Super Beast Green

Ok a quick question for anyone who's taken one of these apart. How the hell did you get the retainer ring out? I tried using a screwdriver in one of the grooves but it didn't budge.

I just ordered one...

Im not really in the market for a cheap green but seeing as its fast shipping and only $20 I figured I couldnt go wrong.

LtKernelPanic said:

Ok a quick question for anyone who's taken one of these apart. How the hell did you get the retainer ring out? I tried using a screwdriver in one of the grooves but it didn't budge.

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Used a fine needle nose pliers. It wasn't that tight.

@ BradW, looking at your signature, you really need a LPM man!

elite ares said:

@ BradW, looking at your signature, you really need a LPM man!

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I know. I had a chance to pickup an alpha when they were in stock but im looking for a LPM with over 2W range at a good price...

I have a hard time justifying spending $300 on an LPM when i think about the kind of laser I could build with that :drool:

Braddubya said:

I know. I had a chance to pickup an alpha when they were in stock but im looking for a LPM with over 2W range at a good price...:

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That's why I broke down a bought a LaserBee II. Very good meter IMO.

Droid said:

Why are you guys taking them apart? (besides the guy who wanted us to see what it's made of)

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My main reason is because the pushbutton and the switch are misaligned pretty bad and I'm afraid I may damage the switch. I might try tweaking the pot a bit too if I can talk myself into it since I'm not a fan of pot modding usually.


edit:

Found my small needle nose pliers and it still wouldn't budge. Looks like my initial guess that they used some thread locker appears to be right after all.

Braddubya said:

I just ordered one...

Im not really in the market for a cheap green but seeing as its fast shipping and only $20 I figured I couldnt go wrong.

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Same here and I even already have batteries for it

I like the big heatsink around the diode makes me want to pot mod it till it dies then put a more powerful IR pump in it.

LtKernelPanic said:

My main reason is because the pushbutton and the switch are misaligned pretty bad and I'm afraid I may damage the switch. I might try tweaking the pot a bit too if I can talk myself into it since I'm not a fan of pot modding usually.


edit:

Found my small needle nose pliers and it still wouldn't budge. Looks like my initial guess that they used some thread locker appears to be right after all.

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You need the proper tool:

Thorlabs.com - Spanner Wrenches

you can also find cheaper adjustable spanner wrenches at other tool outlets but they don't look quite as nice as what thorlabs has.

Heavy duty circlip pliers may also work for you. This isn't an ideal use for them.. but I've used them for this in the past.

Thank you for following my suggestion and measuring the IR output.
33% IR is a little bit too much... Acceptable for such a very cheap laser.
I have a green that costed me $32 and has 80mW total output, with 22mW (28%) IR. I also think it's too much.
This laser can now be bought for $26 @priceangels

Ouch. Not going to pay $95+ for a tool I'll probably use two or three times. I checked harbor freight's site and didn't see any listed there. I'm kind of surprised that it won't turn using a screw driver since I've removed retaining rings like that before with one.

Spanner Wrench, Pointed (Imported)

AMAZON.com has these for only $15.00. I have one & it works GREAT !!!

Thanks for the link. I need to order a 12v adapter for my HeNe after Christmas so I'll snag one then.

Mine just arrived! That was really fast...

I'm letting them warm up first per thread suggestion.

Both batts are Panasonic labeled, not OEM.

Can anyone confirm that battery polarity is +-toward-tail? It looks that way, but just checking (I thought someone else had posted this, but am having trouble finding the post -- too eager maybe?:wave...

More later ...

I will also confirm that the battery is (+) to CAP and (-) to spring.

I received my second Super Beast yesterday. This unit had some minor blemishes in the finish (first one did not); not a deal breaker. It seems as though there is now a thread locker applied to the aperture cap.

This time I got a Panasonic CR123A primary 3.0V cell instead of the blue "Lithium Battery" that came with the first one. The 3.0V Tenergy RCR123A seems to be noticeably brighter than the primary that was included.

At $19, the Super Beast never fails to amaze..

Thanks -- that's what I figured, but ya, know, doesn't tend to hurt to check, especially on the $19 no-documentation-special :yh:

Just tested; unit #1 is noticeably brighter than unit #2, but that could be battery-charge. Beam spots on both look good & tight.

Sadly, battery+charger order from BatteryJunction did not go out first thing Monday, so the lasers beat the charger here.

BTW, order Sunday, delivery Wednesday, free shipping, moar power than listed -- this seller rocks! Did I say that already? Wish the seller was on LPF... Sampson: kudos to you again -- I owe you that +1 when I get the priveledge to do so!

I do not have an LPM yet, so the closest thing I could do for IR footprint is take video with the nightvision/IR mode of my video camera ... the dot looks a bit larger in this mode, but is nowhere near as bright (so initial hypothesis is that the IR fraction is smaller than the visible fraction). I know, horribly non-scientific, but it's the materials I have to work with. If Santa will only bring me $ for a LPM ... :angel:

Don't want to run the batts dry before I know if the charger will arrive pre-Christmas or post ... so, sadly, away they go after so short an initial run.

BTW, I found that the wadded-up plastic sleeves the lasers & batts came in make great reflections for truly nebular wall shows ... probably old-hat to you-all though ...