Introduction
Laser is not a thing that needs a specific introduction. It has a vast use in various industries. If you are a student or do document-related work, you might see lasers in printers; if you have medical knowledge, you know about laser treatment; if you work in an industry, you may observe laser cutting. Thus, laser technology has vast use. However, the laser needs a driver circuit. So, in this tutorial, we are going to make a “LASER diode driver circuit”
The above-mentioned examples of lasers use high power. For example, a laser printer consumes 300-550W of power. However, this tutorial is about low-power lasers which are not harmful. Do you remember, as a child, we used to play with lasers? A laser in a keychain which we used to tease others, a laser in a toy gun, a laser pen to which we played in schools, etc. That small gadgets use a laser diode of 5mW which is not harmful. So, today we will make a driver circuit for that 5mW laser diode.
Hardware Components
The following components are required to make LASER Diode Driver Circuit
| S.no | Component | Value | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Laser Diode | 650nm, 5mW | 1 |
| 2. | Voltage Regulator IC | LM317 | 1 |
| 3. | Diode | 1N4007 | 1 |
| 4. | Potentiometer | 10KΩ | 1 |
| 5. | Breadboard | – | 1 |
| 6. | Ceramic Capacitor | 0.1uF | 1 |
| 7. | Electrolyte Capacitor | 1uF/16V | 1 |
| 8. | Resistor | 240Ω | 1 |
| 9. | Battery | 9V | 1 |
| 10. | 2-Pin Connector | – | 2 |
LM317 Pinout
For a detailed description of pinout, dimension features, and specifications download the datasheet of LM317
LASER Diode Driver Circuit
Working Explanation
The filter capacitor C1 0.1uF is the first component in this LASER diode driver circuit, and it can filter high-frequency ripples in the DC supply. The variable resistor VR1 biases the adjustable voltage regulator IC LM317 with the ground. The R1 resistor linked the output terminal of the potentiometer to the output pin of the IC LM317. We may vary the output voltage of the regulator IC by adjusting the potentiometer wired in the circuit. The capacitor C2 balances the output voltage to the laser diode, while D1 prevents reverse polarity bias.
Application and Uses
- In medical applications.
- In industrial applications.
- Also, in some military applications.
- Laser pens.
- toy guns, etc
