- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 9,889
- Points
- 113
The small rear opening/lens dia. could limit it's usefulness for our higher output higher divergence diodes unless we want to accept the clipping, the single element though should be more efficient and it's the center of the output is the hot spot so a LPM test will show what we want to know and it may be acceptable for some diodes such as m-140, but it's also adding heat by clipping especially for the more highly divergent diodes.
At 8mm RFL I'm afraid the opening is much too small, look at the opening the G7 offers and even that is stretching the M9 lens barrel to it's limits.
The wider lens barrel with a wider longer FL lens I think is the way to go, it's something I would love to see available for our current favorite diodes, future diodes may be stronger more divergent GBall diodes that will need more than 1 lens to manipulate, but that's not what we are talking about here.
---edit---
I received the G3 for testing and I used a NDB7A75 in a small heat sink and got comparable results between the G7 and G3, but because of the small heat sink I won't test with that unit anymore, all my nubm44's have c-lens correction and or beam expanders so I will have to put another one together or swap out and dial in a G3 with 3XBE to test with a 44 later.
Later using a high mileage NUBM06 or what I got from China sold to me as an 06, with a G2 I got 4.4w, with the G3 - 3.7w, with a G7 - 3.8w and 3 element was 3.5w, the power with all but the G2 is not all that much different, what is important is the spot width and the sharpness of the spot/bar or thickness.
The G2 makes a sharp bar but it's almost 2 inches wide at 15 feet, the 3 element prints a bar about 3/4 of an inch wide while the G3 and G7 both print about an inch long bar, but the G3 prints tight, that is it makes a sharp bar like the G2 and that's what will shine when used with the 3.3x beam expander, rather the spot/bar will be much sharper and burn better than the 3 element and it's spherical aberrations which are very noticeable at night as seen through attenuation laser safety glasses especially when used with a 3.3x beam expander and less noticeable but present during the day because the blur is drowned out by the sunlight somewhat during daylight making the hot center easier to see and focus, the G2, G3, and G7 make a better sharper spot/bar that is easier to see through laser safety glasses and focus tight at night especially when paired with a beam expander.
Pretty much a single element replacement for the 3-element but more efficient and cleaner without the spherical aberrations, may be some clipping with highly divergent diodes although it works well with this nubm06 and 3x beam expander.
More testing to be done.
---edit---
OK, I tested the G3 with a gently used NUBM44 @ 4.5a in a heavy host with a 3X beam expander, with the beam expander focused to fit my LPM sensor I got 5.2w that's the same as I get with a 44 @ 4.5a running a 3 element and 3X beam expander, so there is likely some amount of clipping offsetting the higher efficiency single element G3, however the spot/bar at 15 feet is a nice sharp 9mm x 1mm which is a couple mm wider than with the same setup running a 3 element only the bar is sharper without the heavy spherical aberrations.
DTR: Are you going to add the G3 to your lens selection for sale ?
At 8mm RFL I'm afraid the opening is much too small, look at the opening the G7 offers and even that is stretching the M9 lens barrel to it's limits.
The wider lens barrel with a wider longer FL lens I think is the way to go, it's something I would love to see available for our current favorite diodes, future diodes may be stronger more divergent GBall diodes that will need more than 1 lens to manipulate, but that's not what we are talking about here.
---edit---
I received the G3 for testing and I used a NDB7A75 in a small heat sink and got comparable results between the G7 and G3, but because of the small heat sink I won't test with that unit anymore, all my nubm44's have c-lens correction and or beam expanders so I will have to put another one together or swap out and dial in a G3 with 3XBE to test with a 44 later.
Later using a high mileage NUBM06 or what I got from China sold to me as an 06, with a G2 I got 4.4w, with the G3 - 3.7w, with a G7 - 3.8w and 3 element was 3.5w, the power with all but the G2 is not all that much different, what is important is the spot width and the sharpness of the spot/bar or thickness.
The G2 makes a sharp bar but it's almost 2 inches wide at 15 feet, the 3 element prints a bar about 3/4 of an inch wide while the G3 and G7 both print about an inch long bar, but the G3 prints tight, that is it makes a sharp bar like the G2 and that's what will shine when used with the 3.3x beam expander, rather the spot/bar will be much sharper and burn better than the 3 element and it's spherical aberrations which are very noticeable at night as seen through attenuation laser safety glasses especially when used with a 3.3x beam expander and less noticeable but present during the day because the blur is drowned out by the sunlight somewhat during daylight making the hot center easier to see and focus, the G2, G3, and G7 make a better sharper spot/bar that is easier to see through laser safety glasses and focus tight at night especially when paired with a beam expander.
Pretty much a single element replacement for the 3-element but more efficient and cleaner without the spherical aberrations, may be some clipping with highly divergent diodes although it works well with this nubm06 and 3x beam expander.
More testing to be done.
---edit---
OK, I tested the G3 with a gently used NUBM44 @ 4.5a in a heavy host with a 3X beam expander, with the beam expander focused to fit my LPM sensor I got 5.2w that's the same as I get with a 44 @ 4.5a running a 3 element and 3X beam expander, so there is likely some amount of clipping offsetting the higher efficiency single element G3, however the spot/bar at 15 feet is a nice sharp 9mm x 1mm which is a couple mm wider than with the same setup running a 3 element only the bar is sharper without the heavy spherical aberrations.
DTR: Are you going to add the G3 to your lens selection for sale ?
Last edited:
