SikLasers 100mw and 200mw lab style...

[SenKat]

Okay - open question here -

I have both a 100mw and a 200mw labbie from SikLasers....
The 100mw one has a driver circuit board, and the 200mw one does not.

both lase well, and put out very bright, burning beams.

What is the benefit of the driver circuit board versus direct battery connection ? Just stablized 3v at the source, with no variance ? Can someone help me to understand...

If I do not need the driver circuit - I can mount these in smaller mountings, and have much more fun with them....

 

[SenKat]

Hey Senkat.....you might not believe this...but it's true I disassembled my 200mw from Siklasers(pulled it from it's brass housing) and it DOES in fact have a control board attached with an I.C. and several micro resistors. You will not gain much by removing the diode from the housing as the diode itself is encased in yet another hugh chunk of brass, with the control board connected to that. The end where your wires come out....that end is simply plugged with a big hunk of brass with a little hole drilled in it for the wires to exit. Very robust design...but I would leave it be as you won't gain much for putting it into a smaller package....and you could f ck it up permanantly :-[ JMO

SWEET ! No worries, then - I was afraid I was gonna smoke it by just slappin it with Batteries ;D I don't wanna kill this one - it is TOOOOOO sweet to booger up ! No - it IS the same circumfrence as a mini-mag light - so, I was thinking about an aluminum (or Brass) tube slightly larger, press fitting the diode assy into it, and making my own handheld - maybe even slappin some paint on it, or decorating it with some Blingage just for gratification sake !

 

[tatman]

just an idea, Senkat. since u r already doing even MORE complicated stuff, why not anodize your homemade case? it's gotta b aluminum, but u mentioned aluminum anyhow. i anodized some custom parts i made for paintball guns a couple years back and it was clean...looked professional. the best part is all u need is RIT fabric dye, a suitable container, and either a car battery or 12V transformer(can't remember which). i thought the RIT looked fine, but after my project i found out u can buy the REAL anodizing dye like professionals use and they say it is even better.

 

[SenKat]

Excellent ! I may have to do that !

 

[Ragnarok]

What is the benefit of the driver circuit board versus direct battery connection ? Just stablized 3v at the source, with no variance ?

The driver circuit controls the voltage and current to the diode. Laser diodes have a narrow range of operation, and typically people want to operate them at their maximum output - which is not far below the point at which they become expensive LEDs. A tenth of a volt too much is enough to kill one.

Also, consider the inductance of wires connecting the diode to a battery, as diode/killing spikes can be induced simply by disconnecting the power if the wires are long.

Sam's Laser FAQ has a ton of info on this subject and diode failure modes in general. After reading it, you'll be convinced that every laser diode needs a proper driver if you want it to reliably perform to its utmost capability.