Hi, am trying to make a laser driver for a laser cutter attachment for a 3d printer.

The laser is not getting enough power to etch and isn't drawing the amount of current I would expect. Performance issues, relatable.

Here's my circuit:

https://preview.redd.it/ukrd1obp8pad1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=20b0b2a0fdc3a6b985b79e4c4d04775aa9461dec

I've seen adj and out swapped in different designs and have tried it both ways (the circuit, I should add, nothing else) and both have worked about the same.

The voltage regulator wasn't in the driver circuit I based this off (it was the same thing, but with a 7V input, resistor adjusted for that, and no voltage reg), perhaps that's the problem, but I wasn't getting anywhere near enough power from a 5V or 8V supply.

I'm putting in 15V with a 2A capable supply. Its drawing about 1.1A at most, but the laser quickly weakens (I've added some heatsinks to my chip and the diode but it hasn't helped).

The diode is an M140 which claims a max output power of 1W, takes 3-5V, and a max current of 1.8A.

Can anyone help me? I'll be very grateful