1W 520nm Suddenly Dim and Distorted

[M3Piloti]

Hi,

I just got my first class 4 laser delivered. It is a used Spyder 3 Krypton I purchased from eBay. I've read many of the complaint threads about WL, but I decided to get this particular laser because I am intrigued by the lasersaber attachment and there is no other plug-and-play unit out there that compares. I also have a JetLasers PL-E Mini on the way.

Anyway, the label on the unit says it is a 520nm <1500mW. It appears to be in good condition. I switched it on and it worked for a few minutes and seemed to be making okay power, but it would not burn the black tape on an Amazon Prime box at point blank range (maybe .5" away) after about a minute, so it was not putting out the power you would expect for a 1 watt laser.

But the next time I turned it on the dot was extremely weak and there is a distortion. It's hard to show on a picture but here is my best attempts.

Even in high power mode the dot is now weaker than my 5mW green pen. The loss of performance is really dramatic. It was never dropped or even bumped. It never got warm and the longest it was on was when I tried to do a burn by shining it at the box for about a minute.

It's not the battery (I tried several known good batteries with the same result).

Any thoughts on what has happened?

 

[Gazen]

Is there any chance that you have the safety cap/lens on? I believe that wicked lasers come with them on, they reduce the output by a lot.

Have you inspected the lens for any damage or dirt?

 

[M3Piloti]

Nope. It came with the 100% lens on it ans I never got around to even unscrewing it. Nothing changed when the performance dropped off. I had just switched it off for a minute and then turned it back on.

 

[RedCowboy]

With your batteries removed look at the diode window, see if it's cracked or has anything on it.

 

[Alaskan]

I'm wondering if they used a NDG700 or one of the lower power 520 nm laser diodes in that and drove it hard, maybe too hard.

 

[RedCowboy]

I know there are some used ndg7475 diodes on ebay that come from used blocks, they may not stand being overdriven as we do the new ones, they have tin pins and are advertised as seller refurbished.......I wonder how much they would take and how long they would last ?


StarWzs avatar reminds me of someone.


Not to get off topic, but I was looking at the line made by my ndg7475 in the daylight and it is a bright green bar, you can really see the shape of the spot in the daylight, the 50-100mw 520 diodes have much better divergence.

 

[M3Piloti]

I checked the diode window and it looks okay. Clean and not cracked. Looks well aligned and secure. The good news is that the eBay seller has been a peach. He's taking it back and sending me another one. I'm a n00b at this, but my guess is that something in the laser section itself has broken.

 

[deadshadow]

please take of the lens and take a photo of the diode,this will help us see if there is anything wrong with the diode

 

[M3Piloti]

Spyder III at "full power" on right. 5mW laser pen on the left.

 

[deadshadow]

looks like to have a glued lens on it so the actual diode can't be seen

 

[M3Piloti]

Forgive my ignorance. I haven't even begun sorting out the construction and parts of these things. I thought that's what you meant. Yeah, it's glued in. I'm sending it back anyway, so I best not make any attempt to get inside.

 

[Alaskan]

Damn, that doesn't look like a glass lens to me with what appears to be melted plastic, but maybe that is glue.

 

[GSS]

Even at first turn on which you thought it looked bright it should of burned the tape easily even if it was only doing 300mw's of the claimed 1W.
Although all greens look very bright regardless of power.
Are you sure that's a real Wicked laser and not a Thor type knock off host? Might explain the plastic lens.

 

[deadshadow]

this looks to me either like a glue at the lens or a glass lens with a plastic and melted lens holder-threading.in both cases as you stated don't bother taking it apart and sent it back for a replacement

 

[RedCowboy]

Your lens looks melted, the barrel portion that is.

You said the diode window was ok....how did you remove that melted lens barrel?

 

[Alien Laser]

The lens was replaced by someone, in your pictures its not the original lens 1 sec i will check since i have some brand new wicked lasers!
Edit:
I just checked and yes you lens was replaced by the seller or someone!