"Jaynom" Kryton-Groovy & SusieQ-532 Review

[Traveller]

"Jaynom" Kryton-Groovy & SusieQ-532 *Review

Hola mi gente!

Now that I'm on my 3 1/2 review I'm starting to feel "at home" here on LPF



Krytons Rule
Moving along, I'm pleased to present what I think of as a great collaboration of a few VIP DIY members as well as a upcoming & rather dependable source for good quality, competitively-priced laser products from mainland CN!

First up, we have Kenom's venerable Kryton host. Yes, it is a work of beauty. Not only on an aesthetic level, but also due to it's unbelievably fine build quality and extremely high build tolerances. I've bought no less than half a dozen LED flashlights from DX, namely Romisen and Ultrafire hosts. As good as those hosts look, their build tolerances pale in comparison to Kenom's Kryton!

Last but certainly not least, it feels good knowing that you have a unique and non-generic host housing one of your favorite diodes / modules



Mean Jay Green
The only thing you could possibly say against the Kryton is that it don't do DPSS… . Shame that, seeing as I'm attracted to green. Unless it's on a woman, in which case red, black,... works too But what's this, I hear??? JayRob's been working day & night, tucked away in his dungeon, working on a modded Kryton… some hours (/days/weeks/months) later and behold, as JayRob breathes new life into the Kryton and brings forth the Kryton Groovy Green!!! Yes, this is what we've all been waiting for...


"one Kryton to rule them all, one Kryton to host them, one Kryton to bring them all and in the darkness, light them…"


Not only has JayRob modded the venerable Kryton to host DPSS modules, but he's done it in a way that preserves the Kryton's original diode-module setup So this means the host will accept red & BR diode setups as well as DPSS* Greens!

*Maybe even blues & yellows - I've never seen one so I can't be sure those modules have the same diameter…

Of course modding a very high-tolerance Kryton takes either skill or a big pair or maybe even both. Well I don't know JayRob personally but be it skill and/or balls, he's managed to keep the same high tolerances that make a Kryton a Kryton. The extra heatsink fits over the module like a glove and in turn, slides into the Kryton with micrometers to spare (no, I didn't measure this, just eyeballed it...) As if that wasn't already worth the admission price, JayRob generously tosses in a couple of clicky covers (blk & GITD) as well as a couple of dust covers. That and instructions - in color - too

Assembling the Kryton Groovy Green is child's play - assuming you've had some DIY experience in any number of fields (hobbies). This is mainly because you've already got the few necessary tools on hand, like say, an ultra-micro hex key & appropriate sized snap-ring pliers. Oh and above-average soldering skills help… . All of which I pretty much don't have, seeing as this is [almost] my first DIY venture, ever.

Most of you here @LPF already fit the DIYer classification - be it jr. or veteran, but let me just say for the record that if you don't have said tools and minimal DIY skills this build is still doable, but it's not, I repeat, not a snap-together project (like ah, those toys that come in a McDonald's kid's menu… )


**** DIYers (even jr. DIYers), please skip to the next section. DIY-total-noobs (like yours truly), read on. ****

Noob Jack City
So my first shock came when I realized that the tip of my $15 soldering iron was bigger than the switch, let alone, the soldering points *notes real DIYers squirming in the background*. Not only that, I really had to relax just to "see" what I was soldering… and that was even with the help of a magnifying glass… *makes note to self - make appointment with Optometrist asap* lol.

Next up, hey-wow, it's my first clicky. Ever. Ah… what's the assembly order… *Pats himself on back for placing at least the clicky-cover in the right place*… next piece is the ah… *writes Emergency-PM TO JAYROB* "JayRob help me I'm apparently incapable of assembling even a rudimentary clicky…" like a whole 2~3mins goes by... - JayRob to the rescue: "RTFM". Well hey, there's a novel idea... . Turns out that "a picture tells a thousand words" after all, as JayRob's cleverly aligned the clicky-parts for the photo-shoot in the appropriate assembly order…

So I've snapped the clicky-core into place and I have this ring-washer-fastener-thingy *notes real DIYers squirming in the background* later identified as a "snap ring". Well I'll be damned, I always wondered what those funny pliers were for… except that the funny pliers (later identified as snap-ring pliers...) are a tad too large… . The ring pops in - well almost in, pops half way out, in, out… and then finally, success! And just in the nick of time 'cause I've almost stripped the Kryton's snap-ring "rail"… *sees Ken going for his hammer lookin' to hammer some sense into me*… . It's quite amazing how malleable Al can be, huh...

"Are we done with the pillaging yet", you ask… "no", I answer, "not quite". The clicky's spring is a little to long, as predicted by JayRob himself. So out come my cutters (pliers) and I pick a spot on the spring and then squeeze, 'til I can't squeeze no more until finally the spring gives, the one piece headed for my face [], the other separating itself from the clicky… *lets out a gasp of despair*. Well anyways, I manage to get the spring back onto the clicky's hooks but I know that the contact quality went from $1.99 to pretty much worthless. But OMG, it works (see below). *Makes note to self - ask JayRob for DX part #, order new clicky. Order correct snap-ring tool(s). Order course in soldering. Get that eye checkup, stat…*

**** End of [the Comics] section ***



All Systems Go
Battery - CR123A 3.0V [as well as 3.6V] - check!
Fingers crossed… check!
Cla-click - ooohhh wooow, that them there sure is purty… and pretty damned bright, tew!!! And talk about a nice spot, too!!! What, with all my time recently staring at the world's fugliest dots made by he-man 250mW reds and 200mW 6Xs, this O-Like 120-150mW 532nm DPSS module was a sight for sore eyes, indeed! And we are talking TEM00 throughout the entire duty cycle! Although we are dealing with Kryton-cooling power here, I've opted to follow Susie's* advice and maintain the typical LP duty cycle of 60secs. At least until the warranty expires...

No, seriously, it's really a clean & powerful beam + dot (for lack of a better term). Took it outside… "Darth Vader, here I come!!!" Finally, I measured** the divergence to 2.0 mRads which is quite a bit more than my <50mW LP which measured 1.2mRad, but still within reason (imho).

Alas, measuring the actual output power level is a no-can-do for now. I've got my name down for a very nice, even coveted custom-made LPM, but it's designer is sort of ah, AWOL at the moment… *makes a Brad-Pitt-in-pain grimace*. To my astonishment though, I couldn't "see" any difference between this 120-150mW module and my very-very nice Bluesky <50mW all-black Leadlight host LP... Now, this in no way implies that Susie's module is under-powered; it can very well be the case that the Bluesky LP is over-powered (luck of the draw, etc.) and / or that the eye cannot distinguish between brightness at those levels. I'll leave this point open but I will get back to it asap (read: as soon as my dealer's no longer AWOL or I give up and hook myself up with a LaserBee ).

*Susie's CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CRO, Business Relationship Manager, Webmaster, Procurement, CPA, Accounts Payable / Receivables and head of R&D over at O-Like.
** By measuring the diameter of the dot projected on white wall 5M way, as seen with safety goggles. 1mm to 10mm over a 5M distance.



Conclusion *hears sighs of relief*
There are several reasons why this host-kit-module is a winning team. First, you'll be holding some of LPF's finest in the palm of your hand with no less than two top veterans having contributed to it's ingenuity. Secondly, you'll have a beautifully-clean, relatively tight & not to mention very bright 532nm beam in said palm.

All that for a lot less than what you have to pay the boys over at LaserGlow or Nova and you'll probably get more bang for your *cough*AIG shares*cough* than what you'd be getting over at Wicked's or Dragon's or Warn or Think or High or Spy or tech or etc. & let's not forget good ol' "Bob"… *eye twitches uncontrollably* And last, but certainly not least, if you're a total DIY-noob *looks up at ceiling & whistles nonchalantly* then I can't think of an easier DIY project (...barring of course, those McDonald's kiddy meals!)



So here's to the three of you, making this a much better place, one laser at a time!


Att: But of course, some eye-candy too! As always, the originals (1280x853) can be found on my Flickr page (see sig.)

 

[daguin]

I love reading your prose

Peace,
dave

 

[jayrob]

I enjoyed your comical write up! Even if I wasn't getting those nice compliments (although I didn't do much... it is the awesome Kryton design that makes it 'host for all'), it is an enjoyable read...

You have a 'writers' style. You should be writing a daily column!

Nice pictures too!
Jay

 

[Kenom]

Re: "Jaynom" Kryton-Groovy & SusieQ-532 *Review

Very eloquent review. *Well thought out, comical, and explainative. *I appreciate the props and I'm positive that Jay does as well.

+1

one Kryton to rule them all, one Kryton to host them, one Kryton to bring them all and in the darkness, light them…"

 

[Traveller]

Re: "Jaynom" Kryton-Groovy & SusieQ-532 *Review

I love reading your prose

Thanks but hell, Professor, who cares about prose when you've got a .5W beast... :bowdown:

When's the GB starting?

 

[Traveller]

Re: "Jaynom" Kryton-Groovy & SusieQ-532 *Review

...Even if I wasn't getting those nice compliments...

Heck, Jay, I call it my "Mean Jay green", in honor of who else but you *

It's not a Ken-o-laser, it's not a Oh-Susie-Q-I-love-532; Nope, it's the one & only

Mean... Jay... Green.

Well I don't know JayRob personally but be it skill and/or balls, he's managed to keep the same high tolerances that make a Kryton a Kryton. The extra heatsink fits over the module like a glove and in turn, slides into the Kryton with micrometers to spare

Jay, you da maaan *



Oh & btw, many thanks for the nice compliments *

 

[Traveller]

Re: "Jaynom" Kryton-Groovy & SusieQ-532 *Review

I appreciate the props...

Hey Ken,

the props are well-deserved; the Kryton is really a very sharp host and the "Jaynom" collaboration is sublime...


It's the host with the most, baby!


Next up; who's gonna be the first to cram an 8x in there... *shouts out "Professoooooor!!!"*

 

[Traveller]

Here's a few more shots of that Groovy-Green beauty  

I decided to use a GITD clicky-cover instead of the supplied dust-caps because I find it's easier to remove and it really matches the green. Maybe when I rebuild the clicky I'll use a GITD clicky-cover too  

Last but not least, a few more "action" shots for your viewing pleasure!

 

[nikokapo]

I love reading your prose

Peace,
dave

Same here, KEEP IT UP

 

[Traveller]

Review edited for vBulletin...

 

[icecruncher]

Review of my Kryton greenie and some FYI notes if you need.

i just received the O-Like 120-150mw and assembled with the jayrob heatsink upgrade and the Kryton Groove.

As already noted, assembly is a snap. Only soldering is to solder across the switch on the module.

There are a couple reference points in the assembly that I didn't see noted on the instructions or the previous review so I'll add them.

When you have the heatsink mounted the correct 1" distance from the front of the module, the back is pretty much even with the back of the module with only the driver board sticking out. That gives you a good reference point and was very well designed by jayrob.

Also regarding cutting the clicky spring shorter. Once it's cut, this spring should be flush or a little recessed in relation to the body of the Kryton Groove on the clicky end in order to fit properly. (see pic)

I had a couple minor fitment issues with this build;

One is the O-like module had a slight offset between the brass pieces when it had been assembled. Because of this and the tight tolerances on the jayrob heat sink, I had to file the module and heatsink slightly to allow assembly of the heatsink onto the module. Without doing this the heatsink would only slide on about 1/2" over the module. I didn't file a lot, basically just enough to clear the "hump" where the two pieces on the module meet. After that it was still a little snug but I could slide it far enough down the module to mount it.

The second minor issue is the battery fitment in the groove as you can see in pic. There is lots of slop in the barrel between the smaller battery and the inside barrel edge. I noticed this before I got the module and was worried about it not making good contact between the battery and the springs because of "slop" (movement). jayrob suggested a couple wraps with a plastic section off a 2 liter coke bottle, which would work, but IMO even though its not visible, it would detract from the rest of the high quality workmanship on this. In practice though, once I had the module in and cut the spring to size and assembled, it is much less noticeable. I also wasn't able to force a bad connection because of movement.

So I really don't think it is a problem, but it would be better with a small spacer tube around the battery to center it. If anyone has found a "tube" of some kind that will help, please post what you used here.

I also took a cheap acrylic aixiz lens assembly and punched out the lens and cut off the back then screwed it into the Groove after I was finished assembling it. This gave me an empty black filler for the lens location and this gives it a more completed polished look IMHO if you have a black Kryton Groove. (see pic)

I may try getting an IR filter to put in the plastic aixiz lens assembly

Power on the module is phenomenal. Albeit, unfiltered green, I recorded a peak power rating of 190.3mw on the module and generally averaged about 145-165mw with some readings going above 170 and a few in the 130s. So, I think you are really getting your money's worth on this 120-150mw module.

 

[Traveller]

Nice review & thanks for adding the extra tips

As for power, I'm afraid I didn't fare so well. It's just that I couldn't tell for sure until today, when I received my Kenometer

Unfortunately, I didn't get a 120~150mW module (which is what I ordered), more likely a nice <50mW... I'm in discussion with Susie, who insists that it must have gotten damaged in transit (...).

Will post followups.

 

[Kenom]

The second minor issue is the battery fitment in the groove as you can see in pic. There is lots of slop in the barrel between the smaller battery and the inside barrel edge. I noticed this before I got the module and was worried about it not making good contact between the battery and the springs because of "slop" (movement). jayrob suggested a couple wraps with a plastic section off a 2 liter coke bottle, which would work, but IMO even though its not visible, it would detract from the rest of the high quality workmanship on this. In practice though, once I had the module in and cut the spring to size and assembled, it is much less noticeable. I also wasn't able to force a bad connection because of movement.

So I really don't think it is a problem, but it would be better with a small spacer tube around the battery to center it. If anyone has found a "tube" of some kind that will help, please post what you used here.

I've gone to walmart and purchased (in the crafts section) of foam 3mm thick that you can use to fill in this gap. The Kryton was designed to work with an 18650, but since the cr123 is slightly smaller it still works although it's a little loose. The small strips of 3mm foam fill in the gap very well and make a nice fit.

 

[jayrob]

Another idea is to make a sleeve from the plastic on a 2-liter soda bottle...

You can cut a strip and just roll it. The length of the strip can be adjusted until you have the right fit for the battery. Once you have it right, you can just glue the custom sleeve into the barrel!
Jay

 

[Traveller]

Unfortunately, I didn't get a 120~150mW module ... Will post followups.

I'm pleased to note that I received my replacement module from Susie yesterday and this time the number(s) are in the

ball park! My Kenometer measured the module's output at a steady 131mW (at the end of a 60s cycle, using a fully-charged 3.7V) and given that my Kenometer has a known variance of +5%, we are looking at 125mW which, while not exactly knocking my socks off, is with the products official specified range.

Expect a "mini"-review shortly...​