Laserglow Hercules 550 achieved ;) - But BIG PROBLEMS with Beam Expander 10x !!

Hello to everyone!
Finally, after one year of saving moneys, I have obtained the long dream-awaited Hercules 550! :beer:
No words to describe how powerfull, beautifull, precise is that machine! It's really THE KING OF GREEN LASERS!
I have also buyed the beam expander 10x, but I'm really disappointed how it works.
The following video show how it should works:


and this pic show how big should be a focused dot at 5 kilometers away:



At 170 ft. I will obtain a spot diameter of some meters with the expander in the same position!
The farest focus that I can obtain from the beam aperture is only at 57 cm. :yabbem:
I can only focus a very tiny dot from that position toward the expander, not from that position toward the infinity.
I cannot reach the situation of the pic (0.5 meters after 5 kilometers) in any way!
In other words, the focus from the expander at the beginning of the thread and the focus of the expander at the
end of the threads are really close one to another: minimum distance for a focused dot: 16,7 cm - max distance
for a focused dot: 57 cm, so only 40 cm between the min distance and the max distance of the two collimated dots!
No possibility to collimate to the infinite. Very limited range!
My intention was to buy an expander that can collimate a dot at a long range, but now I have an expander that
collimate a spot only near the aperture, and not at a long distance like in the video.

There is something wrong in my situation, or I'm totally stupid ??
Please help me ...

Richard.

fixed yt link..

I think you may be doing something wrong with either the installation or the focus adjustment. I've tested the X10DR myself, quite a bit, and it works great.

The focus adjustment ring has a locking screw on it, have you made sure this is loose and not blocking the movement of the focus ring? Are you sure that you're getting the full range of movement?

Thanks for the hint ... I was not able to do it in any way

Justin said:

I think you may be doing something wrong with either the installation or the focus adjustment. I've tested the X10DR myself, quite a bit, and it works great.

The focus adjustment ring has a locking screw on it, have you made sure this is loose and not blocking the movement of the focus ring? Are you sure that you're getting the full range of movement?

Click to expand...

Dear Justin, I have spoken a lot with Mr. Scott about this problem, without founding any solution.
The screw is loose at max.
The full range of the len block is from the complete twist toward the body of the Hercules (anti-clockwise, the mechanism stops at the end), and outward the body of the Hercules (clockwise, the optic body reach the end of the thread and exit in my hand).
From the start to the end of the thread I have no choice to get a collimated dot at a long distance. I can create a focused point only starting from 16.7 cm min. to 57 cm max. from the top of the beam expander.
I have a terrible doubt: the big len inside the body is blocked by a ring, and this ring is apparently loose inside the thread. I can see a lucent matter between the ring and the thread, but I cannot say if it is glue or not.
There is the possibility that the big len moved across the thread in and out during the delivery shakes?
There is the possibility that the len was mounted flipped?
My problems seems to meet those two possibilities, also because in the past I have encountered the same issues from another company with a 100mW cheap module: the ring inside the body was twisted out during the shakes delivery, and I was forced to manually rearrange the focus twisting the ring with a toothpick!
Dear Justin, please help me, because I need a long range laser, not a short distance burning laser!

Cheers.

Richard.

I have added some shots:



The first shot show the expander completely twisted, the second completely
untwisted, the third show the big len inside the ring twisted in the thread,
that in my modest opinion, is too near to the end of the expander body ...

Update: I have tried to rotate the body with the big len since they exit from the thread and drop in my hand, then I have turned it of 180 degrees (see the bottom pic), carrying it by hand: done so, I have inverted the input/output of the beam (the big len inside was so much far to the small one, but twisting the body, the two lens now are more close the one to another). I was right, I can focus the beam far away! The problem is simple: the big len inside was placed too far from the small one, preventing a long range focus, and allowing only a short range burning capability.
I cannot understand how could happen an issue like this! I thought that the beam expander units was checked at the same way of the Hercules unit before sent it!
Please tell me what I can do now. I cannot untwist the big len inside toward the small, because the ring that carry it is heavy glued together the body thread!

Richard.

Hmmm strange,
I have no idea what could be wrong.
Your pictures look the same as mine, only i see some kind of transparant glue on yours ?

Mine is about almost twisted in, for far distance shining like you see on the video.

Beam starts fat from the expander and get's thinner as it goes.

Hi!
Do You mean that the internal big len screwed in the thread thru the ring is in the same position as showed in my pic? Almost at the end of the body, very far from the small len? So now the possibility is only one: that one of the lens was mounted flipped. Very strange issue.
At 5 meters of distance I can obtain only two circles: the biggest, when I completely untwist the expander, the smaller, when I completely twist it. But also the smaller is very big! No possibility to focus a small point. When I twist the expander toward the end of the thread, the circle become big, when I twist in the opposite way (toward the Hercules), the circle become a little bit small, then the body of the expander stops because I have reached the limit of the thread.
I will need much more thread in order to approach the big len to the small len, but the thread ended before ;(
Any ideas, apart the flipped lens?

lol that sound after the baloon pop is funny cool video

Minamoto Kobayashi said:

Hi!
Do You mean that the internal big len screwed in the thread thru the ring is in the same position as showed in my pic? Almost at the end of the body, very far from the small len?

Click to expand...

Yes same.

Can you try to put up some pictures with the laser on ?
That would help allot.

Smeerworst how's your new RGB laser ?

Hi!
I was kindly contacted by Mr. Scott from Laserglow for a total replacement of the device. Thanks to all for the help, especially to the efficient Laserglow staff !!

weeba2kv said:

Smeerworst how's your new RGB laser ?

Click to expand...

way to hijack the thread

Smeerworst, when I turn on my Herc, the beam is weak. After few seconds it starts to blink a lot, then starts to become more strong as the time passes .. in about 10-15 seconds it reach the max of the power, and it is stable, no more blinks. It is normal?

Minamoto Kobayashi said:

Smeerworst, when I turn on my Herc, the beam is weak. After few seconds it starts to blink a lot, then starts to become more strong as the time passes .. in about 10-15 seconds it reach the max of the power, and it is stable, no more blinks. It is normal?

Click to expand...

When i turn on my Hercules, this happens..



It has a 5 Sec delay... and well for the rest it shows on the lpm.
Starts pritty right bang on. (but had it on before the video for aiming and adjusting the stand etc..)
Maybe it has to do with your battery's ?
Can also be the temperature.... these lasers need to warm up a bit, but i think it's your battery's
*when it's cold i must say they start low yes*(mine in 400-ish mW and climbs fast or slow depending on battery status and room temperature) ( i should test it hooked up to the AC adapter)
But like i said it has to do with power and heat.

Blinking is something my laser does, but you can only see it with Fog or smoke in the room (it's not really blinking just impulsing very faint until it's stress free) (for 3 or 4 sec i dunno, not long that's for sure) and im possitive it was battery charge related)
I use these....
About 60 $ for 4pc


Laser works Fine btw nothing but love for it ^^

Ohh p.s. don't change the diode current with the adjustment screw ontop of the unit. (never!)