What is going on?

paul1598419 said:

Ivan is a great member here. I have worked with him before and you couldn't find a nicer guy anywhere on the planet. My ONLY problem was trying to ship to Russia. It was an enormous PITA. + rep

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Ivansuper said:

Please, stop flattering me :yh:
Well, I will not get back my offer so please decide who would be the one I will be sending it to since you both don't mind it. Feel free to PM me once you are ready.

PS I forgot to mention that a long time ago a have had some troubles with GLP-594 from laserglow. The first one was hopping with power around 0.1mW, the second one (after returning the first GLP back to laserglow) has power level around 1mW when it is supposed to be 5mW.
What I want to say -- don't play with buying GLPs unless they are using diodes as a lasing source, this is a big lottery.
If you have some money, consider buying PGL-III-C solution instead.
Yes, it is bigger, but those are far more stable and even more easy to align than spartans.

Ivan.

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Hap said:

I did another final test, and actually, it looks like my 473 really enjoys the cold better then warm. Isn't this unique for DPSSL's? I read of Zraffle's 561 that also liked the cold as well.

When running it for any longer then 30 seconds it appears to drop in power to around 2mW's. If starting it up from a cold host, I can usually get around 4mW-5mW's.

Any thoughts? Should I return it for another one, or is this normal? I'm worried about the time in suddenly dropped in power one night when taking pictures.

-Alex

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Rivem said:

The SS part of the DPSS laser shouldn't like being cool, and it's the major power bottleneck. Only possible way the SS crystals would benefit is if thermal expansion is causing an issue which isn't hugely likely in this case.

The diode and electronics however should. If they're causing power reduction, there's some sort of failing component.

If you can return it, it's up to you. Otherwise, it shouldn't be a huge deal and shouldn't completely fail for a long time under normal use. The diminished power will likely always be an issue though.

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Hap said:

Thanks Rivem!

Yeah, DPSSL are pretty complicated. I've gotten spoiled with diode lasers I supposed

-Alex

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Rivem said:

That's the truth. 520nm has been a godsend for cold astronomy nights compared to 532nm. This weekend was probably the last reasonable time for me to use DPSS, so only direct diodes will be in the scope case now. Probably just need something lower power.

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Hap said:

Rivem, I have a question. If I were to make myself a 505 pointer, using this host DIY Laser Pointer Pen Housing/Casing/Host for 12mm Laser Diode Module | eBay which takes 2xAAA's for a total input of 3V's. Would that be enough to power this diode? https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/home/diodes/sharp-505nm-35mw-green-laser-diodes

-Alex

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Rivem said:

Yeah. Not ideal with AAAs at the higher power end, but it'd work as long as you have the boost driver.

I'd go with the Laser66 host though since it's got marginally better thermal properties and looks nicer. Paul has said they run hot a few times already.

Edit: Good battery alternative with DTR's driver would be 10440 with spacer for likely much better performance.

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Hap said:

I really like those Laser66 hosts! Perfect! Will the module fit in there snug, or is there a way to hold it in there?

Thank you!

-Alex

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Rivem said:

You'd have to press them for most pens, so it should be very snug. Might want to ask other members how they press them though. Only time I did it, I had to use a vice.

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ElectricPlasma said:

Yea Rivem, a vise works fine for pressing modules. For my custom builds I just use a standard 4" drill press vise, simple enough. I'm not sure what the specs of the interference fit on Alex's host will be though, so you might either need better pressing equipment or stronger man power, if it's a smaller diameter module bay than usual. I doubt it'd be that bad though.

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diachi said:

Seconded on the drill press vice! That's what I've been using to press diodes and modules. Makes a decent holder for boards and stuff too.

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Hap said:

Thank you guys.

Honestly, the 473 is still operating within what's it's rated as by CNI 0.6mW-5mW's. I spoke to Matt and said these things were ever meant to put out more then 2-3mW's. Is it possible that 6mW peak was just a freak output? I can sometimes get it back up to 5mW very shortly if started from a cold start. :yh:

-Alex

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