Guess our new products! - Sanwu Lasers

[Skittles]

Great points. I wonder if its better to go for the early model or wait to see if they will improve it, there is a chance that it will be sold out quickly seeing how special it is.

 

[BowtieGuy]

Very good question, I guess it will depend on supply, and how willing they would be to make changes and improvements that customers deem important.

 

[Alaskan]

Yep, an easy accessible mirror adjustment would be nice, or a way to make the mirror mounts where they won't change over time, or need adjustment, like in some of the fixed mirrors in the medical lasers I've seen.

 

[Pman]

Just my 2 cents. Asking for way too much customization and adjustability. The more options and adjustments by customer = a nightmare in complaints and returns. Who else is offering anything like this. For initial release it would be best for Sanwu to make it with the basic adjustments it has now with a threaded top for some caps and possibly an external power option with tripod mountability. As is this would require a precision alignment locked down and set to a specific distance. They have to prove there is a viable market or there's no point in making it more complicated.
I would HIGHLY suggest what most others are as far as increasing red output and dropping green down.
Sorry if this bugs some of you but they are in the business of making money. I swear I'm not trying to bust anyone's dream here Can't imagine the cost for something with all those options. I don't see how they could offer any sort of guarantee. Sure is fun to dream though!

 

[Alaskan]

This would add cost over some of the brass mounts, but how about if they used those optical solder pads for mirrors to mount to? The heat the pad with voltage to make the solder soft, adjust the mirror and then take the voltage off for a fixed position. I believe those are more stable than mechanical adjusters, I understand products are profit driven, but for quality and a RGB pointer which doesn't need adjustment to realign the mirrors after a year or two, this could be a sales pitch to get more $. This would be an answer to the problem of customers screwing with the alignment.

 

[ZRaffleticket]

I'm completely on board with the two posts above (pman, Alaskan)

I'd rather it be afforable and, if not something permanently aligned, something I can go and tweak if it got misaligned. The red balancing would be nice too. I think these would make an excellent base unit, and if sanwu chooses to make them more customizable to go from there.

BTW nice to see you around again pman

 

[Pman]

Got to sleep but wanted to say it's great that you guys are so enthusiastic about this new Sanwu project and big + to them/Podo for caring about what we think. My last post sounds kind of harsh and that wasn't my intention. I think it's going to be hard enough to align them properly and not end up with the beam looking like a different color/wavelength as look at it from different angles. Just messing around with a red/green module myself was odd enough. Wonder how close the divergences are. It will not look right unless they are very close. Sometimes what a video shows is not what the eye sees. I sure don't want the job aligning them.

 

[Alaskan]

I thought you made some good points, if it isn't easily or externally adjustable, I just hope they don't glue the thing together where we can't get inside and fix a misalignment or replace diodes, if need be. From what I have come to understand, they are going to use the same single mode laser diodes OptLasers uses for their Micro RGB. If so the diode characteristics are close enough to keep the beams together well enough to be able to do some night time beam shots into the sky and keep the beam looking white for as far as you can see, but even those have separation in the distance to some degree, and some color spillage around the white center you can easily see when placed on a target and walking over to look, even a fairly close target. They won't be perfect, even if you masked the output of some of the beams before being combined, the divergences are not exactly the same and will have some spreading in the far distance. Don't know if any of us would care about that anyway.

 

[Radim]

Got to sleep but wanted to say it's great that you guys are so enthusiastic about this new Sanwu project and big + to them/Podo for caring about what we think. My last post sounds kind of harsh and that wasn't my intention. I think it's going to be hard enough to align them properly and not end up with the beam looking like a different color/wavelength as look at it from different angles. Just messing around with a red/green module myself was odd enough. Wonder how close the divergences are. It will not look right unless they are very close. Sometimes what a video shows is not what the eye sees. I sure don't want the job aligning them.

No problem. Scepticism is needed to keep it real.

You had a great points in your previous post. Making things complex does not mean making them complicated as it might seem on first look. It is exactly the oposite - simple, but with added smart solution of combining it. Exactly those features you mentioned -like external power supply connector, threaded mount for lenscaps, etc. These things make it much more versatile for more uses.

I'm not sure for tripod mount - I would prefer clamps solution maybe, since the host is quite small IMO and deeper tripod hole could use too much space inside.

Good access inside for alignment is another thing needed - well here customer will not likely use this feature often, so it should be pre-set, still without any glue, in case of need the alignment can be done, but this should not be daily use issue. It all depends what they put inside - dichros and mirror or combining prism, or something else? How adjustment will be done? We just guess what is inside the black box, so we cannot say how suitable they are. Still I believe they will make it great, with nice beam.

As mentioned earlier further laser I would like to define the colorspace differently, not white, but for example combination of greens. By selecting diodes/DPSS modules (like 505 nm, 520 nm, 532 nm), even low power. Still this is matter of custom build, but if components are prepared already, it is just about using different lasers and optics.

Whatever I want even the product as it is developed now, there is complexity at least in controls mechanisms (HW rings + app for color selection), in size and shape of host (small, looking like great to hold) and some other features. These are simple, but smart, with easy to use and endless (accurately large) numbers of combinations.

Edit:
I hope they will make it open source similar approach to WL Evo (PIC based, under cover hidden connector, online documentation about HW and SW...), however more advanced - some hidden (to prevent dirt comming in) programing connector for Arduino or other microcontroller, some tutorial how to program it, arduino library. Possible I can imagine galvos module, external batt and having little portable RGB laser projector from it. Some ILDA connector maybe, maybe similar USB approach as WL LaserDock. Have lasershow anywhere... So many times I was thinking about bringing my LaserDock to the forest for laserpainting with me - with PB gel batt and 12 V DC to 230 AC inverter and with computer using Maxwell SW for generating "oscilators". Still I did not do it since whole apparatus was still bulky and heavy to carry with other stuff (my backpack weights around 20 kg usually. RGB portable with galvos module accesory and controlled via mobile/tablet would be awesome tool with endless potential for me...

And regarding WL Evo - this is the best laser of WL product portfolio IMO, very complex host, but there is underestimated potential of this little greenie with accessories. BTW: That reminds me I still need to review it...

 

[laserdreads]

Put it in the pocket host and call it a day, Podo :takeit:

 

[Gazen]

Put it in the pocket host and call it a day, Podo :takeit:

:crackup:

 

[Radim]

:bumpit:

 

[BobMc]

:bumpit:

Thanks for the video Radim. Think one of these has got my name written all over it.

 

[steve001]

Got to sleep but wanted to say it's great that you guys are so enthusiastic about this new Sanwu project and big + to them/Podo for caring about what we think. My last post sounds kind of harsh and that wasn't my intention. I think it's going to be hard enough to align them properly and not end up with the beam looking like a different color/wavelength as look at it from different angles. Just messing around with a red/green module myself was odd enough. Wonder how close the divergences are. It will not look right unless they are very close. Sometimes what a video shows is not what the eye sees. I sure don't want the job aligning them.

You weren't harsh, just realistic. Folks at this point in time are asking for too much.

 

[green lasers rock]

Great call asking for input from potential customers. Most of the suggestions I would make have already been accounted for, but I might as well reiterate.

1: please please please make sure aligning the unit is something the customer can do, ideally as easily as possible. Working with projectors, it can be absolutely infuriating if the beams come out of alignment, and the stakes are even higher with a pointer. If I could only request one feature, this would be it.

2. Don't limit the physical adjustments on the unit to make way for external control. Although having an open source application to control the unit could lead to some very interesting possibilities, sometimes you just want to take the unit out, switch it on, and create a color to your liking. Please do not eliminate or sacrifice the quality of the built in controls.

3. Single mode diodes and color balance. As many have already stated, the diodes appear to be single mode, but I also want to make sure that blue is not a multimode 445 with a low drive current. If this is the case, switch it out. The blue is already a little heavy, and I think almost anyone here would give up an extra 100mw if the divergence of the blue channel is cut in half. You may also consider trying to get a little more power on the red channel. Finally, I would make sure that there is an option for a direct 520nm diode over dpss. I am concerned over modulation attifacts with a 532nm at low average power.

I should also mention that I agree with the notion that customization should be limited as such to keep the price down. Maybe you could do this by having only a few base models, but offering custom features on request.

I think you guys have managed something quite amazing here, and you guys are certainly the right ones to develop it.


*Edit*

By the way, thanks for the sweet little laser. Really nice host, and it is absolutely perfect as a everyday greenie.

 

[Encap]

Got to sleep but wanted to say it's great that you guys are so enthusiastic about this new Sanwu project and big + to them/Podo for caring about what we think. My last post sounds kind of harsh and that wasn't my intention. I think it's going to be hard enough to align them properly and not end up with the beam looking like a different color/wavelength as look at it from different angles. Just messing around with a red/green module myself was odd enough. Wonder how close the divergences are. It will not look right unless they are very close. Sometimes what a video shows is not what the eye sees. I sure don't want the job aligning them.

You weren't harsh, just realistic. Folks at this point in time are asking for too much.

What they said ^^^

The goal has to be a viable commercial product at a reasonable price not an overly complicated expensive with many options item only a handful of people will buy that would be a loss for Sanwu overall.
Am sure they are looking to be in and expand business rather than to go out of business.

If they can get it to work reasonably well and not go out of alignment easily for people who want to try using a low output RGB hand held laser to make illusions of other wavelengths that are really just RGB, that may sell well enough to make producing it worthwhile--who knows?