Project for beginner

[Snecho]

The parts list looks good but is there any reason you don't want to go with copper for the heat sink? At 1.25A that diode will probably be putting out a bit of waste heat and copper will be better at dissipating that than aluminum. I would go with the extended copper heat sink for your purposes and for anything stronger than what you're making I would find an alternate source for heat sinks. The SL heat sinks make for a nice, small compact laser for lower power levels but I'm personally replacing the one on my green build @ 1.8A with a forum member-made heat sink in a couple of days. Though with that being said, the black heat sink you chose will recess completely into the host and you'll have a very low-key flashlight looking device if that's what you're looking for.

Working on it...


In the meantime I have to tell you though that driver at 1.25A will burn out your diode

 

[VernoxVernax]

Working on it...


In the meantime I have to tell you though that driver at 1.25A will burn out your diode

Ok. and what do I have to choose to prevent that? I am going with the extended copper heat sink. Or do you mean trephanation with his laser diode?

 

[trephanation]

Yep, I’ve looked at DTR’s V/A/mW chart for that specific Mitsubishi diode and it looks like 1.25A is at the very end of his test. Something a bit lower, maybe even half of that would help ensure a healthier diode life.

 

[VernoxVernax]

Yep, I’ve looked at DTR’s V/A/mW chart for that specific Mitsubishi diode and it looks like 1.25A is at the very end of his test. Something a bit lower, maybe even half of that would help ensure a healthier diode life.

Ok thank you.

 

[Snecho]

Ok. and what do I have to choose to prevent that? I am going with the extended copper heat sink. Or do you mean trephanation with his laser diode?

What I mean is if you run that diode at 1.25A, you will most likely kill it, regardless of heatsink. The recommended current is 0.9A or 900mA.

First things first, it's worth mentioning, how much power are you wanting out of this diode?

 

[VernoxVernax]

What I mean is if you run that diode at 1.25A, you will most likely kill it, regardless of heatsink. The recommended current is 0.9A or 900mA.

First things first, it's worth mentioning, how much power are you wanting out of this diode?

Oh. The lifetime does sink when I run it with more than .9A doesnt it? I just bought a 1A driver.... Is it fine when I only turn the laserpointer on for about 20 seconds?

 

[Snecho]

Oh. The lifetime does sink when I run it with more than .9A doesnt it? I just bought a 1A driver.... Is it fine when I only turn the laserpointer on for about 20 seconds?

You mean you already went ahead and ordered a driver? Can I ask which one?

 

[VernoxVernax]

You mean you already went ahead and ordered a driver? Can I ask which one?

I ordered the bargain host config with a 1A driver.

 

[Snecho]

I ordered the bargain host config with a 1A driver.

Ok. 1A is exactly between the 0.9A suggested and 1.1A MAX so I'd say you're good as far as the lifetime of the diode goes and not burning it out

So you ordered the host combo. Ok. I assume you selected the C6 host and of course the 1A fixed current driver.
So now which heatsink and pill options did you choose from the last two boxes?

 

[VernoxVernax]

Ok. 1A is exactly between the 0.9A suggested and 1.1A MAX so I'd say you're good as far as the lifetime of the diode goes and not burning it out

So you ordered the host combo. Ok. I assume you selected the C6 host and of course the 1A fixed current driver.
(Sidenote, you could also have gotten an adjustable current driver version in the 400mA-1.1A range. That would let you experiment with whatever current you wanted and decide what power you would want in the end )
So now which heatsink and pill options did you choose from the last two boxes?

Oh yes. I got:

Heat Sink Option : Extended Length Copper

Driver Pill Option : Standard Aluminum Driver Pill

 

[Snecho]

Oh yes. I got:

Heat Sink Option : Extended Length Copper

Driver Pill Option : Standard Aluminum Driver Pill

Ok sounds good so far. That should work perfectly with the standard Survival Lasers round driver setup.

I've been meaning to ask, do you have an expected power output in mind or are you just going to put it all together and whatever power it is is fine?

P.S. Sorry if I'm sounding too formal or a bit of an a$$, I'm just trying to help and make sure nothing goes wrong

 

[VernoxVernax]

Ok sounds good so far. That should work perfectly with the standard Survival Lasers round driver setup.

I've been meaning to ask, do you have an expected power output in mind or are you just going to put it all together and whatever power it is is fine?

As long as its shining up and I can take some nice pics its completely ok. Thank you very much for checking it.

omg no, not at all. You are a big help for me. I couldnt hope for any better support with this project.

 

[Snecho]

As long as its shining up and I can take some nice pics its completely ok. Thank you very much for checking it.

omg no, not at all. You are a big help for me. I couldnt hope for any better support with this project.

Yeah, according to DTR, 1A will give you about 900mW. That's almost 1W of red with a G2 lens! Pretty amazing.

And going back to your earlier related question about leaving it on for 20 seconds, there isn't really a firm answer here. Since you got the slightly extended heatsink in copper, that should provide good thermal absorption. The only real way to tell is to test it. i.e. feel the outside of the host around the diode every 10 seconds. When it starts to feel decently warm, at that point would be the time to let it cool down as the host will feel warm, but the insides with the diode will start to be hot. I'd let it cool down double the time it ran for as a rule of thumb but it's best to use your best judgment.

Also, the heatsink you pick is up to your preferences. i.e. You could go with one of the colored aluminum sinks if you want to identify a laser with it's wavelength color or black if you want a sleek look, going with a standard copper would increase thermal absorption. and the longer copper sinks would give you even more thermal absorption respectively (Plus they look cool )

But since you already ordered the slightly extended copper sink, that would be a great overall middleground

 

[paul1598419]

I have one of these in the Cyprus II all copper host doing more than 1 watt and it has been going for years. Don't remember, off the top of my head what current I set for it, but pretty sure it was well over 1 amp.

 

[VernoxVernax]

Yeah, according to DTR, 1A will give you about 900mW. That's almost 1W of red with a G2 lens! Pretty amazing.

And going back to your earlier related question about leaving it on for 20 seconds, there isn't really a firm answer here. Since you got the slightly extended heatsink in copper, that should provide good thermal absorption. The only real way to tell is to test it. i.e. feel the outside of the host around the diode every 10 seconds. When it starts to feel decently warm, at that point would be the time to let it cool down as the host will feel warm, but the insides with the diode will start to be hot. I'd let it cool down double the time it ran for as a rule of thumb but it's best to use your best judgment.

Also, the heatsink you pick is up to your preferences. i.e. You could go with one of the colored aluminum sinks if you want to identify a laser with it's wavelength color or black if you want a sleek look, going with a standard copper would increase thermal absorption. and the longer copper sinks would give you even more thermal absorption respectively (Plus they look cool )

But since you already ordered the slightly extended copper sink, that would be a great overall middleground

Its better to be on the saver side, in terms of the heat sink. I am so excited.

I have one of these in the Cyprus II all copper host doing more than 1 watt and it has been going for years. Don't remember, off the top of my head what current I set for it, but pretty sure it was well over 1 amp.

Very cool concept. Yeah I saw those but I think it would be a bit overkill for my first laser.

 

[Snecho]

Its better to be on the saver side, in terms of the heat sink. I am so excited.

I'm excited FOR you lol. But yes, that heatsink is good.

As far as the pill, I did some research and in the future, you can get either the drilled or driver heatsinked pill to use a different (rectangular) driver than the Survival Lasers ones that are round. Like DTR's high quality, fine tuned drivers This would all greatly increase your options in terms of diodes and power.