# DX "Elly" converted to high power laser :D



## liveforphysics

This is a fully regulated 180-240mW red portable laser module. Total cost into these units is around ~$25 each. They are fed by a single 2.5Ah NiMH AA cell. They feature the diodes from Dr. Lava's group buy, and use the stock DealExtreme "Elly" model 1watt LED flashlight current controled powersupply. Each laser uses a different fixture and lens, because I happened to have them laying around. I much prefere the small brass lens/fixture to the larger chrome one.

The laser works fine with the cover on, but is still simple to unscrew and manually focus the laser to a pinpoint if you wish to burn things. Time to light a black match <1second. Time to light a normal match <3seconds. Visible beam in the sky at night, range is as far as you need to be putting a spot on something. They look really cool in foggy evenings






Best Wishes! Enjoy the pics!

-Luke


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## Ashton

Scematics please? Blueprints? vague assembly instructions even?

I want to know how the bleep you're getting 240mw out of a single AA cell! (and how long this poor batter lasts, 30 min?) Also what's the duty cycle on them?


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## liveforphysics

Ok, here goes the vague assembly instructions. Buy Elly flashlight from DX. Unscrew head. Unscrew LED/regulator disk. Scratch off the intigrated LED on the front "star". 

Take any 5.6mm cheapy laser pointer optics/case and press/punch the puny little diode out. Carefully tap in your DVD burner diode or whatever hipo LD you are planning on playing with. CAREFULLY bend legs of the LD to flatten out, and insulate with a bit of rubber band to keep the non-case tied legs from shorting to the case.

Center the laser/lens package on the star. Solder the LD to the respective places on the star (the places the former LED mounted). Drill out the plastic reflector to enable it to slip down over the laser module if needed. My little brass laser case didn't require drilling, the chrome fat unit with crappy annoying to focus optics required drilling a 0.490" hole in the reflector. Install the head and a battery and enjoy the unit.

In reguards to duty cycle, all the diodes are going to be a little different, so I would recomend running the diode with your finger on the case to get a feel for what sort of rate temperature rises, and then decide what temps you feel comfortable with.

Around 20seconds is my personal loosely enforced duty time, but I rarely need to leave it on this long for simply burning or pointing to things.

As far as battery life goes, I am pumping ~350mA into the LD, which should give me at least an hour or more from a single AA. I've never had a battery get low yet after EDC'ing the devices and playing with them quite a bit each day.

Best Wishes
-Luke


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## Hemlock Mike

Luke --

Is Elly carried in major stores ?? I looked at my 1W LED flashlight and it is powered by 3 AAA cells. I love that boster board. I'm getting your power but with a bigger 3AAA holder and a ballast resistor.

Mike


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## liveforphysics

No idea if it's sold anywhere else. 

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1120

Its $5.30 from Kyle, and he always has a bunch in stock. I buy them in bulk


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## Hemlock Mike

Luke --

Thanks - I ordered some... Might make a good IR light too !>!>!>!

Mike


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## paulr

These things scare the crap out of me. That device doesn't look from the front like either a flashlight or a laser. I worry that someone is going to look into it (maybe not this one but others like it are being made), wonder what the heck it is, turn it on and fry their eyeball. Nothing wrong with using these things if you're properly safety aware and know what you're doing, but it should be treated like a firearm, locked up in a gun safe or the equivalent when not in use.


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## SenKat

paulR - IF the Aixiz modules are being used to house the diode - they have safety warning stickers on them. Some careful peeling later, and they should be able to be re-apllied to the exterior of the "elllaser"

:naughty:

Thanks for the link - I ordered some as well - cannot wait for the New Year celebration to complete so shipping gets here faster !


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## Hemlock Mike

PaulR -

I agree with you about safety. I handle all my lasers like I do my firearms. I sure don't pass them around to the "unenlightened". I am also looking for warning stickers or a program to print them.

It seems to me that everyone here is safety minded - Note all the redundent warnings made to the noobs.

Mike


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## Hemlock Mike

Luke -- 

That "little" LD assembly looks familiar. Where do you get them ?? I got a couple from ebay a month age and can't find them again. Also, I find that Dr Lava's big assembly makes a good heatsink.

Mike


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## SenKat

Mike - if I am successful (keep fingers crossed) at getting laser warning stickers from one of the retailers I keep "bugging" then I will find a way to distribute them - I even offered to pay for them to the dealers, in an attempt to defray their cost a little bit...I think everyone of us that use so many lasers, either home-made, or store-bought should have a few extras laying about just in case !


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## scubasteve1942

Nice work. thanks for the pics.


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## SenKat

Thanks for the informative "how-to" ! Question : Are the solder pads noted as to polarity ? (+/-)


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## Meduza

Do you really think the diodes will hold up to take 350ma any longer time?


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## TigerhawkT3

Do you have any extras lying around that you wouldn't mind parting with?


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## liveforphysics

Paulr- If this laser seem dangerous, just wait until I finish my 3-5watt DPSS green (thermally stable for only a few seconds at a time) planned to be entirely contained inside a 5Dcell maglite body. 20w 808nm diode powered by LiPoly cells for the pump... Now that laser would be a perticularly poor choice to leave laying about... 
However, you may rest assured that I keep my lasers in a safe place with the rest of my firearms and things of that nature (assumeing I am not EDC'ing them of course ).


SenKat- The pad with the wire leading to the screw that mounts the star is negative. If you used Dr. Lava's diodes, the case lead on the diode is negative. The burner diodes I harvested were both case postive, so you need to check before just assumeing. 

Meduza- This is not a critical piece of equipment, so I dont mind if parts fail at some point by being seeing 350mA. I see my lasers as amusement tools, and occasional part failure is just part of the journey. Using my rough duty cycle I've not had any problems yet, and if I do, I could always swap in a new diode and a little resistor.

TigerHawkT3- If you are asking if I have any spare Ellasers, then no, I dont sell anything that I make for myself. If you are asking me if I have any spare diodes, the answers are yes and no respectively.


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## SenKat

Very cool - thanks for the info ! I ordered a few of those puppies tonight - cannot wait to get them in, now ! (tick, tock...tick, tock !)


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## Hemlock Mike

My "elly" order is to ship on the 25th. I can't wait !!

Lots of good info on this thread.

Mike


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## SenKat

Hehehehehe ! It's gonna be a race, Mike...mine is due to ship same time ! Muahahahahaha ! Gentlemen, start your diodes ! :laughing:


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## Ashton

liveforphysics said:


> Paulr- If this laser seem dangerous, just wait until I finish my 3-5watt DPSS green (thermally stable for only a few seconds at a time) planned to be entirely contained inside a 5Dcell maglite body. 20w 808nm diode powered by LiPoly cells for the pump... Now that laser would be a perticularly poor choice to leave laying about...
> However, you may rest assured that I keep my lasers in a safe place with the rest of my firearms and things of that nature (assumeing I am not EDC'ing them of course ).


 






And I thought the ellaser was awesome! I want plueprints for that monster! could you include a cooling system like the Herc does? or does it get SUPER hot? (rig up a water-cooling system stolen from a computer CPU?)


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## Luminescene

At work I usually get laser warning labels from http://rswww.com , lots are avalible including some small ones on a roll.


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## enLIGHTenment

Rockwell Laser Industries sells US CDRH laser warning labels.


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## Hemlock Mike

At how much current is this regulated. ?? Min - Max ??

Mike


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## yellow

I really like this mod and thought about such for some time now
(because primarily all handheld lasers suck in protection from the elements and because I like the 1st second of outcome of my 5 mW cheap greenie pointer, but then ... 
Just out of curiosity I hooked the device up with a BB 300 and that was awesome and totally stable outcome.

But there is one question I have: seems You took only the laser diode, not that circuity behind. 
Is this really "only" a diode? Positive and negative in, suitable voltage and current, and all runs? No need for the board with that poti? What is that 3rd contact for then?
How to know if the laser diode survives what the cheap "1 Watt" led-light, used as a host, gives?
What about different diodes, say from a "<5 mW", "30 mW", "100 mW". They 'd need different currents?


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## SenKat

Yellow -

The third pin on the diode is used as a photo-diode feedback. If you take a peek at the way Laser Diodes areconstructed - if it is hooked up properly, it can prevent over power of the diode, by measuring the output. Sophisticated circuitry is needed to excercise that function though. Since most of us are running the diode below the max specs, we are reasonably safe running without the feedback pin. 

You CAN hook them direct to batteries, but you do risk killing the diode with a power spike, as batteries do not provide "clean" power....That risk is worth it to some, not worth it to others !


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## Rando

Using Lava's diodes, are you using the resistor and capacitor at all?


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## SenKat

Actually, I was not able to get a kit from him - I just was able to get a few diodes from him early on....I have several setup - one is direct to AAA NiMh batts, and one is with a 1N4001 diode (.6 voltage drop) and LED, and a 1KOhm resistor, following Stephanie's (Felusmage) instructions...all in a NASTY Radio shack Project box ! That was my first one - so now I am experimenting more, spreading out a bit


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## pseudonomen137

You say you're gettin 180-240mW CW out of these diodes? Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Dr. Lava's group buy for 80mW CW diodes? (240mW PULSED not CW). With proper heatsinking they can probably handle it anyway, but either way that would mean you're overpowering the diode past its specs. Or am I forgetting something?


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## dr_lava

I don't know about 240mW, but the diodes can be overdriven pretty far, see this thread post 17:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/152042


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## pseudonomen137

Well I don't doubt they can be overdriven a bit, especially if you heatsink them. I just wonder how seriously that will affect diode life. Then again, at the prices you sold them for, it almost doesn't matter.


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## SenKat

A small quantity of diodes available at :http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1173237084 
I hope this isn't breaking rules - should this be in the group buy area ?


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## Ashton

SenKat said:


> A small quantity of diodes available at :http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1173237084
> I hope this isn't breaking rules - should this be in the group buy area ?


 
I noticed those are pulse diodes, what are they rated @ for CW?


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## SenKat

They are rated at 80mw CW - but 240mw pulsed - check out the data sheet here : http://stonetek.org/diode/rohmdiode.pdf

Hey - did you see the post about the high power engraving laser I sent you ?


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## sysadmn

liveforphysics said:


> This is a fully regulated 180-240mW red portable laser module. Total cost into these units is around ~$25 each.
> ...
> The laser works fine with the cover on, but is still simple to unscrew and manually focus the laser to a pinpoint if you wish to burn things.
> ...
> 
> Best Wishes! Enjoy the pics!
> 
> -Luke




You've been a bad, bad boy.



And I admire that 

Wow! Keep the projects coming.


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## io333

Just trying to get this straight. I can just get the diode from over at laserpointerforums at the link above, solder it where the LED used to be after scraping it off (just + and -?), find some cheapy focusing assembly over at ebay to slip over the top of the diode, and I'm good to go? Nothing else?

I already ordered the flashlight, waiting to hear back on the PM to whoever is organizing the group buy at laserpointerforums. Now I just need a link to buy the focusing assembly. Anyone?

Gosh, I've wanted a decent laser since I was a little kid. I'm really excited about this!!!


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## SenKat

You betcha ! Oh, and you have mail !


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## io333

OK, I'm in for that diode. I still need a link for the focusing assembly, if anyone can please point me directly to one? I'd rather not buy 3 of the wrong thing before I get the one I really need.


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## SenKat

There's a link right to it in the first post there on LPF....it goes to aixiz lasers....that is what I use, others may have a better supplier, unsure....

http://mfgcn.com/_wsn/page2.html (the $12.00 10 mw red diodes are perfect)


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## io333

The one that says:


650nm 10mw 12mm X 30mm case $12.00 USD

???


Why shouldn't I select the one that says:

650nm 5mw 12mm X 30mm full brass case $4.50 

??

It is cheaper & seems the only difference is the output of the diode already in there.

Oh, and forgive me for not actually reading the post and finding the correct links. I'm a product of the public school system.


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## SenKat

I have not seen the "cheaper one" - but I think the optics are plastic, whereas the optics in the $12.50 one are glass - I am NOT positive on that...But, I have ordered quite a few of the $12.50 ones, and they are VERY nice.


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## X_Marine

Order placed and pm sent (SenKat) on LPF.
I'm off for pool league, check back after that..

ThanX


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## io333

OK, better to spend the extra few dollars for the known, than risk the unknown.

Thanks!

Gosh I hope it all gets here TOMORROW!!!!  Hurry up everyone, get your orders IN!!!


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## Hemlock Mike

IO --

When I got my modules from Aixiz, I pressed the diode out carefully so I would still have a working laser. When you remove the lens assy from the front, don't loose the spring !! Press the new diode into the pocket - I use a little heat sink grease. Protect against static !! Also, putting a small electrolytic capacitor across the LD is a good thing. I lost a new diode last night because I forgot . Dr_Lava recommends a 100 mfd cap but smaller ones will also do the job at preventing surges. I don't know yet what the "Elly" circuit has in it. I don't have mine yet but SenKat indicates that there is a capacitor of some size built in to that part of the circuit. It appears that the Elly will push the LD TO THE MAX so do your measurements. 
This isn't rocket science but basic electronic skills will pay off.

Mike


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## Ashton

I just thought I'd point out that these diodes will not output super-pwoerful beams. As stated by Sen, they are rated @ 230 for _PULSE_ not for CW (Continuous Wave IIRC) So if you flip the light on for mroe than a second or two, you risk destroying the diode. I am looking for a 200+mw CW diode before I attempt this, having already destroyed 1 $50 diode by overloading it's voltage (a word of advice, BE SURE TO READ THE SPEC SHEETS!)


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## SenKat

Ashton - thanks for the info - DEFINITELY always check the spec sheets ! (hey - send me a PM with your email, and mailing addy - I have a "make up present" I want to send you-don't worry....nothing weird, I swear ! OTHERWISE - why would I post it here ? muahahahahahaha !)

For those that were looking for more of the now FAMOUS "Dr. Diodes" {that has a nice ring to it, doesn't it Dr. Lava ?!?!?) All the remaining stock I could order has been ordered. Thanks for those that took advantage of it. I hope to have MORE info soon on a different high power red diode, but this time will do my best to make it into a complete, ready to go KIT like the good Dr. did. I am not copying him - only emulating him....emulation is the greatest form of flattery, and he does a FANTASTIC job helping us all out !


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## ScarabDrowner

shoot, sorry to hear all those diodes are gone now... I just busted the positive leg off of one of mine, and am looking for a replacement to finish my mod.


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## Ashton

If anyone finds a source for high-powered, low-cost diodes (CW, not pulse) I'm VERY interested!

@ sen: tried to send PM, locked up ATM, it should unlock within 10-20 min and send (I hope), anyone else have this problem with the CPF messaging system?


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## SenKat

Ashton - it happens frequently - I normally go get a sandwich, or a drink, and come back 


PM sent !

There will be other group buys fairly soon for more diodes....some CW, some pulsed....most of the pulsed ones are DVD-burner type diodes - but very steady burners....


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## Ashton

I tend to get it around 33% of the time here, I think it's the popup "do you want a read reciept" window; my site uses e107 CMS and has a checkbox to request a read reciept and hasn't had the problem (take note, admins, this might be a solution (checkbox isntead of a popup) if a lot of ppl are having this problem) read and responded, sen (or do you prefer kat?)

Anyone know of any ebay sellers that stock reliable CW diodes in the visible range? or even prebuilt green assemblies? I'm considering trying to build a high-output greenie from an ellie.


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## SenKat

Ashton - actually, SenKat is a contraction of my two kids' names...Sean and Katherine...so I squished them together ! Back on topic -

I killed a diode tonight being STUPID.  I zapped it with 1.6 amps - because I was not paying attention, and was taking measurements wrong. PLEASE pay attention, and don't kill these little guys....they REALLY do deserve a nice, long life - in an Elly ! 

Needless to say - once my error was pointed out to me - and I pulled my head out of my ...well, YOU know where it was !...Thanks, Hemlock - for not laughing till after you hung up !  I appreciate the help - now my head is back on straight, and I know to be much more careful ! Further results to follow.....


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## io333

I was gone all yesterday. Thanks for all the help and advice. I eagerly await the arrival of all the various bits soon to be assembled in to my very own Ellaser.


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## liveforphysics

Hi guys, I've been really busy lately, but I just wanted to let you guys know that a fully charged Li-Ion 4.2v cell in the Ellaser results in a flash, and then a red LED.

Useing NiMH works really really well, so there is really no reason not to, but I just wanted to let you guys know that so you don't have to find that one out on your own.

Don't worry, I still have 4 perfectly good Ellasers that have never had any problems, and they have been getting daily use for a few weeks now. The unit with the diode that I fried will soon be replaced with a Blu-Ray burner diode    
MMMMMMMM 150mW of blue laser goodness.... MMMmmmm... 

I'm just waiting on Blu-ray burner prices to drop a bit lower...


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## pseudonomen137

"150mW of blue laser goodness.... "

Are the burners really 150mW? I was under the impression current burners are closer to 20mW quasi-CW. Also, I guess it should be mentioned that blu-ray diodes are not blue. They are on the border between violet and ultraviolet.


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## Ashton

liveforphysics said:


> I'm just waiting on Blu-ray burner prices to drop a bit lower...


 
HAve you tried looking for a broken burner "for parts" or "for repair"? These can be found often for <$50 on ebay (dont know about bluray specifically, never checked)


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## io333

liveforphysics said:


> Useing NiMH works really really well, so there is really no reason not to, but I just wanted to let you guys know that so you don't have to find that one out on your own.





Oooo. Yuck. Thanks for the tip, sorry it happened. I'll certainly stick with NiMH then.


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## Ashton

It appears, as a rule, do not use Lithiums with red lasers... is this accurate or just a few instances (ellaser, Pulsar) where it is the case?


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## pseudonomen137

The elly deal is because the laser is already being overpowered I believe. Pulsar also shouldn't be used with liths because it doesn't have a driver board and basically its a direct connection from the battery to the diode. The higher the voltage - the more power you're forcing upon it and the diode dies. From what I can tell, the 'glowtorch' reds are actually very well regulated and you don't need to worry with those. It will be different from laser to laser though.


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## SenKat

The Elly puts out 240mah to the laser diode - at 3.08 volts. That is within specs for the Dr. Lava diodes, I believe...(measurement taken while under load)

Without a load, it is putting out 5.something volts !!!! That is incredible !

This little flashlight has an incredible "upconvert" circuit built into it, to pump that much juice out of a single AA battery ! I used a AA regular Energizer alkaline battery for those measurements - which read at a healthy 1.5 volts prior to usage.

I blew up my diode by accidently shorting it out while taking measurements with a "foggy head".....I ran lots of juice through it prior to it going "poof !" I think the Elly's are perfect for this experiment, myself - just be careful while doing this - make sure you do not disconnect the power at the diode - do it from the switch - otherwise, you can end up pumping lotsssss through there !


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## Hemlock Mike

What I'm reading here is that I have built two red pointers which don't work. But, I have two pointers with red DVD LDs in them connected through a switch to two e2 Lithium batteries AND THEY DON"T WORK ??? They focus and put out over 150 mW as near as I can tell using ND filters and my 40 mW meter. YES they do lame things like pop balloons and light matches but nothing else.

Understand that I carefully measured the parameters of each LD and use plenty of heatsinking. I don't usually need to have one on for over a few seconds to get results from "pulse rated" diodes. 

The LD from the GB has a higher Vj and runs off of three AAA alkies through the 1.7 ohm resistor. This is drawing 290 mA and only gets warm until the batteries die.

Mike


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## pseudonomen137

SenKat, the Dr. Lava diodes, though they can probably do better comfortably, were spec'd to 80mW CW as I remember. From what I've heard these Elly mods have been doing 150-240mW, so I really don't see how that is in spec.


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## io333

If I wanted to drop it down to 100mw or so to add life to the diode, what sort of resister would I want... but more importantly, would there be space to put it in the Elly mod?


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## SenKat

There would be plenty of space in the Elly to add some resistors, etc - I would have to sit down and do some CORRECT measurements prior to telling you which ones - but look at this chart, all - it tells you the output power expected per Ma....Dr. Lava posted this pic earlier.

Psuedo - all I can honestly say, is - grab an Elly, and check it out ! They perform ! If I had a spare, I would send it to you - but after toasting the one diode and Elly I did - I am kinda short


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## Phased_Array

Wrong wrong wrong.
This Elly is not a fully regulated anything. 

A boost circuit only. 

Not regulated voltage.
Not regulated amps.
This Elly is all over the place when you finally get a meter on it. And over in the LED forum there's more negatives about it.

Using the stock LED and a variable power supply,
If you want 280ma at the LD, LD voltage jumps to +4v which is 'bad'.
If you want 3v at the LD there's only 62ma at the LD and it's underpowered.

And this cheap Chinese circuit's components are not consistant from board to board.

The first post was measured at the Laser Diode where it counts. I stand corrected.


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## SenKat

Hmmm...that is odd, because I took the readings at the diode - and I got the 240ma at 3.08v consistently. Am I just lucky ? I am curious now - I am going to have to take readings from each one to compare....Thanks for letting me know that they are not consistent !


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## Phased_Array

SenKat,
Really long thread on the LED forum, with Cree upgrades and such. They were much further along than we are on analyzing the circuit. I was just making some rudimentary measurements with the existing LED from the Elly, maybe it's different with the LD in there.


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## Phased_Array

SenKat,
What is your input voltage with that output?


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## liveforphysics

Phased Array- If the current vs voltage curve of the LD looked anything similar to a white LED, then what you said above would be closer to be being correct, but still very wrong.

The current readings I took where all at the LD. It varried in a pretty wide window depending on temp of the LD. Voltage across the LD ranged from 3.2-3.4v, and current ranged from ~270-350mA in an inverse relationship with LD temperature.

Like pretty much all solid state lasers that don't underdrive diodes and use active light output monitering to control current, output is going to fluctuate quite a bit, along with current draw.

If you are looking for a laboratory laser for energy quanitative experiments, don't make an Ellaser. If you are looking for a fun laser toy that has a total cost around $25 and will output well beyond ~130mW in the worst case scenerio, then build an Ellaser. Hell, the first one ever took me less than half an hour to make from start to finish, and a good part of that involved looking for my drillbit set to enlarge the hole in the reflector. It's not like its the sort of thing that requires a big investment in money, time, effort, or resources. Wasting time direct driving with batteries and resistors, bulky project boxes and things seems pretty silly and pointless in compairison, perticularly when the Elly costs less than a stupid project box.


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## pseudonomen137

I don't have one of these units and can't test them out, but with what info I see, I have to say I'd side with phased array. I have no doubt that you CAN use this to drive diodes, and the price of the Dr. Lava diodes I wouldn't be worried about burning one or two out, but I wouldn't recommend the project to anyone without appropriate warning first.

I think phased array's point was that the Elly driverboards have sub-par regulation. White LED or laser diode, that point would stand. 

Also, something sounds a bit odd with your testing liveforphysics. Current drawn by the diode at constant voltage should be directly, not inversely, related to diode temperature. Something definitely sounds off there, whether it be the measurements, or the driver.

EDIT: Also, its just plain irresponsible to claim the ellasers should get >130mW easy. As I have said many times before, whether or not you want to continue ignoring it, Dr. Lava diodes, as shown in his own post, are clearly spec'd for 80mW CW. Sure, at 240mW pulsed output rating, I see no reason the diode couldn't handle >130mW with adequate heatsinking. Still, some disclaimer would be nice. I have no problem overdriving my equipment or trying cheap alternatives when I choose to, and I'm sure I'd run these diodes >130mW myself if I had some, but I'd at least like to give forum members the right knowledge to decide for themselves before they go overdriving any of their stuff.


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## Phased_Array

LFP,

Yeah, you came up with it so fast it seemed too good to be true.
Ok, sounds like when I swap out the LED with the LD things will improve. 
Just hangin out on the LED forum I couldn't get a line on how the Elly would perform in our LD application. Those guys are reverse engineering and modding the board so I'll watch what happens there too.


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## SenKat

Phased_Array said:


> SenKat,
> What is your input voltage with that output?


 
I was using a "used" Alkaline AA - 1.5v (tested prior to use)
Without load - the Elly puts out over 5 volts - (no LED, or LD in the circuit)
Under load it was putting out the 3.08 volts regularly, at 240ma.....


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## Hemlock Mike

SenKat & Lukas -

Thanks for the real time, hands on info. My readings also indicate a non-linear impedance curve when dealing with an LD. Guess I never tried an LED but I have observed V vs I changes at threshold andon up. That's why I make a lot of measurements on my "pointers".

Mike


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## Bimmerboy

liveforphysics said:


> stupid project box.



Heyyyyy... them's fightin' words! 

Cool thing about a project box is the semi-serious, pseudo-scientific look... and the fact you can put big 'ol warning labels on them.


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## SenKat

HAHAHAHAHAHA ! Bimmer - you got me rolling now ! OMG !! Big Scary Laser....


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## Hemlock Mike

Personally -- I like small and POWERFUL !!!!! Still you are a hands-on laser guy and that really counts  Enjoy the fruits of your work !!

MIke


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## dr_lava

Bimmer, that's an AWESOME laser warning and it goes well with the non-stylistic box and big red button. Kudos! 

I ordered a few lights from DX, they should be here in a week or two and I'll dissect those drivers and hopefully come up with a decent regulated power scheme for these lasers. Good work, all!


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## SenKat

Hey, Doc.....make sure to post your results !!!!!


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## Phased_Array

Thanks SenKat,
I'm building mine into a Mini-Mag, I'll have to sand the driver board down a little around the edge to fit. The Mini-Mag barrel will be the heat sink.

Here's something from the LED forum on the driver board. There is also a wiring diagram of the circuit. 

* Make the LED run directly from the output from the coil/switch combination instead of running it off the diode/capacitor rectified voltage. This avoids the loss of the diode (about 10%) and loss from the ripple across the capacitor, but also leads to higher peak current through the LED. A problem is that now the IC sees a nice and smooth 5V across the capacitor and throttles back.
* Use a coil with lower inductance (which probably has lower DC resistance too), so the peak current can go higher in the 3 us on-time.


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## Phased_Array

DrLava,

Save ya some time.


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## dr_lava

phased, is that an elly? can IC1 be identified?


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## Hemlock Mike

Interesting -- I thought there would be a feedback circuit from a balast resistor for CC operation. IC1 must use its input voltage for feedback. 
That is a real KISS circuit !!

Mike


----------



## Bimmerboy

LOL... thanks guys... glad you like the label. Gotta' give credit to electricstuff.co.uk for the idea. When I saw it, I knew it was the perfect label.

Dr. - Really interested in how the Elly board experiments go. Hopefully they can be modded into nice, safe, yet still powerful drivers.

I've been sorta' hoping for some buck circuit mods to show up instead of boost, so as to use an extra Li-ion 14500 that's been laying around. I see AA's getting used up pretty fast with the Elly board (don't have any NiMH yet).

BTW, been meaning to ask, Liveforphysics... what's all that cool looking machinery used as the backdrop for your pics?


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Bimmer --

The label is neat but the workmanship in the pictures looks to be top notch .

When you do all the work - that's something to be proud of. You are now above the level of "appliance opperator"...    

Mike


----------



## liveforphysics

Bimmer- The engines those are sitting on are quad-turbo V16 3950bhp MTU diesel generators for the powerplant in my building at Microsoft. We have 16 of them, along with 4 backup units for the generators.

I like your sticker, and I saw that years ago on Sam's laser FAQ and stuck one onto one of the big CO2 laser setups at college. Always a classic sticker 

As far as concerns go about the Ellaser draining a battery quickly, rest assured that a single 2500mAh NiMH cell will power the laser for at least 2hours. I think its been well over a month now of EDC'ing my favorite one (the small brass lens houseing type) with out any signs of a low battery. If you dont have NiMH's, I highly recomend you get some.


----------



## Bimmerboy

liveforphysics said:


> quad-turbo V16 3950bhp MTU diesel generators


AWESOME!! :rock: 20 of those suckas'? Dayyum... 

Been trying to avoid NiMH because of the annoying self discharge when not used. The Eneloops are better. Got a few things that could use them though, so it might be time to look into it.

Mike - Thanks! I try to have some pride in the "craftsmanship" when I do something, and am definitely proud of my first attempt now that you mention it. There are a few more pics in this post over at my forum if you'd like to see more. Totally agree about building things yourself... you learn a lot, and it's so much fun!

LOL @ appliance operator... next step is to surpass the "monkey with a soldering iron" stage.


----------



## Phased_Array

DrLava,

Here is how the LED group explained it.


> Originally Posted by Bertrik
> mzzj, cage, ktronik
> 
> With respect to reverse engineering the driver, summarizing the info posted here so far:
> * C1 = capacitor. I think 476 means 47 uF (=47 * 10^6 pF)
> * IC1 = 501C1 0549 = 5V switcher IC? Couldn't find anything on Google. I think the 0549 part is a manufacturing code: year 2005 week 49.
> Could this be similar or even identical to the one used by lamba ( http://home.mchsi.com/~lambda_lights/parts.htm ) or perhaps one of the zetex parts mentioned by ktronic?
> * Q1 = BF08, N-channel mosfet according to mzzj
> * diode = SS14 = schottky rectifier with about 0.4V forward voltage at 350 mA, see http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/SS/SS14.pdf
> 
> I find it hard to see how IC1 is connected exactly, but I think it is a classic boost circuit, with the diode and the capacitor attempting to rectify and smooth the pulses from the switcher. I wonder if the capacitor can really smooth the current that much. What frequency did you measure, mzzj?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't find info what IC lambda is using, but definetely Elly's ic is not zetex zxsv300.
> 
> IC1 connection is straighforward: (AFTER I draw a schematic)
> 1. ground
> 2. (middlepin) combined feedback and IC1 power/vcc
> 3. Gate drive output.
> 
> Trick with IC1 is that it is powered from converter output! and because of that it can drive Q1 mosfet with up to +5v gate drive voltage(~3.3v when used as led driver)
> 
> IC1 is trying to regulate output at 5v, but it obviously have 75% limit on maximum duty cycle. Swithing frequency is 125khz in normal case(used as elly) Switching frequency drops very, very low with low-load such as 2mA as IC1 is PFM modulator, not PWM. On-time is pretty constant 3uS and off-time varies from 1uS to 100uS or more. 3us/(3us+1us) gives the max 75% duty cycle limit.
> 
> Its also possible to modify elly driverboard to start reliably with 0.8v input voltage, some of these require up to 1.1v-1.2v to start. All you need is one NPN transistor and 1k resistor.


----------



## jdwannam

I just noticed that DX has a new light. It uses 1xCR123 and houses a 3w generic LED. This probably pushes too much power for the 80CW diodes but maybe the Elly circuit or another similar circuit would fit in the case. Either way it looks like it would make an awesome pocket laser case. The blue light would be especially spiffarific for the blueray ps3 laser mentioned in that other post.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2124

JD


----------



## ScarabDrowner

SenKat said:


> I have not seen the "cheaper one" - but I think the optics are plastic, whereas the optics in the $12.50 one are glass - I am NOT positive on that...But, I have ordered quite a few of the $12.50 ones, and they are VERY nice.



I'm discussing buying some of these cases from them, and I was told by one of their reps that the case for the $12 650nm 10mw laser has a plastic lens too.


----------



## jdwannam

Well there goes another DVD diode, that makes 3 duds. The first two were hooked directly to some AA's directly and didn't last long. Todays was hooked to the Elly and it lasted about an hour. I didn't keep it going for more than about 15-20 seconds at a time (with 1 minute breaks), and it would get pretty hot pretty quickly. The killer I believe though was that the tiny glass lens broke during extraction from the DVD (this has happened to me twice now, how can you extract these things without pressing on the front and breaking the glass??) and was rattling around inside of the diode. Tapping on it would move the glass around and sometimes give me an unobstructed beam. Aparently the Shards 'o Glass(tm) rattling around inside the can is also bad for the diode. 

Anyway, I've got an office full of broken and dismantled DVD burners now so I'm going to have to limit myself to buying just the diodes and see if that works any better.

I have to say though, the Elly build was very easy, the "star" with the 1w led is very clearly marked for + and - polarity. It was a bit tricky quick soldering (cold joints, but good enough) those 1cm leads and making sure not to ground out the power. Rubber cement works GREAT for holding it all in place once you have the wiring done.

BTW, it is HARD to resist the urge to test the diode by touching wires directly from the Elly head and not using the power button. I caught myself 3 times trying to test the diode this way.

It would be nice if we could find a collar type heat sink that fits the Aixiz modules, something like this might help keep down the heat a bit.

http://www.aavidthermalloy.com/cgi-bin/stdisp.pl?Pnum=320105b00000g

Duncan


----------



## ScarabDrowner

I've got some radio shack heatsinks epoxied to one of my aixiz modules, they're anodized aluminum, shaped kinda like this: \_/ on end, |_|_|_| from the side. Not sure if they help any though.

edit: added pic:


----------



## Hemlock Mike

I got three Ellys today. The first one tests about .5 watt into the LED with a Alkie Cell and .7 watt with an e2 Lithium. 

Only drives a DVD diode to 220 ma :-( ---- Well it's only a sample of one . I may have to mod that circuit !!

Mike


----------



## Bimmerboy

ARRGH!!... the inconsistency! I'd rather spend the $15 on an EU-38, which is looking more and more likely.

Still not a bad thing to know what can be done with Elly boards, but considering the combination of manufacture vs. price...

Unless it serves as a good platform for modding (I'm learning about SMT soldering, and actually have some stuff to practice with, including solder paste!... talk about running before fully learning how to walk... how's that for hands-on, Mike?... hehe), rectangular is the shiznit for me right now.


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Luke -- LiveforPhy

I tried "pot modding" an Elly to get the current up by adding a little resistance in the leg 2 of the IC to lower its reference voltage. Little to no + effect. Have you tried a few more turns on the inductor ??

Mike


----------



## dr_lava

the quiescent current of the controller chip is probably so low that your resistor mod wouldn't have much effect. Increasing the inductance is a good idea, but even if you acheive your desired current at one battery level, it's not a stable system with other battery types or other lasers with slightly different V drops, you'll have to re-adjust. Also the laser V drop falls when it heats up.

I did some tests on the stock circuit and can confirm what Phased_Array posted about the circuit. the 501C1 appears to be a boost 5V regulator (with low loads), but the inductor is chosen such that when lighting the LED and laser, 5V can't be achieved. Also, with high loads like the laser and LED, the loop gain of the controller is almost saturated (running full-bore) as it tries to get to 5V. 

The inductor shorting pulses on mine were 8us at all times.

At startup, the time in between pulses was 1.4 uS as the controller boosts the output cap from 1.5V to 3.2V. Once 3.2V is reached, the interpulse delay broadened to 2.4 us, still a very short time period.


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Dr _

Mine runs at 106 Khz driving the LED. Open circuit is 4.98 V. I was hoping to lower it's reference voltage for more kick on the inductor but you appear to be correct about the circuit. I may try adding turns to the coil to see if I can get it up. I know I can "pot mod" it down if needed - that's easy.
Damn, I hadn't run my 'scope or freq counter for years !!

Mike


----------



## dr_lava

Mike, Yep, 1/(8 us + 2.4us) is about 100KHz so mine has an oscillation frequency close to yours. Curious to see how it goes with the inductor!


----------



## Bimmerboy

Mike - you mean you're taking the inductor off the board, and re-winding it with your own copper? If so, COOL!

Still here lurking in the background, trying to understand most of what you guys are saying.

Edit: BTW, just joined the PL forums under the name PNjunction... try not to cringe too much... lol.


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Dr_ & Bimmer --

I took the coil off late last night. I didn't unwind it but I'd guess about 20 turns of air core coil. I added 7 more turns of 30 awg and ----- NO change !! Maybe some circuits are so simple that you can't do much. I'll try more stuff tonight. Maybe a ferite core but this can also have reverse effects at ~100 KHz also because high inductive reactance can limit the "charge" side of the cycle.

I also got about 8 new Ellys and I need to sample them to see if there is any consistant parameter. Luke implied 240 to 340 mA so there may be a wide curve here.
Stay with us here Bimmer  

Mike


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Next stage -- unwind the coil -- 21 turns of .009" (31 Awg) wire on a ferrite core of some kind. I plan to rewind with 28 Awg to lower reactance.

Analysis of 7 Ellys -- Drive: 1 - AA e2 Lithium. Measure voltage and current on the LED. Drive watts at the diode range from 0.55 to 0.92 Watts. That's a BIG range and poor quality control. How can they sell a 1 watt flashlight when drive is only 0.55 watts. 

Mike


----------



## Bimmerboy

Hemlock Mike said:


> Stay with us here Bimmer



Giving it my best shot. BTW, would you be thinking of ferrite because of it's high permeability, thereby increasing the inductors' magnetic flux? 

Edit:



Hemlock Mike said:


> How can they sell a 1 watt flashlight when drive is only 0.55 watts.



The phrase "cheap, bright, good... pick any two" comes to mind!


----------



## dr_lava

Both the elly and the taskforce lights use a PFM, or pulse frequency modulation method for their boost circuits. The taskforce has a variable on-time scheme with an off time of about 1.2us as it charges the load capacitor. The Elly is variable off-time PFM, so there is a fixed amount of time (8us) to charge the inductor to the operating current. Lower inductances should 'charge' faster, so...

Given this topology for the elly, I think Mike's on the right track with decreasing the inductace and increasing the wire thickness to increase the drive capability of the circuit. 
Here's a weblink for you Bimmer about switching power supplies..
http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/appnote_number/2031


----------



## Bimmerboy

Thanks, Doc. Checking it out now. What I _really_ need to do to understand these things, is learn the basics, which hasn't been done yet. I appreciate you guys letting me "tag along" so to speak.


----------



## ScarabDrowner

I too am trying to keep up with you guys, a lot of this is over my head. But it occurs to me, isn't this kind of pulsing power supply what was needed to run the diode at its max output, or am I way off the mark here?


----------



## io333

I was also wondering that, but then this stuff is a bit over my head now too.


----------



## SenKat

Dr. Lava - you ALMOST had me rolling with the PFM thing.....I saw the definition you put, and went - OH ! He's not pulling a military intelligence thing on us....PFM to the military is : Pure F***ing Magic !!!! NOW you know why I was almost laughing my butt off ! I look forward to yours, and Mike's further testing on the Elly's.....


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Scrab --

You are sorta right about pulsing but not the LD. The circuit is drawn aboue here somewhere. In this circuit, the IC and Mosfet "kick" the coil by shorting it to ground for a moment. The coil responds like a spring (coil) and kicks back a higher voltage which is rectified and stored for use in the 47 mfd capacitor. 
SIMPLE - huh ???

What I'm trying to do is get more energy from this pulsing circuit to make more available to the LD.

Mike


----------



## dr_lava

...and even if you took out the capacitor in an attempt to pulse the LD, the frequency is too low for it to be safe, and would probably blow the diode.


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Without the swamping effect of the capacitor, the pulse voltage peaks would probably be too high for the diode too.

Dr_ I got a package from the UK today !! Fast shipping !! 

Mike


----------



## ScarabDrowner

so let's see if I got this... the coil is acting like a miniature transformer, so that when it's kicked to ground, the surge of power through it gets amplified through another winding which charges the capacitor?

I think I'm getting it.... the LD needs the pulse to be a higher amperage, not a higher voltage, if I remember the spec sheet correctly...


----------



## io333

SenKat said:


> There's a link right to it in the first post there on LPF....it goes to aixiz lasers....that is what I use, others may have a better supplier, unsure....
> 
> http://mfgcn.com/_wsn/page2.html (the $12.00 10 mw red diodes are perfect)




I ordered that one, but the case is chrome (not brass) and it is too wide to fit through the hole in the reflector without drilling. Also, the warning sticker on the laser says it is 7mw, not 10mw like I ordered. Did they ship me the wrong one?


----------



## io333

Hemlock Mike said:


> Scrab --
> 
> You are sorta right about pulsing but not the LD. The circuit is drawn aboue here somewhere. In this circuit, the IC and Mosfet "kick" the coil by shorting it to ground for a moment. The coil responds like a spring (coil) and kicks back a higher voltage which is rectified and stored for use in the 47 mfd capacitor.
> SIMPLE - huh ???
> 
> What I'm trying to do is get more energy from this pulsing circuit to make more available to the LD.
> 
> Mike




Hmmm. Kind of like an automotive coil? The magnetic field collapses and dumps as voltage?


----------



## Hemlock Mike

io333 --

A auto "ignition coil" has a primary and secondary winding. A turns ratio in a transformer relates input to output voltage. This is not the same thing here.
You guys asking basic questions force me to rethink my understandings !! 
Again no such thing as a dumb question. SO -----

Dr_
I have rewound the coil with 22 turns of #28 wire. No change in wattage at the LED. I have reduced the turns to half in 2 turn steps and still no change in wattage. The frequency has changed slightly from 100 Khz to 108 Khz. My O'scope shows no change in the on/off relationship of about 20/80. I even tried a monster inductor and ho hum - no change - well maybe a little less input current.

NOW -- These guys asking questions make me think -- When the coil dumps, how much is being pulled back by the cell ? Would a shotky diode between the cell and coil put all the "kick" forward ? Does the impedance of the source draw power back from the coil ?? 

Mike


----------



## dr_lava

A diode on the input wouldn't help but a cap across the battery leads on the circuit board might help, as it would bypass the batterys internal resistance during the dump phase.


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Dr_ 
Right again !! Better idea. 
I tried this and no change. Seems that damn IC has a mind of its own and won't do any more. A truly non-adaptable chip in a KISS circuit. I can't account for the variability observed in my sample of Ellys unless it's in the LEDs.

Mike


----------



## SenKat

io333 said:


> I ordered that one, but the case is chrome (not brass) and it is too wide to fit through the hole in the reflector without drilling. Also, the warning sticker on the laser says it is 7mw, not 10mw like I ordered. Did they ship me the wrong one?


 
Well - if you paid for a 10mw, and they shipped you a 7 - then yes....they shipped the wrong item. Now - it is chrome, either way - but is brass underneath, and you will have to enlarge the hole in the reflector either way - I think the brass ones might be a tad bit shorter - unsure. If the sole purpose of purchasing was to remove the diode, and insert your own - does it matter that they sent you a 7mw ? Unless you had plans on saving the diode - Hemlock Mike has a great method - he pops out the little guy with a wooden dowel, thus saving its' life - me ? I murder them ! Pop - out they go with an icepick and a hammer - not too sophisticated - but I don't have any dowels, either ! LOL:naughty:


----------



## X_Marine

SenKat
said:


> Well - if you paid for a 10mw, and they shipped you a 7 - then yes....they shipped the wrong item. Now - it is chrome, either way - but is brass underneath, and you will have to enlarge the hole in the reflector either way - I think the brass ones might be a tad bit shorter - unsure. If the sole purpose of purchasing was to remove the diode, and insert your own - does it matter that they sent you a 7mw ? Unless you had plans on saving the diode - Hemlock Mike has a great method - he pops out the little guy with a wooden dowel, thus saving its' life - *me ? I murder them ! Pop* - out they go with an icepick and a hammer - not too sophisticated - but I don't have any dowels, either ! LOL:naughty:


HUH?? :huh2:
Hey Hey,,,
You didn't mention anything about "*MURDER*" when we got into this???.

I think I'm gonna join up with Mike.. lol 

Well hell, if I wasn't so busy I would have told ya to hang onto mine and I would just come and get emm. But then I wouldn't get anything done for sure.. ')

Anxious to see some pics of some startling results.. :rock:


----------



## SenKat

X_Marine said:


> HUH?? :huh2:
> Hey Hey,,,
> You didn't mention anything about "*MURDER*" when we got into this???.
> 
> I think I'm gonna join up with Mike.. lol
> 
> Well hell, if I wasn't so busy I would have told ya to hang onto mine and I would just come and get emm. But then I wouldn't get anything done for sure.. ')
> Anxious to see some pics of some startling results.. :rock:


 
HAHAHAHAHA ! Everything is being shipped out today - so you should have your stuff by Tuesday or so...those overseas most likely friday....THAT has been my experience with overseas shipping at any rate...It's pretty cool sitting here looking at all the diodes all lined up witing to be played with ! hehehehe


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Dr_L ---

Elly proves to be as obstinate as my wife !! No matter what I do, No more output. That little IC is locked at about 20/80 on/off. I added capacity across the coil and got some ringing but it didn't help. BIG and small inductors give the same current. With this circuit, there's a limited number of things to mod.

Mike


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Dr_L --

Another rumination------ I'm testing this .5 watt Elly with the given LED which runs at ~ 3.5 volts. I may have to risk a good DVD diode which usually has a Vj of 2.9 to 3.2 volts. Start testing all over again :-( That lower voltage will (may) bring up the mA to the desired range. Added resistive load kills the oscillation dead but the diode startup curve will, I think, get her going.

Mike


----------



## X_Marine

Kudos for getting the shipping finished before diving in.. 
I know that was tough..

ThanX
X.


----------



## SenKat

X_Marine said:


> Kudos for getting the shipping finished before diving in..
> I know that was tough..
> 
> ThanX
> X.


 
Heh - you KNOW it !  I am sitting here right now, staring at my pile o' parts.....Too tired to mess with them tonight - but tomorrow is a new day ! :rock:


----------



## X_Marine

SenKat said:


> Heh - you KNOW it !  I am sitting here right now, staring at my pile o' parts.....Too tired to mess with them tonight - but tomorrow is a new day ! :rock:


Rgr that.. 
And I'm thinking we need to ship Mike a case of StarBucks so he can keep up the pace at which he has been banging on our circuit. I have full confidence he is getting close to a resolution.
Keep up the good work Mike.. :rock:

ThanX
X.


----------



## SenKat

I would like to know what everyone's best way of disabling the LED on the ELLY is.....


----------



## liveforphysics

SenKat- I use a sharp stiff knife, lay the flashlight down on it's side (I dont bother to unscrew the little aluminum module), and scrape the LED off the board. Generally just takes about 3-4 good scrapes and you have nothing but good clean board contacts remaining.


Mike- If you want higher current to the LED, might want to pick your strongest Elly, drop a Li-primary cell in her, and check the current to diode. I get TOO much (>350mW) to the LD that way, and swapping back to NiMH drops it back into the high 200's- to barely 300 range (which I personally think is reasonable).

Now, when you get those super badass LD's that need lots more power, trying something like the new little AA cell 3w ultra cheapo lights might be a better platform to work from. They are more slender and more compact than the Elly, and with a powersupply designed to do 3W rather than 1W, it would be easy enough to lower the current the diode gets with a simple resistor across the output terminals.

I'm glad to see this pocket flashlight DVD burner laser thing is going so well! I see lots of learning happening, and it makes me happy 

Best Wishes,
-Luke


----------



## Hemlock Mike

Luke --

You lit a fire for sure. I have done everything I can to that little board and my O'scope and freq counter shows little to no change in the pulse timing. 
I agree that I will use my "best" Elly for the new diodes and I can limit to what's needed. I'm watching for the 3 to 6 watt units on DX - Got some coming. It's much easier to limit than boost.
I haven't even opened the box on the 6545's yet. I'll be pushing near 300 mA with them !!!

Mike


----------



## Hemlock Mike

I figured what I'll do with a weak Elly -- I bored the body out to 43/64" with a core drill. It now holds a rechargeable Lithium of the CR123 size. 3.6 volts at 800 mAHr. The aluminum case machines nicely. Of course, I could get some 14500 cells and just put one in as is !!

I've tried every trick I can think of to kick start that Elly booster but there isn't much to work with on that board. With an LD connected, it sits at about 220 ma and won't go higher. The only thing left to check is the shotky diode. Maybe there are differences in them.

Mike


----------



## io333

SenKat said:


> Well - if you paid for a 10mw, and they shipped you a 7 - then yes....they shipped the wrong item. Now - it is chrome, either way - but is brass underneath, and you will have to enlarge the hole in the reflector either way - I think the brass ones might be a tad bit shorter - unsure. If the sole purpose of purchasing was to remove the diode, and insert your own - does it matter that they sent you a 7mw ? Unless you had plans on saving the diode - Hemlock Mike has a great method - he pops out the little guy with a wooden dowel, thus saving its' life - me ? I murder them ! Pop - out they go with an icepick and a hammer - not too sophisticated - but I don't have any dowels, either ! LOL:naughty:



An email from them said it was rated at 10, output at 7, so it is what I ordered. I thought the first post said that no enlargement of the hole in the reflector was needed? Anyway, I just ordered a brass case 5mw, to see if it is any narrower. If not, I'll just drill the reflector out. I like the 10mw anyway, I may use it for something else.


----------



## io333

OK, I see now, FPer didn't say where he got the little brass case.


----------



## Bimmerboy

I'm actually a bit confused about something here. As for the Rohm's on the Elly circuit, for longevity reasons, wouldn't we want to take the current slightly down instead of up? IIRC, a couple diodes have already fried due to the inconsistency of these boards. Not that I know a heck of a lot over here (which has been well established), but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with a ceiling of 200mA.

Mike and Doc - Just wanna' say thanks to you guys. I've wanted to learn about electrical theory for a long time now. This, and related discussions have finally prompted me to start right at the beginning. Most any EE discussion I've seen has AT LEAST one concept or terminology that I don't understand. So, I'm at allaboutcircuits, Chapter 1 - Static electricity. See ya' in about a year... lol.


----------



## io333

I received the diode in the mail today. THANK YOU!!!!!! 

But looking at the three leads below the diode, there are no markings. One is connected directly to the metal casing, and two are isolated, I suppose of those two, one is + and the other is - ? Which is which, and what do I do with the third "casing" lead?


----------



## SenKat

Go to http://stonetek.org/diode/rohmdiode.pdf for the spec sheet....

the "solid" pin is the ground, put that one facing up, with the two under it - with the diode opening facing away - and the pins towards you. The one on the left is hte positive pin. The one on the right is the photodiode - not used.




io333 said:


> I received the diode in the mail today. THANK YOU!!!!!!
> 
> But looking at the three leads below the diode, there are no markings. One is connected directly to the metal casing, and two are isolated, I suppose of those two, one is + and the other is - ? Which is which, and what do I do with the third "casing" lead?


----------



## io333

Ah thanks! Of course my soldering iron just decided to die, so I'm SOL for this evening. Off to radio shack tomorrow to get a new iron. Do they even sell soldering irons anymore, or was that taking up too much cell phone display area?


----------



## ScarabDrowner

just finished my first elly mod. did anyone else have trouble with the laser module bumping into the lens? I had to either remove the lens, or the focusing grip ring in order for it to fit.

as for focusing, even when I have it properly focused into a consistent beam, I get a spread like this, even at 55 inches. the bright yellow dot in the center is the focused beam, the rest is what I'm concerned about:






is it the diode, or the lens, or what? the collimating lens looks clean enough to me, I don't see any spots on it or anything. Approximate diameter of the above spot (beam and scatter together) is about 3 inches. Again, the laser was about 55 inches from the wall for that shot.

edit: I just tried using the lens from my other module, and I get the same pattern. Perhaps that is a normal effect? I don't think I noticed it before if it was. Weird.


----------



## COMMANDR

Try cleaning all the optics with methyl alcohol, CH3OH,(rubbing alcohol) or ethyl alcohol, C2H5OH (drinking alcohol) and a coffee filter, looks like there is some sort of comtamination on the diode face or foucing optics. Use as pure alcohol as you can find and wipe straight accross the the optic you are cleaning just once, test and then repeat if needed.


Gary


----------



## dr_lava

the elly has a bumpy plastic lens so it will look like that if you keep it in.


----------



## ScarabDrowner

that shot was taken with the lens and reflector head assembly removed... just the bare laser module enjoying the breeze (until I can get more thermal epoxy to provide a way for the heat to escape the diode... sucker gets HOT!)


----------



## SenKat

io333 said:


> Ah thanks! Of course my soldering iron just decided to die, so I'm SOL for this evening. Off to radio shack tomorrow to get a new iron. Do they even sell soldering irons anymore, or was that taking up too much cell phone display area?


 
OMG !!! THAT is funny ! I was complaining to their manager the other day about the lack of stock, period. I said to him, you used to answer the phone with, you have questions, WE have answers ! Now - you don't even bother to stock the answers either ! They still BARELY sell soldering irons - but do not look there for flux, or anything remotely needed ! I have become very agravated with their lack of knowledge, and stock in anything that I want. My wife hollers at me for even ever going in there anymore - she says I just leave there agravated


----------



## wvaltakis2

*Holy [email protected], I got it to work!*

And I only sacrificed one diode. So here's mine, complete with the obligatory Ti pocketclip. No idea how powerful, but I've popped a balloon at a measured 23'. Thanks everybody for all the info.









~Chip


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## dr_lava

nice job and nice label! Where'd you get it?


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## wvaltakis2

Thanks to SenKat, the label came with the diode.


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## Bimmerboy

A Ti clip on an Elly? Now that is creative use of spare parts! I like the way you think, WV... :devil:

Good looking, plasticized label via SenKat as well. What's all the extra-normal text say? Looks like a small paragraph.


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## SenKat

dr_lava said:


> nice job and nice label! Where'd you get it?


 
I'm sending yours - I promise !!! I have been delayed a few days due to work and a few "mobility" issues....but It will be mailed out today or tomorrow, Doc !
I AM sorry for the delays !

By the way, all - those are the stickers that come on the Aixiz modules - They broke down and sold me a few sheets of labels when I bought a lot of modules from them !!!


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## io333

uhg. did i kill my diode by running reverse current through it for 2sec? It only lights weakly, I never saw it bright. If I killed it I need another, please let me know where I can find one. Very sad. i am SUCH an idiot.


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## io333

Oh yea, I found the thing I was looking for:


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## SenKat

io333 said:


> Oh yea, I found the thing I was looking for:


 
(insert puzzled look here.....) What were you looking for ?


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## io333

the emoticon of me smacking my forehead. So did I kill it? I thought diodes just didn't care if current went in the opposite direction. I thought that was the whole point of diodes?


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## io333

Also, are there any more of these diodes on the horizon, or am I just SOL?


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## io333

With a new diode, courtesy of a very nice person here at CPF, I finally managed to make one of these. It burns plastic trash bags. I used a lot of heatsink paste on the little bugger before pressing it into the housing and it doesn't seem to get hot at all after 10seconds usage with a new alkaline AA. 

Thanks all!


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## toyman

Does anyone have an extra diode that I may buy? Thanks. I missed this on the first offer. toyman


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## io333

Oh my. I definitely need eye protection. A laser this bright will reflect off of most *anything*. I'm off now on a search for inexpensive, yet good eye protection.


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