Red DIY DVD laser burner.

[Gazoo]

ok thanks, i will go through that thread. I will return those for the right parts tomorrow or order the blue fusion driver. So can I use the rcr123's in the cr123 dorcy? I've been reading so much on here and trying to get the best solution for my build so thanks for the help.

If you mean with Daedal's driver....yes, and I am sure you can with Blufusions driver too. Or you can use 1 RCR123 with the AMC7135.

 

[thewaitinggame]

so basically if i went with the AMC7125 and wanted to be safe I need to a cap. and resistor in parallel with the ld. also heat seems to be an issue so i could machine a aluminum heatsink to be even safer? Also i'm confused about some things I came across about battery voltage getting to low, can that ruin your ld? I might be getting confused on things I came across but I figured I should ask. oh and one more thing, the only 47 F cap at radio shack was 35 WVDC, good or bad? I see a lot of 16V caps talked about but not really this one. Thanks for all the help so far Gazoo.

 

[Gazoo]

so basically if i went with the AMC7125 and wanted to be safe I need to a cap. and resistor in parallel with the ld. also heat seems to be an issue so i could machine a aluminum heatsink to be even safer? Also i'm confused about some things I came across about battery voltage getting to low, can that ruin your ld? I might be getting confused on things I came across but I figured I should ask. oh and one more thing, the only 47 F cap at radio shack was 35 WVDC, good or bad? I see a lot of 16V caps talked about but not really this one. Thanks for all the help so far Gazoo.

Yes, with the AMC7135 all you need is the capacitor and a 33 ohm resistor in parallel with the diode. The value of the capacitor is not critical. I am using 10uf 16 volt capacitors.

Heat is an issue if you plan on running long duty cycles. I recommend the DX module as opposed to the Aixiz module because the quality of the Aixiz module has fallen.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5914

The module will keep the diode cool enough but additional heatsinking is always a good idea. There is a lot of discussion about heatsinks in this section of the forum.

Low voltage will not ruin the diode. Most of the discussion is using the LM317 which needs a minimum of 6 volts for the regulator to function properly. Many think using 4 batteries or 2 CR123's will work but the voltage sags almost immediately, then the regulator drops out but very slowly as the batteries deplete. So the current being supplied to the diode does not remain constant.

With the AMC7135...the regulator drops out abruptly...and begins to do so when the voltage is a bit less than 3.2 volts. At 3 volts there is not enough voltage for the regulator to operate. As the voltage goes from 3.2 volts to 3 volts, the diode dims very fast. The good thing about this is that you know when it is time to charge the battery(s)..

Currently I am using 2 AMC7135's, one to power my module and the other to power my TEC. It is what I would call the perfect combination for my application...but I am also using an open can diode so I do not need the 33 ohm resistor.

 

[thewaitinggame]

the AMC7135 sounds good to use to me, the only problem i have is that i only need 1 or 2. Looks like you have to buy 16 or 20 and i also saw i missed out on a GB for those. I will use that if i come across another GB. And your saying that can run a max of 4.5 volts so one rcr123 would do the trick. Currently I have the dorcy jr (cr123), 16x sony ld and aixiz from senkat, and some resistors and and a cap. My first thought was to follow Kenom's guide for this dorcy torch and i see post to bringing the driver down from 350ma to 200-250ma with a cap and resistors. For my next build i will check out the DX module too.

Thats about where i was to be with mine so it will lower the risk of burning out and to have a decent burner. I also do not plan to have long run times so no problem there. I'm still going to make an alum. heat sink whether i need one or not, it can only help.

So i'm thinking between the AMC7135 that you said and the kenom guide for my first laser. I will be sure to test the ma's before I hook my ld up with either build. And if I can't get my hands on 1 AMC7135 for my first I know I will built some more of these.

all the info i'm getting from you is great too!!

 

[photongeek]

Well, I think I've finally got a winner here. After several blown LD's (either my fault or just defective), this one seems to be working fine at 230ma with a 4.8 Ohm resistor and 47uf tantalum cap. I took Ken's advice and pressed the module all the way into my large (external) alum heat sink. With a fresh battery, I was able to pop a balloon at 21 feet and light matches at 8 feet so far. I'll continue experimenting and let you know. I am not however able to cut through tape as easily as Ken is with his. Probably due to running it at a lower current but that's OK.

 

[photongeek]

Here's another view.

 

[Kenom]

lookin awesome.

 

[Hellcat]

Well I used three 10 Ohm resistors and the beam is nice and bright, but it still does not burn any matches. It does smoke black electrical tape though. Should I use four resistors? I'm kinda disappointed that it isn't as powerful as everyone else's. Maybe I just got a weaker LD

 

[rog8811]

@ Hellcat  Have you opened out the hole in the back of the lens housing?


Regards rog8811

 

[Hellcat]

I did, it's much brighter now. It helps a lot, but still no lighting matches. I have another GB LD I can try out. Maybe this weekend I'll have it done and compare them

 

[DV90]

Ok, i've got a slight problem. I've been reading and watch videos on how to do this and so I tried it. I had a DVD writer in my garage, so i just used that. I pulled everything apart (took about 3 hours) and finally found WHERE the diode was. The only problem was that this was a direct laser thing, it had a series of mirrors, lenses, and one prism, plus a device that I think is a magnifying lens. so I messed with it alot and found the diode and removed it. After a while or soldering, unsoldering, and more soldering, I got wires attached to the diode and eventually i got the diode working. Now we noticed that the laser it produced was wide and not a small concentrated laser. So we looked again at the parts and found the other piece (mirrors/lenses/prism) and pulled that out. Then we tried to connect the diode back where it was on the piece and when we turned it on, the laser didn't go all the way through it. So we figured it was missing a piece , and obviously it was. Now we have no idea what to do because we have a diode that isnt very strong unless put through the series of magnifying lenses it used to be attached to. I posted pictures, but the quality is horrible. So..., yeah please help!! :-/

ok no link cause i dont have permission. got to "69.149.41.96/laser.html"

 

[Kenom]

Ok first off, you havn't go the diode completley extracted.  You've almost got it but not quite.  Second, you need an aixiz module.  You can buy them directly from herehttp://cgi.ebay.com/High-Brightness...ryZ14954QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem  

You need to mount the laser diode into this.  this will give you the ability to focus your uncolimated laser diode into a laser BEAM!  

All of the components that come in the laser diode assembly from the dvd-rw are pretty much worthless with the exception of the cube.  that can be used to combine two different colored laser together.

To extract the diode you need some side cutting dikes. Fairly large one's based on what I'm seeing for the mounting. slowly nibble the diode out. cut on one side with the cutters this will make a cut most of the way to the diode, then go to the other side and cut. This should make a line all the way across the assembly with the diode in the center. You should then just be able to peel the sides off and pull out the diode. DO NOT OPERATE THE DIODE WITHOUT SOME KIND OF MOUNTING. it' acts as a heatsink and wicks the heat away from the diode. YOU WILL FRY THE DIODE WITHOUT IT.

 

[toked323]

i have my dorcy running with the amc7135 circuit i glued it down to the were the positive hole is , this worked because my dorcy was giving out about 5v so it great for that and i have my senkat diode in there running at the full 350ma, able to light a match at 13ft

 

[Kenom]

ya know toked. the default driver in the dorcy only puts out 5v when there is no load. Under load from the laser diode it drops it to 3.6v You didn't need to remove the existing driver.

 

[Lee]

ya know toked.  the default driver in the dorcy only puts out 5v when there is no load.  Under load from the laser diode it drops it to 3.6v  You didn't need to remove the existing driver.

This little piece of information would have saved me alot of trouble a month or two ago. I figured this out on my own and am now waiting on a heat sink to be made to fit in my dorcy.

 

[toked323]

i didnt take out the dorcy driver i have it running the 7135 using the boost already given by the dorcy using a standar 123 3v battery i meant i put the driver were the spring for positive connection would go, ill post picts later to help explain better