Red 635 is acting up

[stanwax]

Yeah I normally only keep it to use on my SP168

Rob

[Dr Laser]

I use a rubber handle of a screwdriver to hit the circuit board. No effect. It works fine for about 5 minutes and then start acting up and then goes off completely.

[steve-o]

Are any of the components on the board getting hot? (the ones not mounted to heat-sinks)

[Dr Laser]

Here is a red maker
http://www.lion-laser.com/product_show.asp?photoid=355

It's exactly as on picture!

[carmangary]

Get a can of cold spray from an electronics store and spray components or joints. You most likely hit one that will fix the problem temporarily. That will be the fault.

[Dr Laser]

I think there is something wrong inside laserhead. If I live it where it is it works fine when I start moving it. It's starting acting up.

[steve-o]

Sounds like a cable problem maybe..

[frank_1257]

Have no idea who is a maker.
Anyways. I apply 5volts. Diode fires up full power for about a second and then turns off. Sometimes it flickers and then goes off. It has to sit for a few seconds to fires up again but this time only half power. When it sits for about 1 minute it fires full power. What could be? Cold solder on driver board?

Some may not appreciate this but I used to work with lots of old satellite equipment and it was not uncommon to have thermally dependent failures of operation primarily during heating but also vice versa I have many times diagnosed problems by literally sticking a satellite receiver in a freezer and then using a hot air atmoscope smt desoldering tool to heat various components to find circumspect areas as well as cool spray and rarely heating something and cooling its subcomponents. I might use either a towel on its vents to superheat or a heat lamp to induce failures and recovery. One thing we must watch for I have learned is that any condensation, or contamination for that matter dirt, grease, finger, oils, that forms on a diode laser facet can and frequently will cause instant death of same so there is a definite risk in rapid cooling of a laser diode that is not hermetically sealed. I guess running your AC could reduce the water content of air reducing condensation issues, thermal shock could also be bad for a high powered diode laser so this kind of diagnostic should probably be best kept to a driver or support board.

[frank_1257]

I think there is something wrong inside laserhead. If I live it where it is it works fine when I start moving it. It's starting acting up.

Look at your solder connections with a magnifying glass and some good light and look for grey crystalline sometimes fractured solder joints sometimes solder joints do not flow well if not allowed to cool during mfg a brief reflow of your high power connections to diode its driver supply controller are a cheap fix always use a grounded soldering iron or a small battery powered unit to prevent undesired esd damage death. I have fixed some many hundreds of remote controls this way, reflowing IR emitter solder connections and battery supply connections.