CD player diode?

[mcantar18c]

I was looking through my drawers of random parts, and I found the sled from a ~5 year old CD player (the portable walkman kind, not the stereo kind), and I decided to harvest the diode out of it. I don't know what mA or mW it was operating at or anything as I only had the sled, but what cool stuff can you do using the diode from an average CD player?
I mean hell, there has to be something fun I can do with it

P.S. the diode has an "R" engraved or stamped on the back of it, if that means anything.

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Being a player that old, It is probably a low powered IR laser diode. Won't do much but serve as a learning step to bigger things.

Mike

 

[mcantar18c]

Thanks. Ya know, I may attempt to use it with my video camera... My camera uses an IR light and sensor as a sort of "night vision," so maybe I can use this as just more lighting.

 

[Kage]

Being a player that old, It is probably a low powered IR laser diode. Won't do much but serve as a learning step to bigger things.

Mike

It's a "stepping stone" diode, watch out! :exclamation

 

[Bionic-Badger]

If a CD burner's laser is pretty weak I can only imagine how weak a regular player's is. You'd probably get more light from an IR LED than that thing.

 

[kristopher]

[quote author=Hemlock Mike link=1228889979/0#1 date=1228890383]Being a player that old, It is probably a low powered IR laser diode.  Won't do much but serve as a learning step to bigger things.

Mike

It's a "stepping stone" diode, watch out!  :exclamation[/quote]

LOL.

 

[loneoceans]

Yup you probably won't be able to do much with it though. Try a diode from an old DVD player, which should give you low-powered red laser light!

 

[mcantar18c]

Yup you probably won't be able to do much with it though. Try a diode from an old DVD player, which should give you low-powered red laser light!

Funny thing is I've actually got a few lying around.
Well, off to go take one apart.