My green 532 Lasever 150mW is like Frankenstein...

[ElektroFreak]

Sounds like possibly you've got a failing diode. All the multimode diodes I have seen have fairly equal length stripes.. In a 150 mW module that is most likely a 1.2W to 1.5W 808nm c-mount pump diode. Based on your description of the output I don't think that it needs a FAC lens.. I tried a quick ebay search but I couldn't find any 2W 808 c-mounts without FAC, but if you were to buy a 2W replacement and underdrive it at 1.5W you should get plenty of power and a VERY long life.. Ordinarily they are easily found on ebay from several suppliers.. not sure what's going an ATM. Junktronix is a well-known supplier of high-quality c-mounts so you could look them up on ebay, but they are currently out according to my search. I'd plan on spending around $100 for 2W.

[MechEng3]

Most of them are equiped with a 1.2 watt diode and a FAC lens installed. Have a look around and be sure it is a new diode. Learn of ESD precautions prior to opening the container when you get it.{Insert advertisement for Lasorb here} Make sure the emitter strip is 150um or a tad less if you can get one. Be carefull when you perform the re-alignment......Eye protection for IR is a must here...or inderect viewing...CCTV works for me....no worries there at all. Conversion Eff. is near 20% in most cases with this type of laser. Be sure the center wavelength is 808nm +/- 3nm........some are spec'd at 808nm but will have +/- 10nm range......this will not be good at all for DPSS lasers.

[hobbybob]

As promised here are some pictures of the insides of my green , broken, Lasever 150mW:



Anyone recognize the diode ? Does it have a FAC lens ? Elektrofreak says i can use one without a FAC, MechEng3 says i need one, and i don't know how a FAC lens on a C-mount should look ? HELP ? Anyone ?

More pictures:


TEC, Diode and optics.
And the last one:

Compared to a 20 eurocent coin, incredible how small this c-mounts are....

Here's an extra picture which shows the diode better, does it have a FAC or not ?


Hope someone knows it, and also how powerfull this one is, better yet, does someone have a (cheap) diode, i could use to replace this.
If this means using a flexmod, die4drive or other usefull driver i don't mind ofcourse (if you sell those even better...)

[ElektroFreak]

^That diode definitely has FAC. You need a 1.2-2W (I recommend the 2W underdriven) 808nm c-mount diode with FAC. Here's a link to a new replacement unit on ebay.

Here's a pic of a c-mount with a FAC lens. The FAC lens is the tiny piece of fiber glued across the face of the diode.



Before removing the original diode I highly recommend scoring the heatsink that the c-mount is attached to with a permanent marker or sharp object to mark it's position. That way alignment should be a fairly straightforward proposition, and it's possible that no alignment will be necessary. Most of the time when replacing diodes, in order to get optimum output and beam quality, alignment is required.

[hobbybob]

Thanks Elektrofreak, good tip... Think i will order it, since this green was a very nice module with analogue modulation.
Does the output of this diode "fit" the small hole as shown in the first pic ?
The whole is only 1.2mm in diameter. And is there "one size" c-mount, i.e. will this fit or do i have to move the optics about ?

I was hoping i could use some of "can-type" diodes, which are much cheaper (1W for 10 dollars..?)

What do i need to drive this ? Can i use the original LPS-1 from Lasever, if so, what pot is doing what (there are four in the lasever PS). A bit dangerous to just connect it.
Or is there a better way to drive this ? Using the original supply has all the sensor stuff etc, so would be preferably ?

Lot's of questions.

[sugeek]

Thanks Elektrofreak, good tip... Think i will order it, since this green was a very nice module with analogue modulation.
Does the output of this diode "fit" the small hole as shown in the first pic ?
The whole is only 1.2mm in diameter. And is there "one size" c-mount, i.e. will this fit or do i have to move the optics about ?

I was hoping i could use some of "can-type" diodes, which are much cheaper (1W for 10 dollars..?)

What do i need to drive this ? Can i use the original LPS-1 from Lasever, if so, what pot is doing what (there are four in the lasever PS). A bit dangerous to just connect it.
Or is there a better way to drive this ? Using the original supply has all the sensor stuff etc, so would be preferably ?

Lot's of questions.

You should be able to use the same PSU, you will want to test the current before installing the new diode. I also would consider adding in a LASORB while you have it open, that extra $9 might save your new diode from premature death.

-Adam

[hobbybob]

Good tip Adam, thanks.
As i understood from reading the forum the last couple of weeks, the LASORB is just a small square box that is to protect the LD against ESD etc.
Can i just solder that outside the metal "cup" holding the c-mount between the 2 terminal wires ? As close to the casing as possible ? I mean, that C-mount only has the - terminal and screws on. And it doesn't fit in this cup (see photos).

As i understood correctly i can order that with Pangolin (Bill Brenner) but it was not yet on their site. Or does someone close to me (The Netherlands) have one for sale ?
Or does Snoctony also sells Lasorbs ?

Testing the current, do you have any tips, can i use somehow a dummyload to do that ? So i can adjust the supply to the specs of the new LD and then solder it in, how to protect this new diode during soldering against ESD ?
I mean, i cannot solder the Lasorb between the housing and the terminal, so best i could think of is grounding the soldering station to the diode housing ? Or am i mistaken ?

[sugeek]

Good tip Adam, thanks.
As i understood from reading the forum the last couple of weeks, the LASORB is just a small square box that is to protect the LD against ESD etc.
Can i just solder that outside the metal "cup" holding the c-mount between the 2 terminal wires ? As close to the casing as possible ? I mean, that C-mount only has the - terminal and screws on. And it doesn't fit in this cup (see photos).

As i understood correctly i can order that with Pangolin (Bill Brenner) but it was not yet on their site. Or does someone close to me (The Netherlands) have one for sale ?
Or does Snoctony also sells Lasorbs ?

Testing the current, do you have any tips, can i use somehow a dummyload to do that ? So i can adjust the supply to the specs of the new LD and then solder it in, how to protect this new diode during soldering against ESD ?
I mean, i cannot solder the Lasorb between the housing and the terminal, so best i could think of is grounding the soldering station to the diode housing ? Or am i mistaken ?

From what I understand directly to the terminals is the best but it can be up to 6" from the diode at maximum. I cannot remember Pangolin's European distributor's name right now but if you use the contact form on the pangolin website they will sell you one, daedal also sells them but a EU distributor would be best for you I believe. I have not personally used the lasorb but I am sure Bill and crew will get you all the information that you need regarding installation etc...

-Adam

[ElektroFreak]

Before you order the diode in my link, you should wait to hear from MechEng3 about a replacement. I didn't look as closely at the diode in my link as I should have. It is 808nm +-10nm. You really want 808nm +-3nm. I couldn't find a supplier on ebay with a quick search, but MechEng3 should definitely be able to tell you where to go to get a replacement.

The diode should be a drop-in replacement, but you may have to play with it's positioning ever so slightly to get things stable. All full-size c-mount diodes have the same basic dimensions, so you shouldn't run into too many problems with the replacement.

You'll be able to power it directly with its original supply. If you use a 2W replacement, you may have to increase the current to the diode ever so slightly to get the same output as you had before, but most likely it should just fire right up if you have everything mechanically assembled correctly.

Whatever you do DO NOT disassemble the larger of the three parts in your pic. The part with the copper band and the lens contains the crystal assembly and you don't want to mess with the alignment in there.

DPSS repair can be challenging in terms of final alignment, but it's worth it. It feels good to say "I fixed that"..

[hobbybob]

Hey Elektrofreak,

really appreciate your input, also as to hold off buying the 808 +- 10nm.
I understand not to take lens/crystal/thingy apart to not disturb the lineup of the crystal etc. But thanks again for mentioning it, i knew it was a hard to adjust part, so left it in it's original state.

Will wait for MechEng3's input where to find a replacement diode.
Only thing unclear is the FAC lens part, do i need one, FAC stands for Fast Axis collimator if i understand correctly ? Do the lenses / crystals not focus it.
In the black part which screws on the black cylinder where the diode is housed there is also a lens in there (which can be used to adjust the beam from a football sized dot, to a nice 3 to 4 mm dot at a 10m distance. But that's different than the FAC then ?
Man, i do have a lot to learn (which is only fun i think... Hoping to attend a LEM soon, to have some more understanding about collimation and so on...)