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473nm Scopeguy-GB-Aquarius/CNI

I have a similar rule. $300 is right on the border. I am getting it repaired though so I am not out the $300. I will probably only be out $100 for the replacement diode
 





CNI pretty much insists on doing the repair themselves and wants to charge me $250 to do so and requests That I ship via fedex with tracking (another $25) I have decided to do thius repair myself.

Should I use a 1 watt Cmount or a 2 watt cmount. I would imagine that the current diode is a 1 watt.
 
2 watt, under run...less heat! in that case go 4watt and underrun to 2 watt, the possibilities are endless.... :) haha but thats a stupid price for a repair from them...i guess it would include a parts warranty from them once its repaired! but for that price you might as well by a new one!
Im very keen on purchasing one to!
 
Yeah at that price I may as well just buy a new one. Instead I have attempted to order a 1 watt and 2 watt 808nm diodes from heuresciences.
 
dont forget that diodes are different! the higher the output, the larger the emitting area. in a direct-pump, where the crystal almost touches the diode, with no lens in between, the die/emitting/strip size is an important factor. so if you get a 4w and drive it up to 2 watts only, you may perhaps only get a third output blue. (if the strip size is double, and because the lasing efficiency is strongly nonlinear). ..or get a fac (fast axis corrected) pumpdiode, the extra is well worth it. but even with a fac diode or if there is a focusing lens before the crystal, the strip size will have influence.
underdriving a stronger diode will only add to lifetime, not to heat anyway.

manuel
 
well I have failed. I believe my problem is with the driver. The higher powered the diode, the higher the lasing threshold and such. I have installed two 2 watt IR FAC diodes with the same results....120mW. This of course is not enough to get any blue out of my laser. Not even a drop. One of the diodes I cut into shape so it fits in the laser perfectly in the exact spot the original diode was in. The other diode I left square and only tested it for it's output. I don't have any reason to believe the diodes are broken so it must be the driver limiting the current. Perhaps I would have been better off buying a 1 watt diode afterall.
 
If anyone would like to buy this laser and the 2 diodes from me make an offer.
 
Hey LUKE, in hindsight, don't you think you would have been better off just leaving it as it was when you got it ??????? HINDSIGHT=20/20 LOL.........rob
 
It was worth it. We all learned something about this laser from my adventure. And next time I buy one I will pot mod it as well.... just not as much. Maybe keep it down to a modest 30mW. You are right though. I would be better off if I hadn't modified, i.e. I would still have a working blue laser.
 
Luke, why don't you just gut the whole thing, acquire a new driver and make your own new blue laser?
 
Thanks for the suggestion although Now I have a dead flex drive and a dead diode. There was a short and my shit got fried. Whoops. I haven't had so much luck lately with building lasers. If anyone wants this laser and the extra diode they can have it for $50 shipped. I will even include the (most likely fried(was emiting smoke) flexdrive V4) I just want to be rid of this shit.
 
I don't think the flex drive is able to handle a 2W diode. I think the max output is 1.5A at 2V with 5.5V in or something like that... to lazy to check data sheet.
Also, using a 2W diode is not the best idea... as you noticed, the lasing threshold is very high and you may not get enough power out for pumping blue.

Your diodes may be fine, but the flex drives aren't built for driving such a high power diode. Also, flex drives regulate the positive side... 808 pumps are case positive. If you hooked it up in reverse you may have just killed the driver.

Sorry to hear about this, though... it's not fun to watch a large investment go up in smoke.
 
Thanks RA, I'll probably just buy another, but first I would like to get a taste of an 8X 405nm.
 
ah, sorry to hear. but i agree, it benefited all of us! :-)

well, in fact, perhaps.. i'll take it to torture even more! :-)

everything else by pm?

..and of course i'll post here (or in a new thread) how it goes on! :-)

manuel
 
Just build your own driver and slap everything in a project box?
 
I sold it to Daguin. He is going to try his hand at getting it working again.
 
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