Frozen Lasers = No PIX

Well, last night around 10:00 PM, I decided :thinking: I think I'll go out & take some cool (actually COLD) laser PIX in the back-yard. They should look great with all the fresh, undisturbed snow. So, I take out the storm window in the kitchen window that overlooks the yard, so my wifey can shoot some PIX from inside, while I'm outside operating the lasers (I took 5 out with me)
So I'm out with the lasers & my wifey is freezing at the open window, nevertheless, camera in hand waiting for the laser display to begin & start shootin' PIX. I even put the camera on a mini-tripod, 'cause I was gonna use a long exposure time, & needed a still camera So I'm all set, my wife, (bless her heart) is freezin' but ready for action I take out the first laser, my 500-600mW RAYFOSS, turn it on, & :wtf: this thing acts like it's puttin' out 2mW's ! :thinking: HMM, must be cold, I'll put it in an inner pocket & warm it up. :yabbmad: Yeah, right :tsk: I'd have been better off building a bonfire out there :scowl:. I pull out the next laser, my PGL R+G=Y from Glenn's GB :tsk: same crap, :cryyy:. That's how the next 15 min. went. I pull out a laser, turn it on, & barely get a flicker of light. Like a line of dominoes falling, ALL my lasers failed one after the other :cryyy: with my poor wife freezin' at the window, waiting for something, ANYTHING to happen to take a PHOTO of :wtf: Not to be, last night, it was just TOOOOOO freakin' cooooold, BBBRRRRRRRRR !!!!!! So, before I froze to the place I was standing in 'till the spring thaw, I decided I'd better COLD foot it back inside where the intelligent, warm people were :tired: & go to sleep, AFTER my blood thawed out :yabbmad:. What a complete waste of time, & to top it off, I THINK I lost my wifey / photographer :tsk: until the temps are in the 70's:cryyy: I learned a valuable lesson last night, WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE THE MERCURY IN THE THERMOMETER, LASERS TEND TO NOT WORK, &(so it seems, neither do I). It appears like I'm gonna be doin' all my PIX takin' inside for the next several months, or at least till the liquid is in the UPPER half of the thermometer :san: Cold weather should be :banned:. I'll not be doin' THAT again anytime soon, besides, I lost my photoghapher :scowl:-------rob

Yeah I get irritated by warm up time of my green laser, however it if turn it on while you are inside, and do not turn it off whlie taking it outside to cold, it will not noticeably dim.

Also, it helps to keep them in inner pocket if a jacket , and holding your arm around the laser head for a while before taking it out of the jacket, just to warm it up...

Although DPSS are mostly kinda useless in freezing temps outside, or require hell of a warm up time. Bare diode are always working same...

After the 1st one failed, I figured the problem was the cold, so I moved ALL the lasers right next to my skin. (that's a whole 'nother story, believe me). Didn't make a BIT if difference. When it's more than -10 degrees F. & you push the 'ON' button on a laser, well, there's nobody there to answer the door. Too effin' cold. No if's, ands, or buts, period------rob

Mhn, i'll try this tonight... it's supposed to drop down to -17 so i'll try out my 30 mW greenie to see if it acts up.
- Robert

I wish you LOTSA LUCK my friend !!!!! One tip, if it's snowing, sleeting, etc. DO NOT take your lasers or camera out in the moisture. If ya do, you're just BEGGIN' for trouble------ rob

Bah, you're right. Besides, I have a bad cold (and staying indoors and under a warm blanket) so that outdoors experiment wasn't a very good idea anyway.

I think i'll tinker with my lasers in the comfort of my frankenlab!
- Robert

How cold was it, phoenix? My O-like 150mW performed decently in about 5 fahrenheit, for the first 5 minutes at least.

NOW you're thinkin' smart, (&WARM) !!!!!!!!!-------------rob

Hi Grix, it was -11 degrees air temp. I don't know WHAT the wind chill index was, probably around -40, -50, There was a pretty stiff breeze blowin'------ rob

Uhm, you can try to use a piece of that "foam tube" that hydraulics (plumbers ?) put around the tubes of air conditioners and heating systems ..... they have them in different measures, and don't think they ask too much for some short pieces of them .....

wind chill isn't going to affect a laser. The ONLY things that are affected by wind chill is organic objects and water. Yer laser had neither. My Titan fired right up this morning and it was -23 F. It was a little bit dim for a few seconds then warmed right up. I'm thinkin this thing has a 3-5W pump.

Yeah but the wind chill index was sure affecting ME, & MY WIFEY the photographer in the OPEN WINDOW. The idea about the foam insulation tubes might be a solution though. Thanks for the tip, HIMNL9-------------rob

The temp of the batteries would be a limiting factor. Batteries rely on chemical reactions, and chemical reactions slow down with less heat. Put a battery in the freezer and then try to power any laser (or anything else for that matter) with it. Diode lasers should work in cold just fine - better, even - provided they have a warm battery.

Kenom said:

wind chill isn't going to affect a laser. The ONLY things that are affected by wind chill is organic objects and water.

Click to expand...

You're wrong. If you place a room temp chunk of aluminum (laser head) in a -10 degree environment with NO wind, it will take a certain amount of time to cool to -10 degrees. HOWEVER, if there is LOTS of wind, it will cool to -10 much faster because the air that is heated by the aluminum is removed right away and replaced with more cold air to further cool the block.

This is why we place fans on heat sinks - for the "wind chill" factor.

Actually, DPSS lasers are different for that matter.
The Nd:YAG (or YVO) and KTP crystals, as you probably know, are alligned with microscopical precision.

They are secured, but with more or less temperature, they do a microscopic, yet important, changes in shapes, as all matter does: with more heat it expands, without it, it shrinks. If they are designed for room temperature, -20°C is not gonna do them good. The minor move on their volume is enough to affect the output of a laser, if there will be any at all.

I agree with the batteries however, don't freeze them too often, not good for their life too!

@ Cyparagon, I THOUGHT that wind chill would have SOME EFFECT, I just wasn't sure how. Thanks for clearing that up-------------rob