buying a good blue laser.....?

[dweglarz13]

Hey Now!!! Those are pretty.... Are these better in any way than the SS kit i mentioned above? And with both of these, I think i need to start another thread, but any recommendations for what type of diode works best with these? I am considering getting a blue for burning, and a green for cool factor. But, with all this reading, i don't even know where to start with all the different types of diodes? I see 140's, 9mm, Osram PL450's, etc. etc. etc.
Before I start a thread and sound silly, can you break it down and tell me why one is better than the other? And what is best for this type or the SS above if i decide to go this route?
Any help much appreciated and of course thanks so far for all the simplifying.

dave

 

[herunotsurugi]

hey no problem glad to help
Use the stainless steel kit for a green laser(Your green probably won't generate too much heat). And Sinners host for the blue, any one will do. I would recommend the m140 on these could go for 9mm but it would cost more and the beam profile is more or less the same at night IMO. The reason why you put the green in the stainless steel and not the blue is because aluminum is a much better heat sink material then stainless steel. Aluminum can conduct heat away from your diode about 15 times faster then stainless steel.
In summery your aluminum host is your heat sink. Another thing about sinner's host is the finned design. It looks cool but it not the only reason the hosts are made like that. The fins give the outside more surface area, once again increasing heat sinking capability.

 

[dweglarz13]

Okay great. That makes a lot of sense, considering I know a lot of flashlights have the fins for heat sink also. I didn't realize somehow, that the shiny one was SS. Silly me. Yes, i will do what you say and definitely go with aluminum.
So, what determines the thickness of the beam? i would like a nice blue thick beam but still want to be able to burn things and go far. And, as far as quality of the beam and spot, are there some diodes that put out a better beam as opposed to others? I will likely be buying from a guy on here, but is there anything I should NOT get?

 

[herunotsurugi]

If you want to get a thicker beam then I would suggest getting a beam expander. and usually single mode diodes give a better spot as opposed to multimode diodes(dunno know why?) Don't know if there are any high powered single mode diodes though. But for the m-140 it's not so bad. Unfocused they are rectangular same with 9mm but once focused they will look like dots.

 

[dweglarz13]

Sounds good. Is it true that the 9mm diodes look lighter in color than the other m140? I read somewhere that 9mm makes the beam look more like 455nm as opposed to blueish purple 445? Thanks again, you can tell me if Im asking too many questions....
dave

 

[herunotsurugi]

I dunno about that. I have both and just went out to take a look. Looks the same to me.
Hey now you are here to learn just like I was when I first came to this forum. I'm still learning even now and will continue to be learning until the day I die. Asking questions is a great way to learn(As long as your aren't spamming question that you could find the answer to with a search button).

My rule of thumb is don't be afraid to ask, and don't be lazy to do research before asking. :beer:
We are all here to learn

 

[dweglarz13]

Got it thanks. And thanks for even going and checking. If its not a difference, I guess I will be fine. thanks Herunotsurugi