Another SD303 thread/question.

[Glaserfan]

Hello everyone! Longtime member here, been forever since I have posted though.

I grabbed up a $14 shipped SD303, have had it for 3 days, and it is dead. Lol even my old "150mw" pen module is still working from 5-6 years ago, still as bright as it was new, but the lens sucks on it, lots of noise around the dot..

The 303 was great while it lasted, diode died. A wild guess would be around 100mw. Would melt thru a black bag without being focused. Then dim, then dead. I've since ripped it apart.

I've been searching, but have found bits and pieces of info. Suggestions for a new module to install, maybe a 520nm? I'd need lenses that would fit the host, hopefully not cheapo plastic. Any use for the current driver(not potted)?

For my pen module, are there lenses available? It still works nicely. Thought of dumping it in the 303 host, but I'm not sure if the 4.2v of the 18650 at full charge will kill it.

Please don't flame me, I did search and read a lot before posting.

It's great to be back

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

WB, Glaser.
Can you fill in the location info in your profile?
I have some 6mm bare lenses that might fit.
They are glass and coated for 532nm.

 

[alessnilsen]

You can try some 12mm modules, first measure the size of the module that came with your laser and search for one with the same dimensions. For this you will need to disassemble it, if you need help let us know! :beer:

Good luck! :yh:

 

[Glaserfan]

Cool beans. I'll update my profile, I'm in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The lens I would need is small, threads into the brass housing of my old green module.

I have the 303 torn down. 12mm seems to be the size. Where I am lost is the lenses needed. The 303 had the collimating lens on the focusable end of course, and a small lens with a depressed center glued above the crystal, seemingly to spread the beam for the collimating lens. Both lenses are now junk... Simply trying to clean them with a microfiber cloth scratched them up.

I'm hoping to get away from DPSS, but am not sure of the long distance between the diode and collimating lens that would seemingly result. I'm also completely unfamiliar with the 520nm setup, or any other diode-only green setup. Do they project a fat beam such as the reds/violets? I can do the research to see what I can afford module wise, not a problem there lol. I'm just late in the game on some of this so I missed the wealth of into that's probably buried deep in the forums.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

Thanks for adding the info.
The lens barrels in those are almost always
an unusual size. The only real option is
to remove the old lens with a hammer and
punch and glue in a compatible bare lens.

I don't know what you mean when you say
violets have a fat beam. They can
sometimes have better divergence than the
532nm. The Osram PL 520, for instance,
have very good divergence with a glass 3
element lens. DTR has the most first hand
experience with the newer green diodes.
They are still a bit out of my price range.

 

[joeybab3]

haha i just uploaded some videos of the way overspec lasers i got, they are sd301's though(both sd301 and laser301) idk what the difference is... I don't know what to do in your situation though, mine seem to last fine.

 

[Glaserfan]

Cool thanks for the advice so far guys. My fat beam reference was to my PHR803T build from 6 years or so ago. Compared the the DPSS greenies , the beam is over double the thickness. Same for my red burner that has since went LED on me.

I actually have an SD301 on its way, a whopping 9 bucks lol. For cheap lasers that Geek app is handy, except for the extreme wait times. Too bad the USA sellers of the same lasers want double, triple, or quadruple the price. I suppose if they actually test them and sell a true 200mw or even 300mw that would be worth it. Still no word on my replacement request for the 303 though. I'm guessing they would want me to ship it back anyway, which won't happen....

I'll have to grab some measurements on the 303 host. It is gutted now, with the exception of the collimating lens. I'm thinking if I got the right module, I could make it protrude enough so that the new lens would work out. The distance involved between the little pill lens and the collimating lens on the original setup would have the output from a diode splashing all over the lens ring, resulting in half the power wasted.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

It was probably the lens. An SFL lens,
such as the G-2 will give a thinner beam,
at least initially, at the expense of
divergence.

 

[Glaserfan]

Yea, although every green I've had put out a maybe 1.5mm thick beam, same as this one. My bluray and reds that I built those years back put out a ballpark 3mm by 2mm beam. Definitely in the lenses. I would think for burning without focusing down, the small beam would be better. I really would like to get my hands on a 400mw or higher filtered green. These 1w and up violets and blues are looking pretty tempting. Heck even a crazy high power red. At one time I had thought of building a 2w or more IR laser, for distance burning, but opted out since that to me is just a bit too dangerous with the invisible beam and dangers of IR in particular. Plus the visible beam is just awesome to have anyhow.

 

[joeybab3]

haha i just uploaded some videos of the way overspec lasers i got, they are sd301's though(both sd301 and laser301) idk what the difference is... I don't know what to do in your situation though, mine seem to last fine.

Funny how that works, my best one just died

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

Those high output 301s don't usually last too
long.

 

[Glaserfan]

Chinese lasers are almost sways overdriven.. I learned that long ago. But hey for under 20 bux what the heck lol.

I now have a replacement 303 on the way, the seller sent me another, no need for me to return the first luckily, no charge. Also spent $7 and $6.55 on two 301s. They should keep me busy until I can get a true 200mw-400mw greenie. I see a 520nm with kit for sale on here, but don't have the 180 or more to spend to be fair with the seller atm.

One notable fact, the driver on my dead 303 was non-adjustable. The usual resistor change would surely do the trick, if only one knew which resistor to change out.

Couldn't the assemblies be used with a better diode and crystal to create a real, worthy green?

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

Show me decent pictures of both sides and
I'll tell you what to change.

 

[Glaserfan]

I'm on mobile, no way it seems to upload pics. The module is simple. It has a brass housing with a 3 pin 808nm diode pressed in. (was) Glued to the business end is a off-center slotted collar, with the tiny crystal glued in. Glued to that collar was a small round plastic lens, steep concave in the center on both sides. The lens spread out the thin beam to reach out to the collimating lens, about 14mm away it seemed.

From what I can tell, it would theoretically be possible to press in a new, better diode, glue in a real crystal, get a higher power driver and go from there.. Problem being that the driver had the momentary switch and battery spring on it. Unless I could change the resistor and find a better switch to solder on.

I'm in search of such parts, and have done some sketchy research.. I see a few sources but I am at a loss for the best ones.

 

[Glaserfan]

Hmm. I just removed the diode from the module (dead. This is what killed the laser). Inside was a small domed lens, spring loaded to keep it a few mm from the diode. This lens was in between the crystal and diode. I'm learning, still confused on that one's purpose, unless it shrank the output to focus onto the crystal. Starting to think I will have to source out a 12mm module to build in. Specialty parts I'm thinking for this one..

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

Yes, it's a focusing lens. Some of them
have one, some don't. If you can get that
working again, then you are doing a lot
better than most of us.