O-Like 150mW module review - Page 2 - Laser Pointer Forums

Traveller · 03-02-2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RA_pierce

Well, my first green, a Galileo 3 from Laserglow, had 0.7mRad ... PGL has 0.8mRad ... LEDshoppe 50 I modified with CNI crystals and coated optics had 0.7mRad divergence...

Fair enough, but speaking of being fair, let's see the prices behind those three beauties (rough figures will do). I will bet that we are looking at anywhere from 3~5x the price of a CN online retailer's module at roughly the same output... . Hence my "appreciation" for 1.2mrads...

EDIT:

Quote:

Originally Posted by HIMNL9

...it can be done, if you really want and have the needed patience...

Very nice writeup to be sure

but... talk about a serious amount of effort... o_O

HIMNL9 · 03-02-2010, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traveller

but... talk about a serious amount of effort... o_O

^ Heh, i know ..... unfortunately, the one that have blocked the threads, used Loctite threadblocker, strong type, and it's one of the worse glues to take away, this one ..... it start to loose at 150 C, but at this temperatue, you damage also the crystal and diode, and the glue that hold the expander ..... so, the only way for do this, is to reach first to detach the tube from the crystal assembly, and then heat it a bit more .....

ReNNo · 03-02-2010, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HIMNL9

Uhm, about break the glue for self-adjust the lens ..... i can say for personal experience, that it's a pain you-know-where, doing it without risk to damage the module (you can see what i mean here), but it can be done, if you really want and have the needed patience

That must be very difficult.
It's almost impossible to not damage module.

What is the best divergence you managed to get from this module?
Can you achieve better divergence than it was before when it was glued?

HIMNL9 · 03-02-2010, 05:55 PM

@ ReNNo: i don't have a secure way for measure divergence, actually (must invent something, first or after

), and the modification was made, mainly, for try to make the module "focusable at short distance for burn" ..... can say you only this, about focusing it on distance:

As new, the dot, looking at it with a telescope, was covering at least one meter of diameter, shined on the wall of a church that i use as target for these tests (is at 3600 meters away, in line with one of my windows, and at night, there's absolutely none in the line of sight

)

After the modification, i reached with a lot of patience, to obtain a spot that was looking at least the half of the original one, on the wall, but not better ..... also a very little movement is enough for unfocus it again, when it's on the edge of the maximum focus, and i still don't know exactly why ..... probably, starting from a focusing lens with just 5,5mm of useable diameter, there's no way for obtain anything better, also if basically the assemble expander/collimator work like a beam expander (too much low diameter, i guess)

I have also wondered to try and "sacrificate" another 50mW one, for make a different experiment (putting a tube with an additional negative lens just in front of the original expander, then using a 10mm focusing lens, for try to build a "pseudo beam expander" directly inside the focusing assembly), but then i had lots of other problems, and this idea, like a lot of other things, suffered a stop ..... and don't know when i can try it, actually, sorry .....

ZRTMWA · 03-02-2010, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReNNo

Yeah on pictures beam doesn't look bad because of focus.
But in reality it's worse.

@ZRTMWA
I would like to see some comments by jayrob .

See the pic here:

FS: DIY Green Kit! Host, Heatsink - Easy Assembly!

I'm assuming you were talking about that pic.

ReNNo · 03-02-2010, 07:45 PM

Burning is not what I'm interested in at this moment but must admit that you did great job because it's risky.
I calculated that dot at 3600 meter must be at least 5.5m in diameter (1.527mRad) .... not even close to one meter.

In my case dot at 3600 meter is at least 8 meters.

The easiest way to measure divergence is to put white paper at distance of about 10 meters and measure dot's diameter with safety glasses.
It's not the most accurate method but it will tell you approximate value.

That idea with additional negative lens is great but difficult to get done if you don't have access to CNC so you can make everything that you need.

I really want to know what is the lowest divergence that you can get with 150mW O-Like module.
When you focus your module to infinity what is beam diameter at few millimeters from aperture?

EDIT:
@ZRTMWA
I'll ask him about divergence by private message....I don't see any of these information at his topic.

RA_pierce · 03-02-2010, 08:34 PM

Quote:

I have also wondered to try and "sacrificate" another 50mW one, for make a different experiment (putting a tube with an additional negative lens just in front of the original expander, then using a 10mm focusing lens, for try to build a "pseudo beam expander" directly inside the focusing assembly), but then i had lots of other problems, and this idea, like a lot of other things, suffered a stop ..... and don't know when i can try it, actually, sorry .....

HIMNL9:
I have improved divergence of an O-Like module by replacing the expander lens to get more expansion. Is that what you were talking about? An additional negative lens will obstruct the beam path and will result in less power, so I think replacing the lens rather than adding another one is a more efficient method.
The problem with these modules is that the expander lens does not allow the beam to get any wider than ~0.8mm at the final collimating lens so the final divergence is usually larger than 1.2mRad.
Aligning the expander lens was a real pain in the ass, though and took a LONG time to get perfectly centered.
Loosening the collimator lens to adjust it for the new expander is very difficult also.
The tube that houses the collimator lens, however can be easily removed with some pliers.

Considering the amount of effort and time it takes to modify one of these, it's really not worth it. If you happen to get a decent one, you may as well just leave it. I have trashed a good module trying to get better divergence (<1.2mRad).

HIMNL9 · 03-03-2010, 09:03 AM

@ ReNNo: no, i actually don't have access to CNC or tools, also for this it's all stopped ..... i really have no free time, in this period, and don't know when i can try, too.

@ RA_pierce: what expander have you used ? ..... the original one is already a damn high dioptry lens .....

That what i mean, basically, is this:

The first scheme is a standard module, where the expander enlarge the beam just few degrees ..... i was planning to add a piece of tube with a second negative lens, for expand it more, and substitute the original 6mm collimator with a 10mm lens in a second tube (so it come out from the front and can be focused), making the beam more "fat" at the start, but, hopefully, making it work like a "built-in beam expander", with the possibility to collimate it better at distance ..... i know that this probably cause a little loss of power, from the second negative lens, it was just an idea for an experiment, anyway .....

RA_pierce · 03-03-2010, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HIMNL9

@ ReNNo: no, i actually don't have access to CNC or tools, also for this it's all stopped ..... i really have no free time, in this period, and don't know when i can try, too.

@ RA_pierce: what expander have you used ? ..... the original one is already a damn high dioptry lens .....

That what i mean, basically, is this:

The first scheme is a standard module, where the expander enlarge the beam just few degrees ..... i was planning to add a piece of tube with a second negative lens, for expand it more, and substitute the original 6mm collimator with a 10mm lens in a second tube (so it come out from the front and can be focused), making the beam more "fat" at the start, but, hopefully, making it work like a "built-in beam expander", with the possibility to collimate it better at distance ..... i know that this probably cause a little loss of power, from the second negative lens, it was just an idea for an experiment, anyway .....

I used a lens from another green laser. I don't know what module it came from as it was an old lens I threw in my "spare lenses" box. It was from either a leadlight or a newwish type.
It improved minimum divergence slightly but not enough to have been worth the time aligning it.

Regarding the second diagram, I have done exactly that with my X105 years ago.

I have lots of spare parts and disassembled modules... this thread has inspired me to experiment with this...

ReNNo · 03-03-2010, 04:29 PM

Collimating lens that comes with O-like module is 5mm in diameter and beam that this lens collects is <1mm in diameter.
Maybe you can find another diffuser that can make beam fatter (maybe 3mm).
Or you can use collimating lens with longer focal point so you can put lens few millimeters more away from diffuser... it will also make beam fatter that means better divergence.

laserhooligan · 03-14-2010, 12:39 PM

o-like sells you a module that's obviously a reject and it's suppose to be a good place to buy? hmmm. they sold me a 100mw module which is definitely underpowered, (compared to a certified 100mw and a 50mw). the module rip off by the likes of o-like and similar continues until people are willing to pay a bit more for guaranteed power and quality. how can these rejects ever have passed QC???

Traveller · 03-15-2010, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traveller

... All three had various levels of divergence from an excellent 1.2mrad TEM00 to a terrible 3~4mrad TEM01 ... The first "150mW" I got from Susie was actually 80mW (incl. 17% IR...) and then she replaced it with a 130mW module. At least they were both relatively tight (@2mrad) ... 2mrad is not that great, particularly when I compare it to my 1.2mrad 70mW LP ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by RA_pierce

...and while the divergence is not as great as I would like it, I've never had one that was absolutely unacceptable (usually within 1.2-1.5mRad)...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traveller

1.2-1.5mrad? wow! My two O-Like modules both measured 2.0. 1.2 is not "not bad", it's great! What do you consider great divergence...

FWIW, I made some errors during my initial divergence measurements "way back when". Thanks to a recent review I wrote, I re-measured all of my 532nm modules and I have to correct my previous quote of 2mrad for my O-Like module to 1.6mrads. Consequently, my LP quoted at 1.2 is actually 0.6mrad! Sorry about that...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traveller

... I have a funny feeling that these CN modules, particularly the lower "ultra-budget" samples from the likes of DX, are focused for a very tight beam at near-distance. That is to say, my 3mrad DX module actually burns (black) stuff up close better than the other two modules.

I determined in the same review that my cheaper modules are 1mm (max) at module exit while my 0.6 mrad LP measures 2mm. Thus the reason why the modules "burn" better than my LP, but in turn, suffer from higher divergence.

03-02-2010, 05:55 PM	#29
HIMNL9 Class 3B Laser Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lost somewhere in the EU mess ;) Posts: 2,983 Rep Power: 178	Re: O-Like 150mW module review @ ReNNo: i don't have a secure way for measure divergence, actually (must invent something, first or after ), and the modification was made, mainly, for try to make the module "focusable at short distance for burn" ..... can say you only this, about focusing it on distance: As new, the dot, looking at it with a telescope, was covering at least one meter of diameter, shined on the wall of a church that i use as target for these tests (is at 3600 meters away, in line with one of my windows, and at night, there's absolutely none in the line of sight ) After the modification, i reached with a lot of patience, to obtain a spot that was looking at least the half of the original one, on the wall, but not better ..... also a very little movement is enough for unfocus it again, when it's on the edge of the maximum focus, and i still don't know exactly why ..... probably, starting from a focusing lens with just 5,5mm of useable diameter, there's no way for obtain anything better, also if basically the assemble expander/collimator work like a beam expander (too much low diameter, i guess) I have also wondered to try and "sacrificate" another 50mW one, for make a different experiment (putting a tube with an additional negative lens just in front of the original expander, then using a 10mm focusing lens, for try to build a "pseudo beam expander" directly inside the focusing assembly), but then i had lots of other problems, and this idea, like a lot of other things, suffered a stop ..... and don't know when i can try it, actually, sorry ..... __________________ High Impulse Multipath Neutron Laser (mark 9 ) (LOL)

03-02-2010, 07:45 PM	#31
ReNNo Class 2 Laser Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina Posts: 459 Rep Power: 14	Re: O-Like 150mW module review Burning is not what I'm interested in at this moment but must admit that you did great job because it's risky. I calculated that dot at 3600 meter must be at least 5.5m in diameter (1.527mRad) .... not even close to one meter. In my case dot at 3600 meter is at least 8 meters. The easiest way to measure divergence is to put white paper at distance of about 10 meters and measure dot's diameter with safety glasses. It's not the most accurate method but it will tell you approximate value. That idea with additional negative lens is great but difficult to get done if you don't have access to CNC so you can make everything that you need. I really want to know what is the lowest divergence that you can get with 150mW O-Like module. When you focus your module to infinity what is beam diameter at few millimeters from aperture? EDIT: @ZRTMWA I'll ask him about divergence by private message....I don't see any of these information at his topic. __________________ My lasers: Homemade Red laser @410mA LOC + AixiZ glass lens Homemade Blue-Ray laser @ 100mA PHR-803T O-like Green (532nm) 150mW module in UF WF-501B host 808nm 1W Homemade IR portable laser 3 motor spirograph (Homemade) Last edited by ReNNo; 03-02-2010 at 07:53 PM.

03-03-2010, 09:03 AM	#33
HIMNL9 Class 3B Laser Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lost somewhere in the EU mess ;) Posts: 2,983 Rep Power: 178	Re: O-Like 150mW module review @ ReNNo: no, i actually don't have access to CNC or tools, also for this it's all stopped ..... i really have no free time, in this period, and don't know when i can try, too. @ RA_pierce: what expander have you used ? ..... the original one is already a damn high dioptry lens ..... That what i mean, basically, is this: The first scheme is a standard module, where the expander enlarge the beam just few degrees ..... i was planning to add a piece of tube with a second negative lens, for expand it more, and substitute the original 6mm collimator with a 10mm lens in a second tube (so it come out from the front and can be focused), making the beam more "fat" at the start, but, hopefully, making it work like a "built-in beam expander", with the possibility to collimate it better at distance ..... i know that this probably cause a little loss of power, from the second negative lens, it was just an idea for an experiment, anyway ..... Attached Thumbnails __________________ High Impulse Multipath Neutron Laser (mark 9 ) (LOL)

03-03-2010, 04:29 PM	#35
ReNNo Class 2 Laser Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina Posts: 459 Rep Power: 14	Re: O-Like 150mW module review Collimating lens that comes with O-like module is 5mm in diameter and beam that this lens collects is <1mm in diameter. Maybe you can find another diffuser that can make beam fatter (maybe 3mm). Or you can use collimating lens with longer focal point so you can put lens few millimeters more away from diffuser... it will also make beam fatter that means better divergence. __________________ My lasers: Homemade Red laser @410mA LOC + AixiZ glass lens Homemade Blue-Ray laser @ 100mA PHR-803T O-like Green (532nm) 150mW module in UF WF-501B host 808nm 1W Homemade IR portable laser 3 motor spirograph (Homemade)

03-14-2010, 12:39 PM	#36
laserhooligan Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 18 Rep Power: 0	Re: O-Like 150mW module review o-like sells you a module that's obviously a reject and it's suppose to be a good place to buy? hmmm. they sold me a 100mw module which is definitely underpowered, (compared to a certified 100mw and a 50mw). the module rip off by the likes of o-like and similar continues until people are willing to pay a bit more for guaranteed power and quality. how can these rejects ever have passed QC???

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