Another Warnlaser victim

[Grix]

If it was really 300mw, it will immediately feel as hot on the skin. It does not. Even a 50 mw laser can be felt producing a significant amount of heat.

Not necessarily. Skin doesn't absorb red well. I cannot feel my 230mW red on my skin at all.

@OP: Look at the laser through a camera. Is it a bright white?

 

[DJNY]

Test the laser as the people above told you. After this, come back and maybe you can share some pics with us.

 

[aryntha]

Grix is right. I can't feel my 450mW 635 on my skin. At all. Heat is caused by absorption, and, for obvious reasons, the human body does real well with transmitting, not absorbing, red, in deep tissues or skin.

This does sound strange. Though a lot of IR "pointers" have a focal point or "beam neck" rather close to the aperture because most people want them focused that way for burning (or, the original diode is focused that way to have the point occur in a would-be DPSS crystal structure.)

Please do take some pictures; I'm interested in even seeing what it is.. Warnlaser shipping a 635 when you ordered an 808 and labelling it 532 and also giving you the wrong host is absolutely within the realm of possibility, but this behavior just sounds.. odd to me.

Just be careful in case it *is* 300mW of 808. As RA_Pierce said, it'll appear a dull cherry red. (I describe it as almost 'evil', because it looks so dull and innocuous but it'd be hard to bear if it was 532.)

The "pink" or whiteish appearance will only show up through a camera. If the camera sees it as red, then it's probably not 808. If the camera sees it as far brighter than you do, and more pinkish-greenish-white, then it's probably 808. It's an easy test to do.

 

[Leodahsan]

@Plan B
I was talking about the average joe or kiddies that come here because they find a 'how to make a burning laser' on youtube, and put they hands on a 1W build.

@nouthyella
just turn the laser on and photograph the dot/output

 

[StandingWave]

Further testing reveals...

Tiny wisps of smoke when held a few seconds very close to black plastic, with barely visible etching left behind. After a couple seconds on black matte cardboard, a brief flash of micro-ember with tiny wisps and characteristic odor. Perhaps the item is exactly as claimed. Why buy 808nm? Very common diode, no secondary resonators or doubling crystals to sap output. And fused silica (common glass) has very low absorption at this wavelength-- no exotic materials required for decent optics. In theory, maximum mw for minimum $. The optics are very primitive, though. Extreme beam divergence beyond a few inches. And I don't really mind waiting for my toys, as long as the reasons are above board, which in this case they were not. I still think Warnlaser is a shady outfit-- won't be doing any more business with them. But I thought it good to correct the record.

 

[mod101]

Some reputable suppliers I can think of off the top of my head are.

CNI
DragonLasers
Novalasers
Jetlasers
Laserglow

o-like (cheaper than those listed above)


If you can wait a bit you should wait for a group buy. You can get a very nice laser at a discounted price.

You forgot Optotronics, Optotronics sells very high quality RPL in both blue and green and great 5-150mw pens.

 

[nouthyella]

I retract my previous statement... Physiologically (hemoglobin) it sounds plausible enough, that a 50mw green can be felt but a 300mw IR one cannot.
But yes, any camera (except those with IR filters) can see the difference easily enough. The 50mw green that I have does not have an IR filter and the red spot can be easily enough seen when the battery is more or less discharged.

 

[123splat]

Nouthyella,
I could be wrong, but I think not. 0.3W of IR is definitely enough to cause cell damage. It is usually IR overtone in some of the Higher pwr,cheaper, DPSS's (example 808nM freq dbbld by YAG to cut wavelength to 440nM, but not IR filtered can have massive IR overtone bleed, up to about 40% of 440nM's rated power). I'm a noob, so would welcome confirmation or correction from some of you more experienced guys out there. 300mW of 808nM is definitely no toy, IMHO.

 

[Leodahsan]

where did you get 440nm?

 

[123splat]

As stated elsewhere, I can't type worth splat... ment to say 404nm? I have read that YAG's or KTP's are used to increase the freq (halve the wavelength, 808/2=404, right?).

 

[Leodahsan]

Yeah, but they are more commonly used on greenies, where the 808nm light pumped on the YAG(or YVO4) transforms into 1064, just then the KTP halves into 532nm. Dunno if it works with 808nm instead of 1064...

 

[mod101]

As stated elsewhere, I can't type worth splat... ment to say 404nm? I have read that YAG's or KTP's are used to increase the freq (halve the wavelength, 808/2=404, right?).

I dont know if it works with 808nm but this may have been done years back before 405nm diodes were common. Now a days, 405nm diodes are so cheap that no one would ever build an 808->404 crystal set because its simply less expensive and much easier to buy a diode and install it.

 

[123splat]

Points taken. I'm a noob in LASERs and yeild to the more knowledgable.
Leodahsan,
Don't know why not, the physics are the same (it seems) and that is the stimulated emission part, right? But, I am a noob and could be way wrong..

 

[Benm]

Dunno if it works with 808nm instead of 1064...

It does not.

At least not with the output of a laser pump diode, the spectrum is too broad to even consider frequency doubling, among other problems.

 

[chipdouglas]

the beginning part of this thread is another perfect example of the blind leading the blind.

people you need to add safety advice when ever trouble shooting. this guy could have easily believed who every told him it is a 1mw red and gone around pointing it recklessly around.

michael.