Sanwu Lasers - Offical thread

[paul666]

Thanks GSS

 

[JoshuaGonzalez]

I also came across a rather interesting situation, I was looking for a website to order one laser model myself, but I also looked through these sites and said that I had followed their link from everything from another site, this made me realize that even in such a niche they build a seo strategy and develop site and not just pay money for advertising.

 

[Fundles]

Hi i just bought 3 sanwu 304 lasers, a 405nm 100mw, a 532nm 80mw, and a 650nm 200mw. I have a couple of questions. First I'd like to say they came all bubble wrapped and were here in a timely fashion. Awesome. The 650 and 532 are super bright and burn things instantly when focused! The 405 sadly, is super dim and also doesn't burn.

- Question #1 So, I did put the battery in backwards on the 405 as soon as I got it and am concerned that I broke it. However sanwu's website says these lasers are reverse polarity protected. Can someone confirm this?

I understand that 405nm is at the edge of human vision so I was thinking maybe I'm just blind, but it won't even burn electrical tape focused perfectly on one spot for 30 seconds, the other 2 make the black tape smoke INSTANTLY.

- Question #2 I think this means I should pot mod. I know, I know, pot mods are for dummies, but I'm pretty sure theres something wrong with the laser.
So should I try to crank it up? Maybe thats the problem?

Will have pics of my new toys up later when it gets dark, probably in general.

 

[steve001]

Hi i just bought 3 sanwu 304 lasers, a 405nm 100mw, a 532nm 80mw, and a 650nm 200mw. I have a couple of questions. First I'd like to say they came all bubble wrapped and were here in a timely fashion. Awesome. The 650 and 532 are super bright and burn things instantly when focused! The 405 sadly, is super dim and also doesn't burn.

- Question #1 So, I did put the battery in backwards on the 405 as soon as I got it and am concerned that I broke it. However sanwu's website says these lasers are reverse polarity protected. Can someone confirm this?

I understand that 405nm is at the edge of human vision so I was thinking maybe I'm just blind, but it won't even burn electrical tape focused perfectly on one spot for 30 seconds, the other 2 make the black tape

- Question #2 I think this means I should pot mod. I know, I know, pot mods are for dummies, but I'm pretty sure theres something wrong with the laser.
So should I try to crank it up? Maybe thats the problem?

Will have pics of my new toys up later when it gets dark, probably in general.

I wouldn't know if you're blind, however because 405 nm is near the edge of human vision it will appear dim.

 

[paul1598419]

Have you tried focusing the 405nm laser to a distance of a few inches? It might burn better if you did that. Otherwise, I would contact Sanwu and complain as it has to still be under warranty.

 

[Fundles]

Yes. I can get a very very small dot at ~3 inches. All my 301s make electrical tape smoke when i do that, except this 405. I put up a thread in the violet laser section with a picture. Pretty sure the laser is beat.

 

[paul1598419]

I looked at it. I can't really tell from your photo. A 405nm laser is pretty dim, but not necessarily for a digital camera. An LEDed 405nm diode would be exceedingly dim, so if it is very visible, it likely isn't that.

 

[Fundles]

My camera actually picks up the beam (sometimes?) and the dot looks much brighter.
Here's the 100mw 405 vs the 200mw 650



Also the pic in the other thread, the light is being flourescente'd so it looks brighter and bluer.

 

[paul1598419]

If you are getting a collimated beam the diode is NOT LEDed. It might be lower in power than claimed to be, but it would be exceedingly dim if it were defective.

 

[Fundles]

Thanks for the responses. So considering it can't burn anything would you say a desperation pot mod is in order? Remember all my other 301s have no problem burning things.... The problem isn't me. Also if you compare those 2 pictures^^ i would call that exceptionally dim.

Edit update: sanwu has responded to my message and is sending a new unit. wow that was incredibly fast! Great customer service. 10/10

 

[Atlas87]

Hi i just bought 3 sanwu 304 lasers, a 405nm 100mw, a 532nm 80mw, and a 650nm 200mw. I have a couple of questions. First I'd like to say they came all bubble wrapped and were here in a timely fashion. Awesome. The 650 and 532 are super bright and burn things instantly when focused! The 405 sadly, is super dim and also doesn't burn.

- Question #1 So, I did put the battery in backwards on the 405 as soon as I got it and am concerned that I broke it. However sanwu's website says these lasers are reverse polarity protected. Can someone confirm this?

I understand that 405nm is at the edge of human vision so I was thinking maybe I'm just blind, but it won't even burn electrical tape focused perfectly on one spot for 30 seconds, the other 2 make the black tape smoke INSTANTLY.

- Question #2 I think this means I should pot mod. I know, I know, pot mods are for dummies, but I'm pretty sure theres something wrong with the laser.
So should I try to crank it up? Maybe thats the problem?

Will have pics of my new toys up later when it gets dark, probably in general.

You may have already tried this but I have the same set and almost all of their pen lasers. I was having issues with only certain lasers working and at much lower intensity that I expected while others wouldn't even turn on. Well it turns out I had purchased the correct size batteries but I over looked the voltage output. I was trying to run standard AAA batteries in the pen lights but they require a higher voltage(than standard AAA putout) that was listed on the products page I had over looked -_- anyway I replaced them with some lithium ion AAA batteries and they are work perfectly now. I think I made the same mistake with my 304 lasers.
This may not be the case with your lasers but it was something extremely simple to fix due me over looking a small detail but it created similar issues that you're experiencing.

 

[Fundles]

Ah thanks for reminding me atlas. So all of my 301s have 1x 18650 battery in them and ive tried swapping the batteries around, doesnt make a difference. BUT i did stumble upon this:
and wanted to know what happens if i stick 2 16340s in there instead? Im assuming the driver will just keep the current steady and it will work the same, BUT i have sanwu 304s and it may not have the same driver as the 301s in this picture. Does anyone know what will happen if i stick 2x 16340s in the sanwu 304 lasers?

 

[paul1598419]

That depends on the driver they use and if you can get to it without damaging the laser. The 405nm diodes have a high Vf and if they are not using a boost driver then it very well may need two 16340s instead of a single 18650. If the driver is a boost topology, you will destroy the diode and/or the driver. I would ask Podo what it takes. If the driver is accessible and has a pot to adjust the current, you may be able to mod it. But, I would check with Podo first.


Edit: Hey!!!! This is my 15,000th post! Woo hoo.

 

[Fundles]

That depends on the driver they use and if you can get to it without damaging the laser. The 405nm diodes have a high Vf and if they are not using a boost driver then it very well may need two 16340s instead of a single 18650. If the driver is a boost topology, you will destroy the diode and/or the driver. I would ask Podo what it takes. If the driver is accessible and has a pot to adjust the current, you may be able to mod it. But, I would check with Podo first.

So ive spoken to francis and looks like hes taking care of me. sanwu website says 1x18650 or 1x 18340. 3.7v. Putting 7.4v in was just a thought. Will definitely try a pot mod when the replacement gets here.

Edit: no the driver isnt accessible without pressing the module out i guess. Ill figure it out tho.

 

[paul1598419]

This might be a very bad idea. Sanwu pushes these as hard as we do. So, you may get nothing of consequence out of a pot mod. You could also get this same laser much cheaper on eBay as Sanwu didn't build these.

 

[dikcheze33]

this guy above always has something to say but nothing to show