Dismantling of green dpss Novalasers-X105

After my 125mW peaking Novalasers X105 lost its power and get down to 14mW I decided to dismantle it and try to fix if it is a cyrstal misalignment issue.
I was successful dismantling without harming any parts also about aligning the distance of IR diode to the cyrstals for the best green.
BUT I couldn't get them together again and I ruined it  :'(
I feel successful as I could dismantle it with lack of tools!

The reason of my ruining it while trying to add them up is my glue. I used a super glue.
While trying to put the module and the front piece (holding the IR filter and collimation lens) in to the tube, the glue  fixed them by speed of light on the half way through!
I could neither pull them back nor push further  ;D
I could hardly get them out after a period of knocking on with a hammer (it is so strange that outher paint hasn't suffered any!)
Then the front piece and the diode with cyrstals part stuck. Again they could hardly seperated by the hammer
After all seperated I decided to throw all pieces to trash can as it wouldn't worth to try to add them together as I neither have adequate tools nor right glue!

If you decide to dismantle your laser to fix or to explore just ask anything you like to me before you do  

Today is the day I am laserless  :'( I have no laser right now and still waiting for IgorT BluRay (6x)
I hate DPSS lasers  










You can get all photos by downloading the zip file.
I also have higher resolation of them. If you like let me know.

Ooooh pushbutton.

Murrat - Rep points coming your way! If everyone documented their experimentation like you obviously have, there would be a much better (and easier to understand) set of tutorials and guidelines floating around the forum (not that there aren't already a few great ones!)...

Sorry to hear about the laser, I only clicked on this thread in hope it was a "WL" so I could suggest "use a hammer..." - and I was pleasantly taken aback.

Good job on the documentation, Amigo!

BrewCityMusic said:

Murrat - Rep points coming your way! If everyone documented their experimentation like you obviously have, there would be a much better (and easier to understand) set of tutorials and guidelines floating around the forum (not that there aren't already a few great ones!)...

Sorry to hear about the laser, I only clicked on this thread in hope it was a "WL" so I could suggest "use a hammer..." - and I was pleasantly taken aback.

Good job on the documentation, Amigo!

Click to expand...

I wish to make a better documentation (with explanation of photos) but it really takes to much time either you try to edit photos or write explanations below when there is too much of them.  
Therefore I prefer to show all with best photos showing every detail anyone can ask with a short explanation at top  
I try to stay away from the screen as I am spending all my day in front of it while at work and this really tires my eyes.
I have to rest them!  
By the way thanks BrewCityMusic for your comments, happy to hear that someone liked it  :

I'm waiting for IgorT BluRay 6x to make a nice detailed review but not sure if I have enough lifetime to wait  ;D
Just kidding, hope he will solve his problems. His problems are more important then my getting a BluRay earlier!

I've sent only 2 posts to Igor's thread;
One of them to stop people making him busy with emails, posting to his thread and so (Nobody even noticed  ;D)
The other is asking Igor to let us help him (Nobody cared  )

Next time you take apart a DPSS laser, don't throw the pieces away.. I would have bought all the parts from you and so would many other people here.. I would imagine those crystals are fairly decent and the diode is most likely usable.. You could even save them for yourself. Those parts could easily be used to make your own DPSS laser later..

Just some food for thought. It's your laser, though, and certainly you have the right to do whatever you want with it..

ElektroFreak said:

Next time you take apart a DPSS laser, don't throw the pieces away.. I would have bought all the parts from you and so would many other people here.. I would imagine those crystals are fairly decent and the diode is most likely usable.. You could even save them for yourself. Those parts could easily be used to make your own DPSS laser later..

Just some food for thought. It's your laser, though, and certainly you have the right to do whatever you want with it..

Click to expand...

The glue ruined all.
You can not use either collimation nor converging lens.
About the diode yes it was working but it stuck and cannot be seperated from the module (diode and cyrstal set) so you cannot get a green out of it.
Next time I can send you all for free if they are usable
I like helping people who are in the same hobby with me and I don't sell things that I don't use anymore.
Once I have spare IR filters gifted by WL to me and I've sent them to LPF members who ever needed.

I am sad as I couldn't find out the reason of power drop of my Nova X105.

What do you think ElektroFreak, does these photos can help other who will try to dismantle their laser?
I must warn other about the tools and especially the glue. If you don't have the proper glue do not try this at home

murrat said:

[quote author=ElektroFreak link=1237152412/0#4 date=1237217759]Next time you take apart a DPSS laser, don't throw the pieces away.. I would have bought all the parts from you and so would many other people here.. I would imagine those crystals are fairly decent and the diode is most likely usable.. You could even save them for yourself. Those parts could easily be used to make your own DPSS laser later..

Just some food for thought. It's your laser, though, and certainly you have the right to do whatever you want with it..

Click to expand...

The glue ruined all.
You can not use either collimation nor converging lens.
About the diode yes it was working but it stuck and cannot be seperated from the module (diode and cyrstal set) so you cannot get a green out of it.
Next time I can send you all for free if they are usable
I like helping people who are in the same hobby with me and I don't sell things that I don't use anymore.
Once I have spare IR filters gifted by WL to me and I've sent them to LPF members who ever needed.

I am sad as I couldn't find out the reason of power drop of my Nova X105.

[highlight]What do you think ElektroFreak, does these photos can help other who will try to dismantle their laser?[/highlight]
I must warn other about the tools and especially the glue. If you don't have the proper glue do not try this at home  


[/quote]

Definitely very helpful. Those pics give a great overview of just how green laser pointer modules are put together. Nice work!

No!
If you still have the pieces in the trash you can take them out and send them to me!


I've taken apart a couple X-series lasers and did some repairs/modifications and it worked out very well (the threads are buried somewhere...) sorry to hear you're not as fortunate.

Murrat, if you can still find the parts in the trash, rescue them pronto. Buy some ACETONE, (nail polish remover) the STRAIGHT ACETONE type, without aloe added or anything else. Cost, $1.50 USD at any general store. Soak the glued parts for as long as it takes to break the super glues bond. If the acetone doesn't remove any coatings on the crystals, you can try the whole thing over again with a slower setting glue. Good Luck & I hope this helps you salvage your X-Series rob

I do DPSS repair...

I've done a ton of handhelds as well as pen-style DPSS repairs, all with outstanding results. I cant guarantee anything if the optics are all covered in superglue, but I can probably get it going again. I can get superglue off anything, as long as the faces of the crystals are free of glue.

Let me know if you're interested  

EDIT: two seconds after I posted this I realized who the poster was... I forgot you already asked me before hand

But seriously, as long as the crystal faces dont have glue on them I can get her good as new.

Trust me pals none of you can add these pieces up and get power over 14mW out of it

Hey GooeyGus I tried that because of you
It was so difficult to reach you (by email, msn or pm) until today, as I couldn't reach you easily I decided to try it myself instead of sending it to you and wait for an answer
If I was successful I could pay you as I wrote before

I just screw IR diode until I got the most bright green dot but it was still far less then the original.
If this was what you would do, no problem but if you tell me that you can go further (disassamble the cyrstals and do something else ) I can be sorry to take it apart instead of sending it to you to fix it.

I want to ask you where is the OC mirror in novalasers x105 ? I don't think it has one!
Sam's laser FAQs shows it.


Do all dpss greens have to have OC mirror or not?
And is it (photo bottom second from the right) the MCA (ND:Yvo4+KTP) ?

Note: Trash has gone yesterday night so I cannot get them back. I don't think it worths trying to assamble them all back again to have a 5mW pointer  :-?

Most of the time,with today's laser pointers containing hybrid crystals, the OC mirror consists of the coating on the outer facet of the crystal set, combined with a concave lens. The pointer that Sam's shows there has discrete crystals with uncoated KTP instead of hybrid, so an OC mirror may be required..

ElektroFreak said:

Most of the time,with today's laser pointers containing hybrid crystals, the OC mirror consists of the coating on the outer facet of the crystal set, combined with a concave lens. The pointer that Sam's shows there has discrete crystals with uncoated KTP instead of hybrid, so an OC mirror may be required..

Click to expand...

What is the function of the OC mirror?

In ANY laser, you need a reflective cavity. This reflects photons back and fourth to allow lasing. On hybrid crystal sets this mirror is built into the front face of the KTP crystal in the form of a coating. On a gas laser you have a mirror mounted at either end of the tube. On a diode laser there are facets in the die which act as reflective mirrors. I have a CNI here that was dismantled and it does appear to have an OC mirror. Yours should have been a clear-ish looking lens which was held by three small set screws.

Too bad that the trash was taken out already :'( I probably could have gotten at least the original power level out of it, and probably more, assuming the pump diode was not the problem.

GooeyGus said:

In ANY laser, you need a reflective cavity. This reflects photons back and fourth to allow lasing. On hybrid crystal sets this mirror is built into the front face of the KTP crystal in the form of a coating.

Click to expand...

Does it mean there has to be a coating in front of KTP and back of Nd:YVO4 ?
Or the photons travel back and forth in KTP cyrstal?

GooeyGus said:

I have a CNI here that was dismantled and it does appear to have an OC mirror. Yours should have been a clear-ish looking lens which was held by three small set screws.

Click to expand...

There is nothing like that. It is just diverging lens attached with glue.

I don't understand how the OC mirror works in SAM's laser FAQs photo.
It looks like a clear glass lens. Is it green light being reflected between that lens' both facets?

GooeyGus said:

Too bad that the trash was taken out already :'( I probably could have gotten at least the original power level out of it, and probably more, assuming the pump diode was not the problem.

Click to expand...

I saw a pot in the driver maybe I should try to pot mod before it dies