Success

[Ryo]

FInally powered a BluRay LD today with 63mA.
All afternoon I was frustrated that I couldn't get a beam out.. I was using my calibrator on the LD, current limited to 30-40mA, and it looked like non focus light (guess what it was that), and I thought I had a LED.  I always thought the laser diode was already focused to a beam without the Aixiz lense, but since i was seeing light coming out, I wasn't sure if it was bad or good.  Any case finally got home to try it out with my flex driver & install the lense in.. Volia.. bright shiny violet beam.  Since I don't have glasses yet.. I didn't want to play with it too long in case I hurt my eye sight.  I'm awaiting for my multi wavelength protective GB goggles.  Any case now I'm happy. Now it's the 300mA red burner laser on my list.

I do have couple of questions about my new build.
1.  At 63mA, what's the estimated output of the KES-400A violet LD?  I'm guessing it's probably putting out arount 50 mW using the Aixiz acrylic lense.

2.  Shouldn't this be enough to cause floresent items to glow?  (I would think 5mW violet laser should make things glow)  I had shot a CRT tube TV with the laser and I did see the type of glow I've seen in videos, but it didn't stay as I would hope.  ( I did shot it at a distance, and at a angle to protect myself a little)  Am I suppose to shoot at glow in the dark stuff to keep the glow? What items can I shoot to get that lingering glow, besides glow in the dark items?


3. Would goggle for UV protection (used for leak detection) protect me a little from the laser? Lots of UV flashlights fall from blue to UV.

 

[pullbangdead]

63mA may be a little high for the KES-400 violet diode - the PHR at that level is jsut getting started, but the KES most people run around 40mA or a little lower. You may want to turn it down a little if you want a long and healthy life out of it. Also, with an Aixiz acrylic and a KES at 40mA, I think people were getting anywhere from 5 to 15mW, but that may be a little off.

And yes, the light will fluoresce things even at low powers. In fact, sometimes a lower power can be better for fluorescing things, so that the violet won't overpower the other colors of light being emitted.

Good job getting everything going-especially with those finicky KES diodes, it can be a real challenge.

 

[Ryo]

I was just doing more research on the KES-400A diode.. and noticed that people were talking about it being used at 30mA..  Then I dawned on me that I might be overdriving it a bit...  

I originally wanted to drive in 30mA for a <5 mW laser.. but problem was I bought the FlexDrive and the minimum value it does is 60mA.  This is why I drove my LD with it.. I couldn't get any lower.  I guess I could look at the flex driver schematic and figure out what part to remove.. but dang.. that driver is so small that it's eassy to bridge joints without meaning too.. Well I'm not going to power this diode until I drop the current..

If it ain't one thing, it's another.