KTP, good job on getting the board up and running... I wish I knew where you were getting a hold of these lasers (PM would be great... don't want EVERYONE bum-rushing the marketplace and leaving me high and dry ), as I would love to get my hands on a fairly powerful RF-based one. I think 60W would qualify, and I don't think I would have any problems fixing it.
When it comes to soldering to thick board, consider heating the entire board in the oven at the lowest setting first. Let the board sit in for 10-15 minutes to get up to temp. This won't hurt the components, but it will bring the mass of copper up to a reasonable temp, allowing for a much shorter solder time on the large tabs.
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