Question about salvaged laser and stuffs

[Forklift Cat]

So I have this shitty old XP laptop thats in a condition that I can't sell it in. So I got an idea to salvage the laser from the dvd drive and build a burning laser. The laser + heatsink thing was glued to the main aluminium frame of the thing that moves on 2 rails, so i used a flathead microscrewdriver to crowbar it off and it... slightly flew across the room. Is it possible I damaged it too much already? I havent tested it yet because I want to build a proper driver for it and not shorten the life by directly hooking it to a 1.5v battery.

I was planning to build this driver and I have managed to salvage ALL the components for it. Would this driver be any good? it should be about 5v 150mA regulated output.

Final question which I have. I currently have no laser protection glasses but I was planning to get some from ebay since they are 5€ with free worldwide postage&delivery. I know the burning laser is red, but does it also emit any infrared that the glasses won't block?

 

[Cyparagon]

There are more efficient options, but yes, that circuit will work fine.

No, red laser diodes do not emit near-IR.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

So I have this shitty old XP laptop thats in a condition that I can't sell it in. So I got an idea to salvage the laser from the dvd drive and build a burning laser. The laser + heatsink thing was glued to the main aluminium frame of the thing that moves on 2 rails, so i used a flathead microscrewdriver to crowbar it off and it... slightly flew across the room. Is it possible I damaged it too much already? I havent tested it yet because I want to build a proper driver for it and not shorten the life by directly hooking it to a 1.5v battery.

It could be damaged, especially if you weren't wearing an ESD strap. It could also be fine, though you
won't know until you try it.

I was planning to build this driver and I have managed to salvage ALL the components for it. Would this driver be any good? it should be about 5v 150mA regulated output.

If you can find an LM317, it will allow you to get away with using a smaller resistor.

Final question which I have. I currently have no laser protection glasses but I was planning to get some from ebay since they are 5€ with free worldwide postage&delivery. I know the burning laser is red, but does it also emit any infrared that the glasses won't block?

Those eBay glasses aren't going to do much, if anything. The cheapest ones that will work are the
Eagle Pair® sold by survivallaserusa.com. Get the blue colored ones.

 

[Forklift Cat]

It could be damaged, especially if you weren't wearing an ESD strap. It could also be fine, though you
won't know until you try it.

I wasn't really doing anything to get rid of static, I even touched the pins trying to bend them a bit outward. I didnt know static could damage the diode because you need quite a bit of current to fry them. It is also winter here in finland so tons of static everywhere.

Has anyone here really killed a laser diode with just the static from their fingers?

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

It's hard to be 100% certain, but I'm fairly sure that is how I killed my first red. I'm now VERY careful
and always wear a strap and work over an ESD mat. I know for a fact I have killed MOSFETs with ESD
and they are less sensitive.

 

[Forklift Cat]

Those eBay glasses aren't going to do much, if anything. The cheapest ones that will work are the
Eagle Pair® sold by survivallaserusa.com. Get the blue colored ones.

Will the dot even be visible when viewed through those glasses? Ive watched videos where they reduce the power of pretty insanely powerful lasers (2W and over) to zero.
And the laser im using will obviously be only ~150mW. I might eventually combine two of those using a PBS also found in the burner for ~300mW.

By the way I got a pretty neat idea for FREE shitty and temporary "safety glasses". Welding mask with the glass part removed and replaced with your phone and then using its camera. Guaranteed to keep your eyes safe even when pointed at with a 100W laser but better use an old unused phone/camera in case the cam gets hit and fried by the beam.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

That's a good idea for a cheap safety screen, at least if you already have the phone. It may be hard to
see with the phone so close to your face. You might need a couple lenses to help your eye focus on
something that close. It would also depend a lot on the resolution of the camera/screen.

I can tell you that the dot is visible through the blue Eagle Pair™ at 150mW, if only just. I have a pair and
have used them in that range. If you want higher visibility, you can move up to a pair from AixiZ, but they
are more than twice the price.

 

[Forklift Cat]

That's a good idea for a cheap safety screen, at least if you already have the phone. It may be hard to
see with the phone so close to your face. You might need a couple lenses to help your eye focus on
something that close. It would also depend a lot on the resolution of the camera/screen.

I can tell you that the dot is visible through the blue Eagle Pair™ at 150mW, if only just. I have a pair and
have used them in that range. If you want higher visibility, you can move up to a pair from AixiZ, but they
are more than twice the price.

Yeah well I was thinking using it with a handheld mask so you can keep it far enough to focus, but close enough for good protection