Line Thru Dot and "dust" around dot

[th3pyr0]

I recently received a green 50mw FLX from rayfoss. it worked great but today i noticed there was "dust" around the dot which was not there before.

I looked it up and a q-tip was suggested many times as a solution. Now i have a large line going thru the dot!!

I haven't had the laser for that long and I'm pretty upset that everything im doing is just making it worse! Someone help please!:cryyy:

 

[joshshermannn1]

dont use q-tip, you should use something air related
you might wanna post a picture

EDIT: is the line part of the laser dot? or is it more like TEM01, if that makes sense.

 

[th3pyr0]

I will have to get some compressed air and try that. The Line is part of the dot. Im not seeing how to post a picture directly from my computer. Help me with that? all i see is how to post one from a web page.....
Oh and excuse me as I'm new to this but what is TEM01 ?

 

[joshshermannn1]

make sure its no too powerful....
and i dont really know either, i never post pics and TEM01 is where the dot because 2 dots
or 2 dot ish
tell me how cleaning the lens works

 

[th3pyr0]

Ok, I fear that i will have to send back the laser for repair as I may have permanently scratched the lens with the q-tip. I'm just pretty mad as I only received the laser like 4 days ago!

 

[joshshermannn1]

sometimes it comes with a line through it. i have it on several of my lasers, (mostly red ones) it doesnt affect it at all, its just cosmetic

 

[th3pyr0]

I don't know how to upload a picture onto the forums(i have a good shot of what im refering to) but it was a perfect green dot when i first received it. I put a peice of tape over the front to burn the tape and after that it had some "dust" around the dot( probably debree from the tape. Then when i tried to clean it with a q-tip. I only had more "dust" and now a line through the dot. While it was my carelessness that caused this, It didn't come with the line in the first place. Help! It's killing me that i might of just destroyed my nice new laser.

 

[RA_pierce]

You most likely got some crap on the lens from burning the tape on the aperture (big no-no).
The line through it is probably a cotton fiber from the Q-tip.
I use cotton swabs and a little rubbing alcohol (90%) and it works very well.

If you have shit burned on the lens it will take more than compressed air to get it off.

Just dip the cotton swab in a little alcohol (you don't want it to be soaked) and swipe it across the lens. Do this as many times as necessary making sure not to use the dirty side more than once.

@josh - the line through the dot on a red laser is an artifact from the diode. It is common with LPC-815 diodes (LOC) and the red diode in the GGW-H20L 6X blu-ray burners (LCC). It is NOT something you should see on a green laser.

 

[th3pyr0]

The only problem is that my laser has a really small opening. A q-tip barely fits in it but even then i have to peel off some of the cotton from the q-tip for it to fit. and my laser is only 50mw. All it can do is smoke things unless its a match or something flammable. The tape I put over it was electrical tape, so all it did was produce a bit of smoke.
My fear is that i scratched the lens with the q tip and that is why the line is through the dot. (it certainly does not look at all like a fiber of cotton as its very straight line through the dot) How do I upload a Picture to show you guys?

 

[RA_pierce]

The only problem is that my laser has a really small opening. A q-tip barely fits in it but even then i have to peel off some of the cotton from the q-tip for it to fit. and my laser is only 50mw. All it can do is smoke things unless its a match or something flammable. The tape I put over it was electrical tape, so all it did was produce a bit of smoke.
My fear is that i scratched the lens with the q tip and that is why the line is through the dot. (it certainly does not look at all like a fiber of cotton as its very straight line through the dot) How do I upload a Picture to show you guys?

Speaking from experience, a cotton fiber DOES produce a straight line through the dot and a diffraction pattern. You won't see a projection of a whole cotton fiber in the beam. It is either that or a smudge. Also, I have never scratched a lens with a cotton swab... Even acrylic lenses are tough enough (unless you are really rough with the swab).

You don't need a high power laser to melt some crud onto the lens. "A bit of smoke" is all it takes. When the electrical tape melts, the vapor will condense on whatever surface is cool enough just like water condenses on the mirror after a hot shower.

If you must, tear some of the cotton off and do it that way. Try not to get your finger oils on the cotton, though.

If cleaning the lens is too much of a challenge you should buy a new laser. They are dirt cheap these days anyway.

Do you know how to use photobucket?
Sign up. Upload from your computer. Post the tag.
Alternatively, you can just click the attachment button while writing your post.

 

[th3pyr0]

Got it! The alcohol is just what i needed! It is not perfect but the line is gone and almost all of the "dust" is gone!. Thank you! A dry q tip only made it worse but with the alcohol it is now almost back to the way it was! maybe a bit of compressed air will help to clean it up more! Thanks for the adivice!