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FrozenGate by Avery

Where's the "battery intake" on the C6?

Im not sure if it will work, but can you take a fluke meter and check the output of the driver? Or does a diode need to be on pulling power to get a good read? Its ok man, not everything goes right when trying a new hobby for the first time. Take a break and go clear your mind for a bit.
 
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You may not of killed the diode, if the driver output wires became open circuit then the driver could be just fried, if a constant current driver operates with no load, then it will boost the voltage higher and higher until it destroys itself.

This could be the case, but maybe it was under load, then came off load, boosted the voltage for a bit then came back on load at a voltage that could destroy the diode 7V+.

It would be best to do what tsteele93 said and take some pictures of your setup.

Attached is a photo of the driver connections, (used your photo Glenn :))
 

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Fiddy said:
You may not of killed the diode, if the driver output wires became open circuit then the driver could be just fried, if a constant current driver operates with no load, then it will boost the voltage higher and higher until it destroys itself.

This could be the case, but maybe it was under load, then came off load, boosted the voltage for a bit then came back on load at a voltage that could destroy the diode 7V+.

It would be best to do what tsteele93 said and take some pictures of your setup.

Attached is a photo of the driver connections, (used your photo Glenn :))
Click to expand...

I don't understand what you're saying. How does the driver output wires become open circuit? And I don't think it is possible in my case for the driver to operate with no load, as it's never connected to batteries when it's not connected to the diode.

What's the order of assembling the driver to diode w/o screwing everything up? What if, like now, my diode might be fried, so I want to try another diode, can I just take out my old diode and solder on another diode as before?
 
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Ryanrenesis said:
Yes I have a testload but I don't know how to use it.

And how did I fry my diode? I touchd the driver wires together b4 connecting (like I should right?) What else do I need to do? Like I need to know what the hell I'm doing wrong cause I just washed over $100 down the drain. 2 diodes, 2 cree drives, 1 brass ring, and a shitload of time.

God am I retarded or are first builds really this frustrating.
Click to expand...

Dude, you have to utilize that test load. It's important, otherwise like you said, you'll just be spending money and not know what's going on. For all you know your driver could be faulty, and you're just throwing diodes and other parts down the drain.

Attach that test load up where the diode should be. Measure the voltage across the resistor in the test load. It will tell you if you are getting the current that you should be expecting to get, or if you've even got current flowing at all. Once you figure that out and everything is working properly, short the driver leads and hook up your diode.
 
What drivers are you using? You said Cree driver... That is setting off warning alarms for me.
 
GAtkins said:
That particular board came stock from Mohrenberg with the solder in the middle of the board to help contact the positive battery terminal.

Glenn
Click to expand...
it also helps to add some more metal to absorb heat :D
 
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Ryanrenesis said:
I'm using this CREE driver.
Click to expand...

When you put these drivers into these brass rings, you have to be very careful.

I'm sure you've noticed, but the brass ring curves in on the end, and if any of the driver's traces or components are near the edge of the board, they can make contact with this brass ring and short it out.

Does your battery get hot when you try to turn your laser on?
Can you use a multimeter and test the output wires and see if you're getting any voltage.
Also test your batteries.

If your not getting anything on your multimeter, then the problem lies in either your driver or the battery.
typically if the diode is dead, you'll still get a dim glow from it.

Take a look at this: http://mohgasm.com/JAD.html

even though the drivers are different, the same concept apply. take a look at the 4th picture where everything is checked for short (the picture full of red arrows) and you'll see what i mean about the brass pill and driver. i don't know how your driver works or its layout, but it's possible that some of the components could be shorting out against the brass ring.

ALSO. I apply the solder to the driver and brass ring before pressing it into the pill. If they are not secured to each other beforehand, it can cause them to shift around, causing a short.

Lastly. Frustration is perfectly normal. If you go back and look at my first posts. I was SSOOOO mad. I burned through like 6 red diodes before getting my first successful completion. It's trial and error.
Now, I can't even remember the last time i killed a diode (on accident, anyways)
 
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Thanks everyone, your help is much appreciated!

And Moh, that link. OMG I wish I saw this link b4, step by step instructions, perfect! Instead what I was doing was putting together the driver/pill/ring parts with what seemed logical to me haha.

I suspect that my driver/diode is the problem, definitely not the battery. The driver might have shorted on the brass ring exactly like what Moh said, because there were some components/solder near the edge. I really need some desoldering wick to undo all my crap. Anyway, if the driver was shorted, does this mean it's dead? What about the diode?

I'll continue working on it tomorrow, I have to grab a 9V battery for my DMM & a desoldering wick. For now, I'm taking a break; thanks again everyone for your help!

*EDIT*: Moh! I would love a chance with your driver! Do you also have a spare brass ring for the C6? I mean ill buy it of ya if anything. PM me :) Your drivers look so much neater than these CREE crap + the wires on the CREE driver are so brittle it's impossible to work with. And I don't have a desoldering wick to take that crap wire out.

*EDIT2*: I'm seeing where I went wrong going through your tutorial. I set the brass ring in the pill, then set the driver in the brass ring, then I try to solder them together (solder never sticks to the pill or brass ring because they don't get as hot as the softer metals like on the driver). Then of course I think because I resoldered new wires on my 2nd CREE driver, I soldered it too closely to the edge, I believe it was the negative wire though, so it should be safe. It's confusing. The driver itself didn't look healthy i mean it came with the cap on what looks like a capacitator, broken lol, unlike my 1st driver.
 
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