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Well, I got my Kenometer today as well and I've just spent the night evaluating my various lasers with quite a few surprises, some of which validate the collective wisdom of this forum.
As for test methodology, I just measured the voltage of the batteries going in and shone it at the sensor from cold (20°C) for 2 minutes, noting when the max. mW reading was obtained and other anomalies. I then repeated the test about an hour later. Some I tested 3 times to be sure.
Here's a brief review of the meter: Fantastic! This thing is so sensitive it registers my finger reaching for the button on my pointer models. The zero-out pot is a blessing and the display is nice and bright. It was shipped in huge swaths of foam and arrived in great shape. I couldn't be happier with it. Thanks Ken!
Now for the ugly truths... I'll try to be concise:
Laserglow Vega-5 / Duracell C-Cells @ 1.48v - 35 sec. to a maximum 5mW, then fluctuates between 4 and 5 for the remainder of 2 min. This jives perfectly with Justin's readings of 4.7mW average on this unit. Once it warms up it's nice and stable.
WL Core 5mW / Alkaline AAAs @ 1.54v - Warmed up in 10 seconds and kept a consistent 5mW for the rest of the test period. Very stable apparently. (I'm surprised.)
DX 30mW / Alkaline AAAs @ 1.52v - 105 seconds to a max. of 33mW then stable around 30 mark. This laser seems to take a long time to warm up but once it gets there, it goes and goes. Just out of curiosity I ran it for 5 minutes and it was still above 25mW at that time. I did the same 2 min. test with an IR filter and still saw a max. of 28mW, so it looks like it's a pretty honest green.
RPL-Blue-30mW / rLIon 18650 @ 4.26v - This one takes a while to get going. Starts at about 15mW, climbs to a peak of 75mW then warms up and fluctuates between 28mW and 55mW. The power on this one is not very stable, but it kicks those beautiful blue photons out in waves. The power level seems to rise and fall within a 15 second amplitude, as if the crystals are trying to catch up or something. I'm not using this for lab work so stability isn't a big deal to me... 75mW max of beautiful blue is a big deal to me. Thanks Jack!
KD-50mW / rCR2 @ 3.43v - WOW. I always thought this was a good laser, now I know it. With fresh rechargeable LIon rCR2s it takes 25 seconds to reach a maximum of 77mW! Then it gradually drops down to between 45 and 50mW for the remainder of the 2 min. This laser is very sensitive to being held near the diode I found. The copper case is a great heat sink, but not so much if your fingers are heating it from the outside I guess). When I did the second test, I held it near the front and the readings were much lower. The third test later was a bit shy of the first due to the battery being used, but holding it near the tail cap made a big difference. That's good to know.
WL Pulsar 125mW / Alkaline AAAs @ 1.54v - 11 seconds to a maximum of (honestly) 125mW (!) then dropping down to 121mW at the 1 minute mark and down to 105mW at 2 minutes. Well, I for one was surprised that it could actually hit it's rated power, even if only briefly. This thing does suck the batteries though. The second test was lower, peaking at 115mW and the third test peaked at 105mW. After just 6 minutes of use the batteries were down to 1.49v, so I'd say for max. power, new batteries are a must. I have to admit that the beam was very stable with little fluctuation in power. It would just drop slowly at a linear pace as the batteries drained.
EDIT New Test: See YouTube video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axQDsfdodXA for test results.
DX200mW - This one I did a few more variables with because so many people have asked me about this one lately.
1st test / Alkaline AAAs (NEW) @ 1.64v / 20°C - 10 seconds to a maximum of 170mW, then dropping to 153mW at 1 minute and 110mW at 2 min.
2nd test / Alkaline AAAs (USED) @ 1.54v / 20°C - 11 sec. to maximum of 110mW then 90mW at a minute and 87mW at 2 min.
3rd test / NiMh rAAAs (FRESH) @ 1.33v - 9 sec. to a maximum of 95mW, then 85mW at 1 minute and 82mW at 2 min.
The laser was getting quite warm, so I put it on my window sill with a thermometer and cooled it to 12°C to see if it would help. It did.
4th test / Alkaline AAAs (USED 2 Min.) @ 1.59v - 15 sec. to a maximum of 210mW, then dropping to 170mW at 1 minute and 145mW at 2 min.
The lesson I learned here is that this laser needs to stay cool to work effectively. It can produce >200mW but it overheats quickly and drops power fast. This echoes my experience with it, where it pops the first balloon instantly, then takes a while to pop a second. You're really only getting max. power for a few seconds and once it's warm you're lucky to get 100mW. It's best when it's cold, right out of the box with fresh batteries. I'm going to try heat-sinking this one to improve it's performance.
EDIT / New Test:
5th test. Alkaline AAAs (Energizer Titaniums) @ 1.6v / 10-15°C - See YouTube video of this test http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aWEnjYW7Lw achieved 240mW max. with "Chill-cell" cooling.
So, finally I know what I've got here and I feel pretty lucky that everything at least maxes out to it's rated power, if only briefly. This meter will add a whole new dimension to this hobby for me and really help me balance colours when my dichros finally arrive, so it's worth every penny. Get one if you can. Hope some others can benefit from these findings.
Cheers, CC
As for test methodology, I just measured the voltage of the batteries going in and shone it at the sensor from cold (20°C) for 2 minutes, noting when the max. mW reading was obtained and other anomalies. I then repeated the test about an hour later. Some I tested 3 times to be sure.
Here's a brief review of the meter: Fantastic! This thing is so sensitive it registers my finger reaching for the button on my pointer models. The zero-out pot is a blessing and the display is nice and bright. It was shipped in huge swaths of foam and arrived in great shape. I couldn't be happier with it. Thanks Ken!
Now for the ugly truths... I'll try to be concise:
Laserglow Vega-5 / Duracell C-Cells @ 1.48v - 35 sec. to a maximum 5mW, then fluctuates between 4 and 5 for the remainder of 2 min. This jives perfectly with Justin's readings of 4.7mW average on this unit. Once it warms up it's nice and stable.
WL Core 5mW / Alkaline AAAs @ 1.54v - Warmed up in 10 seconds and kept a consistent 5mW for the rest of the test period. Very stable apparently. (I'm surprised.)
DX 30mW / Alkaline AAAs @ 1.52v - 105 seconds to a max. of 33mW then stable around 30 mark. This laser seems to take a long time to warm up but once it gets there, it goes and goes. Just out of curiosity I ran it for 5 minutes and it was still above 25mW at that time. I did the same 2 min. test with an IR filter and still saw a max. of 28mW, so it looks like it's a pretty honest green.
RPL-Blue-30mW / rLIon 18650 @ 4.26v - This one takes a while to get going. Starts at about 15mW, climbs to a peak of 75mW then warms up and fluctuates between 28mW and 55mW. The power on this one is not very stable, but it kicks those beautiful blue photons out in waves. The power level seems to rise and fall within a 15 second amplitude, as if the crystals are trying to catch up or something. I'm not using this for lab work so stability isn't a big deal to me... 75mW max of beautiful blue is a big deal to me. Thanks Jack!
KD-50mW / rCR2 @ 3.43v - WOW. I always thought this was a good laser, now I know it. With fresh rechargeable LIon rCR2s it takes 25 seconds to reach a maximum of 77mW! Then it gradually drops down to between 45 and 50mW for the remainder of the 2 min. This laser is very sensitive to being held near the diode I found. The copper case is a great heat sink, but not so much if your fingers are heating it from the outside I guess). When I did the second test, I held it near the front and the readings were much lower. The third test later was a bit shy of the first due to the battery being used, but holding it near the tail cap made a big difference. That's good to know.
WL Pulsar 125mW / Alkaline AAAs @ 1.54v - 11 seconds to a maximum of (honestly) 125mW (!) then dropping down to 121mW at the 1 minute mark and down to 105mW at 2 minutes. Well, I for one was surprised that it could actually hit it's rated power, even if only briefly. This thing does suck the batteries though. The second test was lower, peaking at 115mW and the third test peaked at 105mW. After just 6 minutes of use the batteries were down to 1.49v, so I'd say for max. power, new batteries are a must. I have to admit that the beam was very stable with little fluctuation in power. It would just drop slowly at a linear pace as the batteries drained.
EDIT New Test: See YouTube video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axQDsfdodXA for test results.
DX200mW - This one I did a few more variables with because so many people have asked me about this one lately.
1st test / Alkaline AAAs (NEW) @ 1.64v / 20°C - 10 seconds to a maximum of 170mW, then dropping to 153mW at 1 minute and 110mW at 2 min.
2nd test / Alkaline AAAs (USED) @ 1.54v / 20°C - 11 sec. to maximum of 110mW then 90mW at a minute and 87mW at 2 min.
3rd test / NiMh rAAAs (FRESH) @ 1.33v - 9 sec. to a maximum of 95mW, then 85mW at 1 minute and 82mW at 2 min.
The laser was getting quite warm, so I put it on my window sill with a thermometer and cooled it to 12°C to see if it would help. It did.
4th test / Alkaline AAAs (USED 2 Min.) @ 1.59v - 15 sec. to a maximum of 210mW, then dropping to 170mW at 1 minute and 145mW at 2 min.
The lesson I learned here is that this laser needs to stay cool to work effectively. It can produce >200mW but it overheats quickly and drops power fast. This echoes my experience with it, where it pops the first balloon instantly, then takes a while to pop a second. You're really only getting max. power for a few seconds and once it's warm you're lucky to get 100mW. It's best when it's cold, right out of the box with fresh batteries. I'm going to try heat-sinking this one to improve it's performance.
EDIT / New Test:
5th test. Alkaline AAAs (Energizer Titaniums) @ 1.6v / 10-15°C - See YouTube video of this test http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aWEnjYW7Lw achieved 240mW max. with "Chill-cell" cooling.
So, finally I know what I've got here and I feel pretty lucky that everything at least maxes out to it's rated power, if only briefly. This meter will add a whole new dimension to this hobby for me and really help me balance colours when my dichros finally arrive, so it's worth every penny. Get one if you can. Hope some others can benefit from these findings.
Cheers, CC