My dragon lasers spartan green laser has flickering problems when it turns on, help?

[laserza]

So I have a 200mw spartan green laser from dragonlasers.com,

When I turn it on, the beam flickers right after, dimming then returning back to normal.

It is very annoying.. I know it is not the battery that is the cause, and most likey the diode..

Is there anything i can do about it besides shipping it back to the manufacturer for replacement?

any suggestions would help ty

 

[TheSandalVandal]

I think you should send it back and request a new one, Dragon Lasers are incredible when it comes to customer service and i most likely think you can swap it for a new one

Edit: just spoke to DL and this is what they said: Lasers often do not work well when they are cold. I'd say your friend's laser has that problem. When it first turns on, it is cold, it warms up and in a few seconds it works properly.

this issue maybe? But when i told them i had lasers from them as well and said that i dont get this thing they just replied with " haha cool" Maybe it will stop flickering with the time i don't know. Good luck in the future with getting it fixed

 

[Encap]

If within the time allowed--send it back for replacement

 

[laserza]

Thanks for the replys, perhaps it is the cold, however its not really cold at all where i live, maybe it got damaged on its way shipping to me.. I dont really know..

But the reason why I dont want to ship it back for a replacement is because, this laser that I am talking about now WAS the replacement for my first one that i purchased..

I purchased a 200mw spartan from dragon lasers, there an issue with the battery cap and the lens, so I shipped it back for a replacement. and got the one I have now..

I recieved the replacement laser about a week ago, and noticed the flickering instantly, which is very very disappointing because I just waited about 1 month and a half to receive this replacement, only to find that it is a defective replacement.

I am really not looking forward to shipping it back to china, waiting for another 30-45 days for another replacement when I just received a replacement..

I hope it fixes itself.. but other than that.. idk, its really disappointing to find that your replacement laser needs another replacement, and takes 30-45 days each time. really annoying

 

[Marco Polo]

I assume the laser in question is a 532nm DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State).

The flicker you are observing is an example of mode-hopping. DPSS lasers sometimes do that, especially the less-expensive types. It has to do with the alignment and polarization of the crystals, the exact dimensions of the crystals (which will vary with temperature), as well as the exact input (pump) wavelength (which may also vary with the temperature of the pump diode).

The 532nm laser is quite an involved system, much more so than, say, a 650nm or 405nm direct-diode laser. It involves multiple transfers and transitions of energy through the crystal sequence, and any mis-alignment, mal-adjustment, or irregularity at any point therein can cause such effects.

If you use a beam expander (or un-focus the beam with the built in focusing mechanism, if present) you may well observe the beam profile changing, "flickering", or whatnot as the laser operates; this is mode hopping and it's possible with any DPSS laser. The effect is primarily due to thermally-induced changes in the crystal orientation, which in turn affect the gain of the active regions of the resonant cavity.

If all it does is flicker a bit on startup, I would ignore it and just keep the laser. It isn't much of a big deal, especially once you understand that all DPSS lasers are prone to such effects on some level or another. At that point, you can appreciate the fact that the laser is stable overall, once the initial instability has been overcome.

At least, that is how I see it.

Edit: DPSS lasers really do not like cold temperatures. The system works within a definite and somewhat narrow temperature range. Too cold, too hot, and the output will suffer. That is simply the nature of a system whose operation depends on a precise orientation of its components. Changes in temperature change that orientation; too much of a change and the system's efficiency will be affected. Nothing to be done about it other than avoid such adverse conditions.

 

[hakzaw1]

if returning is no longer an option- contact Jeffthe00 and ask him if he can look at it for you- he fixed mine and did an outstanding job- and it was NOT a simple fix either--
+4 to Mr. POLO for the good info and advice-- the spartin is a very nice host IMHO.

hk