635nm C-mount Lab Laser

[532 with Envy]

Alrighty then.....

After A LOT of study, planning, re-planning, re-hashing, re-doing .....I have finally Mostly completed my:

635nm C-Mount Diode Lab Laser!!

This was a long trip of learning and understanding. The optics battle still continues but I'm pretty happy with the build and hope that ya'll are too!

Here are two links to the sale thread of the diode and my thread on my build.
http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/sold-635nm-300mw-c-mount-diode-w-fac-lens-62006.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/635nm-c-mount-diode-62087.html

I really wanted to put together some sort of Lab Build where people could see what was happening with the diode and inner workings.
As you can see in my post I went through a couple of design ideas before this came to me. I also had to overcome my lack of a lathe or drawing abilities to explain to someone who does have a lathe.

So here are the pics I hope everyone was waiting for. I am still VERY open for any optics ideas as well!!!

I started with a piece of copper rod that I vised into an aluminum tube for the Diode gig to sit on. Also I had a piece of aluminum rod that I used for mounting the Driver to for HS(not really needed, but couldn't hurt and looks cooler too)

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I needed to isolate the two rods from each in the housing and after a few failed ideas, just decided to secure a piece of hard wood between the two. This ended up working great because I was able to sand down the wood just enough to get a snug fit for the whole thing into the host.

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Then it came time to secure the Diode Jig onto the Copper end. This jig ended up being very useful for the build and installing the VERY DELICATE diode(that thing still scares me)

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Jig and power wires setting....

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Next up mounting the Driver to the Aluminum end. It is a Micro-Flex driver set at 805mA(somewhat conservative for the diode, and i'm sure I could push it farther but i'm happy with it for now. After I get the optics all figured out i'll LPM the build)

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So here it is....The housing is Clear Acrylic Plexiglas Tube 1-3/4 OD x 1-1/2 ID x 12"
At each end are parts that I scrapped off some measurement device that I got my Avatar laser from. The rear end I changed a bit to take the strain of the cord. I am using a Enercell 3-12V 1A wall adapter that is regulated.

The front exit end worked out GREAT. I had to cut it down a bit but it will hold a 1" optics with some help, screws in about 2cm so should even work for focusing when I get my optics trouble resolved.

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AND>>>>>>As I always try to prove in all my threads!!!.....Yes the thing does work!!:beer::beer:
These photos are taken with not corrective optics installed aside from the FAC lens. The other lens you see in the build photos is from an A140 projector and is not coated for the wavelength, it is a double convex and i'm not sure if it's what I will need(again...any input on this would be greatly appreciated!)

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I hope everyone enjoyed. Thanks to all of you that helped me with questions that I had. I hope that this will inspire others to play around with these diodes! :thanks::beer::thanks::beer:

:lasergun:

 

[rhd]

Wow, that looks amazing!

 

[532 with Envy]

Wow, that looks amazing!

Thanks RHD....it's been a long road with a lot of changes but i'm about there.
I was shaking like a leaf when I was installing the diode. Turns out also that stupid thing was screwed into the plastic case...with a NUT! I'm trying to figure out why the damn thing won't come out and trying not to touch it at the same time:banghead:

Thanks for your input and help as well...I hope that it is somewhat up to your standards for the use of the diode. I know you wanted to see something unique done with it.

 

[rhd]

Crud - I should have mentioned that there was a retaining nut underneath the plastic retaining material. Sorry about that.

This looks amazing! Way past my standards I love the clear sided encasing, that's a brilliant idea. I can't wait to see this all finished

 

[532 with Envy]

Crud - I should have mentioned that there was a retaining nut underneath the plastic retaining material. Sorry about that.

This looks amazing! Way past my standards I love the clear sided encasing, that's a brilliant idea. I can't wait to see this all finished

No problem with the retaining nut....just threw me for one more loop. I had actually practiced the mounting of the diode with the non-working one a few times. It turned out to be very helpful to have the dead diode!

It is pretty much completed as you see it except for the correct lens which I hope I can get some input on.
The whole build turned out to be simplistic in the end, although it did take a lot of design imagination to get what I wanted. The whole tube with the optics installed should mostly be sealed and protect the diode for a while I hope:beer:

 

[Kevlar]

Kudos to you man. It looks great!

 

[532 with Envy]

Kudos to you man. It looks great!

:thanks::beer:
Doesn't look like much but it was a labor of discovery

 

[532 with Envy]

So I'v been messing about with some of the optics from an a140 projector, trying to get the beam narrowed down and perhaps take out the flares from the sides.

So far i'm finding that a plano-convex lens works pretty well. What i'm wondering though is if two plano-convex lens would clean it up any more. I think that it will but sill not sure about focal length.
My thought was first lens with short focal length and the second with a long. The first focal being the distance to the next lens. I really don't know if i'm thinking correctly here though and don't have the lens to try it out.
Either way....here are some more pics of the spot so far...my first lens is a double convex and the second is a plano convex with a pretty short focal from what I can tell.
My camera still doesn't pick up the now 'smaller' square in the center, but does show the side flares i'm not sure how to cut out or collimated all the light together.
To anyone with optics knowledge feel free to chime in!!:beer:

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[LtKernelPanic]

I like it. It looks like a mutant HeNe or something. THe finished project should be cool.

 

[lazeerer]

:gj: on the build Looks Great.

So you are having Trouble with the optics.? What kind of lenses do you need. Would any of the lens out of a "A-*40" help at all.

I would not mind helping you out if it will allow you to get a Nice dot/beam.

Iam No Lens expert but i can offer you some lenses to play around with. There are Large Lenses off course out of the projector.

Free of charge.

Let me know if you are interested.

Edit:
And you only live 1 hour away from me.

 

[532 with Envy]

:gj: on the build Looks Great.

So you are having Trouble with the optics.? What kind of lenses do you need. Would any of the lens out of a "A-*40" help at all.

I would not mind helping you out if it will allow you to get a Nice dot/beam.

Iam No Lens expert but i can offer you some lenses to play around with. There are Large Lenses off course out of the projector.

Free of charge.

Let me know if you are interested.

Edit:
And you only live 1 hour away from me.

Thanks for the offer, very kind of you:beer:. Actually the lens you see in the pictures come from an 140 strip down(I think one of the most fun things i'v ever taken apart:yh

Right now i'm leaning towards two lens and i'll see what happens.
The first will be plano-convex with a short focal equal to the length to the next element(about 20-25mm).
The second will also be a plano-convex with a long focal length...perhaps i'll try a few at 250mm/500mm/1000mm.

I'm going to put in an order for some lens from surplus shed and see what I see.
Really i'm not sure if I am on the right track with my thinking here, and i'm not sold yet that these lens will correct the two flares that come out of the top and bottom. I wish there was someone here that had knowledge in optics but i'v been asking for a while now and no one seems to know.
I'll post pictures and results of what I find when I get my lens.

@ LtKernelPanic: I'm glad you like it....and your right it kind of does look like a mutant HeNe. Also as you see it, it is complete. I wanted a plug in the wall, lab style that a person could see the diode in action and all the workings inside. I'm just trying to work out what lens I will use to correct and collimate the beam.

 

[lazeerer]

Oh i see. Dint pay attention that well.

Have you tried contact Andy.?http://laserpointerforums.com/members/andy_con/

He might be able to lead you to what you need.

 

[532 with Envy]

I might try to contact some members through PM but was really hoping for input in the thread so that others can read it down the road. I try to label my threads in the same way that information can be easy to search for.

When it comes down to it, after all the design ideas I went through,it is optics and cleaning up the output that's the hard part.

There is some good and I think useful information out there on cleaning up an 808nm C-mount with two lens and Anamorphic Prism Pairs. I was hoping to avoid the prism if needed and i'll try the two lens first. I did design the build so that if I do need to put in the prism I could, but that will take a bit more design to make it all work

 

[Toaster]

Isn't the 140 lenses coated for blue?

 

[532 with Envy]

Isn't the 140 lenses coated for blue?

Yes they are, but they work a bit for correcting the beam for now, the loss from the coating will be corrected when I order the correct lens.

I'm trying to figure out what kinds I should use. Right now I have a double convex with unknown focal and a plano convex with unknown focal(I think both are pretty short) both are from the 140

 

[lazeerer]

Hey Have you tried the 2 lenses that are above the Red LED.?

There are 2 lens in that black section. I think the are Coated for Red too. There is One below and one above. The one below is Smaller then the one above.


Not sure How much of the Projector you actually had and if the Phatlight LED was still in there.