How to tell what type of blanking a laser module has?

**Onge** · 01-31-2009, 08:18

Hi guys/gals,

Might seem a silly question but is there a way to tell what sort of blanking a laser module has just by looking at it ? i.e. does it have analogue or TTL or both ?

Many thanks

Onge (André)

**allthatwhichis** · 01-31-2009, 08:34

You can hook it up to your controller and there should be some setting in your software to vary the intensity of your lasers. Turn thay down slowly and an analog laser will decrease in brightness, a TTL will just turn off near the end of the intensity setting. I assume Mamba can do this.

**Onge** · 01-31-2009, 08:37

Originally Posted by allthatwhichis

You can hook it up to your controller and there should be some setting in your software to vary the intensity of your lasers. Turn thay down slowly and an analog laser will decrease in brightness, a TTL will just turn off near the end of the intensity setting. I assume Mamba can do this.

Yeah I know I can do that but I wanted to know if there was a way just by looking a a laser module. Yes Mamba can do that.

Onge

**mixedgas** · 01-31-2009, 16:04

a 10K potentiometer , a 1 kohm resistor , a 7805 voltage regulator, a 9 volt battery, some wire, and a battery clip?

Seriously, short the blanking lead to the ground lead. If the laser winks out, you have inverted TTL blanking and a low cost Chinese laser.

everything else needs a variable voltage source to determine that.

see attached.

Steve

**Xytrell** · 01-31-2009, 19:00

I like your choice of battery

**Onge** · 02-01-2009, 04:31

Thanks for that mixedgas,

So there is no way to tell just by looking at a laser module, you have to be able to run a test on it of some kind.

That is useful information to have, I am still learning

Onge (André)

**stanwax** · 02-01-2009, 04:39

Andre
If you follow the tracks of the Mod input on the driver board often (but not always) TTL inputs will go through some sort of gate. This could be a 4069 hex inverter a 7408 quad AND gate or other similar ttl or cmos chip.
Beyond that - test it!

Rob

**Onge** · 02-01-2009, 05:03

Originally Posted by stanwax

Andre
If you follow the tracks of the Mod input on the driver board often (but not always) TTL inputs will go through some sort of gate. This could be a 4069 hex inverter a 7408 quad AND gate or other similar ttl or cmos chip.
Beyond that - test it!

Rob

Thanks Rob,

Now that went so far over my head it is in outer space...

... not a strong point of mine electronics, in fact it's not a point at all ... hee hee.

I can use a soldering iron and assemble things if I have instrcutions etc, but could not for the life of me remember things like that, but then it's "horses for courses".

The reason I asked the question was just in case I came across someone selling a laser module and as I do not know a lot about the ins and outs of lasers I was just wondering if you could tell what sort of blanking a module had, no one wants to be ripped off.
I think when the time is right I will contact a reputable supplier, such as yourself Rob, I would rather pay a little extra and be sure of what I was getting than spend hours (days) searching the internet to try and save a few quid and then not get what you expected and have little or no way of getting what you really wanted.

Thanks everyone for your input on this subject,

Onge (André)

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