Build Recommendations - Green, High-Power, Hand-Held, TEM00

I made the mistake of blowing over $600 at the WickedLasers end-of-the-world sale and I'm now requesting a full-refund because it's been nearly 6 months since I placed my order and haven't received anything more than bullshyt excuses from their anti-customer service department.

So, I now want to build a laser with the following specs:

• Green (532nm or similar)
• High-Power (1-3W)
• Hand-Held (multi 18650 Lion or similar)
• Single-Mode (TEM00) / Low Divergence
• Proven/Reliable Diode/Power-Supply
• Long Duty-Cycle (I'm willing to consider active cooling if required)

I am a machinist and have access to whatever machining equipment might be needed (lathe, mill, etc) and I have decent soldering/simple electronics skills/equipment (Newport laser power meter, high-end soldering/rework station, o-scope, multi-meters, regulated power supplies, etc).

The above said, I don't want this to be a marathon, bleeding-edge, nightmare project. I'd like to copy a reference design that someone else has already proven the reliability of. Ideally an off-the shelf laser module/cavity and power supply module would be ideal, but I'm open to building the cavity myself if there's a well-proven, easy to replicate reference design.

Thank you very much in advance for your assistance. I really appreciate it.

Welcome to the forums! :beer:

Your best bet for 1W-3W green buildable is a 520nm diode. DTR offers some 1W 520nm diodes which can be driven to 1.4W-1.6W for $386, having them already set into a module will cost you a little more.
https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/home/diodes/ndg-1w-520nm


For a host, contact Mrcrouse here on the forums. He has some amazing ones & he can probably custom build you one if you don't like the ones offered.
Laser Pointer Forums - Discuss Laser Pointers - View Profile: Mrcrouse

-Alex

Tha Greenlander said:

Welcome to the forums! :beer:

Your best bet for 1W-3W green buildable is a 520nm diode. DTR offers some 1W 520nm diodes which can be driven to 1.4W-1.6W for $386, having them already set into a module will cost you a little more.
https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/home/diodes/ndg-1w-520nm


For a host, contact Mrcrouse here on the forums. He has some amazing ones & he can probably custom build you one if you don't like the ones offered.
Laser Pointer Forums - Discuss Laser Pointers - View Profile: Mrcrouse

-Alex

Click to expand...

Alex,
Thank you very much for the reply. I did notice those before I posted the thread, but I noticed that the NDG7475 you specified is Multi-Mode and relatively high-divergence. I was really hoping to get high-power (>1W) AND high beam quality (low-divergence / TEM00 Gaussian beam profile). What's the highest power TEM00 (Single-mode) green diode module that's currently available?

Also, I am a journeyman machinist with access to a full compliment of manufacturing equipment, so I can build my own host unless that will be very difficult for some reason I don't understand.

Thanks again!

-Scott

If interested in 532nm you can buy a high power module CNI PGL-H-532/1~800m from CNI and put that in a host of your choice. The will make 1W also if you ask. High powers are not inexpensive however.

see: 532 nm green laser.

LPF member sinner make great hosts and would make one to fit a module if you asked I think or you could make your own with your machinist skills and machines.

see: http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/new-additions-sinner-v1-phobos-ms-envy-s-more-93552.html

Encap said:

If interested in 532nm you can buy a high power module CNI PGL-H-532/1~800m from CNI and put that in a host of your choice. The will make 1W also if you ask. High powers are not inexpensive however.

see: 532 nm green laser.

LPF member sinner make great hosts and would make one to fit a module if you asked I think or you could make your own with your machinist skills and machines.

see: http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/new-additions-sinner-v1-phobos-ms-envy-s-more-93552.html

Click to expand...

Never thought of CNI, they do sell 532 modules! Be aware that shipping from them is very, very expensive($70-$75) but your product does get to you in 1-2 business days!

-Alex

Encap said:

If interested in 532nm you can buy a high power module CNI PGL-H-532/1~800m from CNI and put that in a host of your choice. The will make 1W also if you ask. High powers are not inexpensive however.

see: 532 nm green laser.

LPF member sinner make great hosts and would make one to fit a module if you asked I think or you could make your own with your machinist skills and machines.

see: http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/new-additions-sinner-v1-phobos-ms-envy-s-more-93552.html

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. It looks like the only green, cylindrical, non-mounted diodes cnilaser.com has are 800mw max. Are you saying that they'll sell higher-power modules without the rectangular enclosure if I ask? Any idea on price? What about the power supply board for the higher power diodes? I get the feeling that they're probably not condensing the components on those boards such that they could fit into a hand-held platform... Or am I mistaken?

Wicked Lasers is claiming 900mw+ on their green "Krypton" laser. I've heard/experienced major problems with their ability to deliver product, but it sounds like their recent product quality is good... Leading me to believe that their power claims of 900mw+ are possibly legitimate. I would assume that I can build a similarly powered one for a lot less than $1000 or a higher powered one for some reasonable price, no?

Pwscottiv said:

Thanks for the reply. It looks like the only green, cylindrical, non-mounted diodes cnilaser.com has are 800mw max. Are you saying that they'll sell higher-power modules without the rectangular enclosure if I ask? Any idea on price? What about the power supply board for the higher power diodes? I get the feeling that they're probably not condensing the components on those boards such that they could fit into a hand-held platform... Or am I mistaken?

Wicked Lasers is claiming 900mw+ on their green "Krypton" laser. I've heard/experienced major problems with their ability to deliver product, but it sounds like their recent product quality is good... Leading me to believe that their power claims of 900mw+ are possibly legitimate. I would assume that I can build a similarly powered one for a lot less than $1000 or a higher powered one for some reasonable price, no?

Click to expand...

The CNI modules come with driver and are made for use in a handheld sure. You need to email them for prices and consider that it takes 4X the power to have 2X the brightness---so and 800mW is only twice as bright as a 200mW. Beam specs are much better on a high power 532nm than a 520nm.

Wicked Laser now only promotes the 520nm Krypton and they kept their price $999 for a 900mW while reducing costs with a 520nm diode.

You can buy a 1W 520nm handheld from O-like for $599: Green Moon Super bright 1W 520nm green laser torch/focusable [OL-1WGT] - $599.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

Better yet for $529 from member SciFi Lasers: http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/sale-arcane-2-0-lasers-4-5w-blue-1w-green-1w-red-crazy-sale-90070.html

CNI has said they can provide the following with or without a host enclosure:

• Green (532nm)
• High-Power (1W)
• Hand-Held (26mm dia laser module)
• Single-Mode (TEM00), Round, Gaussian beam profile
• Low Divergence (full angle, <1.5mrad)
• Proven/Reliable Diode/Power-Supply (5000hrs)
• Duty-Cycle (Will depend on how I configure the enclosure... Might need active cooling for constant operation). They stated 5min for their enclosure.

Waiting on a price with and without the housing... I'm probably going to build my own, but I was curious what they would charge.

Pwscottiv said:

CNI has said they can provide the following with or without a host enclosure:

• Green (532nm)
• High-Power (1W)
• Hand-Held (26mm dia laser module)
• Single-Mode (TEM00), Round, Gaussian beam profile
• Low Divergence (full angle, <1.5mrad)
• Proven/Reliable Diode/Power-Supply (5000hrs)
• Duty-Cycle (Will depend on how I configure the enclosure... Might need active cooling for constant operation). They stated 5min for their enclosure.

Waiting on a price with and without the housing... I'm probably going to build my own, but I was curious what they would charge.

Click to expand...

YEs that is what I was saying----is a PGL-H-532 1000mW or whatever power you want---the specs are here http://www.cnilaser.com/PDF/PGL-H-532.pdf

Encap said:

You can buy a 1W 520nm handheld from O-like for $599: Green Moon Super bright 1W 520nm green laser torch/focusable [OL-1WGT] - $599.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

Better yet for $529 from member SciFi Lasers: http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/sale-arcane-2-0-lasers-4-5w-blue-1w-green-1w-red-crazy-sale-90070.html

Click to expand...

Neither the O-like or the Arcane specify the transverse mode or divergence... Which leads me to think they suck from a beam quality perspective. Also, I don't know who designed the heatsinks, but they definitely don't understand even the basics of heat transfer.

Hopefully the CNI prices will be attractive. It would be nice to have more than a watt of power, but I guess that's all that's currently available :/