single element aspheric lens mod to an aixiz lens holder GIVEAWAY!!

Hey everyone I just got done making 10 spacers and drilling out 5 aixiz lens holders so that I could use a single element aspheric lens such as a 405-g1 or g2 or any 6.35mm lens available from edmund optics and such.
Since i found this to be VERY easy, cheap, and fast (2 min each lens nut)
i decided to hold a giveaway of these guys and to get an idea of how interested people might be in me providing complete lens assemblies from various suppliers.









Now im not including any lens with the modified aixiz lens holders, just the holder drilled out, the spacer drilled out as well, and of course the retaining ring.

tell me what bare lens you got or will buy (because i dont want to give it away to someone who wont use it) and i;ll assign a number to you. once 50 people have responded or 3 days passed, i'll draw 3 random winners and the best part is that i will cover for the shipping expense (only to 48 states USA).

this is really for those of you who somehow have a bare lens without a way to mount it, or for those thinking of buying a single element aspheric from thorlabs or edmunds and cant mod a aixiz themselves. dont enter if you cant/wont use it.

for those who dont win but want a high output lens, if interest is high enough i can sell 405-g2's in these for $45 shipped, OR for a different aspheric lens coated for any wavelength you want ~$50 shipped. i have to contact the lens maker for bulk discounts but at the price of one lens it probably will be $50, the specific lens i havent decided on, but they are all high NA single aspherics (similair to 650/405-g1/g2's) but the great thing is i can pick between several different coatings covering alot of wavelengths and applications. this is only if i gain enough interest and if buyer is willing to wait a week for me to order and assemble your lens and ship it to you.

otherwise 405-g2's can be shipped out in 1 day after payment since my supplier is only 30 min from where i live.

so good luck and let me know if the above ^ is a good idea!!

@ moderators : dunno which forum this should be under, correct me if this needs to be moved. thanks

count me in, 405-g-2, maybe something else if u can find a good one that has minimal splash with high output

jakeGT said:

count me in, 405-g-2, maybe something else if u can find a good one that has minimal splash with high output

Click to expand...

let me see what kinda deal i can work out but for now... 405-g2's can be shipped 1-2 days after payment. I'll pick up just 1 for you to test out and if you want to keep it just paypal me $45.

awesome! sounds great man

Nice thing you are doing and I hear many want to use thier own glass as AixiZ got so many inqueries that they now offer something similar on EEkBay- they come in a 10 pack with shipping for 19$.

so if they are useable -for those unlucky in your drawing heres a link.

Blank glass lens mount 10 pack for AixiZ 12X30mm units - eBay (item 360308235898 end time Apr-06-11 08:18:23 PDT)

+ rep to you for helping the community.


hak

i guess nobody is all that interested oh well. since jake and hak were the only ones who posted in this thread, im gonna be sending a blank modded aixiz to hak, and one complete one with a 405-g2 in it to jakeGT for testing and a blank one for his interest. I guess the 3rd lens nut goes to Moh since his hosts dominate my laser collection ATM and I wouldnt have had the money to do this if it werent for his incredibly affordable hosts. hak and jake you guys wanna pm me ur address so i can send out your stuff monday?

jakeGT said:

count me in, 405-g-2, maybe something else if u can find a good one that has minimal splash with high output

Click to expand...

The 405-G-1 lenses don't cause any additional "splash" that is not inherent in the output of the laser diode.

What happens with these short FL aspherics is that more of the beam is captured from the diode. What you get as a result is more power and also the "leftovers" from the diode.


I am interested in some of these modified Aixiz lens "holders" to test.
I've modified a few myself and the hardest part is making sure everything is precisely aligned and centered so that the beam does not exit the aperture at an angle.

PM Incoming Stevie.
@ Ra, I have alot still to learn about these. why Things happen, and how they happen. Thanks for the knowledge, any luck on capturing more of the diode power/output, while keeping the colimated beam/splash minimal?

Pm me your address RA_pierce and i'll send you a lens holder.

RA_pierce said:

The 405-G-1 lenses don't cause any additional "splash" that is not inherent in the output of the laser diode.

What happens with these short FL aspherics is that more of the beam is captured from the diode. What you get as a result is more power and also the "leftovers" from the diode.


I am interested in some of these modified Aixiz lens "holders" to test.
I've modified a few myself and the hardest part is making sure everything is precisely aligned and centered so that the beam does not exit the aperture at an angle.

Click to expand...

jakeGT said:

PM Incoming Stevie.
@ Ra, I have alot still to learn about these. why Things happen, and how they happen. Thanks for the knowledge, any luck on capturing more of the diode power/output, while keeping the colimated beam/splash minimal?

Click to expand...

The problem is always going to be power vs. beam quality.
Unfortunately we can't have both at the same time with today's technology.
With single mode diodes like those from the LPC sleds, the 12X 405s, and the like, the beam profile is more or less round already so the 405/650-G-1 lenses work great to get the most power output with good beam quality.
However, when you start dealing with multimode diodes like the 445s or the 808nm pumps with stacked emitters, you have beams with axes that diverge at different rates. A lens has only one focal length so it is impossible to get the best collimation from both axes. This is why cylindrical optics or anamorphic prisms are necessary - because you can use them to collimate the individual axes separately resulting in a beam that has (almost) parallel divergence for both axes but more power is lost to the additional optics.
Basically, what this means is that there is no "one size fits all" optic that results in the best power and beam quality for every diode.

In the case of multimode diodes, you will always have to compromise.
More power or better beam quality? The choice you make is determined by the application/intended use of the laser.

In the case of single-mode diodes, the 405/650-G-1 is the best choice as it offers 20-25% more power than 3-element Aixiz lenses and a thinner beam at aperture with comparable divergence.
The only "con," if you can call it that, is that the leftover emissions from the diode are translated into the output, but in most cases it is unnoticeable. If you really want to get rid of it, you can just use a 4mm aperture 10mm or so from the lens to catch all the "splash."

SORRY FOLKS GIVEAWAY IS OFFCIALLY OVER!!! I'll make a sales thread for the modified aixiz lens nut in addition to a complete 405-g2. look out for that very soon!

Got my lens today stevie, and here are my results

Guidesman 445, a140 diode, v5 driver set to ~1.4A
Aixiz 405/445 glass lens- 1,412mW peak
Jayrob 405-g-1 - 1,557mW peak
Steviedezie 405-g-2 with mod- 1,597mW peak!

12x set to 500mA
aixiz 405/445 glass lens- 657mW peak
jayrob 405-g-1- 794mW peak
Steviedezie 405-g-2 mod- 792mW peakl

So I love this g-2 modded lens. It has VERY LITTLE splash around the dot, unlike the g-1 that has a present wing on one side, and it is apparently very well coated for 445, but not as much for 405.

I'll take some pictures when I have a little more time, but for now, awesome stevie. I will pm you about buying this lens