Difference Between Highside and Lowside Driver?

[pschlosser]

As the title says, what is the difference between "high side" and "low side" driver?

[james]

It's about whether the diode current is controlled on the anode side or the cathode side.

If you control current by feeding the cathode, you cannot ground the cathode!

James.

[sugeek]

James just about summed it up..

Before we had high side drivers most red laser diodes (not case isolated) had to be isolated (nylon washers etc). The high side driver lets us be less careful and now nifty case isolated 637/642 etc give us even more slack.

-Adam

[Stiffler]

Besides the whole grounding issue, is one type better than the other??

[james]

Not really. But the grounding issue is no small matter. It's a lot better for heat transfer if you can get a good solid metal to metal contact from the diode housing to the heat sync to the base plate of the projector. It offers better static discharge protection as well.

James.