what the @%#& is it?

[LEDSanders]

Pulled these from a "aopen" IDE DVD burner.

Just not sure what I can do with them or what the pinout is even.

They both came from one drive.

Anyone seen these before?
:thanks:

 

[jeffreythe00]

They look like square package diodes. While they could be used to make a laser, due to their odd shape you'd likely have trouble making a module to hold them. I also don't think many people (if any) could tell you what their pinout is. You'd likely have to figure that out yourself.

 

[LEDSanders]

Yeah I don't expect much as to putting it in a host, just odd shape and pins so I thought I would ask if anyone knew anything.

 

[jeffreythe00]

Don't get me wrong. They are perfectly good laser diodes! They may even be high powered red diodes but due to their odd shape I think they would not be worth the effort to make into a laser as there aren't any readily available modules to stick these in.

 

[jayhawker08]

Don't get me wrong. They are perfectly good laser diodes! They may even be high powered red diodes but due to their odd shape I think they would not be worth the effort to make into a laser as there aren't any readily available modules to stick these in.

If they do end up being high-powered and you decide you want to try mounting them, I might be able to help you make a module. I'm thinking it would be possible to laser cut some pieces of thin steel (~0.060") with a cutout of the exact shape and stack them to provide good thermal sinking.

 

[jayhawker08]

Seems like others have come across these as well:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f50/flat-plastic-diodes-testing-44719-2.html#post616452

http://laserpointerforums.com/f50/rectangular-12-pin-cans-36501.html#post354597

 

[Ehgemus]

The two rounded edges On the diode could be put into a round hole and then you can use Arctic Silver to fill in some of the gaps. It would be pretty cool if you do find a way to light them up. A host could then be built for them.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

The outer 2 pins are + and -. There are
some pinouts somewhere. The glass block on
top is a grating or refractive element and
will probably produce a weird pattern. It
can be carefully removed. They are fun to
play with.

 

[Flaminpyro]

They sure are cool looking with all them pins it could be a nightmare to get them lasing with out a cheat sheet, good luck and keep us informed :tinfoil:

 

[Ehgemus]

Would be awesome if each pin produced a different color laser, it would be the most wanted diode ever.