My 532 from 2002 pot modded for 6 months now @ 26mw

[Joe Mo]

I have an old z-bolt 5mw green I got back in highschool. I've had it pot modded for about 6 months and it's still running strong. I know new modules will die if you pot mod them. I understand my unit was not binned or something so I can get away with it? Is this true?

BTW: I payed 120$ for it back then.

 

[Sigurthr]

Yeah 2002 production date probably has a decent chance of surviving a careful pot modding.

Binning means they turn each laser they make up to the highest it will go and then short them based on the actual output. They then adjust the price according to the output. What it means is the 75mW module is identical to the 50mW module, the 75 just is more efficient or better aligned. The company rapidly increases their profits this way.

 

[Hiemal]

If this binning stuff is true then why are almost all green laser pointers overspec?...

 

[Sigurthr]

Do you see chinese sites advertising their lasers as 27mW, 13mW, 34.7mW? No, you see 10mW, 20mW, and 30mW. Nice round numbers. When binning on a production scale you have ranges, not precise values you bin with.

If you mean from eBay then it is because they're ALL listed as either 5mW or 1mW and they're just hoping for a sale to make some money. These lasers cost the manufacturers pennies. Sure they could sell a 70mW pointer online from their site for ~$50, but far more lasers are sold on eBay then on their private site. Either way it cost them about 10cents, so move a couple thousand at $10 each marked as 5mW or sell maybe a hundred at $50 marked as 70mW, which makes more money?

 

[benmwv]

I'm sorry, but there is no way it costs only 10 cents to make a green laser.

Even a nickel costs more to make than that :crackup:

 

[Sigurthr]

I think you underestimate Chinese cost cutting. Or perhaps I overestimate it, haha.

My value may be off but the reasoning stands =) .