100mW waterproof green laser $68 GB#2

[steviedezie]

that was a peak reading, it didnt stay there for long, I noticed that if used past 2 minutes on, the power will drop dramatically, which is fine since theres really no need to keep a pointer on for that long anyways. after 30 seconds mine sits at 130-140mW without the front end, and then after 1 minute 30 seconds, it starts to drop slowly and then by 2 minutes on its going down rapidly to the 80's and 70's. The brass module isnt even warm at that time, so i suspect its the driver thats overheating and reducing output. that or its maybe its because im using a 3.7V battery which could be overdriving the driver which causes alot of unneccessary heat. Overall with any complete laser i buy i always like to evaluate it thoroughly.

overall for under $70 this is a pretty good laser that is absolutely waterproof. so far, i've done 30 second on, 8 inch and 18 inch submerge tests and everytime the insides stay complete dry.

Looking at the construction though, modding this laser would most likely require that the existing module be destroyed...so im not going to be doing that any time soon.

 

[jcranmer]

and another thing, I think you missed my edit from above, but i wanted ask if these lasers can take a 3.7V battery since the battery that came with it are 3V.

I only used a 3.7V once for a couple of moment by mistake. I have been playing it safe and sticking to 3.0v that came with it. I do have to say that battery doesn't last very long at all.

I also noticed that if I take the "head" off with the flat glass lens the beam seems brighter, I don't have an LPM to test it with though. Of course this kills the waterproofing, but how many of us really need to dunk our lasers underwater anyway.

btw: When your battery starts getting low, does it mode hop to TEM10? Mine does. It's a nice indicator of when it's time to charge the battery.

 

[yobresal]

Yeah I noticed this when testing one of the 10 with different batteries. Including a 3V primary. These lasers will run fine with 3.7V (charge up to 4.2V) I have already checked. SO don't hesitate.

 

[steviedezie]

btw: When your battery starts getting low, does it mode hop to TEM10? Mine does. It's a nice indicator of when it's time to charge the battery.

weird thing is with mine when the laser is "cold" it starts off in a weird mode, im not sure which TEM it is in, but it has a horrible round splash around the dot, and the dot doesnt look round either...i think that could be TEM10. anyways, when cold, it starts off in that mode and then after 5 seconds or so it goes into TEM00.

after many tests on my laserbee I see a recurring trend. it starts off pretty low, like 50-60mW and climbs at a rate of about 4-5mW per second... it likes to hover around 90mW or so and then maybe after 30 sec, it rapidly climbs to 115-118mW...and stays there. it isnt until well over 1 minute does it drop in power. these readings were done with the laser fully assembled (front end cap on).

im noticing what Luke was stating earlier...that the laser will get stronger the more you use it. so far i've allowed the laser to have 10 on/off cycles. each time on was 30-120 seconds, and each off time was equal to the on time or longer. and, with the laser "cold" i.e. after 1 hour off, the laser doesnt take as long to get to full power as when I first got it. I just tested it before I made this post: laser was unused for 50 minutes, ran it on the laserbee and it started reading quickly, then slowed at around 80mW with a 1-2mW per second climb to about 95mW then after it almost instantly jumps to 110mW and rises to 120mW now... all of this taking about 20 seconds...which is not bad. When i first got it, it took a tedious 45 seconds to reach max power.


EDIT: thanks luke for confirming! I got some GTL LR123 batteries that are labeled 2000maH that i wanted to use in these lasers. I know these batteries arent near 2000mAH, but they out perform both my surefire and ultrafire 16340/cr123 batteries which are rated at 800mAH.

 

[jcranmer]

If you happen to have some goggles it's much easier to see the TEM modes on this laser. When the batteries are low it goes from a mostly clean dot to two bars that are side by side like " II "

Also mine has a huge weird looking splash pattern only if I tighten the second threaded part down to tight. I turn the laser on and twist until I get a clean image. Not sure what to call that part, but it's the larger of the two sections that make up the head. Not the crown piece with the square glass lens, but the next section down, closer to the batteries. I'd try to get some pics but I don't think the iPhone will take a good enough pic to see the splash I am talking about.

 

[yobresal]

Hmmm that's a new one. Is it turning the actual laser module inside the host? I didn't try turning that part. Probably isn't the best idea. I do not know what would happen if you unscrewed it all the way.

 

[smzy322]

got mine today filled my sink up to try it out and it immediately took in water

 

[jcranmer]

Uh oh. Hopefully it didn't get damaged.

Couple of notes on this unit being "waterproof".

1) Make sure you oil all threads and o-rings. This unit has 3, 2 on the front end and one at the rear where you put the batteries in.
2) Don't over-tighten the sections. Turn until just snug and then a TINY bit more.

With that said, I've not been brave enough to test mine. I didn't get it to use it underwater. So long as it's good with a little moisture from outdoor use, I'm good.

Make sure that thing is dried out completely before trying it out again.

 

[steviedezie]

so far its proven reliable enough underwater to say its waterproof for accidental drops into sinks/toilets/small streams/buckets of water/puddles/pools/etc. i've only done it 3 times so far and only at 1 1/2 feet depth max. so its not a very extensive test that definitely makes this thing waterproof for diving. one thing i did notice that if you take the laser straight out of the box, you need to tighten it a bit more before you submerge it in water. The front piece, the middle section, and the switch cover section...yea the tailcap is in 2 pieces, which i thought was pretty cool. i accidently unscrewed the end that holds the switch cover and was like...wtf, where do i put the batteries. then i realize i was looking at the switch and that it also screws off.

anyways though, does anyone know exactly what the glass piece in the front of the laser is? or any specs on it regarding AR coating or if its even a decent IR filter or whatnot...

 

[yobresal]

got mine today filled my sink up to try it out and it immediately took in water

YIKES! which section? The tailcap or the head? Make sure both parts are screwed in enough. The o-Rings should stop the water. I tried it on one from each batch and didn't have trouble. If you need more o-rings I can send some as I have extra o-rings lying around.

 

[jcranmer]

Oops. I forgot about the switch part being two pieces. I knew I should have been looking at it when I posted. Oh and yeah I did the same thing and still do just about everytime I charge the battery.

 

[smzy322]

Hmmm that's a new one. Is it turning the actual laser module inside the host? I didn't try turning that part. Probably isn't the best idea. I do not know what would happen if you unscrewed it all the way.

It was the head but i opened it barely anything got in and it dried out. Quick and probably stupid question but I panicked when i realized water was in it and unscrewed the top and didn't pay attention to how everything goes in. do the two orings stack on top of each other?

 

[yobresal]

Anyone want to help him out with this one? Mine is in route.

 

[kmiller8]

It was the head but i opened it barely anything got in and it dried out. Quick and probably stupid question but I panicked when i realized water was in it and unscrewed the top and didn't pay attention to how everything goes in. do the two orings stack on top of each other?

O ring glass O ring

 

[smzy322]

oiled the threads and o rings and works like a champ now

 

[yobresal]

Nice!