Laser Driver - LED2001

Recently, I have made a new driver for portable (or stationary) laser diode modules. It is based on the LED2001 chip made by ST and it delivers up to 4A of current. You may run it either from a battery pack or from an adapter with a maximum voltage of 18V.

The practical implications of the technical data outlined above are that many of the high-power diodes available on the market can be driven by this board. As voltage source, one may use, for example, two to four 18650 or comparable Li-Ion batteries.

Initial tests show that the driver performs pretty well. At about 3A constant current, it gets moderately hot while powering a NUBM06 Nichia laser diode. The driver size permits the delivery of 4A for brief intervals of time but one should not expect this current to be sustained for longer periods of time.

The schematic of the driver is shown below:

BOM: Laser Driver BOM

The driver is designed for hand soldering. If you wish to know more about it, please drop me a note using the about page.