Beam Expander mounted on an RPL

[electron]

Updated pic of the MG BE 3x;

 

[electron]

MG BE 3x front view;

 

[f22warzone]

umm..... now where did you get the 20x from as jack didn't tell me he had any of thos because that looks even more interesting : )

 

[electron]

http://www.surplusshed.com/

search on beam expander

 

[f22warzone]

thanks man i am thinking about getting the 20x instead of the 3x.... witch one do you like better?

also do you happen to have a .dwg file for the adapter you made with the dimensions and stuff? or maybe even a paint drawing if you don't have AutoCAD? because i would also like to make one of those.

and if you don't happen to have one i basically just need the threads on the rpl as i found the threads for the beam expander in the pdf

Thanks for all your help tho : )

 

[electron]

I like the 20x much better, you can do alot more stuff with it at greater distances; sorry I don't have any info for the adapters, remember it's the same threads that are already on your aperture shutter.

 

[f22warzone]

guess i will just have to ask jack and if i get all the information i will post a cad drawing so people can build their own : )

 

[steve001]

beam expanders are useful for two things long range pointing and distance burning as long as the beam expander is adjustable.
Last night the weather was good for testing the range extending capabilities. With a 10x expander from Lasermate the beam enters at 1mm and exits at 10mm. Shining this beam on a building 12407 feet away the spot is brighter than it was be without expander.
laser output is 121mw

 

[electron]

Lighting a match @ 50 feet with the 20x BE I observed the Laser to be painting the target (matches) @ 125mw's, I do believe my battery was running low and this experiment was done outside with a temperature of 92 degree F.

 

[FrancoRob]

Here's the Melles Griot 20x, it lights a match INSTANTLY @ 25 feet, Lights a match @ 50 feet taking about 4-5 seconds
Destroys a balloon @ 150 feet INSTANTLY.

Wow, impressive! I have just received the MellesGriot 3x from Jack, and it looks of a very high quality ( hei, the adapter coming together looks exactly like your!). One thing that nobody speaks about is the weight: the 3x weights 200 grams, how much for the 20x?

 

[bbshamsa]

Electron: The reason for the 3-screw system is that it allows for fine 2 axis adjustment of the lens position. This was deemed necessary because in many handheld lasers the beam will be a few mm this way or that, and you need to center the beam in the input lens to be sure of getting the right focus. Does your beam expander have any mechanism to adjust the lens positioning or does it just lock on to the laser?

If there is an easier way to have a mounting system with 2 axis adjustment I'd be interested to see it!

Bayad: The main reason that you have to use AR lenses is that you will lose a lot of power to reflection if there is no AR coating. There is no point in constructing a device to focus the laser for more power, only to have the 3 lenses in the system reflect 30% of your output power back into the laser. It's also important to use high quality glass lenses becuase even a tiny imperfection will be very noticeable at long range.

Justin.

Thanks for clearing that up, makes sense when you think about how much gets reflected when playing around with normal lenses.

Anyway, my point is that price is the most important issue with anything, and if I saw a beam expander that fitted my Aries for a reasonable price, I'd have bought one already... I know, I know, "reasonable" is a pretty subjective term, and I understand I'm talking strictly about my personal views only.

How is it that DL manage to offer a beam expander for nearly a quarter of the price of a heavily discounted X10DR?

My argument about expanders being overpriced in general is one I still stand by firmly; $300+ for an adjustable lens?? Way, way too much.

I have an idea though...

... How about an adaptor/fitting that used both techs?

By that I mean, an adaptor that clamped on the outside of an Aries/RPL/Hulk (assuming they all share the same ext. dia.) offering the same two point axis control for adjustement, and the expander itself actually screws onto said adjustable clamp.

Therefore getting the best of both worlds; adjustability with the main clamp/adaptor, which you could leave on the laser when the expander wasn't needed, and a threaded end for the expander to screw onto when needed... Happy Days!!!!

 

[bbshamsa]

Just thought I'd say it with pictures aswell

 

[bbshamsa]

Hey all.

Just to say that Dragon Lasers sales people confirmed to me that they'll be releasing an adaptor for the "Hulk" range in the next couple of months.

So for all the Aries, Hulk, Hulk Ultra, Crossfire, and possibly RPL owners (not sure of the dust/safety cover cap design on RPL's), there could very well be a reasonably priced, pro beam expander option available soon

 

[FrancoRob]

Hey all.

Just to say that Dragon Lasers sales people confirmed to me that they'll be releasing an adaptor for the "Hulk" range in the next couple of months.

So for all the Aries, Hulk, Hulk Ultra, Crossfire, and possibly RPL owners (not sure of the dust/safety cover cap design on RPL's), there could very well be a reasonably priced, pro beam expander option available soon    

So, I believe this is the best answer to this long "adapters" topic. Just to summarize, hereunder are the front dia (in mm.) of some "big" size handheld laser heads:

ARIES: 38 mm.
Hercules: 54 mm.
Hulk: 38 mm.
Hulk Ultra: 38 mm.
RPL: 40 mm.

Now, RPL is already selling a MelleGriot BE with a threaded adapter (take into account that the useful dia. of the frame which hold in place the MelleGriot input lens is 3.2 mm.)

DL has already manufactured threaded adapters for Viper, Aurora and Spartan serie lasers and (as you have been informed) is ongoing to manufacture an adapter also for the Hulk/Hulk Ultra series. And the useful dia. of the frame which hold in place the DL BE input lens is 4.0 mm.; having in my hands both of these BE, I have checked them with a sliding gauge.

Now, I don't know what is the useful dia. of the LaserGlow BE input lens (does some members of the Forum have this BE?), but I suppose I can reasonably say that a threaded adapter is more precise and less expensive rather a sliding one. And, taking into account that Aries and Hercules manufacturing quality is (hopefully) not less than that of the other lasers, I hope that also LaserGlow will develop in the near future a less expensive threaded adapter. And by my side, having not seen any reply coming from justin, this argument is concluded.

 

[bbshamsa]

Sure, Optotronics may already have an RPL BE solution using Melles Griot; the point is it's REALLY EXPENSIVE!

The point here is that the one offered by DL, with their adaptors is less than $100 all-in!!!

I know the original thread was on about an adaptor for an off-the-shelf BE fitted to an RPL, but considering that there's now a same solution but using DL's BE bu at a tiny fraction of the cost, it's relevant to talk about.

Basically, aside from the RPL, anyone else who owns a CNI pen style, Aries/Hulk/Crossfire can soon be able to add a neat BE and have full divergence and focal control for less than $100!!!... As opposed to several hundred $$$$

http://www.dragonlasers.com/catalog/Laser-Optics-price0-p-1-c-285.html

Also, am I right in thinking that the magnification level simply adjusts the focal point diameter?

ie/ higher mag = tighter spot?

 

[pseudonomen137]

Just a little teaser - no guarantee its gunna go anywhere, but I'm looking to be able to offer a custom made threaded, focusable beam expander for the RPL and Prometheus lasers in 1-2 months