what's inside the several watt laser modules?

[norty303]

Wow, you can just do that?
Why do people even bother with waveplates then?

I think you're getting up to speed now

Before multimode diodes, people didn't bother with waveplates because the beam profile was mostly symmetrical.

Since we now have DI beam profiles that start like | and end up like __ in the farfield, it is desirablre to keep all the beams oriented like ||| for stacking purposes. The problem is that if you rotate one set you end up with +, and these can be seen on some of the early DI modules.

Nowadays people tend to stack a load of beams like ||| and another load of beams like ||| and then use a waveplate to rotate the polarization on one set to combine with a cube.

[blue]

Diodes it is then.

[blue]

Now about powering the diodes. They'll need more power together than what I could find a single driver to allow. In one of the photos I posted I think there were two Flexmod P3s and a resistor for every diode?

https://i.imgur.com/F5H61OQ.jpg

But I've seen both connections in parallel and series.
https://i.imgur.com/gxim2zR.jpg

Could really use some advice/help on how to do this.

[planters]

Running diodes in series is very practical. The current flow, by definition, is the same for each diode and the total voltage drop is the sum. I have run up to 4 red diodes in series on a flex mod. The higher voltage green and blue may limit you to 3.

[blue]

Thanks. So if one driver is not enough for powering 3 diodes, what do you do? Power two in series with one driver, then use a second driver only for powering the third one and the two drivers are not connected to each other in any way?

[planters]

You do not commonly see odd numbers of diodes in multiple diode builds. I would use a flexmount to drive a pair of diodes and as many flexmounts as I wish to operate. The flexmounts or any driver does not have to be connected to the other drivers. They do not even need to be powered from the same supply, but usually are. You will supply the modulation input lead with the 0-5V signal and this can be paralleled almost without limit. I have attached as many as 6 flexmods to a single modulation input from the Quickshow DAC.

[VDX]

... didn't find the concave laser-mirrors, but an old medical laser module with 60x 652nm-diodes in series with 400mA max. current and something above 160 Volts driving voltage!

Viktor