Product Overview
Hitachi HL6726MG Visible Red Laser Diode, 5.6 mm TO-Can with Monitor Photodiode (Unused NOS)
Condition
Unused, New Old Stock. The device is a metal TO-can with a plain grey nickel-toned body and a gold-plated header flange and leads; it measures about 5.6 mm across the flange against the PartsMine millimeter ruler, with three cutouts on the flange rim - small V-notches at top and bottom plus a larger squared keyed cut on one side - a clean glass emitter window, and three straight, bright gold leads roughly as long again as the can body. A short factory code is stamped on the header face between the lead seals; it is small and not fully legible in the photos, and the HL6726MG part number is not marked on the can itself. The gold rim carries light shelf patina consistent with long storage, with no bent leads, no corrosion, and no damage to the window. It comes in the original Hitachi foil pouch with the orange-bordered safety sleeve: the front reads DANGER, INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION - AVOID DIRECT EXPOSURE TO BEAM, CLASS IIIb LASER PRODUCT, and notes conformance to FDA regulations 21 CFR Subchapter J. The reverse carries Hitachi's laser safety text, a beam direction diagram showing the beam leaving the window opposite the leads, and the Hitachi, Ltd. Electronic Devices Group address in Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
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Product Overview
The HL6726MG is a Hitachi single-mode, index-guided red laser diode originally developed for optical disk pickups and precision optoelectronic assemblies. Nominal emission is 670-685 nm in the deep-red band, with rated optical output around 30 mW continuous wave. It is housed in a standard metal TO-can with a glass window and an integrated monitor photodiode for closed-loop output control. The reference pin diagram in the listing photos shows the laser diode and the monitor photodiode sharing a common center terminal, with the laser cathode and the photodiode anode tied together; it is a diagram we drew for reference and is not a document included with the part. Operated near rated output the device falls within Class IIIb and needs a constant-current or APC driver, solid heat sinking, and appropriate laser safety controls. This is a bare diode, not a module: no lens, driver, collimator, or housing is included.
Key Features
- Hitachi HL6726MG visible red laser diode, single-mode index-guided structure
- Nominal emission wavelength: 670-685 nm
- Rated optical output: around 30 mW continuous wave
- Package: metal TO-can, about 5.6 mm across the flange against the ruler
- Glass emitter window; flange rim has three cutouts - V-notches top and bottom plus a squared keyed cut
- Integrated monitor photodiode for feedback control
- Three gold-plated leads; laser diode and photodiode share a common terminal
- Class IIIb laser device when operated near rated output
- Designed for constant-current or APC drive circuits
- Supplied in the original Hitachi foil pouch with the factory laser safety sleeve
Applications
- Optical drive restorer rebuilding a pickup head in legacy CD or optical disk hardware
- Photonics engineer breadboarding a deep-red source with APC drive and bench interlocks
- Instrument technician replacing the emitter in an aging barcode or optical scanning subsystem
- Laser experimenter with proper eyewear building a driver and collimation test fixture around a TO-can diode
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a complete laser module?
No. It is a bare laser diode. You supply the driver, the optics, the mount, and the thermal path. No lens, collimator, or housing is included.
Does it include a monitor photodiode, and how is it wired?
Yes. The reference pin diagram in the listing photos, drawn by us and not included with the part, shows the laser diode cathode and the monitor photodiode anode tied to a common center terminal, with the laser anode and the photodiode cathode on the outer two pins. Confirm the physical pin orientation against the HL6726MG datasheet before you apply power.
The safety sleeve says 50 mW peak and 620-1600 nm. Which numbers apply to this diode?
Those figures are on Hitachi's general laser diode warning sleeve, which covers a wide span of their laser diode line rather than one model. The figures stated for the HL6726MG are 670-685 nm and around 30 mW continuous wave. No test result is published for this individual unit, so treat it as untested and verify wavelength, output, and drive current against the HL6726MG datasheet before designing around it.
What laser safety class applies?
When operated near rated output this is a Class IIIb device. Use rated eyewear for the deep-red band, a beam stop, and a controlled work area. The factory sleeve on this part carries the same Class IIIb warning.
Why buy one or two of these instead of a bulk lot on eBay or Amazon?
Because most people need one working diode, not ten. PartsMine sells the exact quantity you want, a single HL6726MG for a pickup-head repair or a pair for a prototype and a spare, instead of forcing a lot of 10 or 50. Shipping is $8 flat rate and free over $28, so a small order usually lands well under the cost of a forced-quantity lot. Same or next business day shipping from Idaho.
Hitachi's Electronic Devices Group built this one to live at the business end of an optical pickup, tracking data pits with about five and a half millimeters of grey can and gold flange. It is still tucked in its Tokyo safety sleeve - put a proper driver behind it and decide what it gets to read next.
