A little on my Novalux 488nm DPSS. *PICS.*

[aryntha]

Well, "what you see is what you get" and he shows the HD15 - which is odd, since I am positive he does not include it. (And I believe he mentions that 'you will need one'.)

As far as how hard to work with: From my experience, if you end up with a DOA item, his modus operandi is to do nothing and not respond until a paypal dispute happens. This is what happened with the GreeNe I got from the guy which had a broken bore on arrival. (He stated "AS-IS" but also 'TESTED-WORKING-NO DAMAGE')

Sellers stating "AS-IS" does not absolve them of advertising functionality (i.e., "TESTED - WORKING") and then sending you a dead item. It's his responsibility to get you the item, and he can't really hide behind "Well, shit happens." if the item ends up being damaged in shipping or the like.

You'll probably get the laser. He probably did test it - meaning he probably threw it in the "SELL THESE" pile after seeing some light trickle out of the aperture for a second.

If you end up with a 532 Novalux Protera (they did exist) or a DOA unit you're probably going to have to rely on paypal.

So I wouldn't say COMPLETE deadbeat - but he puts forth absolute minimal effort, and expect to have to fight if there are any "exceptions". In other words, he's not a scammer, but once he has your money anything else that happens is just 'gravity' unless its acted on by another force.

If you demand a cable, he probably won't budge on the BIN price. If you don't demand a cable, he'll probably accept a lowball offer just to unload the thing. IMO, a HD15 isn't worth $175, if you know what I mean.

I need to stress this though: DO NOT USE A NORMAL MONITOR CABLE. VGA cables generally have three coaxial signal conductors in them, with shields bonded to ground. Meaning some of those pins won't go anywhere, and the Novalux needs all 15 from what I can tell. (Or at least close to all 15.) You'll blow out the Novalux power supply if you use a VGA cable that happens to have the wrong two pins or so both jumpered to ground. You need an HD15 that's suitable for serial applications, in other words a straight-through 15 conductor.

 

[phoenix77]

VERY NICE review (with resplendent pix) of an AWESOME COLOR LASER. I had no idea that something like that even existed !!! If you should need an IR filter for it, let me know. I'll provide one at NO CHARGE...............

 

[Trevor]

I need to stress this though: DO NOT USE A NORMAL MONITOR CABLE. VGA cables generally have three coaxial signal conductors in them, with shields bonded to ground. Meaning some of those pins won't go anywhere, and the Novalux needs all 15 from what I can tell. (Or at least close to all 15.) You'll blow out the Novalux power supply if you use a VGA cable that happens to have the wrong two pins or so both jumpered to ground. You need an HD15 that's suitable for serial applications, in other words a straight-through 15 conductor.

I've got an HD15 I ordered on Amazon here - 14 pins though. I'll check each pin with an ohmeter and make sure it's straight-through.

Any news concerning my PM?

-Trevor

 

[aryntha]

I've got an HD15 I ordered on Amazon here - 14 pins though. I'll check each pin with an ohmeter and make sure it's straight-through.

Any news concerning my PM?

-Trevor

Not yet, been slammed with work for the last 10 days or so but am almost certainly going to get to it this weekend as I'm just as curious. And all for the prospect of a more stable Novalux.

(For the inquisitive: Trevor has me running some serial tests to see if we can get some reactions from the silver 'smart' power supplies.)

 

[Trevor]

Not yet, been slammed with work for the last 10 days or so but am almost certainly going to get to it this weekend as I'm just as curious. And all for the prospect of a more stable Novalux.

(For the inquisitive: Trevor has me running some serial tests to see if we can get some reactions from the silver 'smart' power supplies.)

Okay. I think I may need to compile another version of that program that uses a 19.2k baud rate.

Turns out the cable I ordered on Amazon is not what I need. But I found a "VGA" cable upstairs that has the proper connector and is wired straight-through.

-Trevor

 

[Trevor]

Sorry for the double post.

My system arrived today. The PSU had obviously been dismantled; it had no screws in it at all, and the "warranty void..." seals were broken. Using the 14-pin cable they sent (tested to make sure it was straight-through), nothing happens. Using a 15-pin cable, the power light on the supply cuts off and it makes a high-pitched whining noise.

Yeah, he didn't test it. I've contacted the seller; we'll see how this goes. :tired:

-Trevor

 

[aryntha]

Trevor, the 15 pin situation seems similar to when I was using a 15 pin that has certain pins grounded out. The supply would squeal and the red indicator would go out.. So that situation is likely the cable... The supply DID survive it, even though to this day it smells funny from parts overheating.

They did send a 14 pin along with the laser? The white "aperture" light doesn't come on at all? When I prototyped my homemade cable I started by using 15 small jumper wires (really!) going pin to pin. Then to make my final cable I bonded two Cat5 cables together into HD15 shells. Was a pain in the ass, but I think the laser -needs- pretty much all 15 conductors. I tried to slim it down to simplify the cabling, and I couldn't...

I wouldn't give up yet..

 

[aryntha]

Looks like laserman121 just got his unit and it isn't illuminating either. - Really, guys, I wouldn't give up yet. If these are DOA, then they're SNAD which means you're protected if you paid through paypal -- HOWEVER

Really, to rule out all possibilities, do you guys have jumper wire that you can hook up 1:1 between the head and the power supply? (By actually inserting the stripped ends into either side.) If you get the white aperture light to light up let me know. (During my cabling 'experiments' i did have situations where the aperture light would light and the laser wouldn't, so if you DO get the white light going, and no beam after ~1 minute, DO NOT PANIC yet.)

 

[Trevor]

Looks like laserman121 just got his unit and it isn't illuminating either. - Really, guys, I wouldn't give up yet. If these are DOA, then they're SNAD which means you're protected if you paid through paypal -- HOWEVER

Really, to rule out all possibilities, do you guys have jumper wire that you can hook up 1:1 between the head and the power supply? If you get the white aperture light to light up let me know. (During my cabling 'experiments' i did have situations where the aperture light would light and the laser wouldn't, so if you DO get the white light going, and no beam after ~1 minute, DO NOT PANIC yet.)

The white light does not light on my unit. The 15-pin cable that I used has each pin going straight through to its corresponding pin; I checked via an ohmmeter. ><

-Trevor

 

[aryntha]

wow... this guy is worse than I thought then... Odd question - and really I'm not trying to make this more difficult but.. Have you tested with an ohmmeter each one of those pins also to the shell/ground? (though I know some HD15s dont ground the shell.)

The reason I ask is, going 1:1 , several may go to ground and they'd still show as 1:1 since they'd be bonded together or bonded to ground...

Check pins->shell and make sure none show continuity, and then do like 1:1-15, 2:1-15, 3:1-15, to make sure none are tied together. (Unless you've already done this, which you very well may have.)

The only reason I'm so insistent is beacuse I really thought mine was dead, and with the exact same behavior as this, for the first day or so.. The white aperture light and the laser itself seem to be somewhat unrelated, so it's unlikely that both are dead -- unless the supply came pre-fried, which is possible due to the condition you described it in.

 

[Trevor]

wow... this guy is worse than I thought then... Odd question - and really I'm not trying to make this more difficult but.. Have you tested with an ohmmeter each one of those pins also to the shell/ground? (though I know some HD15s dont ground the shell.)

The reason I ask is, going 1:1 , several may go to ground and they'd still show as 1:1 since they'd be bonded together or bonded to ground...

Check pins->shell and make sure none show continuity, and then do like 1:1-15, 2:1-15, 3:1-15, to make sure none are tied together. (Unless you've already done this, which you very well may have.)

The only reason I'm so insistent is beacuse I really thought mine was dead, and with the exact same behavior as this, for the first day or so.. The white aperture light and the laser itself seem to be somewhat unrelated, so it's unlikely that both are dead -- unless the supply came pre-fried, which is possible due to the condition you described it in.

You are correct sir, three of the pins are grounded. I'll test the cable he sent and see what it says.

EDIT: None of the pins on the cable he sent were grounded. Wonder if it killed the head to power it on with the other cable? :undecided:

-Trevor

 

[aryntha]

You are correct sir, three of the pins are grounded. I'll test the cable he sent and see what it says.

-Trevor

Okay. We're on the same track then as I was with the various HD15 cables I tried. (I think these cables may be more rare than he insinuates.)

If you do have any thin wires around - its a pain in the ass, but if you can cut them and strip them to the same lenghth, with about 1/8th inch of the wire stripped on each end, you can insert the ends into the female HD15 connectors and -- if you're careful -- you can have the laser head and the power supply sitting back to back and wired with 15 individual strands of wire.

No way a permanent solution, BUT, it will tell you if your issue is the supply, cable, or head. Let's get that down, first, and see if we can eliminate it.

lazerman121: If you're reading,too: I got your IM, but- please, try this with yours, too. If yours is exhibiting the "getting hot"/"squealing"/"red light goes out on PS" when using one of the 15 pin cables you have - stop using it; and try the direct jumpered "rig" I described here to see if we can use process of elimination here to see whats going on. You don't want to burn out the power supply, so if the cable you're using is shorting, don't run it like that... It's why mine still smells like an August barbecue.

 

[Deleted member 16589]

it is straight through cable
i got a driver for a 15 mw diode head but a 5 mW diode does that matter
and if i open up mi driver to mess with the pot will that mean i will not get mi money back if its really broken
we need to take this conversation to laserchat

 

[Deleted member 16589]

hay when i flip the switch on the driver the power light gos dim but the laser and the laser led stays off ??

 

[Trevor]

Okay. We're on the same track then as I was with the various HD15 cables I tried. (I think these cables may be more rare than he insinuates.)

If you do have any thin wires around - its a pain in the ass, but if you can cut them and strip them to the same lenghth, with about 1/8th inch of the wire stripped on each end, you can insert the ends into the female HD15 connectors and -- if you're careful -- you can have the laser head and the power supply sitting back to back and wired with 15 individual strands of wire.

No way a permanent solution, BUT, it will tell you if your issue is the supply, cable, or head. Let's get that down, first, and see if we can eliminate it.

lazerman121: If you're reading, please, try this with yours, too. If yours is exhibiting the "getting hot"/"squealing"/"red light goes out on PS" when using one of the 15 pin cables you have - stop using it; and try the direct jumpered "rig" I described here to see if we can use process of elimination here to see whats going on.

Okay, I'll do that. Definitely a job for the morning though. I've got to get up at 7 tomorrow morning (err, this morning).

I just confirmed that all pins on the cable he provided run straight through.

-Trevor

 

[Deleted member 16589]

all mi pins are straight what next


hay i just noticed when i first flip the switch i here a buzz for 2 seconds long and then it stops please help