Aries repair help (diode help)

[andy_con]

i know we dont really do pointers on here but im after diode help really.

picked up this faulty aries to fix up.

but some "dick" filled the end with glue and ive not been able to open it. but thanks to robs advice yesterday i managed to get it open today with an extreme amount of heat!!

the pointer is possible 50mw of 532nm, but would like to get 100 or even more of green out of it.

anyone know where i could buy a replacement diode from and what power i would need?

[ElektroFreak]

You need an 808nm cmount with FAC. Snoctony's got lots on ebay for relatively cheap here. You should have no trouble getting 100mW or more out of it by replacing the original diode with a 1W replacement, but your duty cycle might be shorter. Since you would be underdriving the 1W diode, you should expect a very long life out of it barring any unforeseen issues (like ESD, etc..)

Make sure to carefully mark the original diode's position before you remove it. This will help make any necessary alignment as painless as possible.

[andy_con]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5000mw-808nm-l...d=p3286.c0.m14

im guessing 5watt is a no no

thanks for this info, could i get away with a 1watt???

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2000mw-808nm-l...d=p3286.c0.m14

[ElektroFreak]

1W is what I would suggest. You could try something bigger, but the link I provided in my previous post should do perfectly. If you go too high (like 5W) most likely the driver in that Aries will barely get it over threshold.

[andy_con]

but could i get away with a 2watt??

[ElektroFreak]

A big maybe.. the only possible issues I would see would be the damage threshold for those crystals and the fact that I find leaving the driver alone to be the best option (you'll have to adjust the current to use a 2W and see even close to enough pump power out of it).

A 1W diode has a threshold of 300mA and a 2W has a threshold of 700mA. 700mA is about what that driver is providing now since it is a 50mW laser (normally a 50mW green laser will have a 500mW pump, which runs at around 600-700mA). You don't want to hover right around threshold since the output will be a tad unstable and if you increase the current, you might be overstressing the driver. A diode with a threshold of 300mA would be ideal, since 700mA would drive it quite nicely and allow for a long life.

For a laser that is rated at or around 50mW, I highly recommend being a little conservative with pump power (hence the 1W suggestion).

[andy_con]

pfffffffff 1watt boring...

ok ill stick to 1watt then, any clues as the the final green power? isnt is like 60% loss or something?

[ElektroFreak]

Green lasers are around 20% efficient in the best cases, so you're looking at an absolute maximum possible output of 200mW. Realistically, 100-125mW.

[andy_con]

pfff boring

thanks for ya help mate

[ElektroFreak]

Never a problem! Let us know how it goes..