It was nice while it lasted :(

Some of you may remember me winning a Wicked Lasers "Advanced" laser that peaks at about 75 mW. Although the laser is designed to output only 35 mW, it could burn matches and pop balloons on new batteries.

However, I think that the "burn-in" phase is over. I can't seem to get the laser to shine as brightly as it used to, even though I cleaned the battery contacts. It still produces a bright beam when I use new batteries, but the beam just doesn't seem as powerful as when I first got it.

I really hope that I'm wrong, but I don't think I'll be able to do any more "tricks" with this laser. But then again, my laser has been known to behave oddly. It once ignited a match even though I had used the batteries for quite some time, LOL.

Ah well, it was nice when it lasted.

By the way, does anyone know how long do "burn-in" periods usually last?

Obviously a lot longer than WL tests for

What exactly is burn in?

The "burn-in" is a process in which the output of new lasers stabilizes at a certain level. For example, a new laser may average at 68 mW at first and eventually go down to 59 mW. In certain cases, the laser might actually go up in power.

When you first turn a laser on, its usually called the peak power. Some lasers are rated by thier peak power instead of average power.