Few 462nm Builds and Sanwu X3 Beam Expander Review

Greetings for all fellow laser enthusiast from polar circle! :beer:

I thought to share Few of my laser builds / modifications & review of Sanwu X3 Beam Expander.


1.7W 462nm Warsun X60 mod
Reason for choosing Warsun X60 for a laser host was Warsun X60 has very sturdy body structure, quality of machining and it's price. Plus I personally like X60 because it has two switches and own body module for side-switch/electronics what makes wiring work much more easier. And also I like option that you can use short version (2X 16340) and 2x 26650 batteries for better stamina.

Ø 40,5mm x 30mm Heat Sink will fit perfectly to Warsun X60.

In Anti-Vandal switch I use 400 ohm resistor for 7,4V / two battery setup (2x 16430 or 2x 26650) and 1pcs 3,7V battery setup (1x 26650) 250 ohm resistor.
Wiring diagram can be found here: Switch wiring for dual button


Sanwu X3 & New heat sink design
I was little bit worry when I got Sanwu X3 Beam Expander. Expander itself is very fine machining and sturdy body material but M9 adapter was a bit too weak looking for my usage. I decided to design / do heat sink that has a little inlay for Beam Expander so the weakest part (M9 thread adapter) has more structural coverage. New Heat sink is EN AW2007 [AlCu4PbMgMn] Aluminium and weights around 250g. Design includes 48mm extension tube to bring more cover to heat sink and Beam Expander itself.



Thanks goes to:
Warsun : X60 / A10 Laser host
DTR: Laser Modules
Podo: X3 Beam Expander
Stealth Vape: Anti-Vandal switches



Warsun X60 V1.0






























GID Tail switch mod



Beam Shots:





















Warsun X60 V2.0
Sanwu X3 Beam Expander + Warsun X60 Re-Mod



































Time for test run! -Always remember to protect your seeing balls - capiche!




1.7W 462nm+Sanwu X3 vs 180mW 520nm PLP520 B1













520nm PLP520-B1 + Sanwu X3



Rifle scope Lens Cover (34mm) for Sanwu X3:











Final words:
Sanwu X3 Beam expander Focus is precise and feels very smooth. X3 is excellent improvement for your laser for such price!

Podo, thank you for such amazing BE. ( -you should use a bit stronger glue for thread adapter)


NOTE:
Warsun A10 does it s well (it's a bit more pricey but includes extension tube for 2x 26650 setup)
Or you just can buy Warsun X60 but you'll have to buy Extension tube separately.

PPS.
2016 version of X60 ismuch more cool looking than 2015 version:

ArcticDude, great pictorial of your Warsun builds, good job!
I really like the way you used the heatsink for support of the Sanwu B.E., it looks good. I also like that dual tripod holder, and that scope cover just puts the finishing touch on it.

Just curious, where are you located, your user name gives us a general idea; It's considered a good idea to put a location in your profile. :yh:

BTW - Welcome to LPF, have fun, and enjoy your stay! :beer:

:gj: and :kewlpics:, and video too!

Awesome!

BowtieGuy said:

ArcticDude, great pictorial of your Warsun builds, good job!
I really like the way you used the heatsink for support of the Sanwu B.E., it looks good. I also like that dual tripod holder, and that scope cover just puts the finishing touch on it.

Just curious, where are you located, your user name gives us a general idea; It's considered a good idea to put a location in your profile. :yh:

BTW - Welcome to LPF, have fun, and enjoy your stay! :beer:

:gj: and :kewlpics:, and video too!

Click to expand...

Agreed - nice pictures! +rep

Has his location listed as "Fennoscandia" now. May have been missing when you posted!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennoscandia

Very nice mate, yes those beam expanders look awesome need to get me some,
Nice builds, great review.

Nice builds and lots of great pics. :gj:

I also enjoy the SANWU 3X, that 3X is fantastic, I have some of them and will be buying more for future projects, the 3X has a good range of adjustment, so even if you have a wide beam with an aggressive divergence you can still focus it down, it's made to work with our MM diodes and standard lenses, the G7 works well with it.

diachi said:

Agreed - nice pictures! +rep

Has his location listed as "Fennoscandia" now. May have been missing when you posted!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennoscandia

Click to expand...

Yep, must have been recently added, thanks ArcticDude. diachi, thanks to you for the location link.

WOW!

Extraordinary lasers, awesome review, great pics!
I like that glowing side switch!

Great job! :beer:

This thread was a pleasure to look at. Great photography work and a really good job on the construction!

Superb, amazing review and it's only your first post. The adapter indeed quite fragile to use with our heavy beam expander, we will cosider to improve it in the future. +rep

RedCowboy said:

I also enjoy the SANWU 3X, that 3X is fantastic, I have some of them and will be buying more for future projects, the 3X has a good range of adjustment, so even if you have a wide beam with an aggressive divergence you can still focus it down, it's made to work with our MM diodes and standard lenses, the G7 works well with it.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Red! :thanks:
I hesitated between JetLasers X10 Beam Expander and Sanwu X3. After I saw your review / test's with Sanwu X3 it was a final nail to coffin to go after Sanwu X3.
:beer:

I really enjoyed looking at those beamshots. Nice images.

Podo said:

Superb, amazing review and it's only your first post. The adapter indeed quite fragile to use with our heavy beam expander, we will cosider to improve it in the future. +rep

Click to expand...

Thank you Podo for such a great product, I really mean it! :beer:

And as I said, a bit stronger glue would be nice.
Adapter came off from lens holder after 5 minutes. Getting adapter back to the threads wasn't easy! (trying to keep any glue flakes getting in to lens)
:crackup:

Definitely going to order more of X3 Beam Expanders for future projects, they are just piece of Art!

ArcticDude said:

Thanks, Red! :thanks:
I hesitated between JetLasers X10 Beam Expander and Sanwu X3. After I saw your review / test's with Sanwu X3 it was a final nail to coffin to go after Sanwu X3.
:beer:

Click to expand...

Yes Good choice on the 3X, because the input of the Jet 10X is small, it's really made for 532nm dpss but if you defocus a G2 you can use it but it will clip and rob power, I tested it with a defocused G2 against my 6X cyl corrected nubm44 and it's not even close because 10x the beam that's defocused to fit through the hole clips as the output is 30mm wide so anything you input over 3mm wide that's not arrow straight gets clipped, but SANWU's 3X is a burning BOSS with our MM diodes, I love it and it's half the price.

This 10x is best for 405nm, 532nm, and 650/660nm single mode diodes, the 3x was made for our multi mode diodes and it works.
The adaptors go from our M9x0.5 lenses i.e. G2, 3 element, G7 to the 3X expander and are metal, NOT hard chrome coated plastic as I had mistakenly stated before, I have re-torqued many and they hold up amazingly well, I do drill out the center hole just a little, it's super easy.






Your build was well thought out, it even braces the base of the expander, VERY NICE! You could sell these. :gj:

Mission: Summer solstice 10K

While visiting Southern Fennia with my wife I got little bit bored while others enjoyed traditional Midsummer Celebration.
I thought to put Sanwu X3 in serious test and try long distance pointing. M462 ain't probably best choice for long distance pointing, but I didn't have any other laser's with me.


Base: (middle of nowhere)
















Thoughts:
I'm really happy with Sanwu X3, -Beam size at target approx. 2,5m x 1m. I Had to pay little price for 10K test, as My neck and hands are full of mosquito bites.
- But in other hand it was entertaining to watch mosquitoes accidentally to fly 1.7W laser beam. Zap!

:lasergun:

- Getting decent/focused beam shot on 10K distance : Very Hard
- Better Teleobjective > Celestron C90 Mak Spotting Scope + DSLR Camera
- Better Tripod with micro-motion control > Celestron 93607-CGL Tripod, Heavy Duty Alt-Azimuth Tripod Mount

10K Beaming with Sanwu X3: - Mission Accomplished!


:beer:

Very impressive ArcticDude. Nearly 11km with a 2.5mx1m spot size :drool: