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The Bluefan Basic LPM is a 2 Watt laser power meter made in the Netherlands. The web site is http://www.bluefan.nl, and pictures of the device can be found there. The LPM specifications are 0 to 2 Watts in 1 mW increments, 5% accuracy, 2 mW noise, and 35 second measurement time to a 90% reading. With these specs this LPM is a good match for lasers in the 50 mW to 2000 mW range. All you do is point the laser at the sensor and wait for a stable readout. I found it takes about 45 to 60 seconds to get a good power reading. The display will not show power values above 2000 mW. An alkaline 9V battery will run the LPM for about 4 to 6 hours. At 12V it's much brighter and requires about 250 mA. The blue display looks cool, but is a little hard to read when using laser safety glasses (since they block blue).
The Bluefan Basic LPM consists of a sensor, a display, and a 13" interconnect cable. The sensor is a big honkin heatsink with a 2x2cm Peltier thermopile bonded to it and coated with a black wideband laser absorbing finish. The display is a 1/2" high 3-1/2 digit blue LED readout (a MINLIN panel voltmeter module) and requires a 9V to 12V power source (it comes with a 9V battery connector). A calibration certificate is also provided that shows the laser wavelength and power that was used to calibrate the unit.
The way it works is the sensor generates a voltage that's proportional to the heat difference between the two sides of the sensor, where the laser impinges on one side to heat it up and the heat sink on the other side keeps it cool. The display is simply a voltmeter that's calibrated to the sensor output (my particular sensor outputs 2.4V when hit with a 1000 mW laser). So the magic you are paying for is the calibration which must be done using a known laser power and usually involves using a much more expensive LPM.
Caring for the LPM consists of protecting the sensor and not changing the readout calibration setting. Don't touch, scratch, or clean the sensor. If it gets dust on it, blow it off gently. The laser beam doesn't have to hit the entire sensor, but it should be spread out enough that it doesn't exceed the power density rating (40 W/cm2) which could damage the coating.
To order a Bluefan Basic LPM, contact Johan at coherentwave@gmail.com. He is a pleasure to work with and will quote a price including shipping. The price for mine was €70 plus €25 shipping (which was about $130 US). Using PayPal made paying in Euros easy. It took about a week to prepare and ship my Bluefan LPM. Then it took another 10 days to arrive here in Arizona via airmail. There were no additional taxes/duties.
The Bluefan Basic LPM consists of a sensor, a display, and a 13" interconnect cable. The sensor is a big honkin heatsink with a 2x2cm Peltier thermopile bonded to it and coated with a black wideband laser absorbing finish. The display is a 1/2" high 3-1/2 digit blue LED readout (a MINLIN panel voltmeter module) and requires a 9V to 12V power source (it comes with a 9V battery connector). A calibration certificate is also provided that shows the laser wavelength and power that was used to calibrate the unit.
The way it works is the sensor generates a voltage that's proportional to the heat difference between the two sides of the sensor, where the laser impinges on one side to heat it up and the heat sink on the other side keeps it cool. The display is simply a voltmeter that's calibrated to the sensor output (my particular sensor outputs 2.4V when hit with a 1000 mW laser). So the magic you are paying for is the calibration which must be done using a known laser power and usually involves using a much more expensive LPM.
Caring for the LPM consists of protecting the sensor and not changing the readout calibration setting. Don't touch, scratch, or clean the sensor. If it gets dust on it, blow it off gently. The laser beam doesn't have to hit the entire sensor, but it should be spread out enough that it doesn't exceed the power density rating (40 W/cm2) which could damage the coating.
To order a Bluefan Basic LPM, contact Johan at coherentwave@gmail.com. He is a pleasure to work with and will quote a price including shipping. The price for mine was €70 plus €25 shipping (which was about $130 US). Using PayPal made paying in Euros easy. It took about a week to prepare and ship my Bluefan LPM. Then it took another 10 days to arrive here in Arizona via airmail. There were no additional taxes/duties.
That's mostly the reason why I sent it to you! apart from needing the calibration re done as well! I really hope you can do it! If you can't it's ok I guess. 