Review of a Blu-ray Laser Module

[allthatwhichis]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!! You kill'd it... It was bound to happen to one of your lasers huh? Sux it was the purdiest...

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Yes, I really killed it.
After attempting the prescribed fix a short time ago this morning, no violet laser radiation at all was emitted.
I even tried a known-functional AAA cell, and still no joy. :shakehead

Well, at least I still have the Sonar, which I'll handle even more gingerly now than I did before this cute and loveable little laser kicked the bucket. :candle:

 

[Heruursciences]

It sounds like the banging got a bit overzealous and a solder joint got broke inside. Anyway i'll see if i can salvage the emitter assembly and repair it for you.

The lenses in the lasers are held in position by a spring, and this is why the lens pen pushed it in. The lenses are made of plastic and should be cleaned only with windex and a q-tip VERY gently. I have yet to find a suitable glue to fix the lens in the barrel, superglue and silicone fumes fog the lens, and epoxy wicks on the lens. If anyone knows where to get INEXPENSIVE coated glass aspherics small emough for these devices let me know!

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Ok, I just procured another PS3 optics deck and had it sent directly to you for the construction of a replacement "lazer". :thumbsup:

 

[allthatwhichis]

Ok, I just procured another PS3 optics deck and had it sent directly to you for the construction of a replacement "lazer". :thumbsup:

I got to get me a web site with a "banner" like yours...

 

[Daedal]

HAHAHAHA... yaa... me too...

--DDL

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I only have this kind of money twice a year - in late-spring and in early-summer; the rest of the time I'm as poor as the proverbial church mouse. :green:

 

[Heruursciences]

I got your diode in, repalacement purple beamer is on it's way to you. It has a few upgrades to the drive circuit etc to improve reliability. You should get it on monday or tuesday. BTW I never did get the old one back for the autopsy/possible repair.

Also if anyone's interested i'm going to be listing a whole lot of these guys on ebay as well as BIN/BO listing.

Thanks, Chris

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Thank you very much Chris!!! :twothumbs

I haven't yet sent the dead one back because I don't yet have an appropriate container - a 12" by 15" by 22" box would be some serious overkill and would cost a lot more to send too.
But I do actually have it sitting right here {looks at it}, so at least it hasn't become lost or misplaced.

BTW did you receive the PS3 optics deck yet?
I'd like to know so I can leave feedback on Ebay for it.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

The replacement came just a short time ago today, thank you!!! :thumbsup: :thanks: :twothumbs :thanks: :thumbsup:

 

[Heruursciences]

Yes the replacement deck arrived a few days ago, and the laser built it that night.

Your original laser was the third unit ever built, since then i have standardized the procedure to build these. The upgrades are as follows:

1) High Q 0.1uF ceramic capacitor.

2) high precision Metal film bias resistors.

3) The use of high grade indium tin gold alloy solder for the laser diode connections, (the first 5 had indium tin bismeuth solder, and this is what probably failed when it was banged)

4) The mating surface of the elctronics support, switch mechanism, and + junction are solder filled and flush ground for reliable electrical connectivity

5) Slow setting epoxy is used to pot the upper electronics assembly to minimize air bubbles and allow for optimal adjustment of collimation.

6) Diodes are burned in for 36 hours to ensure they are OK Then the assembled modules are run for 24 hours to ensure reliable operation, then run for 3 hours more while the epoxy sets

Just pack the dead one in a bubble mailer and send it off, since that's usually the way they're shipped.

Also, the retail price has been dropped quite a bit, the BIN price is now $350.00, NOT 808.00 and i will be listing several of them on ebay in BIN/BO format for either the complete module or a 5-6v hardwired adjustable focus module for perminent installation.

FWIW, I've gotten emails from people using these from everything from rapid prototyping machines, to gene scanners, to gem testers and scanning conofocal microscopes!

Also, I am now 100% sure the optical platform assemblies the diodes come from are seconds or rejects that failed initial testing, ~As if the horrid packing wasen't enough of a clue!~ only 4 out of 25 worked as intended when i installed it in a PS3 game console! Of the dead ones 2 wouldn't read blue-ray disks (1 had a totally fried VLD, the other had a terrible beam mode structure), and ther rest wouldn't read ANY disk not even music CD's! I have a hunch the problem is the miniture auto focus servo controller unit, or the lcd thingie.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Hi Chris,

I changed the price from $808.00 to $350.00 both here and on my website, thank you for that. :thumbsup:

I'm kind of surprised that the replacement PS3 optics decks aren't up to snuff and are failing that miserably...it's a wonder the man is still allowed to sell them on Ebay. :shakehead

 

[Heruursciences]

It may be the feedback system, or people have not installed them, but left FB or, he sends a known good ones on the first order or two, then sends typical ones later OR perhaps it's because the majority are being ripped apart for the purple laser diode irrespective of the original use!

:thinking:

 

[The_LED_Museum]

The defective laser will go out tomorrow morning (07-23-07)...I used the same "bubblelope" you sent my new one in; all information on the front of the envelope has been concealed so there's no chance of misdirection during transit. :thumbsup:

 

[Heruursciences]

The laser arrived today I found out the cause of failure after de-potting the laser.

First some of the fibers of the sima lens pen, got wedged between the brass housing and the front end of the lens.

In the future the way to remedy the problem of a stuck in lens, is to gently press the lens further inward with a soft plastic tube (such as the ink core from a pen) and give the assembly a blast of compressd air. If the lens gets dusty, use clean compressed air to blow the dust off, If dirty then use a q-tip soaked in windex to clean it.

Anyway, a big air pocket under the diode allowed the epoxy seal to break loose when the unit was banged trying to fix the lens causing the collimation assembly to be shoved backwards into the head. Unfortunately the VLD connection hit the bis resistor in the lower unit just right to push the VLD pin in with enough force to break the glass to metal seal on the laser diode can and destroy the laser by causing it's wirebond to break loose. This really sounds like a case of murhy's law!

FWIW these problems have been remedied by design changes including better alignment of the module, using hair fine wire to attach the VLD V+ lead then using slow setting epoxy to pot the module.

In normal circumstances, the diode emitters can be depotted non destructively using a dremel tool and a 1/8 inch rotary file cutter.

BTW, how hard was it banged?!!

 

[The_LED_Museum]

BTW, how hard was it banged?!!

Thank you very much for performing the necropsy/post-mortem, even though the cause of death was destruction of the Blu-ray laser diode itself. :green:

I don't have an accurate reading of how hard it was banged (I do not have an instrument for measuring striking G-forces); but I think I can give an approximation...the laser was struck with a force high enough to destroy an unshielded glass thermometer; but one with a plastic backing might survive. Another analogy might be that a glass magnifying lens with a plastic bezel might have survived being struck as hard as this laser was. So it was struck rather briskly; but not terribly hard.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

BTTT (Bash Tongue Tongue Tongue {OUCH!!!})
Beam waisting (the narrowest part of the beam) occurs near 18 feet.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

BTTT (Bash Trumpet Trumpet Trumpet {O NOOO!!!!! Now I'm beating the living tweedle out of a poor defenseless musical instrument AGAIN!! And that trumpet player had such great embouchure (pronounced as though it were spelled "ombusher") too!!! })
Performed spectroscopy of the fluorescence of a piece of green acrylic when irradiated with this laser.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

BTTT: Performed spectroscopy of fluourescence of the outer casing of the AB Moonbeams Nightlight when irradiated with this laser.