to all other laser diodes that I have owned, that and appearing weak, one could accidentally blind someone a great distance away if happening to hit them in the eye. I believe it is far easier to harm someone at a distance due to these factors than any other laser pointer there is at its power output when using a standard 6 mm diameter lens.

Why blue and violet lasers can be more dangerous

The human eye actually is less sensitive to blue and violet. So, while a victim would react quickly to a red or green laser, that person may not blink or turn away as fast from an equally powerful blue or violet light, creating a greater likelihood of injury.

After witnessing a rise in the occurrence of eye injuries caused by these lasers and to better illustrate the dangers of these products, researchers in Saudi Arabia documented the case histories of 14 young males, ages 11 to 30, who sought treatment for these injuries from January 2012 to January 2013.

Each of the 14 patients in the study had sustained injuries to one eye. Four of the patients suffered a full-thickness macular hole, a break in the part of the eye responsible for detailed, central vision.

Other macular injuries documented in the study included hemorrhages in different retinal layers, a macular pucker (when cells proliferate on the surface of the retina, causing visual impairment), a retinal disruption and a cavity in the retina. Only four eyes (29 percent) improved spontaneously with increase in vision, whereas 10 eyes (71 percent) required intervention, including vitrectomy (surgery in which the vitreous gel in the eye is removed and an operating microscope and small surgical instruments are used to remove blood and scar tissue that accompany abnormal vessels in the eye)."

 

[Benm]

The problem is that BDR-209 is a model number for a laser assembly, not for the diode itself.

It is possible that there are actually different bdr209 modules on the market with different laser diodes in them - as long as they meet the specification for the intended purpose of writing dvds that's all fine.

As for the danger factor: that's certainly there. Being on the edge of the visual spectrum the beams of these things are hardly visible, and the dot mostly is because whatever you shine in onto (such as paper) will fluoresce brightly.

Don't make any mistakes with these though, a few 100 mW of 405 nm looks as dim as a few mW of red, but carries enough power to blind you or even set things on fire.

 

[ixfd64]

Yes, for a TO-38 diode it packs quite a punch. I have not seen a spec sheet on them and if it does exist, it is kept hidden from the public.

I wouldn't be surprised if the manufacturer is making these diodes exclusively for Pioneer under an agreement not to disclose the information. Some OEMs do make units exclusive to one customer. For example, CNI produces the Hercules series for Laserglow and no other company. How likely is it that Pioneer themselves are the manufacturer?

Don't make any mistakes with these though, a few 100 mW of 405 nm looks as dim as a few mW of red, but carries enough power to blind you or even set things on fire.

This is a common mistake for people unfamiliar with lasers. It's not so much the brightness that causes eye damage, but the irradiance.

 

[Benm]

They could be made specifically for this sled and not sold otherwise, or perhaps they are sold to other companies as well, but their sleds are more expensive or more dificult to harvest the diodes from.

So no official specs but people seem to push them to 900 mW CW, which they seem to survive with ample cooling.

And yes they are dangerous - beam doesnt look bright but when properly focussed you can light a cigarette a couple of meters away, or accidentily set fire to things ("the drapes are on fire!" could be a pretty realistic outcome).

 

[Alaskan]

I don't know if adequate cooling will make them last as long as most might expect (edit: due to being driven so hard), mine had what I believed to be enough cooling and died at 938 mw output. Several have reported what they thought were early failures too, but I don't know what their cooling was but from what I'm hearing, many believe they are quitting too soon. That's what we get pushing our diodes beyond ratings, more so with this diode, it seems...

 

[Benm]

Sure, i think they are just overdriven to the point of imminent failure at 900 mW or so, but there is no datasheet to back that up.

Given the history of such diodes though we had a the 8x ones that could safely be driven to about 200 mW or so, so i'd expect that figure to be double that for a 16x drive. That would be 400 mW, a far cry from 900 mW or so advertised.

 

[paul1598419]

I don't know that there is a linear relationship between the 8X and 16X diode powers. If not, then 400 mW might be too low of the limiting factor for the 16X diodes. I know I have a 12X diode that does 650+ mW and has for a couple of years now.

 

[Alaskan]

I bought a dozen of the S06J laser diodes last year, I wanted to do something special with them but now I'm in Iraq and they are in Alaska! I've been wanting to PBS combine two of them for awhile now too, I believe there was a member here some time ago who did just that, can't remember who now, he hasn't been on for some time.

 

[jander6442]

I bought a dozen of the S06J laser diodes last year, I wanted to do something special with them but now I'm in Iraq and they are in Alaska! I've been wanting to PBS combine two of them for awhile now too, I believe there was a member here some time ago who did just that, can't remember who now, he hasn't been on for some time.

Was it this one http://laserpointerforums.com/f38/dual-411nm-1335mw-2d-mag-pbs-cube-newport-mounts-89822.html

 

[Alaskan]

Aha, it's him. Wonderful laser he built. Can't see your photobucket pix, they are holding users hostage now, pay up, or none of your photo's will show anymore.

 

[paul1598419]

IDK if it's the larger size of the S06J diodes (TO-18) or something else, but they seem to hold up better. At least in my experience. I lost one a few years ago, but have been having better luck since.

 

[ixfd64]

Aha, it's him. Wonderful laser he built. Can't see your photobucket pix, they are holding users hostage now, pay up, or none of your photo's will show anymore.

If you use Google Chrome, you can install this extension to "properly" view Photobucket images: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-hotlink-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg

 

[Alaskan]

That Chrome extension doesn't work for me, did they close that hole?