DL vs NOVA

[maxkillz]

Which would be a better laser all around? http://www.dragonlasers.com/product.php?productid=16344&cat=290&page=1 or http://www.novalasers.com/NOVAstore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=7&idproduct=52 if you don't want to click the links it's a >100mW module and >105mW alpha. I'm just trying to see my next purchase when and if i get some money I used a credit card for the first time in my life, and another first is i am now in serious debt from repairing my truck (-$270 is a lot of debt to me.)


I am still selling my PSP slim with the camera 4GB card 8 games and movies. If someone buys it on here ill throw in another 4GB or just give an 8GB. the price is $300 but I will ship to forum members. If your local ill take $20 off so it's only $280 for a new psp 2x4GB or 8GB card, camera, and UMD's... at this point I'm just trying to pay the bills and people i owe money to back. sorry if it seems like a sales pitch but i need to sell this somehow and get out of debt and get rid of the credit card :-/

 

[diachi]

It depends what you're looking for in the laser really, what is it you want to do with it ?

 

[maxkillz]

It depends what you're looking for in the laser really, what is it you want to do with it ?

Well I was thinking of a project of making a "laser cage" with a ton of mirrors either in my basement or my deck. In my head i see a 6x9x6 green "cage" that i can sit or stand in and the "bars" are all aligned perfectly. The ability to burn is a factor here too. I don't really mind it being portable or not. Which is just an all around better laser for optics experiments? Build quality, stability over ~3minutes and realistic divergence is all i want. and average output power from people with meters that own these. I hope i'm not asking too much

 

[diachi]

Probably best off the labby then, it will have a great stability and 100% duty cycle, and will burn, and will be great for optics experiments, and won't roll around either so thats good.

IMO your best with the labby.

 

[maxkillz]

Probably best off the labby then, it will have a great stability and 100% duty cycle, and will burn, and will be great for optics experiments, and won't roll around either so thats good.

IMO your best with the labby.

Well thanks for your opinion, I'm gonna see if i can get a few more opinions before buying in like 2 months when i can raise that kind of extra money after i get rid of my debt to the credit card and everyone i owe

 

[diachi]

Yeah, your best off getting a few opinions

The Alpha will also be pretty stable, and have a good duty cycle, but it will need batteries for a start, and it will be harder to keep steady.

 

[maxkillz]

i have a cradle it can sit in, but if i get a labby a brick will do just as well. I'm not too worried about batteries as i have several hundred of every kind of battery. (went nuts one day when i couldn't find batteries and bought enough for years lol) I hope it can have a nice bright beam in humid conditions, if i go outside. In the basement it will be pitch black so it should be fine.

 

[diachi]

Yeah, If it's humid the beam will be very visible, also remember and get some safety goggles .

 

[RA_pierce]

For optics experiments a labby seems it would be the best choice. You may even be able to ask DL to adjust the beam divergence to suit your needs. Your laser cage will definitely need good divergence because each time the beam travels across the perimeter of your cage, it'll diverge a lot. Also, you may want to consider front surface mirrors (either buying some or making some) because you will lose a lot of power as a fraction of the beam is absorbed by the mirrors, and second surface mirrors (especially cheap ones have a tendency to distort the beam, in my experience at least).

You could also make use of a 50/50 beam splitter.
This way, you can divide the beam in two and that will minimize the distance the beams will have to travel, as each half of the beam will only have to travel half the distance. If that makes any sense.

Or, to make it even easier, use a diffraction grating that projects dots in a line, and mirrors to direct each of the individual beams to travel around your room/garage, what have you, that way you only have to make each beam travel around your room once.

 

[maxkillz]

It's going to be a combination of burning stuff and optics. I already asked about it and had an agreement for when i may order. i have some nice mirrors that i used with previous lasers that kept the beam nice and tight and kept most of the power. i was thinking of several beam splitters for the whole things and i have some custom (made by me) lenses that keep the beam from diverging too much. i think it will work as long as i have 110mW+ of power and some good optics. me lenses are a 6x and a 2x magnifying glass that are adjusted depending on the distance on a rail it doesn't work well past 200ft though :-/ anyone know any better configuration? i just made it out of boredom

 

[diachi]

Happy 473 posts RA_pierce

 

[maxkillz]

So does anyone own a >105 Alpha or something close? How about a DL labby? I just want to know what i'm getting before spending a large amount of money on something i may be disappointed with.

 

[Jimmymcjimthejim]

So does anyone own a >105 Alpha or something close? How about a DL labby? I just want to know what i'm getting before spending a large amount of money on something i may be disappointed with.

I think GooeyGus had an alpha laser, get his recommendations.