[HELP] Laser Driver IC

Hi,

I am doing a project on laser communication ... here i am using a UART for data transmission through a laser pointer (Commonly available laser torch)...
I dont know which circuit should i use to connect the UART TX pin terminal to Laser.... Can i Use laser Driver IC for this purpose (eg: MAX 3869,MAX3668 etc.)... please help....



Thank You.

3.8GBPs is the max bit rate for the 3869, if this is fast enough for you then it should be OK.
Frank

I would suggest you look at something a lot slower - I assume you are transmitting at a low data rate. You could simply add a resistor to the laser pointer to modulated the laser power directly. You need to turn down the power setting to make sure you don't overdrive the laser. The current needed to modulate the laser will be quite small - maybe only 1mA depending on the laser. The laser drive circuit in the laser pointer won't notice the modulation as it's response time will be too slow.

The other (easier) way is simply to buy a laser pointer module with a modulation input.

Keith