Controlling laser with microcontroller

[mikehoch]

Hi everyone,

I'm kind of a newbie to electronics but I love programming with microcontrollers. I am doing a school project in which we will be controlling 3 lasers simultaneously. We really only need to turn them on and off, but weight is limited, so I wanted to find some lasers that can be controlled by an external power supply rather than batteries. I found some lasers on digikey (see attachment) that have the APC driver circuit integrated into the system, and they are controlled by two leads. My question is pretty basic, do I just need to apply voltage to the two leads to turn the laser on, or is there more to it then that? Also, the attached sheet mentions that the laser class is dependent on the output power. Am I able to control the intensity of the beam or is this dependent on the model of laser that I buy? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[crutschow]

You just apply the proper voltage (capable of supplying the required current) and polarity, and the diode will turn on.

The intensity should be fairly independent of supply voltage. The APC (Automatic Power Circuit) requlates the output power. The power would mainly depend upon the model you buy. The data sheet just mentions the power levels so you will know into which class the laser falls which is IIIa for this laser.

CAUTION: Class IIIA laser light is very bright and can be hazardous to the eye. Make sure you never look directly at the beam. Be cautious of reflective surfaces. See Laser Safety Fact Sheet.

 

[mikehoch]

Thanks for the help, Carl. That's kinda what I was thinking. The lasers will be mounted inside a containment box that has 2 tinted viewing windows so we should be pretty safe.