Thanks for having patience with me Jay, all has become clear. And I agree it's best to be a little conservative, the last thing I want is a REAL phaser on overload!
So basically it comes down to (approx) a 500mw 405nm beam or 1.2W 445nm?
And naturally I assume the 445nm is going to be the brighter beam.
If anyone reading this (including you, of course, Jay) has two lasers of this power (or close to it) and is willing to take a few comparison beam pictures, I'd really appreciate it!
Before I plunk down $500 I want to be as informed as possible
Am i correct in assuming that a 405 would be a better balloon popper from across the room?
I saw a vid of a guy who put a 405 into a "laser rifle" (not too dissimilar from your phaser) and that thing popped balloons ON CONTACT from 30' away. It was very impressive and I don't think I've seen a 445 do that...
Here it is:
Would your Phaser be able to do this with a 500mw 405? Would a 1W 445 do it? I might be willing to sacrifice some beam visibility to have a Phaser that really "worked."
Your vids certainly show it popping balloons quickly, but that rifle does it instantaneously! And from quite far away... Is a 405 better for this because the beam remains tighter over a longer distance? Because of a 445 could match the popping performance in the above vid, it would make the case for going with a 445 elementary.
405nm 12X will be able to be focused to a pin point dot, and that is why the answer to your question about ability to pop balloons better than 445nm is yes...
445 diodes make a line instead of a dot. The farther the distance, the longer the line.
If focused perfectly, a 12X will pop balloons faster at 15' yes...
Argh! Why does life have to be like this?? A 445 will have a much better looking beam but a 405 will make it perform more like a real phaser.
Are there any other diodes that might be the best of both worlds? I guess I can live with a different color if it's got a visible beam and can pop balloons on contact from across the room.
How about a 635nm red? Those things are pretty bright...
Also, is it possible for the driver to have a "pulse" or rapidly flashing mode? Ideally it wouldn't turn completely on and off, just flicker between power levels. I've seen a few laser gun vids that did this and it was a very cool effect. I think the Trek phasers did have a flicker to them, and it would perfectly match the pulsating sound effect.
Argh! Why does life have to be like this?? A 445 will have a much better looking beam but a 405 will make it perform more like a real phaser.
Are there any other diodes that might be the best of both worlds? I guess I can live with a different color if it's got a visible beam and can pop balloons on contact from across the room.
How about a 635nm red? Those things are pretty bright...
Also, is it possible for the driver to have a "pulse" or rapidly flashing mode? Ideally it wouldn't turn completely on and off, just flicker between power levels. I've seen a few laser gun vids that did this and it was a very cool effect. I think the Trek phasers did have a flicker to them, and it would perfectly match the pulsating sound effect.
What about my idea of using a 635nm red? Those are pretty bright. And while the divergence is terrible, the upside is you get a really FAT beam, which would benefit visibility and make it look more like a laser beam on a TV show.
And how about the flickering/pulsing effect? I think that would be an option everyone would like. The second half of this video says it all:
This After Effects vid is really cheesy, but it's a perfect example of the flicker I'd love to see on your phaser (not quite on and off, more like fluctuating between full and half power).
Can you do something like this? It would be like the cherry on top
And I'm about to send in a $500 invoice for my latest Star Trek freelance job - guess what I'm thinking about doing with that money?
I have a 405 that measures 535mw. The beam is virtually invisible and a not very bright spot. Very unimpressive.
But it will light a match at 25'.
For visual blue would be much better.
edit anyone know how I remove my sig pic? System won't let me.
What about my idea of using a 635nm red? Those are pretty bright. And while the divergence is terrible, the upside is you get a really FAT beam, which would benefit visibility and make it look more like a laser beam on a TV show.
And how about the flickering/pulsing effect? I think that would be an option everyone would like.
...Can you do something like this? It would be like the cherry on top
And I'm about to send in a $500 invoice for my latest Star Trek freelance job - guess what I'm thinking about doing with that money?
Yes 635 would be cool too! But won't burn as well as 445 or 405.
About the video and the strobe effect, 445 diodes are really tough, and people are able to use cheap flashlight drivers with strobe modes and they handle it well.
But I recommend a quality driver designed specifically for an LD...
Are there no drivers the are designed to flash or strobe lasers? Not that they are the best company, but the wicked lasers 1W Arcitc has a flashing mode. They may not use the highest quality components in the world but I don't think they'd use a flashlight driver in it!
Ok well I've pretty much written off 405nm, it just won't be a bright enough beam.
I definitley don't want to use green, so it's now down to a 445 blue or 635 bright red.
I know videos are hard to trust, but it looks like the red would be brighter, can you (or anyone else) comment on that? Although I do agree the 445 will be a better burner. But last night I was playing with my 1W Arcitc and even in a dark room the beam isn't very bright. You can see it, but it's just not bright.
The 635nm red is pushed more towards the orange so it's a lot brighter, plus it's a VERY wide, thick beam. This makes burning a joke once you get more than a few feet away, but it also makes the beam more visible. As long as you can see it, the 635 would look a lot like a movie laser.
Jay, what wattage do you think you'd be able to squeeze out of a 635 in the phaser?
And what's the max you can push the 445? If a 2W beam is twice as bright as a 1W, I might go with the 445. I know people have been pushing them to 2W with great success, even in small handheld hosts (and again, I don't care about battery life).
I have some red lasers that were made to strobe, I got the work done by foulmist, (he created a pulsing circuit), I thought the work was really well done, and the various modes were just the ticket... One of the modes is about 528 Hz, the other modes were slower, so more visible as a strobe effect, but the one my pal wanted was the 528 for cold laser therapy. We are currently testing for cold laser skin rejuvenation. So, I would encourage you to contact foulmist! -GH
Are there no drivers the are designed to flash or strobe lasers? Not that they are the best company, but the wicked lasers 1W Arcitc has a flashing mode. They may not use the highest quality components in the world but I don't think they'd use a flashlight driver in it!
Ok well I've pretty much written off 405nm, it just won't be a bright enough beam.
I definitley don't want to use green, so it's now down to a 445 blue or 635 bright red.
I know videos are hard to trust, but it looks like the red would be brighter, can you (or anyone else) comment on that? Although I do agree the 445 will be a better burner. But last night I was playing with my 1W Arcitc and even in a dark room the beam isn't very bright. You can see it, but it's just not bright.
The 635nm red is pushed more towards the orange so it's a lot brighter, plus it's a VERY wide, thick beam. This makes burning a joke once you get more than a few feet away, but it also makes the beam more visible. As long as you can see it, the 635 would look a lot like a movie laser.
Jay, what wattage do you think you'd be able to squeeze out of a 635 in the phaser?
And what's the max you can push the 445? If a 2W beam is twice as bright as a 1W, I might go with the 445. I know people have been pushing them to 2W with great success, even in small handheld hosts (and again, I don't care about battery life).
For 635nm, there are two diodes. A 300mW, and a 500mW...
I believe DTR has both. The 300mW diode is good for about 5 or 600mW's. (650-G-1 glass lens)
And the 500mW diode is good for over 1 Watt I'm sure.
If run time is not an issue with a 445 build, I could use an X-Drive buck driver. 1.8 Amps is good for about 2 Watts with a 405-G-1 glass lens if you get a high efficiency M-140 diode.
I read that people are getting more out of the new 9mm 445 diodes at about 2 Amps, but in either case, it's a matter of diode efficiency when pushing for max power.
If you went with an X-Drive buck driver, we would need to leave the 14500 cells in series. Meaning that your run time will not be very much at all.
I would say that with protected AW cells, you would have maybe 20 minutes between charges.
I've used the X-Drive at 1.8 Amps, and it is a very efficient driver, and at full charge, 2 X Li-Ion cells will have about 1300mA's current draw delivering 1.8 Amps to the diode.
I believe an AW 14500 will handle that kind of current draw. If not, then you would use IMR cells. (less capacity though - and easy to over discharge)
I bought one of these kits and I am very happy with it. It was a gift for a friend. The completion was easy and went as described. I was so scared that I was going to shock the Diode Not a problem though. I bought a grounded soldering iron and used it to keep me grounded. Here is the link to the brief review I did on it...
Phaser build set up for 2 X AW IMR 14500 Li-Ion batteries in parallel:
In this build, I will be using 2 X 3 volt regulators. One for the sound board, and one for the LED 'armed indicator' light mounted in the sound knob.
The FlexDrive (or X-Boost) can be set at 1.5 Amps. It will have a driver heatsink as well.
The copper heatsink for the module will also be installed and glued in place. It has to be that way because I align it with the EzFocus adapter, and the nozzle of the phaser.
Then, all you have to do, is slide your diode/AixiZ module into the heatsink and set it's position with the set screw. (you will need a 1.5mm Hex wrench)
Then just solder your diode leads, to my driver leads, and that's it...
In that case, you will just solder your diode leads, to my driver leads. ('Hot' option kit)
Note: You will not be using the back 'barrel' part of the AixiZ module. Just the front 'business end'.
Also, you will not be using the diode case pin with my 'Hot' option kit. Just the positive and negative pins...
The IMR 14500 Li-Ion batteries must be installed with both positive ends the same direction. I will have permanent marker on the battery compartment to remind you of the battery install direction.
Do not install the batteries until you get your diode connected. Because the driver can get damaged if powered without a load.
The capacity will be approximately 1200mAh's. So you must be careful not to over discharge the Li-Ion batteries. It will be around 30 to 40 minutes between charges. Check voltage once in a while. Do not let the batteries get below 3 volts.
Here's the pricing: (I will need to buy the batteries for setting this build up, fitting the battery compartment, and testing it's current, etc...)
An AixiZ module will also be included for alignment purposes. You can remove it and save it for your next build if you already have a diode pre-installed into an AixiZ module.
So the IMR 14500 batteries will be included...
Also, with this build, the sound will not work until you arm the laser with the safety switch. Then the sound will work, along with the laser...
* Heatsink - $23
* Copper heatsink upgrade - $12
* EzFocus adapter - $55
* AixiZ 445 lens - $11
* AixiZ module - $5 (I like to sell the module with the kit, because I install and align the heatsink using the module)
* Phaser - $50 (Playmates brand, stock #6118)
* Parts - Driver, switch, LED, 2 X 3 volt regulators, wire, etc... - $55
* V5 FlexDrive 'Hot' option set at 1500mA's with driver heatsink, custom wiring for 2 X Li-Ion's in parallel, 3 volt regulator for LED's and sound board - Labor to modify the trigger switch, wire and mount the safety switch and LED, fit the heatsink and install the driver. - $145
* 2 X IMR 14500 Li-Ion batteries - $20
* Shipping (U.S.A.) - $29 (based on PayPal fees plus Priority shipping with delivery confirmation)
Total - $405 dollars.
It's a lot of work and also parts for this 'full blown' mod. Yes it can be higher power I suppose, but since we are working with regulating to 3 volts for the sound board and other LED lights used for this mod, I like using 1.5 Amps.
The set up listed above, uses 3 volt regulators for the sound board and LED lights used, but allows full voltage (4.2) to the driver for max efficiency and capacity run time, etc...
(IMO)
-GH
Not a problem though. I bought a grounded soldering iron and used it to keep me grounded. Here is the link to the brief review I did on it...