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What happened to my laser/lens? :'(

jArdi

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Jan 21, 2013
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Alright so this is something thats really got me panicked/worried. Recently, I bought an A140 1w laser from DTR. When i first got it, it was amazing. like holy crap. I was able to see a perfect beam in a well lit room, and when focused it will light a match the second the beam hits it.
So just a few minutes ago, i took the lens off to see the raw beam - there where two little spots on it, one here on there, ok. So to clean it, i take a q-tip and clean it off the wndow a bit. When i turn it back on it looks like this :cryyy:
20130217142736.jpg

WTF!? How do i fix this!? looking around, it looks like something burned up on the lens :(
I also cleaned the lens a bit, w/ alcohol earlier, and now it looks like i got some inside the lens! (three element lens) How can i get that out? If i put it inside a vacuum chamber, would that help evacuating it?
Its nowhere near as powerful as it was and is really getting me worried D:
I'll do anything to fix this, as long as i dont need to take anything apart. (the window)
 
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What do you have your diode installed into? Do you use teflon tape on your lens threads? They are pretty cheap you could just buy another 3 element lens. Is that a picure of the raw output or just unfocused with lens? I have found that my house is dusty and after using my laser I have to clean the lens. I found using a microfiber cloth works good.I was told to use distilled water to clean it. Pure alcohol for really bad dirt. I have read stories of Qtips and rubbing alcohol messing up a lens's AR coating...

Put up some more pictures.
 
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jArdi

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What do you have your diode installed into? Do you use teflon tape on your lens threads? They are pretty cheap you could just buy another 3 element lens. Is that a picure of the raw output or just unfocused with lens? I have found that my house is dusty and after using my laser I have to clean the lens. I found using a microfiber cloth works good.I was told to use distilled water to clean it. Pure alcohol for really bad dirt. I have read stories of Qtips and rubbing alcohol messing up a lens's AR coating...

Put up some more pictures.
That was raw output. Im not 100% worried about lens though. Its the diode.
but Oh. Shit. Im pretty sure that blue spot = scratch.
20130217153400.jpg
 
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There's an artifact dead center in the diode window that the light passes through, I think that's what the spot in your photo is. I'm sure you could put the lense in a vacuum chamber to boil off the alcohol. If worse comes to worse you can remove the diode window. The debate continues on the pros and cons of removing the window/de-canning so don't ask me if its a good idea but I know it will work.
 
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There's junk on the window, if you can't get it off removing the window is the only fix.
 
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Did you let it get too hot? Maybe due to that its degrading?
Here is the last pic of my raw diode output... You should have seen it before :p
rawdiode.jpg


This was what my dirty lens (not diode window) looked like...
dirty.jpg
 
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He probably tried cleaning the window, didn't get everything off and turned it on baking the crud onto the diode window.
 

daguin

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It's pretty hard to "scratch" a window with a Q-Tip
It is easy to leave residue and/or fibers behind using one

Try gently cleaning it again with a piece of lens cloth and some high quality lens cleaner

If you left crap on the diode and it "baked/burn' onto the glass, you may be forced to remove the diode to decan or replace it

You can try examining the window with a jeweler's loop

The "blue spot" in the photo below looks more like light reflecting off of the crystal face
20130217153400.jpg


Peace,
dave
 
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jArdi

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He probably tried cleaning the window, didn't get everything off and turned it on baking the crud onto the diode window.

yeahp.

I really dont wanna risk wrecking the diode getting rid of the window. Moving my lens around while its on shows a load of crud on it. How do you guys suggest i clean both the lens + the window? i tried compressed air already. No luck with that..:(
 
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Dave had a good answer ^^^^ if a lense cloth and compressed air doesn't do it then you really don't have much of an option.

- D.
 

Blord

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Blowing it away doesn't help. You need to dissolve the crud. Use the Q-tip again and soaked it in acetone or alcohol. Then apply the liquid to the window and let it worked on the crud for a few minutes.
If that doesn't help then I am afraid it is baked in the glass and you need to remove the window.
 

jArdi

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I'm working with the acetone right now, and if that doesn't work I'll try the alcohol. I'm just super worried breaking the diode removing the window
 

jArdi

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no luck; how/what method should I got about for decaning?
 




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