I'm also keen to see the power output results and beam results with these lenses. If they live up to your expectations i think this will be a great accessory to have.
Man, i'm almost scared of opening the protective packages they come in.. I'm so scared i would harm them.
Otherwise, when i got the notice, that they are at the customs, i completelly stopped using my 6x. I did not want to use it with a plastic lens anymore. It's under enough strain as it is. But now, the power is higher, and the stain reduced at the same time.
I had to put the acrylic back in a couple of times, to do a proper comparison. But i felt bad every time.. I feel like i should lower the current, when putting in an acrylic lens... ;D
Oh, starting point = 211mW with an acrylic lens. All measurements taken with the laser cooled to 21.8°C..
Except for the lens #1, where it may have been at a slightly higher temperature, so there could be a mW more there. Need to recheck.
For my 6x diode at 219mA:
- AixiZ acrylic lens = 211mW
- Lens #1 (aka the weakest lens) = 246mW (+16.6%)
- Lens #2 (aka Meredith's blu sister) = 262mW (+24.2%)
I have not yet mounted lens #3. Lens #2 is badly centered, need to fix that and measure again. Lens #1 was dirty and gave me 242mW at first, after washing it in pure ethanol and distilled water, it measured in at 246mW, occasionally peaking into 247mW.
Lens #1, the "weakest" lens is already better than the spherical lens in power. I had almost the same power increase (213mW to 247mW = +15.9%) with the spherical lens, but there, most of the power increase was in the distortions. Here it goes forward with the rest of the beam.
This lens, while it has the longest FL and lowest NA was already the best lens for blu rays so far. At least untill i tested the second one..
And there is more! ;D I need to repeat the measurement with Lens #2, after i center it properly....
And then i need to measure lens #3!
They have not lived up to my expectations. They exceeded them already! And i'm not even done yet! ;D
Huge Congrats Igor. I'm so glad that this is going well for you. Also can you put me down for one of whatever you decide on for the red and one of whatever you decide on for the Blu-Ray? You are a hero for doing this. Thanks.
My high wavelength PHR with lens #1 gets increased from 166 to 195mW, that's 17.5%!
With lens #2 it goes from 166mW to 209mW! That's 26%!
I'll explain later why PHRs get increased more than a 6x. It has to do with the beam distribution profile...
But the point is. I'm seeing ABSOLUTELLY MASSIVE increases here! Well beyond my wildest dreams!
And both lenses are still dirty, and #2 is not even centered yet, nor have i tested the third lens yet!
OMG! ;D
Even lens #1 would be worth it! But lens #2 is simply amazing! I almost don't want to test lens #3, cos i want #2 to be the winner... :
Besides, i think lens #2 is not yet at it's full potential....
Does anyone remember, what i said at the very beginning?
It feels like christmass. It cost me $1000 (30 spherical lenses, 5 different cheap aspherics and now these three) to get this far. Money which i will never get back. At least not fom the lenses... But i just don't care about that anymore! ;D
I just need to properly center lens #2, and then test lens #3, and preferably, i need to get them all clean to do some proper measurements!
One thing is clear to me now, btw. There is absolutelly NO WAY, that i could mount 250 lenses by hand. I would worry about dropping them, scratching them, and god knows what else. Besides, only lens #1 works in an AixiZ lens nut while still allowing the use of a focusing ring.
The two high NA lenses have to be very close to the diode - that's how they increase the power so much. That would require custom lens nuts. Custom lens nuts can be made by the manufacturer. In that case, the lenses would be mounted, cleaned and inspected by them for scratches.
I already ordered and received 300 AixiZ lens nuts. That's another $150 down the drain... (anyone need clean AixiZ acrylics? :)
A possibility would be to have the lenses mounted in adaptors, that would stick into the lens nuts. But the adaptors would not cost any less than completee lens nuts.
Lens #2 is a lens, that in my oppinion deserves custom lens nuts. It would also allow the use of focusing rings, and could be made to work in the latest DX modules that are not threaded to the bottom.. I've been avoiding those modules like the plague. But they could be made useful. Altho i don't know if DX deserves the favor, after reducing the modules to the lowest quality available.
Anyway, this would actually be the fastest option. And i really don't think such superb lenses should be in cheap plastic lens nuts. A custom lens nut could also be made to obstruct less of the back surface edge, and allow even more light in, if there is more.
Basically, an improvised mount, made with a reversed AixiZ lens nut, the lens is dropped in, and centered as best as i can do by hand, using gentle force over a tiny rubber o-ring. Once it's centered (or once i think it is), then two more o-rings come on top, and the back retainng plate (cut open to form a ring) stuck in it's place, pressing down on the o-rings.
So the AixiZ lens nut goes into the laser in reverse, because it's the only way to get the short FL lenses in close enough to the diode. And then it goes in so dep, that it's under flush with the module..
It's not really practical, but it's good enough for measuring the power..
The lens in the PHR is the blu lens (#3), the 6x has lens #2 in it..