What if one were to take a power supply that outputs 5V and 300mA and wire it directly to the diode, wouldn't that be the same thing as using a driver?
What is the max amperage you could push with a PHR-803T diode?
you might want to get a multimeter to make sure its actually up to spec. if you're talking about the things u plug into the wall. all of the ones of that ive tested are 2V over rated n the mAs are so high the multimeter wont read it
So how do you figure how many mA any given diode can handle? And does increasing just the amount of mA necessarily increase the wattage output of the laser?
From what I have read it looks to me that you don't want to supply more than 5V directly to the diode. But wouldn't you want to increase the voltage once you pass a certain amount of amperage? Or does it not work that way?
I want to build a "Plug In" laser. I do not want to use batteries. I understand that you need to regulate the voltage and amperage. Is there a graph that shows the power output in mW and what the voltage and amperage setup for those are?
No one really knows how much current a PHR-803T can take. Actually no one knows the max current of the GGW,SF, and BDR. We do not have any spec sheets for any of those diodes. All of our "safe" numbers are from hundreds of diodes dying to the hands of our members to allow us a small amount of understanding for these diodes.
You can buy regulated wall warts that actually output the rated voltage as opposed to normal wall warts that output more than what they are rated for to compensate for the voltage drop they experience when they are put under load. But for the sake of laser diodes, no power supply is perfect and are still susceptible to surges and spikes. A driver is again, a necessary component to the long- term well being of laser diodes.
Lots actually. What you want is a laser module: A laser diode with a driver in a case with a focusing lens. Lots of people in the BST sell them. Ask for pig tales (means bare wire leads) or some come with 9V battery clips. Then, instead of using batteries (as for a pointer), wire the leads to a wall wart that is rated at what you want. Just make sure the voltage and current are what you need. I wire a switch too.
This being a "laserpointerforum", most people are not interested in "plug in" type lasers; they are not mobile.
For instance, I bought a laser module from dave (nice post above, btw! A moment of silence for the dearly departed.) and used a wall wart from Goodwill to power it. Works great. I recently bought some of these: aixiz.com StoreFront and they are rated at 3.2V. So, I picked up some transformers rated at 3.2V.
Enjoy your fail-laser. Seriously DO NOT try this. Each diode is different and thus have different voltages. Also if you happen to be lucky and have a 5.1v diode at 125mA or whatever, thermal runaway WILL kill the diode even with a heat sink. Even if the diode temperature would (miraculously) be constant, the power supply can still change! Use a driver and read the FAQ. Now I said it twice.
Yes with a resistor it is somewhat forgiving. But the tolerance is so low when you limit the 100ma current @5v that a different voltage drop of just 0.1V in the diode will increase the current with another ~100ma!