How to Make a Laser Diode Driver That Enables You to Burn Paper

A cheap laser diode is the first thing you need to make your very own high powered laser capable of burning paper.1000s of laser diodes  have died due to the lack of proper drivers A laser diode is current hungry, it will take all it can get.
i  would advice you to wear safety glasses and not fool around while doing this project  have fun and be carefull

what we are going to  make today is something called as the LM317 constant current driver

so lets make one

Step 1: Materials

what we are going to need is 
1 laser diode (you could hack it out of a dvd drive) x1
2 10uf 16v capacitor or 10uf 63v capacitor x1
3 1n4007 diode x1
4 10 ohm resistors x2
5 100 ohm variable resistor x1
6 lm 317 voltage regulator x1
7 veroboard x1
8 soildering iron 
9 solder
10 heat sink
11 switch
all done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Step 2: What Actually Happens Inside the Circuit?

Laser diode (mine is red you could buy any color it hardly matters)
10 microfarad 16v capacitor (protects Laser Diode  from immediate  power supply especially when switching on/off)
1N4007 rectifier diode (protects Laser Diode  if batteries are inserted the wrong way )
2 X 10ohm resistors in parallel ( sets the maximum voltage and current the Laser Diode will get)
100ohm variable resistor (allows fine adjustment of output current )



IMPORTANT! the switch MUST be placed between the battery and the driver, NEVER between the driver and the laser diode! doing so is as good as not making one of these

Step 3: Solder It Up

solder all the connections properly and always test your driver using a bulb before using your diode any wrong connections would kill it 
also  always short your capacitors

have fun and do not point it on naked eyes