Help me out.

[Hiemal]

Hey guys.

I've recently come upon some good amount of money...

And I'm having trouble picking what the hell I want to go into this laser!


I do know this;

I have a 445 nm diode pressed in an aixiz module already. So no direct press hosts.
I'm looking to get around 1 - 1.25 watts out of it. :drool:

After that, though, I don't know!

Host with heatsink needs to be under $35.

I haven't any idea what driver to use...

I haven't any idea what battery combination to use...

Or where to buy all of this from!

I was looking at the Aurora C6 Host... and a Guidesman host. :thinking:

But other than that I don't know!... :thinking:


Yes, I am getting goggles, as well. (that's a whole different story too... I want cheap yet functional, yet everyone seems to be all over the chart with that!)

Halp would be most appreciated for a first time laser hobbyist.

 

[Lase]

First you need to know what host you want. This will determine what battery combinations you can use and in turn what driver you should be going for. I am assuming this is why you wanted a bigger host?

In determining what host you need to know what kind of duty cycle you're looking for. If your diode is efficient then you won't need a giant heatsink to keep it cool at that power. Is it an m140 diode?

Lase

 

[Hiemal]

Yeah, I'm trying to go for longer run times (duty cycle wise).

Smaller hosts are great, but they're puny in the heatsink and duty cycle department.

Also, it's an A-140 diode, I believe.

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Send me all your money and I will send you some toys..

Trust Me !!!!

HMike

 

[Fretwrecker94]

The C6 is a great beginner host as well as a nice one as well! Moh sells them for $16! Then buy the correctly sized driver board.

You can either strip it, locate the Vin, and use it as a connection to the positive battery then to the positive side of a separate driver or buy Moh's driver that presses into the the pill of the C6.

Personally my C6 I used the board as a connection to the battery then fed that to a flex drive which I then attached to my diode.

In my opinion, a C6 would be a good first build. You can use an 18650 or 2 16340's

 

[Hiemal]

The C6 is a great beginner host as well as a nice one as well! Moh sells them for $16! Then buy the correctly sized driver board.

You can either strip it, locate the Vin, and use it as a connection to the positive battery then to the positive side of a separate driver or buy Moh's driver that presses into the the pill of the C6.

Personally my C6 I used the board as a connection to the battery then fed that to a flex drive which I then attached to my diode.

In my opinion, a C6 would be a good first build. You can use an 18650 or 2 16340's

Where does he sell them for $16?


And Hemlock_Mike, whatcha talking about?

 

[Flaminpyro]

Yea you can trust Mike :eg:

 

[Fretwrecker94]

Sorry! That was a horrible combination ofa typo and guess! I meant $26, which was also wrong. They're $29.99 @ CajunLasers... plus shipping. Oh and you can get a driver there too. So hey! One stop shop!

Aurora C6 Host & Heat Sink [C6KIT] - $29.99 : Cajunlasers Store

 

[lasersbee]

Hey guys.

I've recently come upon some good amount of money...


Yes, I am getting goggles, as well. (that's a whole different story too... I want cheap yet functional, yet everyone seems to be all over the chart with that!)

Halp would be most appreciated for a first time laser hobbyist.

Those two statements don't match up...:undecided:

The 1st thing you should be worrying about is your
long term use of your eyes....


Jerry

 

[Brenner]

Battery combination, charger should be an easy choice,
so you do not have to worry about that, at least.

 

[Hiemal]

Those two statements don't match up...:undecided:

The 1st thing you should be worrying about is your
long term use of your eyes....


Jerry

It makes perfect sense. Why should I spend large amounts of money on goggles if I can find a pair that will work just as well for cheaper?...

The UVEX ones look fantastic judging from everyone's testing.

 

[lasersbee]

As long as it makes sense to you....
After all they are not my eyes...:beer:

Jerry

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

The UVEX ones look fantastic judging from everyone's testing.

They've been tested by one guy so far, that's kind of a small sample size don't you think?

 

[Hiemal]

I think you guys are missing my point...

I'm trying to say that no matter what pair of goggles you get you're still technically trusting your eyes to some goggles made in china, for a good amount of money. Not everyone wants to, or can spend $40 on a pair of goggles. (Talking about the Eagle Pair everyone seems to be so fond of)

Just because something is cheaper doesn't necessarily mean it's crap. Now, I know, a lot of things fit that bill but there are cheaper alternatives to spending $40 on a pair of goggles and still getting the same amount of protection, if not even more sometimes.

I don't want to spend $40 on a pair of goggles to just "fit in" with everyone else. I want to find a pair that suits my budget, and will still maintain protection just fine.

And hey, $7 for a pair of safety goggles that protect my eyes? That's fantastic! And yes, one guy has tested them. I don't think he would lie about it, nor would Honeywell change their coatings on every pair of glasses. I'd very much be willing to pay $7 for glasses that stop 1 watt of blue from even MEASURING on an LPM.

Even you have to admit that's pretty impressive.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

They are your eyes :undecided:

I'm actually more a fan of certified goggles... you'll note in my signature Eagle Pair from SL and the even cheaper ones from radiant are fourth and fifth on the list. If/when a whole lot of people try out and test out these $8 uvex goggles, I'll add them to the list, but ONE test on ONE lpm is not enough of a sample size for me to trust a product.

 

[Tech_Junkie]

I think you guys are missing my point...

I'm trying to say that no matter what pair of goggles you get you're still technically trusting your eyes to some goggles made in china, for a good amount of money. Not everyone wants to, or can spend $40 on a pair of goggles. (Talking about the Eagle Pair everyone seems to be so fond of)

Just because something is cheaper doesn't necessarily mean it's crap. Now, I know, a lot of things fit that bill but there are cheaper alternatives to spending $40 on a pair of goggles and still getting the same amount of protection, if not even more sometimes.

I don't want to spend $40 on a pair of goggles to just "fit in" with everyone else. I want to find a pair that suits my budget, and will still maintain protection just fine.

And hey, $7 for a pair of safety goggles that protect my eyes? That's fantastic! And yes, one guy has tested them. I don't think he would lie about it, nor would Honeywell change their coatings on every pair of glasses. I'd very much be willing to pay $7 for glasses that stop 1 watt of blue from even MEASURING on an LPM.

Even you have to admit that's pretty impressive.

We've had the argument dozens of times. You're not the first.

Bottom line we recommend goggles because of thorough testing by people we trust. There no "in" set. There is only what works better than the other. Sure the goggles you list can stop a 1W hit. But for how long before it breaks through? Do they bleach out at a certain point. Do they block other wavelengths just as well? The only way to know the REAL answer to the questions are certification, and personal testing. It gets kind of old saying "you just have one set of eyes" but it totally true. If you screw them up, you're f*cked, period. So why take a chance on an uncertifided, minimally tested goggle to save $32? We spend more than that on a single diode. There is no "in", there is just what we trust, and we dont.