Lenses

grainde said:

It looks like the top and bottom lenses are smaller and plastic which would make them the std aixiz acrylic lenses. The middle one looks like a 3 element glass aizix lens. As Blord pointed out, if they are tinted blue when you hold them up to the light they are for reds and if they have a yellowish golden tint, they are for 405 - 445 and can also be used for greens.




G1/G2 are high efficiency lenses with up to a 30% increase over the std glass lenses. The acrylics in my experience give a higher output than the glass lenses, esp for reds where I have actually seen them give the same out put as a G2 (G2 for blues though, as I dont have a red G2...)

The G9/T1 lenses are the same T1 was named by Ricktrent but it turned out these were the same lenses as the G9. The G9 is the lens that comes with the 9 mm diodes from DTR. The G9 has a very similar if not pretty much identical output to a G1/G2.

In summation the G1/G2/G9/T1 are pretty much all the same. The acrylics are good but can only handle max 500 mW safely if you will be adjusting the focus for burning. The black plastic can melt otherwise. The Glass 3 eles are a cheaper but lower power option for those using the higher powered 405 and 445 lasers. :beer:

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Ahhhh
So no wonder the surface of my AR lens melted. (O-like stock)
So basically glass 3 eles AR lens are great and have a better efficiency than G1/Gx lens so as long as you don't exceed 500mW.

Which means the invention of the G1 lens was solely to deal with the higher power?

Nope! :thinking: Guess you should read it again!

The AR lenses are AR and not 3 ele. 3 ele are glass. I have seen that the AR's can give the same power as a 445 G2 lens in certain circumstances ie with 650 nm.

The G1/G2/G9 and T1 lenses are for higher powered diodes as are the 3 ele glass ones, but they give up to 30% more over the 3 eles. :beer:

Edit: You can also use the acrylics for higher power lasers, if you leave the focus on infinity and don't refocus for burning. Its just not recommended, as you could wreck your laser if it melts.

So, if I'm running 1.8-2.2 WATTS, What is the best lense? Also, is there anywhere you can buy better lenses for distance, and burning?

You should be able to figure that out from what I wrote :beer:

Note: To add to info G1/G2 gives a worse beam but is better for burning. 3 ele gives a better beam profile - Now you have all the info you need. Read though my two posts and it will be clear. This really is verging on spoon feeding...:beer:

1 Last question. So are the stand plastic lenses better for burning?

Sorry but are you trolling? Answer is above and clearly stated TWICE. :tsk:

Ahh!
So in summation.

Standard glass lens have mediocre power loss and focusing power. They don't have the problem of melting during high power laser output.

G1/Gx lens are high quality glass lens that has 30% higher transmissivity than the regular glass lens.They also won't melt at higher power.

Acrylic lens at below 500mW have higher transmissivity than the G1/Gx lens (especially for the 630-680nm spectrum). However at higher power, there is a chance of melting so it would be best to focus them to infinity.

Ok... then what about 3 element glass lens?

I read that 3 elements glass lens have a AR outer lens with 20% more transmissivity over acrylic

EpicHam said:

Ahh!
So in summation.

Standard glass lens have mediocre power loss and focusing power. They don't have the problem of melting during high power laser output.

G1/Gx lens are high quality glass lens that has 30% higher transmissivity than the regular glass lens.They also won't melt at higher power.

Acrylic lens at below 500mW have higher transmissivity than the G1/Gx lens (especially for the 630-680nm spectrum). However at higher power, there is a chance of melting so it would be best to focus them to infinity.

Ok... then what about 3 element glass lens?

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Yes.

The 3 ele IS the std glass lens I was referring to. Its the same thing.

Also I never stated that you WILL get a higher output from an acrylic over a Gx lens. I said they gave the same or a comparable output, in some instances eg for 650 (I didnt mention 630 - 638 for a reason - I havent tested it) they have a similar output, but eg for 405s they give a lower output. :beer:

EpicHam said:

Standard glass lens have mediocre power loss and focusing power. They don't have the problem of melting during high power laser output.

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What's a "standard" lens by your definition? Usually the lenses that are sold by O-like or whomever are just 3-element lenses coated for certain wavelengths. They're pretty decent as long as you match the AR-coating with your laser.

G1/Gx lens are high quality glass lens that has 30% higher transmissivity than the regular glass lens.They also won't melt at higher power.

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G-series lenses are just glass lenses with very short focal lengths and AR-coatings. There's nothing magical about them. They transmit more power only because the short focal length captures more of the output from the emitters, and that they don't have multiple lenses that cause extra per-lens losses. Capturing more of the emitter output means the G-series lenses have uglier beam-spots, as they capture all the beam artifacts present from the emitter.

Acrylic lens at below 500mW have higher transmissivity than the G1/Gx lens (especially for the 630-680nm spectrum). However at higher power, there is a chance of melting so it would be best to focus them to infinity.

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No, you should only use acrylic, AR-coated lenses with red wavelengths. For shorter bluish wavelengths, they don't have the correct AR-coating, and worse, will melt even at lower powers < 500mW. For red, the AR-coated acrylic lenses have good transmission because they have good coatings, and they're a single lens like the G-series lenses.

Even for the uncoated acrylic lenses -- which you shouldn't bother with anyway -- I would never use an acrylic lens with 405nm or 445nm lasers unless they're sub-100mW, and even then the 3-element lenses are so cheap that you shouldn't bother anyway.

Ok... then what about 3 element glass lens?

I read that 3 elements glass lens have a AR outer lens with 20% more transmissivity over acrylic

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Get a 3-element lens if you want a nicer spot, but higher losses because of multiple interfaces the light has to go through (versus a G-series lens for blue, AR-coated acrylic for red). Always buy lenses with the correct AR coating.

The 3-element lenses are the "standard" lenses available anyway, so you'll probably be using one if you don't have a more specialty lens.

What about the collimation power of the lenses?

Last year I did some output measurements with all lenses I got. The graph shows the differences between the lenses.
The H1600 diodes is the same as the M140 diode. I measure the raw output without lens by putting the laser close to the LPM.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/lens-comparison-445nm-h1600-diode-75324.html

Blord said:

Last year I did some output measurements with all lenses I got. The graph shows the differences between the lenses.
The H1600 diodes is the same as the M140 diode. I measure the raw output without lens by putting the laser close to the LPM.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/lens-comparison-445nm-h1600-diode-75324.html

Click to expand...

That should be a sticky!!!
AWESOME JOB Blord!!!