Favorite Laser and Dream Laser

[Chicxulub]

I'm going to revise my dream laser. Mine is now the 80mw CNI 589nm laser. My 40mw Rigel was nice and all, but I just want more power!

 

[Deleted member 16589]

lol

KTP sucks below 500nm.. LBO or maybe LiNBO3 or KNBO3 should be more suited. They're very temperature dependent, though, which introduces a lot of extra complexity if you're looking for anything usable in terms of a beam.

And Ben........... I'm better looking than you:na:

some green lasers have a ktp crystal in them if I just replace the crystal with a LiNBO3 or KNBO3 crystal would that work

 

[ElektroFreak]

Green lasers have two crystals, one is Nd:YVO4, the other is KTP.

Simply exchanging the KTP only would still get you green output since the Nd:YVO4 is coated to lase at 1064nm. That means that doubling it will only get you green no matter what kind of crystal you use.

If you have your heart set on trying direct doubling, I would get a few different high-powered (1W or more) IR diodes and an LBO crystal from ebay and see what you can do by fabricating some custom mounts and lens holders. Experimentation is the best way for a hobbyist to play with nonlinear optics.

LBO is very temperature sensitive, so you'll need to arrange a method of keeping it at a precise temp using control circuitry and a TEC. The one in the link above comes with a heater attached so you might be able to construct a circuit that will run that and keep the crystal precisely controlled.

 

[Deleted member 16589]

Favorite laser would have to be the Rigel series yellow lasers from CNI/Laserglow. My Rigel-5 is definitely my favorite laser I have ever owned.

My dream would be a pen sized 488nm cyan DPSS laser. I hear this is possible in labbys now, so we just need CNI to build the pen!

I heard somewhere that boblaser is working on one but its not going to be cheap

 

[cmak]

I'm going to revise my dream laser. Mine is now the 80mw CNI 589nm laser. My 40mw Rigel was nice and all, but I just want more power!

DID YOU FINALLY GET IT??? :drool:

*hungrily awaits thread link*

peace & thanks
-cmak

 

[Asherz]

DID YOU FINALLY GET IT??? :drool:

*hungrily awaits thread link*

peace & thanks
-cmak

I think he just changed his dream laser too the 80mW, if he did get it then pics or it didn't happen

My favorite laser is probably my greenie and my argon

dream laser?

yellow pen would be cool but I'm worried it'll have to many instabilities like mode hopping a lot and very temperature dependent.

Next would have too be a 400 Opto RPL

and a 12X blu-ray in a custom labby with TECs

 

[Chicxulub]

DID YOU FINALLY GET IT??? :drool:

*hungrily awaits thread link*

peace & thanks
-cmak

I did get the Rigel, but I sent it back to LG so that I could order from Glenn's GB7. I don't have the 589 yet. There were two threads about the Rigel.

 

[cmak]

awesome, i'll be waiting until you do get the 589 then!

meanwhile I'm still waiting for CNI to start making 589's in the M-Series PGL hosts (my ideal host... more stable/durable than a GLP but smaller and more convenient than the PGL3C's) in >30mW. They said that so far, 30mW is the highest they'll go (I contacted them via email) but somehow I'm just not buying it... people have been getting >100mW in the PGL3C and >30mW in the GLP's!

but enough about my dream laser...

peace & thanks
-cmak

 

[x90z75ek]

My favorite laser is my 180 mW Varta red because it's small but strong.

My dream laser would be a 40 mW or stronger 589 nm yellow.

 

[Kenom]

ya know there used to be a time when I dreamed about owning this or that laser and as time has gone by I've held a good portion of them in my hands and went.."ok, now what?" I still love lasers, but they are each unique and special and never will I say this one is better than that one. Not anymore.

 

[aryntha]

My favorites are my 612nm HeNe and 671nm DPSS, and -- yes, 594nm Vega. In that order. All three of them are just, I don't know. Satisfying. For a while I regretted buying the Vega, but, damn is it a nice laser.

As for dreams? I'm on dead 2214-40MLUP #4. Yes. Four. So much for 'third time's the charm'. I can get every laser there is, it seems, even red and cyan DPSS, but -- for some reason, multiline ArIon's elude me. I want a JDSU 2214 because I just like the form factor. But literally I've evaporated something like $800 into them without even getting one to work.

Yeah, sorry, I had to vent after this week's failed attempts.

But in a way, I agree with Kenom. I'll spend hours messing with simple 7mW HeNe's. And I even really like my 635nm AtlasNova. Freaking thing was under $30 and it's still cool. Lasers are addictive. All of them.

Sorry, I've had a bit of rum tonight and I usually don't post while I've got a little captain in me. But, hey, my 'laser luck' has been especially crappy this week.

Here's to coherent light, right? :beer:

 

[cmak]

to coherent light :beer:

oh and do you have any pics/reviews on the NP 488nm DPSS? I've always had a thing for DPSS Cyan

peace & thanks
-cmak

 

[Scotty 757]

My new 50mW 3in1 from Laserlands. My dream laser is a 10W blue. :drool:

 

[The LED Mueum]

...Mi dream laser is a Novalux Protera DPSS - 488nm 5mW or any at that wavelength (488nm):drool:

I just purchased one on Ebay; there are two more available (possibly more -- but two active listings anyway)

Here's one such listing -- this listing indicates that there are nine available...it had originally indicated ten, but I snagged one approx. an hour ago.

 

[The LED Mueum]

Back on topic here...my favourite laser is probably the 300mW+ 412.850nm "pointer-style" laser I purchased in early-April 2009. Its color is very vibrant and unique, and it is powerful enough to burn, destroy, and leave wrinkles everywh...O WAIT!!! Wrong infomercial!!!

Dream laser...probably a self-contained multiline unit that can emit several lines from 400nm to 670nm. :drool:

 

[cmak]

Hey Aryntha, any media on the 612nm by chance? It ain't exactly something every guy and his dog have lying around in their garage

-Chris