Cheapo pointer power guess

[savage388]

I bought this little 5 mw pointer at the beach last year but it looks to be a bit overspec, what do you guys think? This is in a semi lit room.

 

[NightExplorer96]

Hey savage,

It's impossible to tell the output of a laser just by it's beam or dot. Most cheap "5mW" pens output around 25mW-50mW though, so be careful.

-Alex

 

[savage388]

Hey savage,

It's impossible to tell the output of a laser just by it's beam or dot. Most cheap "5mW" pens output around 25mW-50mW though, so be careful.

-Alex

Sorry for the noob question, but thanks I was just looking for a real opinion on it.
That said, I guess spending money on a 50 mw green and expecting it to be brighter is a waste.

 

[Rifter]

what camera was that pic taken with and can you see the beam clearly with your eyes like in the pic?

 

[savage388]

what camera was that pic taken with and can you see the beam clearly with your eyes like in the pic?

That was only my phone camera, it was actually a little brighter in person.

 

[Rifter]

That was only my phone camera, it was actually a little brighter in person.

Probably in to 50-100mw range, I have a 5mw labeled 50mw actual(I LPM tested it) eBay green pointer and it does not look that bright.

 

[Rifter]

Looks like a lot of smoke in the room.

No one can guess the power of a laser. There are so many variables involved its impossible to get a good reading by looking at it.

What you can do is see if it will burn through a black plastic garbage bag. If it can it will be over 50mW. If it can light a blackened match its over 75mW. If it cant do either its anywhere between 10-50mW. In any event its not 5mW so be very careful where you point it. All it takes is a millisecond to burn your eye.

Good point I hadn't considered smoke.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

Yeah, if there is smoke, that makes it a lot harder to tell. It could be anywhere between 30 and 100mW.
LPM is the only way to know for sure

 

[savage388]

The room looks hazy because of the crappy camera.
I'll try to do a burn test on it if it will work right, at most I can get 10-15 seconds of that power before it drops off alot.
When I shine it on more sensitive skin I get a faint warmth. I'm definitely going to be a lot more careful than when I got it, no more reflecting tricks.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

That is definitely over 50mW, then. Maybe even in excess of 100.

 

[savage388]

Well it's ruined so I'm looking for a replacement. I forgot it in my car the other day and now the divergence is insane.
The dot is around 6 inches at 10 ft.

 

[Rifter]

Well it's ruined so I'm looking for a replacement. I forgot it in my car the other day and now the divergence is insane.
The dot is around 6 inches at 10 ft.

yeah DPSS is very shock sensitive due to the close tolerances on the alignment, one small drop can kill them.

 

[savage388]

yeah DPSS is very shock sensitive due to the close tolerances on the alignment, one small drop can kill them.

I'm assuming it happened when I slammed the door ( it was in the door pocket).
I guess I'll try my luck with a fleabay laser next.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

If you're getting a nice round green output like that, then I would suspect a problem with one or both of the
lenses. It isn't a total lost cause if you have the patience to move the lenses around and epoxy them back
into place. Unless one of the melted completely. I suppose it's possible.