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What is the most powerful 650 handheld within reason?

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protomate

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Hello all,

My brain hurts from all the research I have been doing lately. I have work in the world of IR lasers. I wondered in a hand held, the max. power that can be reasonably attained? I have a O-like 650 waterproof old style, and just ordered a new style the other day. I figure a homade with the right diode/driver/battery combo will be king! Did I mention it needs to have super smooth/range focus? Any ideas? Please understand I am somewhat new to this type of gear...
 





flogged

flogged

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I'm assuming you want a 'single-mode' (burning) laser.

Also.. how long do you want the diode to last? What most people are doing is taking DVD diodes and running these overspec. The more overspec you run the diode, the shorter its life will be.

That said, most DVD diodes (20x or higher) can be pushed to 300-400mW. Don't expect a long life. You want good heatsinking or even TEC cooling if you're serious about max power.

If you have a large budget you could probably make a custom handheld laser good for 1/2-1 watt. However this would be very expensive and the beam specs would not be a good as a DVD diode.
 
Prototype

Prototype

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You could combine two LOC diodes using top notch lenses and have a host made around that, it wouldn't be easy or cheap but you could realistically see 500mW out with a good beam.
 
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protomate

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Cool! I also read another thread with some sort of mirror combining method. Did not look as if they actually combined.
 
DJNY

DJNY

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Prototype said:
You could combine two LOC diodes using top notch lenses and have a host made around that, it wouldn't be easy or cheap but you could realistically see 500mW out with a good beam.
Click to expand...


Who is able to do that in an handheld? :)

I thought my RC-A2 is the strongest red 650nm handheld around :(
 
Juniortore1

Juniortore1

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Speaking of so, what kind of lens / mirror would I need to combine 2 loc diodes to one beam? And where would I get a lens / mirroe. That way I can have like 600-800mW of red :D
 
DJNY

DJNY

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Juniortore1 said:
Speaking of so, what kind of lens / mirror would I need to combine 2 loc diodes to one beam? And where would I get a lens / mirroe. That way I can have like 600-800mW of red :D
Click to expand...

How I wish it were that easy :yabbem:
 
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protomate

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I think you have to start with a flux capacitor of some sort, then add a muffler bearing? Seriously though, wouldn't there be a polorizing issue with red?
 
RA_pierce

RA_pierce

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protomate said:
I think you have to start with a flux capacitor of some sort, then add a muffler bearing? Seriously though, wouldn't there be a polorizing issue with red?
Click to expand...

The beams can be combined with a polarized beam splitter.
With 300mW in from each minus losses in the splitter, you can expect ~550mW out.
 
DJNY

DJNY

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RA_pierce said:
The beams can be combined with a polarized beam splitter.
With 300mW in from each minus losses in the splitter, you can expect ~550mW out.
Click to expand...

Do you know someone who built such a highpowerd red handheld before?
 
RA_pierce

RA_pierce

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DJNY said:
Do you know someone who built such a highpowerd red handheld before?
Click to expand...

I've played with beam combining myself as many others have, but no. I do not know of any portable red laser using 2 combined diodes.

It's possible but I think the cost, tools, and skill required to fabricate the mechanics of it drive off many from the idea of it.
Also, when violet diodes came out, much of the interest in red DIY lasers died out. When blue diodes made their debut, they took their turn to steal the spotlight. Now we're stuck in 445nm mania.
 
Morgan

Morgan

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DJNY said:
Do you know someone who built such a highpowerd red handheld before?
Click to expand...

I'm hoping you have DJ? From that smilie, I am curious... :shhh:


Seriously though, I wouldn't be aiming at 300mW, let alone 400mW. You can run them at 300-400mA and maybe that's what was meant. At 420mA you'll get somewhere like 250mW, maybe a bit more, but for 400mW you'd need to drive at a fair bit over 500mA and that will kill your diode darn fast!

Maximum safe limit for the LOC should be ~420mA for around 250mW output.

M
:)
 
RA_pierce

RA_pierce

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Morgan said:
I'm hoping you have DJ? From that smilie, I am curious... :shhh:


Seriously though, I wouldn't be aiming at 300mW, let alone 400mW. You can run them at 300-400mA and maybe that's what was meant. At 420mA you'll get somewhere like 250mW, maybe a bit more, but for 400mW you'd need to drive at a fair bit over 500mA and that will kill your diode darn fast!

Maximum safe limit for the LOC should be ~420mA for around 250mW output.

M
:)
Click to expand...

With the right lens and a good diode, it is not impossible to get more than 300mW.
My personal DIY red is pumping out 318mW peak and averages over 300mW without breaking a sweat. It's going strong for over 4 months (maybe 10 hours of use) with no signs of degradation. It's one of my favorite lasers.
I can't recall off the top of my head what current it is set at, but it is in the 460mA neighborhood with a 650nm coated aspheric lens.
 
Morgan

Morgan

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I understand it may be possible to achieve but under normal circumstances it isn't advisable to push for 300mW when a novice. You are fully aware of the risks but you'd probably admit that 460mA is pushing your luck and I would hardly call it, 'not breaking a sweat'. Also, in a setup like the one proposed, conservatism pays off. I personally wouldn't want to be pulling a dual LOC combiner apart because I cooked off a diode.

Nice output though! :D Is that a 650-G-1 from Jayrob?

M
:)
 
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