Laser warm up

[Fuzion72895]

I have just purchased a laser 303 which is DPSS. I keeps flickering and going dim. I have heard on this forum that you should warm it up for 5-15 mins and I am not fully sure what that means. I'm not sure if it means to literally heat up the laser or to keep the Beam going for a while. I am new to lasers and would like some help.

 

[CurtisOliver]

Just the warmth of your hands is sufficient often. Just make sure the laser head isn’t cold to touch. And that the battery isn’t cold. Then you’ll have a nice stable output

 

[Fuzion72895]

Thank you!

 

[CurtisOliver]

You’re welcome.

 

[Fuzion72895]

Is there also another way because I heated it up for about ten minutes and the whole laser and the battery was warm and still when it turned on it was bright for like 0.5 seconds and turned dim

 

[CurtisOliver]

Hmm, it sounds like your laser is like one of mine. I have one that I have to warm up and constantly shine for it finally to kick in a provide a decent output. The problem is it never remains stable. By the sounds of things the alignment may not be perfect.

 

[Fuzion72895]

Thank you for the information. Is there any way to fix that

 

[CurtisOliver]

If it is an alignment problem then the 303's are simply not worth it. When you shine the laser do you see a faint red light. And if so, is the green dot right in the centre of it when it finally kicks in.

 

[Fuzion72895]

I do not see any red. Also i have noticed if I wait at least 10-15 minutes to use it, the beam will stay stable for a while

 

[Encap]

It should work perfectly right out of the box in/at ordinary room temperatures.
Return it as defective replacement with a better and properly functioning example---sounds like it has a problem that isn't going to go away.
It is always a crap shoot with these toy quaity mass produced low endlow cost laser pointers which retail including shipping for the price good cup of coffee.
Look on ebay they are available from doxens of resellers for between $5 and $10 depending upon what else comes with it.

 

[CurtisOliver]

Based on what you are saying Fusion it does sound like a defective laser. Dpss lasers only usually do this when they are genuinely cold.

 

[Fuzion72895]

So I have heard this is most likely a defective laser. I have also heard that the laser 303 is not a good laser. Does anyone have an opinion on what the best quality green laser around 100mw and is below $50-60.

 

[CurtisOliver]

303's are not terrible, if you get a good one they act as very cheap reliable pointers. The problem is that they are mass produced and are cheaply made. And quality control isn't that great. I advise you get a replacement and hopefully you'll have more luck. If not we'll happily advise some better options. You should urge for a free replacement if possible. Just to be sure, you are not experiencing colder temperatures at the moment are you?

 

[Fuzion72895]

Would 71 degrees f be considered cold?

 

[CurtisOliver]

No, definitely not. That is a good operating temperature.

 

[Fuzion72895]

Is there a way to post a video here