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What kind of beam visibility difference can i expect to see from 100 mw 532 nm?

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NightOwl

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Well, first of all i already own a Lyra 5 mw, and i can clearly see a beam at night(although not very bright unless im looking down it) and just slightly in very dim light.

So i ordered a 100 mw pen from Optotronics. Its the one that looks like the same hosts as the ebay ones.

What kind of increase in power and beam brightness should i expect? The Lyra is a great pen but im hoping the 100 mw will look something like a light saber at night. Am i going to be let down?
 





Shakenawake

Shakenawake

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should be a little more than 4X brighter. in general, quadrupling power output doubles brightness, so 20mW should be twice as bright as 5mW, 80mW twice as bright as 20mW, 320mW twice as bright as 80mW, and so on. its not exact and every wavelength is different but it's pretty good for estimating brightness within the same wavelength
 
vk2fro

vk2fro

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No nightowl you wont be let down if its a true 100mw pen - it'll be pretty darn bright. Beam visibility in a dim room will astonish you, even in a well lit room it will leave the lyra in its dust.

remember that something has to scatter the laser beam in order to make it visible e.g. fog or dust.
 
BowtieGuy

BowtieGuy

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Hi NightOwl, you won't have a lightsaber, but it will be impressive in comparison to your 5mW.
I personally have an Optotronics 150mW version of that laser, it was my 1st nice laser; it's still one of my favorites!
Be safe!
 
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trencheel303

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yeah, if it's even anywhere near 100mW you will be very impressed. I brought the lasers out to play tonight and actually forgot how bright my 100mW green is compared to everything else, it even gives my 1.6W 445 a damn good run for its money. Hell I'm convinced it gets brighter every time I run it... and forget looking down the beam at night, you should be able to see it on an overcast DAY if you do that (well I can).
 
hwang21

hwang21

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Opto has very good lasers... you will not be disappointed. If you believe you can clearly see the beam of a 5mW green laser at night then 100mW of green will be like a solid pencil beam of pure green photons :beer:
 
N

NightOwl

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Thanks to everyone. All of those answers were what i was looking for. The laser was shipped priority from Colorado so im expecting it real soon. Was so happy to find that i didnt have to wait 3 weeks for it to arrive from Bangkok or some other place.:wave:
 
NightExplorer96

NightExplorer96

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vk2fro said:
No nightowl you wont be let down if its a true 100mw pen - it'll be pretty darn bright. Beam visibility in a dim room will astonish you, even in a well lit room it will leave the lyra in its dust.

remember that something has to scatter the laser beam in order to make it visible e.g. fog or dust.
Click to expand...

Not always true :( My *used-to-have* 500mW PL-E PRO beam's was slightly hard to see in a lit room. But in the dark, oh man :evil:
 
N

NightOwl

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Well, as it turned out you guys were right. It was much more powerful and it was what i was looking for. Unfortunately this laser didnt make it 24 hours. It was fine last night. Played with it for maybe 10 minutes total (not constantly) and then put it away. I checked it this morning and its so dim i doubt if its even putting out 1 mw. Tried new batteries and that didnt work, letting it warm up didnt work either. I should have known. The case it came in was broke on arrival, and that wasnt from the mail, because even the inside of it was torn. This is why i was so cautious about buying a $100+ laser. Because i had a feeling this would happen and it did. All ive heard about was how great a company Optotronics is and ive had the worst possible experience with them through no fault of my own. I do not reccomend them and god i hope i can get a refund.:yabbmad:
 
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NightOwl

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Ive found that it will randomly become bright again, seem to be ok, and then randomly dim again. As far as im concerned its junk. I need something i can rely on. If i wanted an unstable piece of crap, i would have ordered one from ebay for 10 bucks.
 
NightExplorer96

NightExplorer96

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NightOwl said:
Ive found that it will randomly become bright again, seem to be ok, and then randomly dim again. As far as im concerned its junk. I need something i can rely on. If i wanted an unstable piece of crap, i would have ordered one from ebay for 10 bucks.
Click to expand...

NightOwl, I would try contacting Optotronics either by calling and/or sending a message notifying them about the laser. While you wait for their reply we can try and help you in the meantime :p

One suggestion which comes to mind: Are you sure the batteries in the pen are fully charged? Sometimes issues can be as simple as uncharged batteries!
 
N

NightOwl

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Yeah ive tried 4 different sets of batteries. Eneloops and energizers 1.2 volt, all of which were recently charged. Also, they work fine in my 5 mw Lyra.

I cant believe the case they sent. It literally fell apart just from opening one time and in the inside is generically (if thats even a word) written "green laser pointer"
 
NightExplorer96

NightExplorer96

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NightOwl said:
Yeah ive tried 4 different sets of batteries. Eneloops and energizers 1.2 volt, all of which were recently charged. Also, they work fine in my 5 mw Lyra.

I cant believe the case they sent. It literally fell apart just from opening one time and in the inside is generically (if thats even a word) written "green laser pointer"
Click to expand...

What environment have you been using the laser in? *Most* 532nm DPSS lasers don't like the cold weather.
 
N

NightOwl

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im going to take it to work with me and play with it all day, and try brand new batteries and i should know by the end of the day if it really is junk. Ive also requested a refund from Optotronics so ill update with that ASAP. I would also be willing to take a replacement since i do believe they are a good company because i have no reason to doubt people who say they are.
 
N

NightOwl

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it is pretty cold in my room. Had the window open last night. Its also 30+ degrees outside with some light rain.
 
NightExplorer96

NightExplorer96

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NightOwl said:
it is pretty cold in my room. Had the window open last night. Its also 30+ degrees outside with some light rain.
Click to expand...

That "may" be the problem, not 100% sure though. Have you tried warming up the laser in your hands for a couple of minutes before using it? That may help you get constant output, what I DO know is it wouldn't hurt to try ;)

Best of luck with Optotronics by the way :wave:

-Alex
 
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