Best LPM for the price

[oso]

What is the best LPM for the price and for the average user. I don't need one that is for pros or whatever but I would also like a nice one. I was thinking possibly the laserbee but wanted to see what other people said before I just went on and purchased it.

Please give me some other options and ther advantages and disadvantages while still trying to achieve the lowest price.


Thanks,
oso

 

[kiyoukan]

TBH if you can find an alpha meter that would be the cheapest solution with very little work.
You can diy build a meter for under 50$ and send it to a member to have it calibrated. most nice members are willing to do it for next to nothing you cover postage.
Laserbee meters are nice, i calibrate my meter against his.
Some give readings faster than others.
Some are more sensitive than others.
Some need you to do math to know the power.
Whats your budget and skills?
there is the blue something meter for i think 90$ that is decent. its just like the diy meters but pre calibrated and assembled.

 

[lasersbee]

MarioMaster has stated that the Alpha has been discontinued...

http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/question-about-lpm-power-graphs-71147.html#post1025424

Our LasrBee A is similar to the Alpha but with a True Zeroing
control and a faster response time housed in a smaller enclosure
with a removable Thermopile Sensor.

Here is a Thread that has all the DIY LPM threads in
one place if you want to build one...

http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/diy-laser-power-meter-projects-71234.html

If you want to see most the LaserBee products you can
look here...

http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/announcement-laserbee-laser-power-meter-products-meet-your-needs-affordable-price-find-out-more.html

and for LPF member discounts on our entry level LaserBee
LPMs you can link in my Sig.


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

 

[Joe Mo]

Laserbee has some of the best LPMs for the price. I got mine however from Bluefan.nl index -- Store - Projects - About Me -- for 70$

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/review-basic-lpm-bluefan-nl-71089.html

 

[kiyoukan]

ohh the price is 70$ for the bluefan lpm?
Well then with a few more reviews i think we got an good priced unit just like the radiant alpha meters.
Yeah the lpm market does not have much for competition in the low end price for under 100$.
There is good money in a nice low end meter but the time and startup money make it a bigger hurdle and the return would be somewhat low.
i had some fun with a teensy and made it into a usb meter.

 

[Blord]

I got the Bluefan Basic LPM too. It is very basic. You get what you paid for. No case around and the sensor is vulnerable. But it does what it is designed for, measuring laser power. And it is calibrated against the Laser Precision Rk-5710 with a RkP-575 module.

 

[Joe Mo]

I got the Bluefan Basic LPM too. It is very basic. You get what you paid for. No case around and the sensor is vulnerable. But it does what it is designed for, measuring laser power. And it is calibrated against the Laser Precision Rk-5710 with a RkP-575 module.

What exactly do yOu mean when you say the sensor is vulnerable?

 

[Blord]

If the sensor flips over, the surface will scratch easily on the table. I put some thick cushions in the corner to prevent the sensor gets damaged. You see in this picture.

http://users.telenet.be/nihao/Laser/2W_445.jpg

 

[kiyoukan]

another better way would be to take a piece of hollow tubing and paint it black and glue it over the sensor. that way nothing can drop and scratch it, or dust build up and make the meter read wrong.
I had a sensor that had about 2 months of dust and i made the reading way off.

 

[MarioMaster]

I assume he means the fact that the TEC is mounted on the surface of a flat heatsink, so it is more vulnerable to physical damage vs most other sensors that have the active surface recessed

edit: ya beat meh

 

[kumowoon1025]

What about the HLPM?? Are optical sensors this unreliable for wavelengths it's not calibrated for? Is there any way I can have it calibrated for other wavelengths? (i.e. 532nm I mostly have greenies)

 

[mikeox]

LaserBee for sure data logging is great quility products. Jerry is great to deal with also one of the best.

 

[MarioMaster]

What about the HLPM?? Are optical sensors this unreliable for wavelengths it's not calibrated for? Is there any way I can have it calibrated for other wavelengths? (i.e. 532nm I mostly have greenies)

I really wouldn't recommend them for green either since IR leakage from the laser can throw the readings way off since the sensor is much more sensitive to IR than it is to visible or UV light.

 

[kumowoon1025]

I really wouldn't recommend them for green either since IR leakage from the laser can throw the readings way off since the sensor is much more sensitive to IR than it is to visible or UV light.

Oh well, I guess I'll just save up for one with a thermopile sensor.
Thanks for telling me.

 

[electron]

What is the best LPM for the price and for the average user. I don't need one that is for pros or whatever but I would also like a nice one. I was thinking possibly the laserbee but wanted to see what other people said before I just went on and purchased it.

Please give me some other options and ther advantages and disadvantages while still trying to achieve the lowest price.


Thanks,
oso

Take look on ebay, there are good deals to be found there.

 

[lasersbee]

What about the HLPM?? Are optical sensors this unreliable for wavelengths it's not calibrated for? Is there any way I can have it calibrated for other wavelengths? (i.e. 532nm I mostly have greenies)

I really wouldn't recommend them for green either since IR leakage from the laser can throw the readings way off since the sensor is much more sensitive to IR than it is to visible or UV light.

MM is right... Unless your 532nm Lasers are IR filtered an Optical
LPM will give you errors. It is like shining a 50mW 808nm IR Laser
and a 50mW 445nm Laser at the sensor at the same time...
At what single wavelength will you do the optical correction to
get an accurate reading since both wavelengths require DIFFERENT
optical correction factors..:thinking:

A thermopile LPM does not have different factors/wavelength.

A thermopile sensor will still be off by the amount of IR leaking
if you do not use a good IR Filter on your 532nm Lasers...


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics