50mw 532nm Snoctony labby

[Brett]

Well, it took 17 days to get here...two weeks and three days.  I guess that really isn't all that bad, coming registered USPS from China.  I was worried there would be problems with customs, but apparently there was no problem.  It arrived registered mail, which meant a signature was required for pickup.  Unfortunately I wasn't there the first time they tried to deliver and I had to pick it up the next day.

Packing was fine, the laser arrived sandwiched between several layers of low density soft foam.  Unlike the AixiZ 50mw, this power supply came supplied with a cable that plugs into the connector on the PCB for AC power input, the other side of the cable terminates into a pair of stripped wires.  They also threw in a smaller cable with a plug on each side of the type that fits into the TTL input of the board.

I jumpered this power supply into my 20A variac and slowly ramped up the power.  The laser starts to pulse at low power at between 26-30v and continues to do so until a random point between 60-63v at which time it jumps to full power/brightness (*eyeballed only* - pending my acquisition of an LPM).
I went ahead and ramped it up to 120v on my variac and let it sit and warm up, since I assumed the power supply was designed to run between US and European voltages and might sag if run below.  I doubt this, but just wanted to be safe since I recently lost a similar (not Snoctony) supply for no apparent reason.  

I think there's plenty of laser (and then some) here for 70 dollars.  I'll follow this up with a few beamshot postings.

-Brett

 

[Brett]

Re: 50mw Snoctony labby

More beamshots...

 

[Brett]

Re: 50mw Snoctony labby

Here's the beam going through a spiderweb by the stone fireplace:

 

[jamilm9]

Re: 50mw Snoctony labby

nice laser

 

[Brett]

Re: 50mw Snoctony labby

nice laser

Thanks...those inexpensive modules are nice for someone who wants to experiment on a budget.

-Brett

 

[jamilm9]

i was going to get that laser for my rgy but am going to go with another one with analog

 

[Brett]

i was going to get that laser for my rgy but am going to go with another one with analog

Yeah...that was a very cool mod that rog8811 did to create a yellow beam from the DX pointer which had red and green on the same host.

Right now I'm more interested in doing my own DPSS. I know it won't be as efficient as something you can buy, and it will probably be more expensive, but in the meantime I've bought a few modules to keep me busy. It's just hard writing reviews without an LPM. Perhaps Santa will think I've been good this year.

-Brett

 

[Brett]

Here's a Laserbee measurement of this Labby running for 5 minutes.  The pot remains untouched!

 

[JLSE]

Good to see you LPM arrived, yay, no more guessing!

Just be careful not to damage the thermopile with all that mad science going on ;D

 

[lasersbee]

Here's a Laserbee measurement of this Labby running for 5 minutes.  The pot remains untouched!

Hey Brett.... instead of those high priced Duracell batteries.... we use regargable NiMH
in the shop... a lot cheaper in the long run..

BTW... nice green labby you got there...

Jerry

 

[jnrpop]

id have to agree on everything Brett Miller said
Ill purchases the exact same module from Snoctony and it works great
Im in Aus but i still hooked it up straight from my powerpoint ( 240v ac ) and it worked immeadiatley.
Takes a bit to warm up ( u get the bright beam then 1 second later it dulls ) but after it warms up depending on air temp, its great.
Its pretty good for use in spiro's and possible low power scanners and for 70 bucks, its great to just muck around with and really not worry ;D
+1 for this module ;D

 

[Brett]

Good to see you LPM arrived, yay, no more guessing!

Just be careful not to damage the thermopile with all that mad science going on ;D

You and Jerry have warned me about Thermopile damage.  I have read the manual (although it was a quick skim read, in all the excitemnet) and I recall it saying that the thermopile has been tested at 1.1w with a 1.0mm diameter beam for extended periods of time.

Should I worry about shining beams on it from lasers that have achieved a high degree of collimation?  With Blu-Ray I will make sure the beam is focused to infinity and *not* to a pin sized narrow waist (as in burning).  Is there something else I should be concerned about?  I know others have ruined their thermopile head.  I'll read over the manual again.  Thanks.

-Brett

PS: Here's the Snoctony, after the pot has been turned up. It now appears that the Aixiz is the most powerful of my "50mw" green labby lasers. However, it would be more telling if I had two of these identical switching supplies and could warm them both up simultaneously for the same duration. Sorry for the poor focus on this one.

 

[JLSE]

The only concern you have to remember is to ensure that the beam is not focused to a point. As long as the dot is slightly smaller than the thermo and you keep exposure under 1W you will be fine.

It just gets tricky with 808 diodes, keeping track of the dot size. For green, red or bluray, same rule for dot size, as scorching the thermo is the only worry.

My Laserbee I, measures up to 1200mW, but Jerry said this is not safe for it, and I only did this once.
Other than that, common sense in hand, it will be fine

 

[Brett]

The only concern you have to remember is to ensure that the beam is not focused to a point. As long as the dot is slightly smaller than the thermo and you keep exposure under 1W you will be fine.

It just gets tricky with 808 diodes, keeping track of the dot size. For green, red or bluray, same rule for dot size, as scorching the thermo is the only worry.

My Laserbee I, measures up to 1200mW, but Jerry said this is not safe for it, and I only did this once.
Other than that, common sense in hand, it will be fine

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, with 808 I have been using my Sony Digital Handicam on Nightshot (0 lux) mode to view the IR dot size. It actually works quite well. Some of my labby 532 modules have some pretty narrow beams at least until they reach about 25' from the aperture or so. For these I'll just take my measurements farther away from the module.

-Brett

 

[lasersbee]

[quote author=wannaburn link=1228783157/0#12 date=1232041574]The only concern you have to remember is to ensure that the beam is not focused to a point. As long as the dot is slightly smaller than the thermo and you keep exposure under 1W you will be fine.

It just gets tricky with 808 diodes, keeping track of the dot size. For green, red or bluray, same rule for dot size, as scorching the thermo is the only worry.

My Laserbee I, measures up to 1200mW, but Jerry said this is not safe for it, and I only did this once.
Other than that, common sense in hand, it will be fine

Thanks for the tips.  Yeah, with 808 I have been using my Sony Digital Handicam on Nightshot (0 lux) mode to view the IR dot size.  It actually works quite well.  Some of my labby 532 modules have some pretty narrow beams at least until they reach about 25' from the aperture or so.  For these I'll just take my measurements farther away from the module.

-Brett[/quote]

I've been away from the forum this afternoon... Thanks for filling in the Thermopile info "wannaburn"....
He is absolutely correct...

And If you can't un-focus a tight beam enough or not at all... then just back away from the Thermopile
Sensor and let the divergence widen the beam for you.

To focus the 808nm LD I place a sheet of paper in front of the Thermopile Sensor until I get a correct
beam diameter then just remove the sheet of paper.


Jerry

 

[Brett]

Good stuff guys, thanks! I certainly want my LaserBee I to live a long and healthy life. I haven't even gotten a chance to try the datalogging function yet!

-Brett