Looking for two types of lasers. Need Help

hello,

I am thinking of buying a cheap 301 green laser pointer for star gazing.
Burning Laser 301 Green Laser Pointer High Power Laser Suit 5mw Sale-Banggood.com
Is this a good option for that.

Also I am looking for a laser that can burn. Knowing that a 445 diode is very good for burning and 100-200mw is enough. Whats the best option for under $100.

I own a few laser pointers just for kicks but none of them are that good. Also build one using a diode from a dvd player.
Using a laser diode from a CD-RW, is that a Class 3 laser?
I am new to the forums and have a background with electronics and understand the safety with lasers.

There is a unbreakable law of LPF, almost a law of physics if you post anything in the forum without first introducing yourself and telling us what part of the world you are in, someone will jump up and whip you with a wet noodle for not doing so before asking questions. For myself, I have never complained and this isn't a complaint, just jumping in before someone else does

That cheap 301 ought to work fine for pointing at stars, they usually put out 50mw or more which is well enough.

For Burning:

My thought is unless you go to 405nm, which is very dim, 200 mw probably won't burn anything at 445nm, at least, not enough to be worth it to me. If you want a burner in the visible spectrum, try a 405nm S06J or a BDR 16X Blu-Ray diode above 500mw of output power, or a one watt or higher 445nm laser diode such as the M140. Those are relatively low power compared to some of the newer diodes, the NUBM44 can put out 6 watts or more and is one hell of a burner, but not for 100 dollars.

Edit: I went looking on ebay and found a DTR module which is a good burner, but these 405nm lasers are deceptively dim to the eye, only 1 percent as bright as a green laser at the same power output. However, this one is ready to pop into a host and use pretty quick and close to your price range, only thing is its beam is less than impressive, invisible to the eye unless dark, the spot itself dim but will burn like hell and if you point it at your hand, you won't do it again, stings like a hornet.

405nm Module: http://www.ebay.com/itm/900mW-405nm...e-W-Boost-Driver-G-2-Glass-Lens-/171016400234

DTR usually sells his stuff cheaper if you go directly to his Google Store, just google DTR LPF to find it. I used to have one of these but the thing scared me, it burns fast and will blind in a flash without your eye having much of a blink response, if you accidentally shoot yourself in the eye with it, or it reflects off of something. It is a high power single mode diode with a tiny emitter, because of this the beam expands very little for a long distance, you can focus this baby to a fine spot across a room and burn things, it's wicked. Don't try to run this outside of a host with a heat sink on it, it will warm up too much very quickly and fail. I don't recommend running this at more than 800mw output, mine at 900mw failed and another members failed at that power level too, eventually.

If you want a laser you can see the beam and at an affordable price, I'd look at the M140, but 445nm is also dim compared to a green laser, only 10% as bright as 532nm green, but ten times brighter than 405nm for the same output power. The M140 will also burn, but is multimode and because of this the beam spreads out fairly fast, unless you use a 5-10X beam expander on it, but then it won't burn very well, if at all. Just using a G2 lens I burned a dark spot on my ceiling with a M140, it will probably go a fair distance and still burn some, but not like the 405nm BDR 16X diode, that one is amazing but it only burns tiny little spots. If you want a diode which will really start some paper flaming, I'd recommend the NUBM44.

Thank you for your reply, a lot of helpful information. Will the 301 host work for the 405n module with heatsink or for the m140.

Paveldk said:

Thank you for your reply, a lot of helpful information. Will the 301 host work for the 405n module with heatsink or for the m140.

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no, for that you could just get a cheap 501B flashlight host. you can go to http://budgetbeams.com/ and get the pill, heatsink, host, and contact board for the laser. its a hard choice between 405 and 445nm, but i would say go for the 405nm for burning, since its single mode and can make a much, much smaller spot when focused to a point. Check out this thread on a build i did with the BDR 16x diode and a 501B host to get a feel for what it would be like to build one yourself: http://laserpointerforums.com/f38/second-build-405nm-650mw-pic-heavy-94680.html

also keep in mind that you will need laser safety glasses, there is plenty of info on them here on the forum.

good luck with the build, and remember that were always here to help!

Yeah, those 501s don't allow enough heat sink to dissipate the heat generated by a 405nm 1 watt or an M140 at 2 watts. You would have a very short duty cycle with it. Might try thejoker301 for a host that has a better heat sink and is still in your price range.

paul1598419 said:

Yeah, those 501s don't allow enough heat sink to dissipate the heat generated by a 405nm 1 watt or an M140 at 2 watts. You would have a very short duty cycle with it. Might try thejoker301 for a host that has a better heat sink and is still in your price range.

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maybe not a 2W but my 1W 405 does just fine.

Hmm. I suppose the 501B you are using isn't the same as the many I have used for years. The aluminum heat sink in mine weigh 34 grams empty and because the thermal conductivity of aluminum is almost half that of copper, I've found that the heat dissipated in these tiny heat sinks to be unable to sustain the heat dissipated by the 405nm 1watt laser diodes for more than about 45 seconds. I have builds in 501Bs that are up to 400mW, but not over that. Are you able to leave your laser on for any length of time without it overheating? This has been my experience with these hosts.

paul1598419 said:

Hmm. I suppose the 501B you are using isn't the same as the many I have used for years. The aluminum heat sink in mine weigh 34 grams empty and because the thermal conductivity of aluminum is almost half that of copper, I've found that the heat dissipated in these tiny heat sinks to be unable to sustain the heat dissipated by the 405nm 1watt laser diodes for more than about 45 seconds. I have builds in 501Bs that are up to 400mW, but not over that. Are you able to leave your laser on for any length of time without it overheating? This has been my experience with these hosts.

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its only a little warmer after leaving it on for a minute, so it could probably run for 2 mins at max. i think that's enough for most things. its much better than my cheap chinese 2W blue laser, it overheats in about 45 seconds, and it gets really hot.

Hi , P..
I have 501B host and the sinks i have for them will take the heat from an M140 and a PLTB 450B diodes nicely. I have the contact boards installed already, so just solder 2 wires on a complete module diode,driver lens and your ready to go.. Ok nufff said lets start off were are you from and what are your interests tell us a little about yourself we like that much here at LPF. Oh sorry and you will need a pair of glasses for this hobby a must ..

Rich

Lifetime17 said:

Hi , P..
I have 501B host and the sinks i have for them will take the heat from an M140 and a PLTB 450B diodes nicely. I have the contact boards installed already, so just solder 2 wires on a complete module diode,driver lens and your ready to go.. Ok nufff said lets start off were are you from and what are your interests tell us a little about yourself we like that much here at LPF. Oh sorry and you will need a pair of glasses for this hobby a must ..

Rich

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So, a little about myself. I am 21 years old, studying Electrical engineering and planning on finishing with a masters or a double major. I played 4 years of basketball in High school and 1 year in college. I love to work on cars, computers and anything related to electronics and tech. Hobbies include rc cars, quads, helicopters, boats, computers, cameras, cars, coin collections, racing games, real life drifting/racing, hiking, fishing, outdoors. Enjoy all kind of tech gadgets, collections and lasers.

Paveldk said:

So, a little about myself. I am 21 years old, studying Electrical engineering and planning on finishing with a masters or a double major. I played 4 years of basketball in High school and 1 year in college. I love to work on cars, computers and anything related to electronics and tech. Hobbies include rc cars, quads, helicopters, boats, computers, cameras, cars, coin collections, racing games, real life drifting/racing, hiking, fishing, outdoors. Enjoy all kind of tech gadgets, collections and lasers.

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i didn't even realize that you were new! you sound like a cool guy. welcome to the forum, i'm sure you'll have a great time here. just don't get involved in a conversation regarding politics or religion... it never seems to go well here XD

micheal rosen said:

i didn't even realize that you were new! you sound like a cool guy. welcome to the forum, i'm sure you'll have a great time here. just don't get involved in a conversation regarding politics or religion... it never seems to go well here XD

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haha!! thanks :yh: and you could tell that i have 3 posts so I am new. Doing more research on building the best burning laser for under $100 and still not sure if the 301 has the best beam for the $13 it costs. The 301 seems very over-hyped, search google ebay they are first to show up on the list. Is there anything better with a green beam for like 20 bucks or so

Paveldk said:

haha!! thanks :yh: and you could tell that i have 3 posts so I am new. Doing more research on building the best burning laser for under $100 and still not sure if the 301 has the best beam for the $13 it costs. The 301 seems very over-hyped, search google ebay they are first to show up on the list. Is there anything better with a green beam for like 20 bucks or so

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the 301's are actually quite nice, compared to how crappy they could be. if you just need a green laser, nothing fancy or high quality or anything like that, get one of them, but if you want a nice one i would definitely go with a laser from laserbtb.com even though they are significantly more expensive.

you can buy a very nice blue laser from blord, another forum member. here is the link to the thread where he is selling the lasers: http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/sale-501b-lasers-copper-heatsink-80-a-78452.html

be sure to get safety glasses!!!

Got the 301 and it does burn and has a very good beam. Will post a video once I get time. For 11 bucks, I say its a great deal for what it can do.

On to planning my real burning laser