473's on Ebay

[bloompyle]

I've found 4 options for 473 under $100 on ebay, and would like input on them. One is a 473 "kit" it includes everything but the pump diode, I was wondering if this was worth the price, it was from CNI (apparently) and I feel if done right, and if using a fairly high rated 808 (1W-4W according to auction) you could get some good 473 output from this puppy:
473 "kit"

Next up is a BWB-10-OEM head. I was wondering how much it'd cost to get a power source for this thing. If it's not too bad, then you could get 10mW of 473 for $125 or under:
BWB-10-OEM head

Thirdly we have an under-outputting rated "12mW" head + power supply. It is said in the description that it is operating in TEM00, but at much lower than the laser is rateed. I'm predicting Class IIIA output here folks, but hey, for a General Grant some of his friends, you could power this puppy up and maybe get some nice blue from it:
underspec 473

And last but not least, we have a "frankbeast" of 473 hardware. It looks like this thing went through hell and back, forgot his contact solution, and braved it again. I personally would need to buy some sort of large project box to put this monster in, just to prevent dust collection and spillage, and all around peace of mind. It's fiber coupled, so that allows for a bit more maneuverability with it, so you can kinda tilt and move the head without moving everything at once. I kinda like that. This is also rated at 3-5mW, which for $65 shipped, that's still beating everyone else in the market, so it's a definite option for myself:
Frankenstein's monster

Now, these seem like good options for me, just for something cheap, but hey, if they output flawlessly, and are LPMed at decent outputs, why drop $400+ on a system that could possibly do equal or less? If any of you buy one of these, please post here your findings. Whether it's whether it even turns on, to proper beam shots and LPM results, I, and I'm sure others as well, would love to see what you've got =] Thanks for reading, good luck with the blues!

 

[Sigurthr]

I'd avoid the kit - it's just a trapdoor into a world of expensive pain. There's nothing DIY about the 473nm process.

The rest are all BW Tek 10mW'ers. I've got one of these that I realigned and is putting out probably upwards of 50mW. (I'll know for sure when I get my LPM in the mail.) These heads are pretty robust and well built but the controller board is no simple circuitry so I'd advise against a bare head without control board. The multimode fiber coupled ones have been bought by other forum members and there is a thread about it. They are multimode andwith bad divergence, but it -can- be fixed relatively easily. The "underspec" one still has the photodiode on it, which can be removed usually resulting in a doubling of output power. Plus if you're patient and skilled you can usually realign the MCA for increased output as well. This might be the easiest one to get working. The "frankenstein" one is just a standard BW Tek unit with a fibre coupled fluorescence probe - nothing really freaky there.

 

[bloompyle]

I'd avoid the kit - it's just a trapdoor into a world of expensive pain. There's nothing DIY about the 473nm process.

The rest are all BW Tek 10mW'ers. I've got one of these that I realigned and is putting out probably upwards of 50mW. (I'll know for sure when I get my LPM in the mail.) These heads are pretty robust and well built but the controller board is no simple circuitry so I'd advise against a bare head without control board. The multimode fiber coupled ones have been bought by other forum members and there is a thread about it. They are multimode andwith bad divergence, but it -can- be fixed relatively easily. The "underspec" one still has the photodiode on it, which can be removed usually resulting in a doubling of output power. Plus if you're patient and skilled you can usually realign the MCA for increased output as well. This might be the easiest one to get working. The "frankenstein" one is just a standard BW Tek unit with a fibre coupled fluorescence probe - nothing really freaky there.

The underspec one is the one you have 1 of, and a second incoming right? How easy it it realign it to get the 50mW you mentioned? And I called the Frankenstein one that because it has wiring all over the place.

 

[Sigurthr]

I've got a BWB-10-OEM with controller board and AC-DC PSU - which is what is in the underspec and frankenstein auctions. The lone head is the head in both those auctions as well.

 

[bloompyle]

I've got a BWB-10-OEM with controller board and AC-DC PSU - which is what is in the underspec and frankenstein auctions. The lone head is the head in both those auctions as well.

I'll order the one you made a thread for then =] But again, how easy/difficult is it to realign it?

 

[Sigurthr]

Well you need protection from 808/946nm IR, patience, and luck. The actual procedure is simply unscrewing a couple screws partially, breaking some glue on those screws, and carefully moving around the MCA while watching the blue spot on a far wall or LPM. You move it around until it is as bright as you can get it, or in the mode you want it, and then lock it down there.

 

[bloompyle]

Well you need protection from 808/946nm IR, patience, and luck. The actual procedure is simply unscrewing a couple screws partially, breaking some glue on those screws, and carefully moving around the MCA while watching the blue spot on a far wall or LPM. You move it around until it is as bright as you can get it, or in the mode you want it, and then lock it down there.

Protection being goggles right? Would they need to be good for 473 too since it might reflect? Or can I wear two pairs at once?

 

[Sigurthr]

It's hard to find goggles that do both. This is a lab unit and there's nothing to reflect the 473 back, so I never worried about danger from it while performing alignment. Besides, if you wear goggles for the 473 you probably couldn't see what is happening to align it right. When the MCA is out of alignment you might get a few uW (1000th's of a mW) of 473.

 

[bloompyle]

It's hard to find goggles that do both. This is a lab unit and there's nothing to reflect the 473 back, so I never worried about danger from it while performing alignment. Besides, if you wear goggles for the 473 you probably couldn't see what is happening to align it right. When the MCA is out of alignment you might get a few uW (1000th's of a mW) of 473.

True, alright, I'm excited now =] I want to get a few cool wavelengths before I have to go, thank you for the help =]