7 Watt NUBM44 MX900 Build

[TaterMay]

Hello again my friends! Just wanted to share my newest build with everyone. I actually had a friend who has built some lasers himself ask me to build this one for him. I went with an MX900 host and Rick Trent's full copper module and heatsink to give decent runtime. I used an SXD driver at 4.5 amps, and heatsinked the IC to the inside of the copper heatsink to dissipate the heat. Two eFest 2500mAh 20A/35A batteries have no trouble providing the current. Power tests were done with a G2 lens. It peaks right at 7 watts, and averages 6.5 to 6.6. Now for the pics!

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And here's the test load(top) I use for the 4 to 5 amp drivers. It's a 100W 1 ohm resistor I purchased on Amazon. The current matched exactly(resolution at .01 amps) when I connected it to the diode.


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And for the beam shots. I really wish I could figure out how to get an accurate picture of the 445nm diodes. They all look purple.

Oh well, we all know that 7 watts of 450nm can look nothing less than magnificent.


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Once it was built, I decided to see if it would melt solder. It cut through solder like hot butter, so I decided to let it have a go at a small steel spring. It didn't stand a chance. When I was able to hold the laser still, it cut through the spring almost instantly. I sure do love this one. I think I'll build another for myself now.

Let me know what you think! If you have any questions or need some help with your own build, shoot me a message! If I don't have an answer for you, I'll point you to someone who does.

 

[grainde]

Really impressive! +3 I hope you have a good pair of goggles. Eagle pairs at OD 5 only protect up to roughly 10 W, so I wouldnt really burn (esp springs or solder) with one of these, before getting a pair of US/EU certified OD 7s. Just something to think about, if you havent already.:beer:

 

[marcuspeh]

:gj: +rep

 

[ImA4Wheelr]

Very sweet build. Thank you for sharing.

 

[TaterMay]

Really impressive! +3 I hope you have a good pair of goggles. Eagle pairs at OD 5 only protect up to roughly 10 W, so I wouldnt really burn (esp springs or solder) with one of these, before getting a pair of US/EU certified OD 7s. Just something to think about, if you havent already.:beer:

I'm confused. If it peaks at 7 watts, why are glasses good up to 10 watts insufficient for this laser?

 

[Pman]

+REP from me too. I don't even know what my REP is worth but I figure 3 since Grainde is 3. I've bought quite a few Efest cells lately and they test out well with my Opus BT-C3400 V2.2.
I have 26500, 18490, 18350, 14500 and 10440 ( have a bunch of 16340 AW IMR cells so haven't bought Efest yet) and the only ones that didn't meet or exceed spec were the purple 26500 which are rated for 3000mAh and came in at about 2600mAh. They seem to be a decent more cost effective choice (but I still have a lot of AW IMR, Sanyo Samsung and Panasonic cells plus some Kong 26650. The 26500 cells are just slightly too wide to fit into a C cell mag though which I didn't expect
Wow, your camera really picks up the color as purple but it is pretty. Too bad it isn't actually a 405nm at 7W and that really is the color
I need to check out Ricks stuff. Really love that copper heat-sink and I have 2 of those hosts (with the standard 3W blues in them). Betting that copper gets warm quick (good thing). Wondering if he sells that copper heat-sink separate. Recognize that focus knob from Rick as I have a couple. Like the knurling instead of smooth.

 

[grainde]

^^^Because you are very close to the limit...The eagle pairs are between 4 - 5 OD. At eg OD 4 that gives 0.01% transmission and so at 10 W, 1 mW will get through. Check the exact OD at your lasers wavelength from the graph on the Eagle pair website.

Remember these are Chinese certified goggles, which may, or may not be good. CN does not exactly have a reputation for good Quality Control and the inherent safety margin is pretty much non existant at these powers with this level of protection.

If it were me, I wouldnt build one this powerful without "properly" and reliably certified goggles with a higher OD. My 2 cents:beer:

@Pete, +3 was a guess

 

[RedCowboy]

I double up the lenses on all my cheap safety glasses.
Even if they say OD+5 and are really OD+3 then 1/1000 of 1/1000 is ...well should be OD+6
I did a test with a NDB7875 running @ 2.4 amps and a faint dot is all that gets through doubled cheap lenses, they are just popped out lenses hot glued onto the frames of intact glasses.
I still recommend quality certified glasses, but I would probably double up those as well.
Anyway this is better than what they were by a factor of 100 to 10000 depending of the actual attenuation factor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3vij-wYumA&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTO3evEi5GI&feature=youtu.be
I would love to see a pair of the 200 dollar certified glasses tested the same way, with a piece of paper behind them to display what actually gets through.

@ trussmonkey below : It seems like the higher wavelength has more impact per watt. Maybe just as it has more bandwidth it has more burning ability because of the higher frequency? More wave fronts per second, kinda like an impact wrench running at higher speed...that's just my guess.

 

[trussmonkey25]

Would this etch steel plate? Apparently it gets hotter than a 40 watt Co2 Laser focused

 

[TaterMay]

^^^Because you are very close to the limit...The eagle pairs are between 4 - 5 OD. At eg OD 4 that gives 0.01% transmission and so at 10 W, 1 mW will get through. Check the exact OD at your lasers wavelength from the graph on the Eagle pair website.

Mine are OD5. Even if they were OD4, 0.7mW is in the safe range. I feel quite comfortable with OD5, though I am still pretty careful, even with them on. This is the only metal I've ever tried to burn. I wouldn't shine any of my lasers at metal before I had the OD5's.

+REP from me too. I don't even know what my REP is worth but I figure 3 since Grainde is 3. I've bought quite a few Efest cells lately and they test out well with my Opus BT-C3400 V2.2.
I have 26500, 18490, 18350, 14500 and 10440 ( have a bunch of 16340 AW IMR cells so haven't bought Efest yet) and the only ones that didn't meet or exceed spec were the purple 26500 which are rated for 3000mAh and came in at about 2600mAh. They seem to be a decent more cost effective choice (but I still have a lot of AW IMR, Sanyo Samsung and Panasonic cells plus some Kong 26650. The 26500 cells are just slightly too wide to fit into a C cell mag though which I didn't expect
Wow, your camera really picks up the color as purple but it is pretty. Too bad it isn't actually a 405nm at 7W and that really is the color
I need to check out Ricks stuff. Really love that copper heat-sink and I have 2 of those hosts (with the standard 3W blues in them). Betting that copper gets warm quick (good thing). Wondering if he sells that copper heat-sink separate. Recognize that focus knob from Rick as I have a couple. Like the knurling instead of smooth.

He does sell the heatsinks individually. I've got one of MOH's heatsinks also that I am eager to try. That copper does heat up incredibly quickly.

I double up the lenses on all my cheap safety glasses.
Even if they say OD+5 and are really OD+3 then 1/1000 of 1/1000 is ...well should be OD+6
I did a test with a NDB7875 running @ 2.4 amps and a faint dot is all that gets through doubled cheap lenses, they are just popped out lenses hot glued onto the frames of intact glasses.
I still recommend quality certified glasses, but I would probably double up those as well.
Anyway this is better than what they were by a factor of 100 to 10000 depending of the actual attenuation factor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3vij-wYumA&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTO3evEi5GI&feature=youtu.be

I tested some of those super cheap 445nm glasses, the $10 to $15 ones, with my LPM behind them a while back. With my 3,343mW 445, I couldn't even get the LPM to register anything. I was beyond surprised. All I've heard since joining is how terrible they are. I'm sure there are plenty of those that are indeed unsafe for any decent output, but those weren't. I do have one similar pair in which the coating is visibly much different than my other cheap pairs. It is a light orange, not evenly coated, and I wouldn't trust it with even a 1 watt 445. I need to just go ahead and sacrifice it for a destructive test.

 

[barthchris]

Man, Im still amazed by that spring being cut! Just a few years ago this would be sci fi stuff to be affordable and easy to build for us. I still need to get a diode to build one.
What amazes me is the spring still glowing red hot after it falls. That's some serious energy being deposited in such a small spot! Amazing!

Is the beam much brighter than the 3W of 445? I'm asking because I know the percieved brightness isnt linear to the power output.

 

[Pacoramique]

Hi TaterMay,
I let you a visitor message.
Did you get it ?
Pacoramique

 

[TaterMay]

Hi TaterMay,
I let you a visitor message.
Did you get it ?
Pacoramique

I did not. I guess it doesn't give me email notifications when I receive visitor messages. Private messages are best. But let me go check for it right quick.

 

[Pman]

Hey tater, since you seem to be interested in batteries with some great Amp draw ratings I would take a look at the sellers on Ebay in the states selling 4 18650 Samsung 25R for $19.95. I've tested them from 2 different sellers and they are right on the money.

 

[Pacoramique]

I did not. I guess it doesn't give me email notifications when I receive visitor messages. Private messages are best. But let me go check for it right quick.

TaterMay,
My questions are may be too "beginner" ones. This why I ask about assembling parts if I send you my copper head.

 

[TaterMay]

Hey tater, since you seem to be interested in batteries with some great Amp draw ratings I would take a look at the sellers on Ebay in the states selling 4 18650 Samsung 25R for $19.95. I've tested them from 2 different sellers and they are right on the money.

I just found some 25Rs for a great price on another site a few days ago. Gotta back track to see where it was.