5W ophir 20C LPM by Offroad now + datalogging

[awillis2589]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Interesting because in the eBay listing it said something about using an lm7805 when using any voltage over 5v or something. And I know blord used 4x1.2v rechargeable AA's. Well if it works without m7805 I did more work then I needed to.

 

[offroadfreak8582]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Interesting because in the eBay listing it said something about using an lm7805 when using any voltage over 5v or something. And I know blord used 4x1.2v rechargeable AA's. Well if it works without m7805 I did more work then I needed to.

I got a different one then you and blord's

 

[Blord]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

The yellow LCD panel needs 5Volt to operate but it can be anything between 4V-8V. At 8V the panel is more brighter but it doesn't affect the metering.
So I use 4x 2500mAh AA batteries for the panel. It will last extra long compared to the 9V block.

 

[Smeerworst]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

The yellow LCD panel needs 5Volt to operate but it can be anything between 4V-8V. At 8V the panel is more brighter but it doesn't affect the metering.
So I use 4x 2500mAh AA batteries for the panel. It will last extra long compared to the 9V block.

When the ones that are provided with the LPM are drained, i just order some 9V li-ion battery cells.

 

[offroadfreak8582]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

When the ones that are provided with the LPM are drained, i just order some 9V li-ion battery cells.

In another thread laserbee clarified about the dual 9V setup for the ophir. I thought it was handy to mention it to you aswell!

You don't want to switch one of the 9V batteries that power the ophir out with other ones. You want to put in two cells at the same voltage in order to get accurate readings and also their is a chance in blowing the electronics of the ophir when you use different cells.

So just swap the display cell for a new one when it is gone and leave the 9V batteries as is :beer: The display cell draines faster.

greetings,,

 

[offroadfreak8582]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Hey guys!

Small update. I am changing the innards of the lpm to get more rechargable juice for the display and Arg's data logging option.

Pics soon

Greetings,

 

[ApexProxy]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

If anyone is interested, I ran across these on my quest for a complex switch:
1 Mini Train Toggle 4PDT 4P2T on on 4 Pole Switch 125 V | eBay

 

[awillis2589]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

If anyone is interested, I ran across these on my quest for a complex switch:
1 Mini Train Toggle 4PDT 4P2T on on 4 Pole Switch 125 V | eBay

nice find!!

 

[ApexProxy]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

They are quite small with the mount measuring 6mm in diameter and the case being 23x13x11mm. The switch itself feels very strong internally and I would definitely trust it all the way to its full ratings np. On the listing it says 6A but the switch itself says at 250V AC 3A and 125V AC 8A which seems legitimate to me.

 

[ChaosLord]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

That is very nice! Awesome job :beer:

 

[Pman]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Get the C4 from ebay?
Where did you find those 9v battery holders?

 

[offroadfreak8582]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Yep just blame it on the internet i bought them from my local shop. They were pretty expensive but you can also get them for very cheap on dx or ebay

Waiting for a final part no then i will post pics of my new LPM

Greetings,,

 

[Pman]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

I was able to find those 9v adapters for sale in the states on ebay. 9 bucks shipped for 5 of them. Also found some 6 aa cell holders with the 9v connector on ebay (have 2,4 and 8 cell ones but no 6 cell ones so happy about that).
Can't wait to see how you put everything together with the Arg. Awillis has the ARGMeter and he will likely be posting soon.
I've got the datalogger on the way plus on the waiting list for the ARGMeter. Don't know what I'm going to do yet but the datalogger will likely be added to the TEC unit and ARGMeter to the Ophir LPM.
Grateful that we are all sharing our pics and info. on these projects:beer:

 

[offroadfreak8582]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Had a hell of a day. Could not figure out why the new lpm kept fluctuating in readings whilst the ophir was not even connected. And it was wired the same as the other lpm. Replaced a the 3PDT switch and recheck over recheck. What do you know. The VGA port i used in this build is smaller. Which means the analog signal of the ophir was closer to the cables that power the ophir. That caused interferance with the analog signal. So i chose another pin of the VGA cable and reconnected the VGA cable to the molex adapter. Now it workes fine :beer: Still gotta do some dremeling and some testing.

Also even though this build has four times the capacity of the previous build AND had an arduino inside it is smaller then the last build :beer:

Greetings,,

 

[Pman]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Good info. to know. We all learned something with this issue.
Sounds as if your build will be done soon

 

[nospin]

Re: 5W ophir 20C laser power meter by Offroad

Hey Guys I posted all you need to Know about this head and calibration on BLords DIY Ophir LPM Thread

Se Ya