Driver options for Osram PL450B

[tribble]

I'm looking to make a small blue projector and am going to try out the Osram PL450B 450nm diode. It should be good for 5 -150mW or so at 20-200mA but I am having difficulty finding a modulatable driver that operates at that low current range. The FlexmodP3 specs say it only goes down to 100mA, and the microboost doesn't say anything about modulation.

(NB: I am not talking about the 1.4W Osram PLTB450... that's a completely different animal.)

Any tips on a driver for small diodes that can handle reasonably fast modulation for graphics scanning?

Thanks,
Mike

[swamidog]

where did you see that spec for the flexmod P3? i don't think that figure is correct.

i think the flexmods are unavailable for a time. it's my understanding there's a new version in development, but don't quote me on that. badip sells drivers that have gotten excellent reviews.

I'm looking to make a small blue projector and am going to try out the Osram PL450B 450nm diode. It should be good for 5 -150mW or so at 20-200mA but I am having difficulty finding a modulatable driver that operates at that low current range. The FlexmodP3 specs say it only goes down to 100mA, and the microboost doesn't say anything about modulation.

(NB: I am not talking about the 1.4W Osram PLTB450... that's a completely different animal.)

Any tips on a driver for small diodes that can handle reasonably fast modulation for graphics scanning?

Thanks,
Mike

[tribble]

where did you see that spec for the flexmod P3? i don't think that figure is correct.

User manual at Andrew's site: http://hacylon.case.edu/laser/FlexMo...dP3_Manual.pdf

I have a flexmod I bought in 2010 that is currently unused and awaiting a diode to make coherent happiness. :-) I'm sure I could use it between 100-200ma, but I was hoping to be able to dial the PL450B down a bit below that.

I searched for "badip driver" but didn't come up with much. How about a pointer in the right direction? Thanks much!

[swamidog]

according the the chart in the PDF:

Output Current 0.01 - 4.0 A

User manual at Andrew's site: http://hacylon.case.edu/laser/FlexMo...dP3_Manual.pdf

I have a flexmod I bought in 2010 that is currently unused and awaiting a diode to make coherent happiness. :-) I'm sure I could use it between 100-200ma, but I was hoping to be able to dial the PL450B down a bit below that.

I searched for "badip driver" but didn't come up with much. How about a pointer in the right direction? Thanks much!

[astatic]

The Badpip driver

[-bart-]

Both the flexmod and the badpip drivers are perfectly capable of driving a PL450B.

[tribble]

according the the chart in the PDF:

Output Current 0.01 - 4.0 A

Ho ho! You are right! I stopped at the part of the intro text where it says "The FlexMod driver is capable of driving diodes from 100mA to 4A with a modulation bandwidth of DC-160kHz and with no overshoot." I guess the only way to know which one is right is to hook it up to a dummy load and measure it. :-)

astatic, thanks for the link!

-bart-, I am sure they would... I was just looking for something that spec'd a very low minimum current. The PL450B apparently starts up around 20mA.

Thanks for all the help, everyone!

[swamidog]

i have used lots of flexmods. you'll have no problem setting the bias current well below the lasing threshold of your diode.

Ho ho! You are right! I stopped at the part of the intro text where it says "The FlexMod driver is capable of driving diodes from 100mA to 4A with a modulation bandwidth of DC-160kHz and with no overshoot." I guess the only way to know which one is right is to hook it up to a dummy load and measure it. :-)

astatic, thanks for the link!

-bart-, I am sure they would... I was just looking for something that spec'd a very low minimum current. The PL450B apparently starts up around 20mA.

Thanks for all the help, everyone!

[-bart-]

The claimed adjustable Output Current 0.01 - 4.0 A is when modulation is high/100%/5 Volts
The drivers have no problem what-so-ever to supply 0,000mA when the modulation is low/0%/0 Volts

[tribble]

OK, great! All I have to do now is wait for the diodes and get time to hook it all up.

Thanks for the help! You guys are inspirational and educational at the same time. :-)