Recent content by jsteg1981

Ok ok ok. Let's do the L200. I'm stubborn I'll admit!

Also I was not able to find much of anything online about mixing batteries. What can happen? They are in series... Does that mean that when the AAA discharges, it charges in the opposite polarity? Does that ruin the AAA or ther others?

Ok. Well this setup is not going to work then. The LM317 gets too hot with the three 10440s and two do not provide enough current. I hate being a noob sometimes!

I am not getting a steady 800mA = I am now getting a steady 800mA.

I did address the battery situation. I bought three 10440s. Three seemed to be too much voltage for the LM317 so I made a dummy cell. With the dummy cell, I was not getting enough current. So now I am using two 10440s and a triple A. Last night I made a new driver circuit. Same one I have...

Ok here is an update on my laser. I have made a driver circuit with the LM317, two 2.2 ohm 2W resistors and a 16V 10uF capacitor. I have soldered all that on to a small circuit board. The resistors are parallel. When the laser is first powered on, it is at 1.05A for about a half of a second...

I forgot I removed the capacitor thinking it had something to do with the current jumping.

Also what about the jump in current?

Yes it has a heatsink. Should I rebuild the driver with a new LM317?

Ok here is an update on my laser. I have made a driver circuit with the LM317, two 2.2 ohm 2W resistors and a 16V 10uF capacitor. I have soldered all that on to a small circuit board. The resistors are parallel. When the laser is first powered on, it is at 1.05A for about a half of a second...

Haha yeah. I figured that one out earlier on a different thread. I found a graph that is supposedly an estimate that compares the amperage to the estimated wattage output. Based on that graph you are correct. It is aproximately 100mW which would explain the extremely slow burn. I greatly...

Oh wow!!! I needed that graph! Thank you sooooo much!

Maybe a better question would be: How do I know when I am getting close to the LD's limit without a way to measure the optical power? I hear 1.8A is the most I should push with this LD.

I see! Then I suppose I am lucky I have yet to burn this diode out. Now I feel lost and not sure how I should figure my calculations. Is there a formula to use to figure out the optical power based on the watt rating for electricity?

Perhaps I am measuring it incorrectly. I am measuring the voltage and the pigtails on the diode. In other words, once everything is connected and turned on, I put my multimeter at the diode. One probe on the end of the - and other on the end of the +. To test the current, breaking the...