[HELP] Violet Laser Issues

The laser is completed, however it does not function as I desire. It is a 150mw blue laser with a driver, and there is a pot on it. I have focused the beam that comes out of the housing, however I do believe that it is not all the way in the housing. I am afraid to damage it any, and I can't quite figure out if it needs to go in farther. Also, I seem to be going through batteries extremely quickly. I am also not able to even melt or begin to burn electrical tape. Any insight would be helpful.
Thanks

WOW it would be realy help full if you gave some specific info like how many battries dose it use at once and there voltage, maby what kind of driver you are using and where did the diode come from a reader or a writer blu ray, do you have a picture ? that might help but the best thing would be to hook the driver to a dummy load and check the current if you think the optics are ok now. you can check the driver + diode current by unscrewing the tail cap and put one lead of your current meter on the end of the battery and the other lead on side of the case, set meter to ma range.
What is not all the way in the housing ? the diode or the aixiz module ?
Good luck

Tpp4 said:

The laser is completed, however it does not function as I desire. It is a 150mw blue laser with a driver, and there is a pot on it. I have focused the beam that comes out of the housing, however I do believe that it is not all the way in the housing. I am afraid to damage it any, and I can't quite figure out if it needs to go in farther. Also, I seem to be going through batteries extremely quickly. I am also not able to even melt or begin to burn electrical tape. Any insight would be helpful.
Thanks

Click to expand...

sorry,
the two batteries are 1.5 button cells from the inside of a 12v battery. The driver and the diode both came from a website:
Diode
Blue Laser Module 150 mw Hi Power 405nm
Driver
Blue Laser Diode Driver

I had to destroy the beautiful 20mw red diode that came in the casing, to replace it with the 150mw blue/violet diode. It is a gold case with a deep well and the diode simply won't go in all the way, like pictured in the tutorials of casing a diode. It is in far enough that i cant pull it out, but not all the way into the casing.

Also, I read the topic on the optimizing of the pot, and I don't want to burn up my diode. I'm pretty sure mine needs to be adjusted, but like I mentioned above, I am not exactly savvy with a multimeter.

I have a Greenline Multimeter, but have not really figured out how to use it. I can do some things with it, but not much yet. I will take photos when I get home to explain specifics if needed.
Thanks

Okay, a couple of points. Welcome is the first!:wave:

I think you could find yourself a better supplier here on the forum that will supply you with much better support and instruction than that website. (Check my sig for instance but there are others). A 405nm laser being sold as blue is never a good sign. I'm not sure anyone will be able to help you with that driver either as it gives next to know figures that apply. I.e. min/max power input; output, and the like. For it to run a bluray as described it would have to be a boost driver and 2 x 1.5V button cells will just not cut it so that may be why the only thing you're burning through at the moment is batteries.

The module too is not one I'm familar with. It certainly is true that with the more common Aixiz module, a poorly fitting diode will affect the focus but I think there are some basics that need to be addressed first. As with any hobby, you first find you're interested and may get caught with your first purchase. I think you could do with spending some time reading on this forum and get aquainted with some of the established kit; Modules, drivers, diodes, etc. This will lead you to the facts and figures associated with them and give you a much better understanding so, when choosing to purchase an item you are better informed.

This is in no way to be considered as a put off. It's a great hobby and I think everyone here has made mistakes along the way. That's why you're on the best forum. The group experience is vast and freely given. Have a read and enjoy. Ask if you don't know or understand but try and find the info first using the search button. (If people know you've tried to educate yourself first, they are much happier to help you out!)

If you're still posting later then I'll dig out a few links for you but I'm sure you'll be fine...

Enjoy,

M

Well I've got good news and bad news. I reset the diode in the housing, and now it burns stuff. It kinda shocked me though, because it caught the paint on the chair on fire. I fixed the fault in the circuitry by replacing part of the negative contact spring with just a wire, and I upgraded the battery to a 3v CR123 battery. Boy, is it a sight.

The bad news is that the beam is spreading into a cone-shaped manner. I have adjusted the laser so that the dot when fired about three feet is the smallest, but at about ten feet it is huge. Is there anyway to prevent the laser from diverging, and instead converge or travel smooth and straight. I don't know if this can be fixed or not, but I hope it can. Also, there is a ring around where the laser hits on an object.
Pics below:

You really need to take a picture of what lens you're using. Usually you can just keep adjusting it until it focuses at "infinity." Sometimes that means the lens is very close to the diode.

The pic of the diode from the distributor is above in the third post, it is the link called diode. I can take a pic of mine, but it is the same one in the pic.

ALL light diverges. Laser light is no different.

You can think of the light coming from your diode as an "X." It is actually a solidly filled cone, but it is easier to visualize the X.

When the light leaves the diode it begins to diverge (spread out). The lens changes the direction of the divergence from spreading to coming together.

Now the X is starting from the edge of your lens. The "center" (crossing point) of the X is your focus point. When you focus (the center of the X) very close to your lens, the light from the edge of the lens is at a very steep angle to get them together quickly. This is great for burning, but the light leaving the focus point is still traveling at that same steep angle. This causes the spot to get very large very quickly.

The farther away from the lens that you focus the light, the more shallow the angle of divergence. Now visualize the center of the X being very far away. It is still moving together, but it is at a very shallow angle. The beam will appear to stay at the same width as the front of the diode for a long time. This is referred to as "focused to infinity."

Most green lasers you have seen are focused to infinity. They "look like" they are not diverging only because the X is very long and narrow. Is is also why it is more difficult to burn stuff with a green laser. The light is not focused (center of the X) close enough to burn stuff.

If you focus your violet laser very far away, the beam will look thin all the way away. If you focus it up close, it will be big far away.


Peace,
dave

**EDIT** Here's a simple diagram

so probably the easiest way to do it would be to set up the laser and fire it across the room. Then adjust the lens until the dot across the room is the smallest. Would that be correct, or is there a simpler method. I have searched for methods, but could not find what I was looking for.

Tpp4 said:

so probably the easiest way to do it would be to set up the laser and fire it across the room. Then adjust the lens until the dot across the room is the smallest. Would that be correct, or is there a simpler method. I have searched for methods, but could not find what I was looking for.

Click to expand...

If you want the dot to be small far away, then, yes. That is the easiest method. The violet spot can be hard to see so you may need someone "downrange" to let you know when it is focused

The module should be able to be focused fairly easily. Focus it far away when you want and focus it close up when you want. If your module cannot be focused easily, then focus it to infinity (as far away as possible) and use a magnifying glass to focus it close up for burning

Peace,
dave

ok thanks,
should i be worried about the circular ring in the image
there is the dot, and then the outer ring around it

Tpp4 said:

ok thanks,
should i be worried about the circular ring in the image
there is the dot, and then the outer ring around it

Click to expand...

This is may be an artifact from the lens or something with the diode window or maybe even the alignment. I cannot tell from just the picture. Sorry.

Peace,
dave

Glad to see you've solved some of your issues and some great pointers from the masters! :bowdown:

M

The world is a great place. I had a brilliant idea to use a nut driver just big enough to not touch the leads of the diode, but small enough to fit inside the outer housing. I also used two steel plates from my lawnmower to give the housing a flat surface as to not damage the outer ring with threads. The diode is now properly seated and is much easier to adjust. I have picks that I can upload later if anyone wants to see.

Pics are always good!

I think it may also be a first to have improved the function of a laser using lawnmower parts! This is great! :crackup:

Details please!

M

Sorry for low res and little blur
i flinched and took it with my phone