You could take an aluminium block instead and place the clindrical module in a whole big enough for it to fit:
The aixiz modules only cost around $4. At dealextreme there are 5mw red lasers in exactly the same type of cylindrical housing for $4.30, shipment included: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5914
In these modules the LDs are press fit and they are seated very tightly. Maybe this kind of fixation of the LD would be doable with an aluminium block in DIY fashion.
I saw the type of fixing from the backside of the LD somewhere but i can't recall where it was. At that site there were small metal blocks for $5-20 even with collimating optics.
Joe Farina wrote:Regarding laser diodes, there was always one thing I wanted but never able to find: a simple (and cheap) metal mount with a lot of mass. I'm thinking in terms of a large block of aluminum, say 1 X 3 X 3 inches or bigger, with a hole for the diode. The hole needs an internal ridge so the rim of the diode can press against it (with a layer of thermal grease).
a while back when i was playing around w/raw LD i set mine in to a metal heat sink with a hole to not allow the back diameter to slip into and then placed a washer with the inside diameter filed larger to slip over front of diode, now file two opposing notches on edge of washer to accept two machine screws and every thing gets greased and installed from the front of the heat sink..
Joe Farina wrote:Regarding laser diodes, there was always one thing I wanted but never able to find: a simple (and cheap) metal mount with a lot of mass. I'm thinking in terms of a large block of aluminum, say 1 X 3 X 3 inches or bigger, with a hole for the diode. The hole needs an internal ridge so the rim of the diode can press against it (with a layer of thermal grease).
a while back when i was playing around w/raw LD i set mine in to a metal heat sink with a hole to not allow the back diameter to slip into and then placed a washer with the inside diameter filed larger to slip over front of diode, now file two opposing notches on edge of washer to accept two machine screws and every thing gets greased and installed from the front of the heat sink..
ive got an old jpg. here somewhere ........
Dave, that's a good way of doing it. I'll try that. If you find the .jpg, that would be very helpful.
Dave, it is a diode not a car battery! Actually I killed my first diode the same way. Now I use wire wrap wire to connect to the diode. Also, I have found it is good to keep the wires as short as posible or to shield them.
Colin Kaminski wrote:Dave, it is a diode not a car battery! Actually I killed my first diode the same way. Now I use wire wrap wire to connect to the diode. Also, I have found it is good to keep the wires as short as posible or to shield them.
Yeah Dave I agree with Colin
Wire wrap is the way to go, using one of those little wire-wrap tools. I also agree about the possibility of long wires acting like antennas, picking up noise. About 10 years ago, when I built a TE cooled system for a diode, the fringes turned out to be less stable when I turned the darn thing on, even though I used Thorlabs electronics and did a careful job in designing and building the system. I suspect that part of the problem was noise coming from somewhere. If I had to do it again, I would be very careful about shielding wires,etc.
I did a lousy job of posting that last graph, it was too big. Here it is again.
One thing worthy of note is that Shankoff was using a really huge amount of dichromate in the layer (I think) as opposed to Ahmet's tiny half-of-one percent. It would be interesting to see a new curve based on this low concentration.
Joe, did u use an NTC as temperature sensor? If so, noise certainly becomes a problem if it is connected to an external TE controller without shielding because the signals are so week. I don't know how much it matters if you connect the LD to a distant constant current driver with unshielded cable. I have not noticed anything negative so far.
Wires surely act as antennas and with all the RF emitting equipment that's present almost everywhere it could become problematic, especially if you were using an LD's built in photo diode as feedback element, because then weak signals would have to travel without shielding between LD and the controller.
Colin, wire wrap has the additional advantage that the LD does not get heated up while soldering, althought that's not a big problem if done fast.
Actually I killed my first diode the same way. Now I use wire wrap wire to connect to the diode. Also, I have found it is good to keep the wires as short as posible or to shield them.