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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

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

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Nope, the PD (photodiode) feedback regulation was removed by Styro before I bought it (he did great work refurbing these heads, btw).
 





vk2fro

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So in otherwords that one just ramps up the power due to the missing PD?

I'm gonna undo all the screws on my PD (I dont have a power meter) and see how much brighter it gets :D

But I'll leave the PD in place once I've tested it without it - too nice a laser to shorten the lifespan on. Got some lenses on the way from ebay to play with and see if I cant collimate that beam a little more.

edit: I turned mine on just now and it appears its a parts unit now. No lasing emission at all. Checking with a video camera show no IR emission, and theres definatly no blue light. The two red leds and the green led light up so I fear something in the head has died. I did wait 30 odd seconds, which is about 6 times longer than the usual delay before it turns on.

:(

However I did originally buy it with the intention to show my friend the wavelength as he wants a blue (not 445 deep blue) projector, and I was going to recycle it into a blue 445 head for my projector.

edit2: ok with the top off (and looking through the video camera) the laser appears to be out of alignment. Procedure was to cover one eye, use the video camera with the other, turn on the laser, wait for emission delay, verify pump diode is operational, switch off, and remove the video camera and eyepatch.

So I'll get some IR goggles later on and see if I cant fix it up :)

So pleased I have an old video camera that can SEE IR :)
 
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i just received a second one of these that came with the photo diode still attached. i left the sensor in the front and just clipped the wires.
i've noticed no increase in power.
if i short the wires the laser goes out. is there something else i must do to deactivate the sensor?
 
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Aug 15, 2009
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If removing the sensor doesn't increase the power then the head is probably already at it's maximum.

The photodiode is probably reversed biased. The circuit could be from the + voltage the photodiode in series with a resistor to the ground. The voltage across the resistor is proportional to the current generated by the photodiode which is proportional to the light intensity. A short would give the full voltage over the resistor, as if the photodiode would generate a high current from a high optical power.
 
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Oct 13, 2011
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Got mine today. Don't have an lpm but it's a lot more than 10 MW looking looking at the spot strains your eyes and it's not small either. Hopefully I can find an enclosure to mount PS and the controller. But overall a good $75 investment.
 
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Got mine today. Don't have an lpm but it's a lot more than 10 MW looking looking at the spot strains your eyes and it's not small either. Hopefully I can find an enclosure to mount PS and the controller. But overall a good $75 investment.


def enclose the PS mine bite me pretty good- it gets hot in the open so enclosed w/o a fan (the Kasio fans are +++)or two may not be good. And yeah, 10mW of 473 is not dim. In dark with movie screen- two make some very nice lumia. I have not tried to mod or change either one- (#1 75$...#2 40$)
:)
 
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def enclose the PS mine bite me pretty good- it gets hot in the open so enclosed w/o a fan (the Kasio fans are +++)or two may not be good. And yeah, 10mW of 473 is not dim. In dark with movie screen- two make some very nice lumia. I have not tried to mod or change either one- (#1 75$...#2 40$)
:)

Here's my favorite PS mount. No fans needed, just gotta make sure I don't spill anything on it. Needs to be 3" by 5" though 98mm is too small.

nes-15.jpg
 
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^^^ just the way that one is made tells you how hot these can get- & yeah-- spilling any liquid on this is not good.

Some lab PS's have this same housing but its inside a larger enclosure that has a fan at one end,...thats how mine will be. I will add a filter to the fan(s) to keep out as much dust as possible. The 12V .5A Ka5io fans move a lot of air and the noise IMO is acceptable. They are cheap and easy to find(DTR) My fan(s) will have thier own power source and switch.
 
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Hello everyone I have a few questions …this is my second project with a laser. Yes the questions may be silly :)

I am upgrading a lumalaser burst which has a 25 watt green laser in it currently . Can I use B&W Tek BWB-10-OEM - 473nm is this safe for a light show yes I’m new to the 473 and I heard it is awesome .also will it be bright or should I go with a 445 - 450 200mw what would you guys recommend.

Also what was the B&W Tek BWB-10-OEM - 473nm originally use for .supposedly in some medical machine ??
 
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I wouldn't recomment the B&W heads due to the fact that the divergence is pretty high. They have custom optics instead of the usual low-divergence collimation found on most CNI lasers. Also, I don't know if your lumilaser requires modulation (blanking) of the laser, but if so the B&W heads don't have that capability that I'm aware of.
 

JLSE

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^^ Actually, they have no optics.. Its a raw output from the OC mirror. To get
a beam you have to add an expander and collimator.

As to the driver, if there is a way, im sure it would be complicated. An appropriate
analogue driver could be wired in to the 808, but the 2 TEC's would still have to be driven within
spec, if not with the original driver. That would make for one bulky setup for the few mW
you would get in turn.

I would recommend these heads, but more for the advanced user. They are better as a project
and to learn than they would be for any practical use in a projector :beer:
 

vk2fro

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Not to mention the size of the head is massive. And the power supply aint much smaller. I've seen more compact 473's doing 100mw on ebay by a reputable seller for around $400 (AUD). This would be a much better solution than trying to hack a 473 B&W tek. Also with your lumilaser Burst, I assume you meant the laser inside is 25 milliwatts, as 25watts? Is that thing packing a turned down laserscope? :)

Remember blue is less bright to the eyes than green, so with 473 you'll need around 1.5x your green power to get the same brightness (and 2-2.5x if using 445nm)
 
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Not to mention the size of the head is massive. And the power supply aint much smaller. I've seen more compact 473's doing 100mw on ebay by a reputable seller for around $400 (AUD). This would be a much better solution than trying to hack a 473 B&W tek. Also with your lumilaser Burst, I assume you meant the laser inside is 25 milliwatts, as 25watts? Is that thing packing a turned down laserscope? :)

Remember blue is less bright to the eyes than green, so with 473 you'll need around 1.5x your green power to get the same brightness (and 2-2.5x if using 445nm)


Thank you ...all this information is really helpful and yes it’s a 25mw not watt LOL:yh: still doing research looks like a may be going with a 445 600mw hope this is good or at least better then my 25mw .still learning and I would love to have the 473 but way too much money for now..thanks again to all
 

Things

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Picked up a non-functioning one, it arrived today.

The semi reflective optic in the pickup assembly was cracked right thru the the middle, putting a big line through the beam. I used the pickup assembly and connected it to my DMM, and tried to tune it up a little bit.

It makes electrical tape smoke right at the aperture :D

Dot is a bit messy, so trying to clean up the IR filter a bit and see if that helps. Then will tackle the divergence.

Well worth it for the $81 ish I paid shipped :D
 

Things

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Just pulled the entire front lens assembly off a green and stuck it right on the front, and it works pretty damn well. I need to put it on a lathe and cut a bit off the wide section, so that I can fit the front plate over it again to hold it in place.

DSCF5110.jpg


At aperture:

DSCF5104.jpg


At about 15.4 metres:

DSCF5105.jpg


As the writing on the sticker says, it's running at some weird mode, but it's not visible in the beam anyway. Will get some beamshots later :)

EDIT: The weird looking dot may also be internal reflections in my lens. Once I get my M9x0.5 tap I should be able to get it to a nice dot, if it's not actually running in a weird mode.

Cool little modules! First time I've seen 473, and it's pretty :)

Calculated divergence is about 0.7mRad. Going to try tapping the front plate for an aixiz lens.
Dan
 
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