The dilda driver ?

[jander6442]

;D First of all this more of an observation then anything I took 1 of my dildas and measured the current out to the diode and noticed that the voltage was not being regulated. The supply was 3 AAA that where output to 4.7 v and measuring the diode leads the v was the same. The driver dropped the current is this because the driver is passive or "linear" if that is spelled right. Also if there was 12 v hooked to this thing how much current was that and finally how many mA is that how can you measure the mA cause my DVM only goes to
200mA fused then after that I don't have the tech know how to satisfy my yearn for this info.  :-/ thank you in anvanced and have a good day.

 

[andrea87]

http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1224120943

here you'll find many things

btw, I'm considering to modify the original driver on underpowered dildas... just need the schematic

 

[pseudonyms]

Yeah, I am planning on messing with the driver when I recieve my dilda, if it is extremely under-par.

 

[lasersbee]

;D First of all this more of an observation then anything I took 1 of my dildas and measured the current out to the diode and noticed that the voltage was not being regulated. The supply was 3 AAA that where output to 4.7 v and measuring the diode leads the v was the same. tTe driver dropped the current is this because the driver is passive or "linear" if that is spelled right. Also if there was 12 v hooked to this thing how much current was that and finally how many mA is that how can you measure the mA cause my DVM only goes to
200mA fused then after that I don't have the tech know how to satisfy my yearn for this info.  :-/ thank you in anvanced and have a good day.

Have you read this..........

http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1224120943

and this...

http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1232483122

Jerry

 

[icah93]

Schematic would definitely help. Until it is available, you may try to decrease the 6.2 resistor + pot value to increase the current for the LD at standard 7.1V. Maybe the more current will not be all eaten by the circuit itself

And yes, I ve read all the topics regarding DX200 but nobody provided the solution how to modify the ORIGINAL driver, only how to get 8+V into the dilda.

 

[icah93]

More info about modding the original driver is available in the 'Experiments & Modifications' section of forum.

 

[Kage]

Schematic would definitely help. Until it is available, you may try to decrease the 6.2 resistor + pot value to increase the current for the LD at standard 7.1V. Maybe the more current will not be all eaten by the circuit itself

And yes, I ve read all the topics regarding DX200 but nobody provided the solution how to modify the ORIGINAL driver, only how to get 8+V into the dilda.

There IS another way to tune up the Dilda and get it to regulate, without buying any special batteries or replacing the driver PCB.

The large 6.2 ohm resistor marked "6R2" is a voltage dropping resistor used to share the power dissipation with the regulator IC/pass device. Unfortunately, it's value is set to allow regulation using the regular Li-Ion 3.6-4.2V type batteries - It drops too much voltage for the 3V LifePo4 batteries that everyone ends up using.

The power dissipation in an unmodified Dilda with LI-Ion fully charged (4.2V x 2 = 8.4V) is apprx:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.5V x 300mA = 1.05W
6.2 Ohm - 1.86V x 300mA = .56W

To use LiFePo4 type 3-3.3V batteries, instead, consider the power dissipation with the 6.2 R shorted with a piece of wire:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.6V x 300mA = 1.08W

Same power dissipated across the IC/pass device with the lower Voltage batteries and no resistor!!

The pot can then be used to tweak the output, to over 200mW, if desired, and it will stay pretty steady until the batteries are almost dead. I just tried this last night on a brand new unit. It ran at over 200mW for a total of 30 min with 5 min-ON and 5 min-OFF duty cycle using the cheap green DX batteries.

Is this a cheap and easy fix or what?



EDIT:

IMPORTANT!

The above mod only works if you have a good driver board! If the board is Not regulating, this could damage your LD -

Be Careful, many of these drivers are defective and act like a big resistor - if that is the case, Do Not try this mod :-?

 

[lasersbee]

[quote author=icah93 link=1232557690/0#4 date=1233846790]Schematic would definitely help. Until it is available, you may try to decrease the 6.2 resistor + pot value to increase the current for the LD at standard 7.1V. Maybe the more current will not be all eaten by the circuit itself  

And yes, I ve read all the topics regarding DX200 but nobody provided the solution how to modify the ORIGINAL driver, only how to get 8+V into the dilda.

There IS another way to tune up the Dilda and get it to regulate, without buying any special batteries or replacing the driver PCB.  

The large 6.2 ohm resistor marked "6R2" is a voltage dropping resistor used to share the power dissipation with the regulator IC/pass device.  Unfortunately, it's value is set to allow regulation using the regular Li-Ion 3.6-4.2V type batteries - It drops too much voltage for the 3V LifePo4 batteries that everyone ends up using.  

The power dissipation in an unmodified Dilda with LI-Ion fully charged (4.2V x 2 = 8.4V) is apprx:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.5V x 300mA = 1.05W
6.2 Ohm - 1.86V x 300mA = .56W

To use LiFePo4 type 3-3.3V batteries, instead, consider the power dissipation with the 6.2 R shorted with a piece of wire:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.6V x 300mA = 1.08W

Same power dissipated across the IC/pass device with the lower Voltage batteries and no resistor!!

The pot can then be used to tweak the output, to over 200mW, if desired, and it will stay pretty steady until the batteries are almost dead.  I just tried this last night on a brand new unit.  It ran at over 200mW for a total of 30 min with 5 min-ON and 5 min-OFF duty cycle using the cheap green DX batteries.    

Is this a cheap and easy fix or what?

[/quote]

Nice.... I gotta try this....
Thanks Kage....

Jerry

 

[icah93]

[quote author=icah93 link=1232557690/0#4 date=1233846790]Schematic would definitely help. Until it is available, you may try to decrease the 6.2 resistor + pot value to increase the current for the LD at standard 7.1V. Maybe the more current will not be all eaten by the circuit itself

And yes, I ve read all the topics regarding DX200 but nobody provided the solution how to modify the ORIGINAL driver, only how to get 8+V into the dilda.

There IS another way to tune up the Dilda and get it to regulate, without buying any special batteries or replacing the driver PCB.

The large 6.2 ohm resistor marked "6R2" is a voltage dropping resistor used to share the power dissipation with the regulator IC/pass device. Unfortunately, it's value is set to allow regulation using the regular Li-Ion 3.6-4.2V type batteries - It drops too much voltage for the 3V LifePo4 batteries that everyone ends up using.

The power dissipation in an unmodified Dilda with LI-Ion fully charged (4.2V x 2 = 8.4V) is apprx:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.5V x 300mA = 1.05W
6.2 Ohm - 1.86V x 300mA = .56W

To use LiFePo4 type 3-3.3V batteries, instead, consider the power dissipation with the 6.2 R shorted with a piece of wire:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.6V x 300mA = 1.08W

Same power dissipated across the IC/pass device with the lower Voltage batteries and no resistor!!

The pot can then be used to tweak the output, to over 200mW, if desired, and it will stay pretty steady until the batteries are almost dead. I just tried this last night on a brand new unit. It ran at over 200mW for a total of 30 min with 5 min-ON and 5 min-OFF duty cycle using the cheap green DX batteries.

Is this a cheap and easy fix or what?



EDIT:

IMPORTANT!

The above mod only works if you have a good driver board! If the board is Not regulating, this could damage your LD -

Be Careful, many of these drivers are defective and act like a big resistor - if that is the case, Do Not try this mod :-?[/quote]

Good idea, but somewhere on the forum I read that the 6.2 ohm resistor in parallel with the 220 microF capacitor form kinda filter for spikes I guess. Will not it be a problem if you bypass the resistor?

 

[jander6442]

[quote author=Kage link=1232557690/0#6 date=1234160138][quote author=icah93 link=1232557690/0#4 date=1233846790]Schematic would definitely help. Until it is available, you may try to decrease the 6.2 resistor + pot value to increase the current for the LD at standard 7.1V. Maybe the more current will not be all eaten by the circuit itself  

And yes, I ve read all the topics regarding DX200 but nobody provided the solution how to modify the ORIGINAL driver, only how to get 8+V into the dilda.

There IS another way to tune up the Dilda and get it to regulate, without buying any special batteries or replacing the driver PCB.  

The large 6.2 ohm resistor marked "6R2" is a voltage dropping resistor used to share the power dissipation with the regulator IC/pass device.  Unfortunately, it's value is set to allow regulation using the regular Li-Ion 3.6-4.2V type batteries - It drops too much voltage for the 3V LifePo4 batteries that everyone ends up using.  

The power dissipation in an unmodified Dilda with LI-Ion fully charged (4.2V x 2 = 8.4V) is apprx:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.5V x 300mA = 1.05W
6.2 Ohm - 1.86V x 300mA = .56W

To use LiFePo4 type 3-3.3V batteries, instead, consider the power dissipation with the 6.2 R shorted with a piece of wire:
LD - 3V x 300mA = .9W (not counting emitted radiation)
IC - 3.6V x 300mA = 1.08W

Same power dissipated across the IC/pass device with the lower Voltage batteries and no resistor!!

The pot can then be used to tweak the output, to over 200mW, if desired, and it will stay pretty steady until the batteries are almost dead.  I just tried this last night on a brand new unit.  It ran at over 200mW for a total of 30 min with 5 min-ON and 5 min-OFF duty cycle using the cheap green DX batteries.    

Is this a cheap and easy fix or what?



EDIT:

IMPORTANT!

The above mod only works if you have a good driver board!  If the board is Not regulating, this could damage your LD -

Be Careful,  many of these drivers are defective and act like a big resistor - if that is the case, Do Not try this mod  :-?[/quote]

Good idea, but somewhere on the forum I read that the 6.2 ohm resistor in parallel with the 220 microF capacitor form kinda filter for spikes I guess. Will not it be a problem if you bypass the resistor?
[/quote] I haven't done that mod on my old dila's I have 2 but they are under glass LOL! I'm worried about my dildas. At the time
I was worried, and still am, about the world wide bann . I think that the current (latest) driver is almost like a giant resistor and I'll leave it up
to the experts on any experimental mods. Thanks all.

 

[lasersbee]

BTW.... do a search.... one of the Members has traced the Dilda Driver
and has graciously supplied a schematic...

Jerry