Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea! :-)

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

One word of warning Dan, when I did my prototype I found that the lasers did not emit straight out of the lens, in a lot of cases if you clamp the Aixiz module and turn the lens you will see the the dot will describe a circle on a target.

Glad to see you are still on the case though

Regards rog8811

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

Is that down to the seating of the diode in the aixiz housing? Or is it something else...?

I'm going to use the complete 5mW'ers to test the optical assembly, and then when I've got that set, I'll butcher the modules for their lenses and threads and make an aluminium thick disc (30mm or so) with steps in for the diodes (so they are in effect heatsinked) and then pop the lenses on top. Do you think this will be a problem?

Instead of getting the Aixiz ones, has anyone had any luck with the DX modules? Only they're a quid cheaper, so I'll save just over £5 by getting 6 from there.

Does aixiz sell glass lenses for their 5mw modules? as I don't want them melting!


Dan

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

BTW Rog, I saw this while I was looking for lenses, and thought you might be interested.
http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlinecatalog/displayproduct.cfm?productID=1414&search=1

But have you seen the price!!!

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

BTW Rog, I saw this while I was looking for lenses, and thought you might be interested.

Click to expand...

That is interesting, but as you say pricey.

Is that down to the seating of the diode in the aixiz housing? Or is it something else...?

Click to expand...

I never got to the bottom of that one but it is very likely to be seating misalignment.

Regards rog8811

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

rog8811 said:

I never got to the bottom of that one but it is very likely to be seating misalignment.

Click to expand...

I'm sure a rubber mallet, some gentle tapping and a hour or two of spare time will sort it out! But thanks for the heads up.

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

And I thought fiber optics would do this best! LOL :

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

danielbriggs said:

The diodes will sit in the aluminium block properly heatsinked and NOT in the aixiz module. All I'm using the module for is the top lens thread assembly.

Click to expand...

This has evolved from using individually-housed lasers, all mechanically pointing at the target focal point... to using optics to get them together. Now I'm wondering why each laser diode needs its own lense?
I'm probably neglecting some optical factor, but wouldn't it work to just put one larger lense in front of a tight array of diodes?

DanQ

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

Sorry, that was the old idea. The manual focus would be not as robust as a lens idea, but it WOULD work. But be a pain the the ass long term for changing the focus.

So, I'm going for the lens route. See the ray diagrams on the previous page.
All I'm using the individual aixiz lenses are to collimate each laser, and then pass all 6 lots of collimated light to be reduced. I can't think of another way to do this without using the individual diode collimation lenses, but if you know a way.... let me know!

I'm probably going to order the lenses I think I'll need from Edmund Optics in about a fortnight.

But if anyone has any input on why or why not this route won't work, speak now! or forever hold you peace ;-)


Dan

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

Try it and tell us how it goes/picts

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

Will do! It's just that my savings struggle with all these 'experiments'. It'll be worth it in the end! :-D Don't worry, I'll get it done eventually!

Dan

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

Well, even if it doesn't work, you still end up with a bunch of diodes (Unless you blow them all)

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

danielbriggs said:

Sorry, that was the old idea. The manual focus would be not as robust as a lens idea, but it WOULD work. But be a pain the the ass long term for changing the focus.

Click to expand...

:-?
Not sure you understood me... that's what I meant, eliminating the manual focus of each diode.

But maybe a demonstration is worth a thousand posts... I have a bunch of low-power diodes (that I bought for their housings); if I get some time I'll see if I can implement what I meant to convey, and post what I get.

DanQ

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

@DanQ: Oh.... I see! I should have read you post more thoroughly to begin with. Sorry.

A demo would be cool! I've got 6 DX 5mW modules on order. They shipped yesterday, so in about a week or 2 I can do a mockup too. I bought them primarily for their housings, but I'm going to use the 5mW'ers to play around with, so I don't fry myself when adjusting and what not. Then just pop in the 200mW'ers :-D

Thanks,

Dan

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

Actually the misalignment I've seen in the aixiz modules has been as a result of the lens not seating completely in the threads allowing for movement in the lens from side to side. This can be resolved partially by putting a stronger spring inside the module or by putting some kind of teflon or whatnot on the threads. Now we all know teflon isn't the best idea even if it's the tape style teflon. Getting it in the way of the beam is not a good idea. Needless to say, I've tried this by focusing 3 of my dorcy lasers into one point and was capable of achieving 350mw!! I used this to completely cut a cd case in HALF!

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

danielbriggs said:

For the following diagrams I use a web optics simulator to picture the idea.

Click to expand...

Dan, where is that? I only have a couple of convex lenses to play with.

but here's what I did:
(sorry no photos 'cause just no time to deal with that now)

I bundled 7 red LED's (DX cheapies in brass housing) with big shrink tubing (useful stuff...), and wired them all in parallel.

Then I fired them all up, and put a convex lense in front the assembly that encompassed all their beams.

--With their little lenses still attached: was able to focus together to a sharp point, without focusing the individual units (they may have been all the same??).

--Without individual lenses: unable to converge using either one or two big convex lenses.

I must emphasize: this was rough, and only using a double-convex lense. Other lense geometries (obviously) may work, with or without the individual lenses. That's why I'd like to find an online simulator.

But putting all 7 modules together in a bundle was literally a 2-minute operation... I'd say once you put a burner diode and driver in each, bundling them and focusing them all to the same distance should take at most an hour; then all you need next is a tube with your converging lense on a threaded endpiece...

DanQ

Re: Hex DIY Red Laser - The ULTIMATE burner idea!

Danq, I used this site: http://webphysics.davidson.edu/physlet_resources/dav_optics/Examples/optics_bench.html

Basic, but easy to visualise setups.


Update: I've contacted Edmund Optics, and spoke to one of their tech guys and they suggestion I send them some diagrams. So I emailed him exactly what I want to do, and how I propose to go about it. I'm waiting for a reply back.

6x DX 5mW modules should be here in the next few days, maybe by the end of the week.


Dan