B&W Tek BWB-10-OEM - 473nm 10mW

Ah, well then! At this point I would assume it is not the OC but just a lens, maybe collimation, maybe corrective.

I'm still trying to find a good lens to mount on the external aperture of my head to correct the divergence. I have a 30mm diameter 28cm focal length plano-convex lens that I use as an external correction lens right now, but it needs to be placed about 24cm from the aperture for optimal results. I tried a standard 3 element glass lens but couldn't find a suitable distance to mount it at. Unfortunately I know almost nothing about lenses/optics. I assume I need to find a lens who's focal length is equal to the distance the aperture is from the OC, but that's just an unfounded hunch of mine based on the fact that the lens I use now operates best at about it's focal length away from the nonlinear assembly.

Ok, I see. So I am stuck with the 946, I was really hopeing I could move the color around a little. I guess I was wrong. So now, do you know what power the actual diode is? I want to bump up just a little from what it is at the moment, I saw the c-mounts at .5 up to 4w for not a bad price.

These 473nm modules are diode pumped solid state frequency doubled lasers. That means the pump laser diode of 808nm pumps a Nd doped crystals that lases in this case at 946nm which is then frequency doubled with the cavity. It's not just simply the pump wavelength halved.

Cheap green DPSSFD lasers use a hybrid crystal set where the laser crystal and nonlinear crystal are bonded together and the coatings are applied on the crystal.
For higher quality lasers and higher powers it is common that the HR is coated on the laser crystal, the nonlinear crystal is AR coated and separately cooled and the OC is a separate mirror. The 473nm modules are probably similar although I haven't checked this, but considering they are end pumped this would be the logical configuration except that maybe the HR is a separate mirror too.

Just bought one of the 473 fiber coupled units on ebay to fiddle with - postage is a bit steep, at almost the cost of the laser, but I figured $100 for 15mw+ of 473, and actually being able to experience this wavelength would be worth it. Besides, I can add it to my collection of labbies.

edit: errk devils number of posts LOL 666

I figured I would upload some beamshots of mine to the thread:

NO fog at all, just ambient air particulants, regular exposure with my camera set to "fireworks"







Here you can see how much my 25mW labby lights up my room when reflecting off a matte aluminum surface

While playing around with 1 of mine today, I found that the pot closest to where the laser head plugs into the board adjusts the time from switch on to when the laser comes on. I turned it out a couple turns and the laser came on with the switch, turned it back in and it takes a few seconds after turning it on before the laser actually lights. A little bored today, I also took the last lens loose and the crystal to move things because my dot is hitting the inside of the case before exits the housing. I have moved around but it does not fix the dot on the wall, it still has a second light dot.

Nice find on the potentiometer! These guys are a pain to realign, hope you've got IR protection!

Just cleared off my workbench (read chucked away a lot of offcuts etc) in preperation for mine to arrive so I can play. Moved the half built laser projector and a bloody big spider crawled out. He must feed on photons, and got confused as this projector emits none (no laser yet!)

I need to buy some IR goggles as I'm thinking of realigning mine too - Only got goggles that go up to 532nm.

I might even plug up my DT40W's and shine the beam on them and take some pics

Just be careful you don't touch the heatsink on the fet of the AC to DC psu while you're grounded, it's live with 60VAC. I found out the hard way.

Ouchy!

I got bitten by the MOSFETS in my ZVS capacitor charger. They too swing wildly from 0v-60v while the unit is in charging mode. I put insulators on the heatsinks (the little silicon pads) and it doesnt bite me anymore

edit: my package with the flouroscin probed 473 B&W is still saying "electronic info recieved". That was recieved by usps 5 days ago. I hope the dude actually gets off his bum and posts my laser. I'd like it this year. Funny thing is, it looks like I'll probably get my argon from daguin before I get the 473, and daguin hasnt even sent it yet, coz I'm still paying it off

Give him another 5 days then I'll hassle him on ebay (the 473 dude, not daguin!)

Mine arrived today - without the lens in front the spot is the size of a tennis ball.

A quick and dirty setup with one of the lens assemblies out of the fiber probe thing that came with the laser:



edit: Removing the fibre connector from the end of the laser results in a much more respectable 8-10mm spot. Theres a lens inside the fibre connector that expands the beam to the previous tennis ball size. I should now be able to fix the divergance with some lenses. The spot right near the head is nice and small (and insanely bright for 10 ish mw!).

I think I just found my new favourite line

Just LPM'd my BW Tek laser from Styro...

What power to you get with the pickoff lens removed?

^It has already been removed.

I'm glad to see that labby is doing so well! That is the second most powerful of the BW units to go through my hands, with the most powerful one not much stronger.

It looks like it's on in the picture?
But at 39mw it must be disconnected some how?

Aye, Styro. Thanks again for the awesome deal on it!

These labbys just need some attention and TLC, I don't know why they aren't more popular.

N2stuff; there's no lens in the aperture ring, just an AR glass window at brewster's angle. Behind that is an IR filter and behind that is the MCA.

So their is no red and black wires going to the feed back diode in the ring?