I have very limited knowledge of electronics, but I am a hobbyist and and am very eager to build a 405nm laser. I already bought two PHR-803T diodes from eBay. After hearing people talk about drivers, about voltages, etc, I'm confused. Here are some issues I'm having.
1. People say that you need 9 volts, but I thought a PHR-803T took 5.5-6 volts. Why?
2. What exactly is a driver? Is this just a chip with resistors?
3. What exactly is voltage drop, and how does it apply to current? As far as I understand, the way to figure out how much resistance you need for a certain current is to divide the difference between the diode's voltage drop and battery voltage by the current you want (in amps). Why is this? What significance does the difference in VD vs. original voltage hold? And what is the voltage drop of a PHR-803T?
4. Is a resistor enough to keep a diode from possibly dying out (assuming that you don't mix batteries, or determine ohms needed by alkalines and then use lithiums)? Do you NEED a voltage regulator (which I don't know anything about).
5. If I use a pot to find the optimal resistance for my wanted current, will the current then be different if I solder a permanent resistor onto it? In other words, will the pot lower the voltage or something, and mess up my readings?
I have ordered a metered 10-turn 0-10k ohm resistor, and two 405nm diodes and focus modules. Is this all I need to build a reliable barebones laser? Will four alkaline AA batteries be fine?
1. People say that you need 9 volts, but I thought a PHR-803T took 5.5-6 volts. Why?
2. What exactly is a driver? Is this just a chip with resistors?
3. What exactly is voltage drop, and how does it apply to current? As far as I understand, the way to figure out how much resistance you need for a certain current is to divide the difference between the diode's voltage drop and battery voltage by the current you want (in amps). Why is this? What significance does the difference in VD vs. original voltage hold? And what is the voltage drop of a PHR-803T?
4. Is a resistor enough to keep a diode from possibly dying out (assuming that you don't mix batteries, or determine ohms needed by alkalines and then use lithiums)? Do you NEED a voltage regulator (which I don't know anything about).
5. If I use a pot to find the optimal resistance for my wanted current, will the current then be different if I solder a permanent resistor onto it? In other words, will the pot lower the voltage or something, and mess up my readings?
I have ordered a metered 10-turn 0-10k ohm resistor, and two 405nm diodes and focus modules. Is this all I need to build a reliable barebones laser? Will four alkaline AA batteries be fine?