Re: Leadlight Driverboard Schematics *Thanks to CH
No corrections yet?
If the schematic is correct, then the reference diode (Dref) creates a reference voltage for the pot and two fixed resistors. The resistors "bound" the voltage the pot can see at its wiper which becomes the reference voltage. The circuit is a feedback current regulator. The current that flows through the LD goes through the 0.5 ohm resistor and develops a voltage across it (V=0.5 x Ild). This voltage gets fed through the lower op amp whose gain is 6 (1+ 10k/2k). So, the voltage at the output of the lower op amp is 3 x Ild. The feedback voltage gets compared to the refernce voltage (from the pot) and output of the upper op amp regulates the bias current into the transistor (Q) to make 3 x Ild = Vref (pin 3). This is the closed loop regulator action.
When you short the wiper to the + voltage (i.e., +3 volts or laser diode case) you are forcing the upper op amp to command the transistor (Q) fully on. The current through the LD depends on the current gain of the transistor (Q), the transistor's on-state voltage (Vce), the LD on-state voltage, the voltage drop across the 0.5 ohm resistor, the supply voltage (battery voltage), and the battery internal impedance, etc. When you do this mod the current through the LD is no longer regulated and will vary based on the battery voltage.
One way to run at higher currents and not see a current drop off, you have to increase battery voltage and perhaps change the 2k resistor in the lower op amp circuit to ~4k. (There are other ways too.) This will reduce the gain from 6 to 3.5 which will let you regulate higher LD current. I don't know about the power ratings of the components in this case.