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- Aug 18, 2009
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I HATE plastic lenses. They are nearly impossible to clean or even handle without becoming scratched. This had become the case with my "Cyber" 100mw 532nm green laser, so I bought some glass lenses from Laserlands on eBay to see if they would be more durable.
10x Double Concave Glass Lens F 532nm Green Laser Module Diode LD Beam Expander | eBay
10x Flat Convex Beam Collimation Focus Lens for 532nm Green 650nm Red Laser | eBay
I ordered them on 12/20 and received them on 12/31. Not bad for free shipping from China!
The stock collimating lens was in a metal housing that unscrewed from the laser head. I accidentally warped it while trying to remove it, so I had to come up with a new way to mount the replacement lens. I found a washer that sat neatly in a ridge in the head and epoxied a bushing, then another washer, then the collimating lens to it. I then epoxied the new lens assembly to the laser head on both sides.
I used two expanders for reduced divergence like I have posted about before. (http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/0-32-mrad-dpss-532nm-green-86818.html) I don't have divergence measurements on these new lenses yet, but the beam stays ridiculously tight over a distance. I'll try to measure it tonight.
I don't have a power meter, but the laser cuts through electrical tape faster and makes much more smoke while doing so than with the stock plastic lenses. There is an obvious power increase from switching to glass.
My goal has been reached as these lenses can be cleaned with a Q-Tip without getting scratched.
If you've got a DPSS green laser with scratched lenses, or just want a power upgrade, these glass lenses are the way to go!
EDIT - I went home for lunch and measured the divergence at 40 feet... 0.36 mRad!
EDIT 2 - It is worth noting that the optical area of these glass collimating lenses is several times wider than in the plastic lenses I have seen, which made alignment much easier than usual.
10x Double Concave Glass Lens F 532nm Green Laser Module Diode LD Beam Expander | eBay
10x Flat Convex Beam Collimation Focus Lens for 532nm Green 650nm Red Laser | eBay
I ordered them on 12/20 and received them on 12/31. Not bad for free shipping from China!
The stock collimating lens was in a metal housing that unscrewed from the laser head. I accidentally warped it while trying to remove it, so I had to come up with a new way to mount the replacement lens. I found a washer that sat neatly in a ridge in the head and epoxied a bushing, then another washer, then the collimating lens to it. I then epoxied the new lens assembly to the laser head on both sides.
I used two expanders for reduced divergence like I have posted about before. (http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/0-32-mrad-dpss-532nm-green-86818.html) I don't have divergence measurements on these new lenses yet, but the beam stays ridiculously tight over a distance. I'll try to measure it tonight.
I don't have a power meter, but the laser cuts through electrical tape faster and makes much more smoke while doing so than with the stock plastic lenses. There is an obvious power increase from switching to glass.
My goal has been reached as these lenses can be cleaned with a Q-Tip without getting scratched.
If you've got a DPSS green laser with scratched lenses, or just want a power upgrade, these glass lenses are the way to go!
EDIT - I went home for lunch and measured the divergence at 40 feet... 0.36 mRad!
EDIT 2 - It is worth noting that the optical area of these glass collimating lenses is several times wider than in the plastic lenses I have seen, which made alignment much easier than usual.
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