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- Oct 24, 2009
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*To the Mods* This is my attempt at making your job easier, this will put all the drama back into one thread, so you won't have to go around deleting threads daily, please give me a chance to have this thread, I enjoy helping the n00bs*
This thread is here to inform you, I am making this an official compilation of all the possible information related to the arctic (excluding media). Please read this entire first post for your answer before posting any questions you may have below.
The Truth: Wicked Lasers' specs compared to what some members here have measured and observed.
Size; 228mm x 35.8mm - there is nothing suggesting otherwise.
Weight; 378g - there is not much variance from this weight, very small changes to the laser's weight may be due to a different lens cap, a different model of LiIon 18650 battery, etc.
Wavelength; 445nm - This laser uses a 445nm diode believed to have been manufactured by Nichia or Sanyo, small variances in diodes do occur with different currents, temperatures, etc., however these changes usually only occur within 5nm of the diode's intended wavelength, if at all.
Construction; 6061-T6 Aircraft grade aluminum - The material hasn't been closely examined as of yet, but it is generally accepted that this is aluminum of some type.
Finish; Mil-Spec hard anodized in black - It is accepted that this laser is, in fact, a black/charcoal color, however the "Mil-Spec' claim is likely for marketing, as these lasers are showing up with imperfections such as scratches.
Transverse Mode; TEM00 - It does NOT operate in TEM00, it is a multimode diode with a "rectangular" output consisting of many lobes overlapping one-another, the exact name of the transverse mode is unknown to us at the moment. Note: It has been observed in DIY settings that this diode isn't as multimode at lowered powers, so it is predicted that the G2 may have a better overall beam on it's low power setting.
Diode; The diode was taken from a Casio XJ-A130 projector.
Output Power; <1W or less than one Watt - these claims are, for the most part, unconfirmed, as only one member that has a LPM has received one, and we need more than one case to judge off of. That being said, the user with the LPM suggested that his S3 was, in fact, putting out steady 800-900mW beams.
Beam Diameter at aperture; 1.5mm - This is a lie, as a few members here have measured it to be around 3-4mm at the aperture. Note: It has been observed in DIY settings that this diode isn't as multimode at lowered powers, so it is assumed that the G2 may have a better overall beam on it's low power setting.
Beam Divergence; 1.5mRad - This is a lie, as a few members here measured the divergence to be more like 4-5mRad.
Required Eye-ware; OD 4.4+, this is accepted as true for this power of laser. Typically the same eye-ware can be used for 445nm as for 532nm, but this is not always the case, be sure to check what wavelengths you are protected against before assuming your glasses are safe for what you're using.
Power Consumption; 3.7 volts at 1 amp. This is not proven, but assumed as true based off of the consumption of many DIY builds near the same power and of the same wavelength.
Power Supply; Lithium Ion 18650 rechargeable battery, it goes into the laser negative end first, with the positive end facing the tailcap - this laser does take this battery and it does ship with this battery. Reports from people who recently received a faulted s3 package suggest that the battery is, in fact, the problem. It is noted that some of you may have never seen or used a 18650 battery charger quite like this, so i have made a quick video tutorial of the indicators on your charger:
Battery Life; 120 minutes - This has not been proven, but has always been viewed as optimistic for the battery life of a laser drawing 1amp.
Switch; Tailcap, constant on/off - This is true, but only for the G1, as the G2 requires the tailcap to be pushed in addition to the smartswitch.
Modes; G1- On and Off. G2- Low and High Power modes, Pulsed and Constant Wave modes, Secure Lock/Unlock modes.
Duty Cycle; Continuos - This has yet to be proven but it has been suggested that this laser's large host has good heatsinking, but we can't be sure of it's heatsinking ability without a duty cycle test and someone having opened one up.
Expected lifetime; <5000hrs, less than 5000 hours - This is expected, and accepted.
Warranty; 3 months standard, 2 year extended - These are already needing to be honored as some lasers arrived with strange lens issues causing adverse beam effects, they are expected to be honored in full once Wicked's support gets back on their feet.
Shipping; In Stock Now! - This is a lie, the s3 is still on backorder for many customers, G1's are being filled and may soon truly be in stock. G2s are still on backorder for everyone, and some suggest they are still trying to design the smart switch, while that is pure speculation, it very well could be true, especially when one looks at the pattern from the G1, from development to production.
Shipping; UPS - this can neither be confirmed nor denied, as U.S. Customs could stop many packages with the info from only one or two, because they're shipping in batches, so it's best we don't speak of the shipping method widely.
Legal; The legality is highly debated for every country, when it comes right down to it: You can import it, chances are it WILL get through customs, once you have it: It is illegal to shine at aircraft, it is illegal to shine at a police officer, and if you're caught playing with it, chances are the fuzz will likely confiscate it, regardless of the local, state/province, and federal laws.
Other issues: Did I miss anything? Post relevant info here and i'll update the OP.
Click here to go to DiRollin's DIY arctic focusing lens.
DO NOT flame, post irrelevant info (i.e. where in nebraska yours was when you last checked, or that you checked at all), or duplicate questions. All good and relevant questions will be answered to the best of my ability based on observations i have read on this and other websites and will be updated to the OP if needed.
Thanks,
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