So,, I got this Besram 300 mw 532 nm lab laser. I turn it on has a little delay, and then comes on. but it gets brighter then dimmer then flickers and is beginning to upset me. I had an old laser Aixis (sp?) bought it in 2007 and was 200 mw lab laser. It would do the same thing then settle down. this laser won't and I am growing angry as I want it to be stable. is there anything I can do. I don't want to send it back as they want me to pay shipping both ways and I won't. But what can cause this issue? pump diode? power supply? what can I do to fix this POS as always thank you all Tom.
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DPSS laser flicker,, what gives.
- Thread starter dressur4
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diachi
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Thermal issues (crystals too hot/too cold), bad alignment, mode hopping (as a result of some other problem mentioned/bad design), fluctuations in pump power and more. There's a whole range of things that can cause those symptoms in a DPSS laser.
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the head has a fan and heatsink on top It looks very well made,,,, I never had it on for over 30 minutes. Would leaving it on for a few hours help? it don't get hot and the fan comes on once and a while. not all the time but it is cool as a cucumber as well as the power suppy. I hope they send me another one.
Very well made for what? It is what it is, a low end low cost Chinese laser.
What does hope have to do with it. Did they say they are sending you another one or not?
Return it for replacement or refund.
You can get a good quality hand held 300mW 532nm laser for $239 + shipping here: https://www.jetlasers.org/pl-e-pro/10-pl-e-pro-532nm-green-lasers.html#/1-finish-black/50-battery-no/52-10x_beam_expander-no/90-ac_adapter-no/49-goggles-no/28-power_levels-300mw
As contrast here is a decent quality Chinese 300mW 532nm real lab laser $1380 + shipping
See: 532nm Green Laser System
It looks nicely made. that is a statement meaning I have seen crappier made lasers than that that I have and they don't flicker that is what it meant. I am not into pointers I am a lab laser person more than a pointer. All I wanted to know is ,, how to fix this not get a lashing. thank you
Also by hope I hope they send me a replacement. and not have to pay shipping cause it is a POS . Finally i wish I could get a 2 watt coherent 532 nm laser but I also wish I could have a Mercedes instead of something with 300,000 miles on it... Life is what it is. I want to enjoy lasers as much as all of us on here. If the American companies like Spectra Physics Coherent Uniphase..would sell lasers for a reasonable damn price, we wouldn't have to buy crap from China to feed our hobby. But I would have to sell a kidney for a decent Spectra Physics. and the SOBs on GREEDbay want telephone numbers for American made lasers. So what to do buy chinese crap and I will be DAMNED if I am going to pay 1300 dollars for a CHINESE anything I would much much much rather have a Spectra Physics MG DPSS complete system, anyways not in a real good mood today as I am about to take a hammer to this POS . Never buying a Besram ever again. and lesson learned. but I can't afford a better one so I got to try to fix this POS. that is all i can afford right now. Thank you all for your replies and constructive ideas. Tom
Also by hope I hope they send me a replacement. and not have to pay shipping cause it is a POS . Finally i wish I could get a 2 watt coherent 532 nm laser but I also wish I could have a Mercedes instead of something with 300,000 miles on it... Life is what it is. I want to enjoy lasers as much as all of us on here. If the American companies like Spectra Physics Coherent Uniphase..would sell lasers for a reasonable damn price, we wouldn't have to buy crap from China to feed our hobby. But I would have to sell a kidney for a decent Spectra Physics. and the SOBs on GREEDbay want telephone numbers for American made lasers. So what to do buy chinese crap and I will be DAMNED if I am going to pay 1300 dollars for a CHINESE anything I would much much much rather have a Spectra Physics MG DPSS complete system, anyways not in a real good mood today as I am about to take a hammer to this POS . Never buying a Besram ever again. and lesson learned. but I can't afford a better one so I got to try to fix this POS. that is all i can afford right now. Thank you all for your replies and constructive ideas. Tom
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There is no answer to your question--could be many things.
Lowest cost way to fix it is return it for a replacement that works or get a refund, unfortunately.
As diachi mentioned could be any one of a dozen things that would make it flicker or several of them combined yet to be identified.
Would cost more than the unit costs for someone who knew what they were doing to investigate to fool with it, may need replacement parts which may or may not be easily available and so on. More cost than shipping it back.
It's new and defective---rational choice --bite the bullet, return it for replacement-- chalk it up to experience.
Can't imagine they will just send you another one without returning the defective--but could be. Is up to you to negotiate that with them if possible.
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diachi
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It's top of the line, precision lab equipment that's intended for a rather niche market. What are you expecting? You can't have top quality and low prices.
Best bet if you want that is to regularly watch eBay. Every now and then you get lucky.
Exactly---good points and advice.
American companies like Spectra Physics, Coherent, Uniphase, do sell them for reasonable prices already given the quality they make, their costs, and business overheads, expenses and the real world real use market for same.
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It’s one of the issues diachi mentioned, causing it to mod hop. You could try realigning the crystals, but that’s difficult and more trouble than it’s worth with a cheap dpss.
I would just return it for a replacement, as the others said, or buy a higher quality one.
Good luck.
I would just return it for a replacement, as the others said, or buy a higher quality one.
Good luck.
I don't expect medical quality but i expect stability. I.am in a foul mood. This flickering is the camel breaking the camel's back. I know Besram isn't coherent. But anyways sorry for being grouchy just disappointed and will swnd this back. Because this is unacceptable. Thank you Tom
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If it is still very new, that is you got it recently, you can open a case against Besram for sending you a defective laser. Often, they will make the seller responsible for shipping, so you could get a refund and keep the laser. I bought a 230+ mW Besram 532nm laser several years ago and it still works fine to this date.
I often withhold feedback on items received from eBay until I am sure there are no issues with it. That way, I have a club I can use to get them to make it right.
There are many things, as others have said here, that can cause that kind of problem with a DPSS laser. The easiest, though, could be a bad electrical connection. I'm not saying this is your problem, but it is worth checking out if all else fails. Sorry to hear about your issues with this one.
I often withhold feedback on items received from eBay until I am sure there are no issues with it. That way, I have a club I can use to get them to make it right.
There are many things, as others have said here, that can cause that kind of problem with a DPSS laser. The easiest, though, could be a bad electrical connection. I'm not saying this is your problem, but it is worth checking out if all else fails. Sorry to hear about your issues with this one.
Benm
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It's probably a thermal issue, and involves a bit of bad luck as well.
To get a 532 DPSS to work you need to get 3 things at about the right temperature: the pump diode(s), the Nd:Yag laser and the doubler crystal. I reckon their production line is such that these normally match roughly though not optimally, producing an acceptable amount of green output light.
You may have gotten one that doesn't, or at least not at your local ambient temperature.
If they specify an operating temperature range and your ambient temperature is within that you should be able to get a refund (including shipping, and return shipping if they want it back) since it doesn't work as advertised.
The behaviour where intensity varies when powering it up and the unit heats up confirms this to some degree - apparently the wavelength match is fairly close, but not good enough to settle to a usable equilibrium in your case.
It doesn't mean the laser is 'bad' per se - assuming they test the things before shipping them out it may wave worked fine at their ambient temperature, but they probably don't test every individual unit over the full operational temperature range.
As for "fixing" it: apart from taking it to bits you could try to see if it does work at temperatures above your ambient and heat it by applying some resistive wire or something like that to heat it. If it needs to be colder to operate well i wouldn't bother and go for refund/replacement.
To get a 532 DPSS to work you need to get 3 things at about the right temperature: the pump diode(s), the Nd:Yag laser and the doubler crystal. I reckon their production line is such that these normally match roughly though not optimally, producing an acceptable amount of green output light.
You may have gotten one that doesn't, or at least not at your local ambient temperature.
If they specify an operating temperature range and your ambient temperature is within that you should be able to get a refund (including shipping, and return shipping if they want it back) since it doesn't work as advertised.
The behaviour where intensity varies when powering it up and the unit heats up confirms this to some degree - apparently the wavelength match is fairly close, but not good enough to settle to a usable equilibrium in your case.
It doesn't mean the laser is 'bad' per se - assuming they test the things before shipping them out it may wave worked fine at their ambient temperature, but they probably don't test every individual unit over the full operational temperature range.
As for "fixing" it: apart from taking it to bits you could try to see if it does work at temperatures above your ambient and heat it by applying some resistive wire or something like that to heat it. If it needs to be colder to operate well i wouldn't bother and go for refund/replacement.
Thank you very much everyone. I had a great day. Got something really rare in the audio world and can't wai to get it restored So today is not a total loss in fact this day in the end was a good day. As per American made lasers what i meant was in my haste and frustration, is people think Chinese stuff is crap and some of it really is. some of it rivals some of the American made stuff. I would much rather buy American than Chinese. but the thing is. I can't afford 10 grand for a DPSS laser at a low output; These B&W Tec lasers I got of coruse I think are much better made than the Besram, though I never saw the inside of the DPSS stuff anyways I am going to return it and want a new one or I will open a case. I am thinking power supply as when I tapped it it started to really flicker. I am thinking that Besram makes nice heads but their power supplies I think eat dirt. hate them,,, and this RGB one I have I have to engineer a way to install this open POS the head weighs A LOT looks like a lot of brass in it. Thank you guys and sorry if I was a little grouchy. Tom
I also bought 5 lasers from them,, they hopefully will make this right. without sending this back I wil lsend it back when the new one comes. I am talking to them now. and she keeps saying 3amps I tell her that I have it plugged into a power surge protector and it is plugged into a 20 amp branch circuit and things only use what they need. She still says 3 amp..... anyways we'll see
One more rant on the Besram stuff is I hate that, they pair their heads with 12V power supplies no enclosures I have to run a machine and fabrication shop to get the power supply usable POS power supplies . I do love the 110v power supply like this laser in this topic
UPDATE!! She said send it back for a refund. I said I want a replacement. Let's hope she will do that.. That would be simplist but it seems that maybe Laserlands could be difficult. I will find out
I also bought 5 lasers from them,, they hopefully will make this right. without sending this back I wil lsend it back when the new one comes. I am talking to them now. and she keeps saying 3amps I tell her that I have it plugged into a power surge protector and it is plugged into a 20 amp branch circuit and things only use what they need. She still says 3 amp..... anyways we'll see
One more rant on the Besram stuff is I hate that, they pair their heads with 12V power supplies no enclosures I have to run a machine and fabrication shop to get the power supply usable POS power supplies . I do love the 110v power supply like this laser in this topic
UPDATE!! She said send it back for a refund. I said I want a replacement. Let's hope she will do that.. That would be simplist but it seems that maybe Laserlands could be difficult. I will find out
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