The Little Diode That Could

[smallfreak]

I could not think about a good reason why this diode should die before doomsday. It has no mechanical wear, no moving parts. You are just juggling electrons between energy states what does not seem to wear them off in the last 13 Billion years either.

The only thing that can happen is a slow destruction of the crystal structure, either chemically or thermally. Keeping the chip away from aggressive chemicals and at a reasonable temperature could provide a veeeery long life. I suspect that the power supply is the one to break first. Like with other LED driven light, it‘s usually the other electronics that is failing, not the diode itself.

 

[Javalin]

50,374 Hours!

How time passes! Hope everybody is doing well. It hasn't quite been a year since my last update, but I have since moved. The diode had to be placed on a power brick so there was a very short time when the diode was off. To be more exact, about 10 seconds in total as it was transferred from wall to battery and back again. I wanted to wait until it had been a year so everyone who is still subscribed to this thread wouldn't be bombarded with update emails. I remembered Styro's post and thought this is probably getting pretty close so I did some back of the eyelid calculation and figured I ought to do some digging. As it turns out his long-lived diode lasted 52,000 hours. We are getting VERY close to his mark, I never thought this little guy would last this long.

 

[BowtieGuy]

Thanks for the update, Javalin!
This little guy is just getting broken in, it ought to be good for another 50,000 hours.

 

[Encap]

Surprised that it is still going---thanks for the update---it will probably break Styro's record f 52,000 hours

 

[Antharak]

Thanks for the update. I'm thinking who will last longer, the power supply or the diode?

 

[paul1598419]

Sixty nine continuous months of use is along time. Now, I'm interested.

 

[Javalin]

Also, a while back I posted a picture featuring my fearless guardian. There were concerns about her safety. I decided the critics were right, she was far too small to protect such an invaluable asset. So I upgraded the security.

 

[WizardG]

Wish you had a power reading on the little bugger when you started so we could see if there's been any drop off. But I feel pretty good about the 50 of these I ordered a while back.

 

[303mod109]

Sixty nine continuous months of use is along time. Now, I'm interested.

Yeah, kinda funny actually. A 30 cent laser diode can outlive a 18$ m140. Actually with proper cooling, they might be the same. Those m140 diodes are pushed hard too though.

 

[Javalin]

It's official guys! We have hit 53,256 hours of continuous run time on this diode. I guess from here on the updates will come annually unless there is a change in the status. Thank you to everyone who has been encouraging in this endeavor, more than once I have asked myself why I was still lugging this thing around. It had to be powered during 2 cross-country moves and it's been a lot of fun interacting with people who appreciate how neat this project is.

 

[Javalin]

Wish you had a power reading on the little bugger when you started so we could see if there's been any drop off. But I feel pretty good about the 50 of these I ordered a while back.

I wish I had a power meter that would read this low. That would have been pretty cool. I'm sure the diode is undergoing changes, but it would be cool to have measurable data. It doesn't look as though it has dimmed, and the artifacts in the dot are likely just dust on the lens, but I really don't touch it much these days.

 

[paul1598419]

Cool! Thanks for that update.

 

[Sowee7]

im so sorry for necroposting but is the diode on? or did it die?

 

[Javalin]

Still going strong! I am really starting to think that I may have to pass the diode down to my kids someday.

Edit, I have a lot more to write, stay tuned!

 

[Sowee7]

Still going strong! I am really starting to think that I may have to pass the diode down to my kids someday.

Edit, I have a lot more to write, stay tuned!

wow! its amazing what those tiny little diodes can do, they dont even have a driver circuit or photodiode! have you noticed any power losses or slight color shifts?

 

[Javalin]

I'm really glad you asked about the diode. It's been a long year, and not just for the obvious reason...

In November 2020 we experienced a 13 day power outage. The diode was placed in my travel battery bank, the same one I have been using since starting this experiment. It allows me to swap in 18650 batteries without interrupting power. It was a hectic period right when I should have been posting the annual update. This was immediately followed by the birth of our newest laser enthusiast.

So with the passing of another year (or two) that brings the current run time to 66,105 hours!

To answer your questions sowee, I have seen no obvious change in any of the properties. The dot is still easily visible even with lights on or during the day with the windows open.