Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 100%

[Phazonx]

Hi guys.  I thought of this when playing with my DX 5mw outside.  Its about 30 degrees F outside and my laser just won't shine bright :'(

Found some foam and drilled it out and stuck my laser pen inside it.  IT WORKS!

Watch the video for a look:


UPDATE: tomorrow I will make a new model that looks much nicer and will work a lot better.

 

[Phazonx]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

TEST RESULTS!


After 20 mins of operation(on and off) It didn't dim at all!! amazing!!



Temperature stats:


Outside temperature: 29 F

Laser temperature: 74 F!!! WOW!!


This is so simple yet it works like you paid money for it!

Make this thing! ;D

 

[spensa]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

Where did you get the foam from?

 

[Rhith]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

I love how crazy some of our ideas are!
It looks like it's just some scrap Styrofoam with a hole in the middle. I should try something similar out with some of the scrap of my Extra Firm foam I have. Should work just as well as an insulator. No use for it here in Florida though!

 

[PhysX]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

Wow thats a great idea! My DX50 dims to nothing in the cold in less than 2 min. I need to find some foam and try this.

 

[Phazonx]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

Glad this is of help!! ;D I just got my DX yestarday, but I have all these great ideas!

This foam is just ordinary foam that they use to package fragile stuff into when shipping it off.

I was suprised when I took the temp of the laser. Its operation made its own insulation even warmer!

To really put this thing to the test, I'm going to try it in our walk-in freezer at work. The freezer is about -20. That will be the true test.!

I hope this gets stickied.

Is this only DX lasers that have trouble in the cold or is it all green lasers? :-/

 

[PhysX]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

I read someone with a Nova X105 had the same problem. That freezer will be sick, try it for like 20min haha if you don't freeze.

 

[Phazonx]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

I'm not sure if I can stay in that long. I'll try it 2 times. once without foam(maybe about 2 minutes will dim it), then one with the foam.

I'm pretty sure the laser has to be running in order to keep the inside warm. 29 F ~ 74 F is a big difference! The foam does a wonderful job!

 

[Phazonx]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

Wow thats a great idea! My DX50 dims to nothing in the cold in less than 2 min. I need to find some foam and try this.

2 minutes? Thats kinda fast! Mine takes 5 minutes when its about 35. And it won't even go out

I want to know what is inside this laser that is so sensitive to temperature.

 

[WarezWally]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

I though my DX was faulty, when it was cold I was getting zero green output. I would hold it in front of a heater for a minute so it was nice and warm and bingo full output.

I sold it as I didnt like it

 

[f22warzone]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

[quote author=PhysX link=1197596324/0#4 date=1197598798]...
I want to know what is inside this laser that is so sensitive to temperature.

The MCA or crystal assembly becaomes less effecent when converting the 808 nm light into 1064 hen 532nm also i believe that when the diode is cold it can emmit mostly 804 nm light witch the mca will not convert into green but the other 808 it produces it will.... now i am pretty shure about all this but not 100% may want to waite till sombody else proves my memory wrong : )

 

[Phazonx]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

Thats pretty interesting! I didn't know there was so much sensitive stuff for green lasers.



As for the foam. I'm going to get some better pieces that are harder. I have a few fun machines to make this thing look more professional. I'm going to actually make this a small square foam laser insulator. I'm going to make the hole at the tip a little smaller.

I have a band saw, drill press, dremel, hole saw bits and more readily available for making this perfect! I may even glue plexi glass on the outside of the foam to make it more solid.


I'm not totally sure on how I want to build this thing, but I can promise you it will look really nice! I'll have it done tomorrow when I go to my other house(no tools here).

 

[Phazonx]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

During testing, there was no sign of heat loss from the top of the foam. The only problem seemed to be the end where the laser tip was. The very tip of the laser was at 45 while between the button and the laser head was 74. I'll find a way to make it sealed better.

 

[Switch]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

Be carefull not to make it too hot.

 

[f22warzone]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

If you want to cut strofome just use a wire and a battrie pack.... hook the wire up to a resistor and the battrie and the wire should get hot maby red hot.... this is shoring out the battrie so use battries you dont like or some that are near dead. the thing about this is that it will give you a perfect slice of the fome if you can hold it strait enough and you wont get the jagged edges from a saw : )

just a lil tip i learnd if you want to use it : )

 

[wooooooolazer]

Re: Making your green laser COLD PROOF and run @ 1

that sounds interesting, do i need a resistor or could i just hook up a 9v or 6v straight to it, or will that get to hot.

...lazer.. ;D ;D ;D