405nm <1000MW, unique diode and housing?

[Koodge]

Howdy there! I'm not entirely sure if this would be the right place to post it but I've acquired a Violet Laser finally after ordering a Blue laser and ending up figuring out within a bit that it fluoresced objects! With it's relatively shoddy generic housing I took it apart and figured out that the diode had the ability to be turned on via a switch on the driver board. Now the most interesting thing to me is that after removing the parts of the housing that mounts diffraction gratings to it and expose the laser, I found this odd black part sticking out from the diode and heatsink that almost seems like a fixed focusing lens?
I'm curious on if anyone else has found something like this on their diodes as well, if it's removable (or if it'll completely destroy the diode removing it with something), or if it even has a function aside from seemingly making the laser focused.

Anyway, thanks so much, if any of you guys have experiences with stuff like this feel free to reply. I'd love to figure out a bit more about this!

 

[paul1598419]

That is a lens, but it may not be a fixed focus lens. You have to have some sort of collimating lens before a diffraction grating will work with it. I can't see enough of your laser to know if this is just your collimating lens, or if it is focusable. The driver is quite common too. You will see these kinds of tactile switches on cheap drivers from China.

 

[Koodge]

That is a lens, but it may not be a fixed focus lens. You have to have some sort of collimating lens before a diffraction grating will work with it. I can't see enough of your laser to know if this is just your collimating lens, or if it is focusable. The driver is quite common too. You will see these kinds of tactile switches on cheap drivers from China.

If there's any way I can take a better photo for your preference do let me know and I'll take one!
And I think it's a focusing lens due to the fact that the dots width changing so drastically when I move it about 10-15ft away from me to the wall on the other side of my patio, also the fact that when I put a diffraction grating over it or the ('StarCaps') as they call them it's unbelievably dim but is still visible as the multiple points of diffracted light.

Is there any way I can remove that lens without destroying the laser? I've never worked with something like that before.

Edit @ 7:22pm: Also thank you very much for the reply, going into something like this alone without any knowledge on a lens like that and possibly risking breaking the laser myself would suck, I really appreciate the help and info!

 

[paul1598419]

If it is a focusing collimating lens it will have a way to adjust it from the outside of the host. Something will likely turn and move the lens with respect to the laser diode. There is no good reason for doing anything to it if this is the case. You won't repair anything by removing it and could damage it if you don't know what you are doing. I would like to see the whole laser pointer and what exactly causes this lens to move. Or if you could give me a link to it that might help.

 

[Koodge]

If it is a focusing collimating lens it will have a way to adjust it from the outside of the host. Something will likely turn and move the lens with respect to the laser diode. There is no good reason for doing anything to it if this is the case. You won't repair anything by removing it and could damage it if you don't know what you are doing. I would like to see the whole laser pointer and what exactly causes this lens to move. Or if you could give me a link to it that might help.

Here's some more images!

https://imgur.com/hC29qJz

https://imgur.com/8E2LtZv

https://imgur.com/b9G2p5S

https://imgur.com/k37NDrx

https://imgur.com/W7yk6a6

https://i.imgur.com/46oPVj1.jpg

 

[Koodge]

If it is a focusing collimating lens it will have a way to adjust it from the outside of the host. Something will likely turn and move the lens with respect to the laser diode. There is no good reason for doing anything to it if this is the case. You won't repair anything by removing it and could damage it if you don't know what you are doing. I would like to see the whole laser pointer and what exactly causes this lens to move. Or if you could give me a link to it that might help.

https://www.wish.com/product/5cd40cfb1df78376642e6db4 Here's as to where I ordered it from! Due to it being from Wish I can't guarantee if they changed anything on the product listing or not but this finally came in as I continue to order a bunch of random lasers to see what I can manage to find in varying qualities before I end up ordering a nicer, more expensive unit.

 

[paul1598419]

Okay. The link was all I needed. That is a 405nm laser pointer that, at most, is 100 mW. That is not much power for such a low wavelength laser like a 405nm. It is so close to UV that it is barely visible at 100 mW and it could very well be less than that. Considering this, there is nothing at all wrong with it. Focus the lens on a far wall to the smallest dot you can and put it back together. You are done!

 

[Koodge]

Okay. The link was all I needed. That is a 405nm laser pointer that, at most, is 100 mW. That is not much power for such a low wavelength laser like a 405nm. It is so close to UV that it is barely visible at 100 mW and it could very well be less than that. Considering this, there is nothing at all wrong with it. Focus the lens on a far wall to the smallest dot you can and put it back together. You are done!

Alrighty! Thanks for the info!

 

[paul1598419]

No problem. Should have asked for that link much earlier.

 

[Koodge]

No problem. Should have asked for that link much earlier.

Ahaha, I honestly oughta order from a more reputable site for once. At least I managed to find something interesting though as it certainly fluoresces a bunch of objects that I have and does have a semi visible beam at night. Though I have yet to get a good blue laser which is mainly what I'm looking for. Glad I have a violet one now though! It's relatively bright with whatever it's hitting and then as soon as it hits a fluorescent object it just LIGHTS up like crazy! I'll upload a gif for ya of something I tested it out with!

 

[Koodge]

https://imgur.com/4rlvZi7

Well heck I guess it's an mp4. Here you go!

(Also I dimmed the contrast to make the fluorescence more obvious due to how bright it was earlier.)

 

[Koodge]

https://imgur.com/Up89Wy1

And with some smoke, here's the beam!

 

[Koodge]

And the final test, I did a distance test on a building without reflective surfaces or windows that's quite a bit away from me but even with how bright it is and without smoke, the beam was surprisingly visible.

https://imgur.com/nGk7Ojy

 

[paul1598419]

Yes, the 405nm beam is quite close to UV. That is why it causes things to fluoresce. If you want a blue beam look for 445nm to 470nm. These are truly blue beams. You should be able to get a 2+ watt 445nm blue beam using an M140 diode. They are quite inexpensive if you find one. They will also burn brown paper quite easily at ranges from 2 feet to 5 feet. The 405nm ones use blueray diodes. You can get up to 900 mW out of these. The S06J and BDR209 diodes are single mode diodes with very tight power dense beams.

 

[Koodge]

Yes, the 405nm beam is quite close to UV. That is why it causes things to fluoresce. If you want a blue beam look for 445nm to 470nm. These are truly blue beams. You should be able to get a 2+ watt 445nm blue beam using an M140 diode. They are quite inexpensive if you find one. They will also burn brown paper quite easily at ranges from 2 feet to 5 feet. The 405nm ones use blueray diodes. You can get up to 900 mW out of these. The S06J and BDR209 diodes are single mode diodes with very tight power dense beams.

Thank you lots for the information and recommendations !

 

[hakzaw1]

WHAT??

Please know that double posting here is frowned upon--TRIPLE POSTS??? OMG
please go back and copy these --then delete ...then paste them into just one post-- this applies ONLY to 'posts in a row'
there ARE exceptions ..like a FS thread--you can 'bump' them as often as you want---this keeps the thread from getting bumped down where less will see it--another exception is if you have important new info to add.. if you only edit that into an older post of yours--double posting will let those following a thread to know something posted there is new..
BTW

afaik MW means 'MEGA WATTS" --and mw means microwatts--- just W (not w) is Watt(s-)--
you need to use mW for millawatt-- it does matter!!!

10000mw=1000mW= 1W===
so 1,000 mw is 100
in most cases there is no need for a 's' that is understood.. 5W not 5Ws
pretty sure I have this right----if not someone will correct it..