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Need help to buy a laser for astronony

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pizcolq

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Apr 29, 2015
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I have three 5mW green lasers pointers, 2 from ebay and 1 fron DX. None of them works as I would like. May be I can see the beam just the 2-3 secons after I push the button, then it becomes really weak or erratic. This behavior worsens a lot when temperatura is cold. All of them are the typical 5% aaa laser pointer.


I don´t not need a powerful laser, just a one bright enough to point the stars and that works at low temperature. Until 20$ would be fine. Can you help me?

thanks
 





If you want low temperature, get a 520nm laser pointer made for you by one of the members, or choose one of Sci-Fi Lasers 520nm pointers, but the price isn't nearly that low for those.

Or, select one of these 515-520nm pointers:

http://www.laserbtb.com/productshow.asp?id=76 - Just about any 520nm laser pointer will probably be good for what you want, they use a green laser diode instead of a DPSS IR/crystal assembly.

Good for astronomy, put out 50mw or more (on average) but not low temperature: Military 5mW 532nm Zoomable Focus Burning Green Laser Pointer Pen 301 Battery | eBay Buying these cheap 532nm lasers is a gamble, sometimes you get a relatively stable one, other times not.
 
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pizcolq said:
I have three 5mW green lasers pointers, 2 from ebay and 1 fron DX. None of them works as I would like. May be I can see the beam just the 2-3 secons after I push the button, then it becomes really weak or erratic. This behavior worsens a lot when temperatura is cold. All of them are the typical 5% aaa laser pointer.


I don´t not need a powerful laser, just a one bright enough to point the stars and that works at low temperature. Until 20$ would be fine. Can you help me?

thanks
Click to expand...

Hi there!

I have dealt with just about every model/type laser sold on eBay, there are some really good overspec units on there that will work perfect for what you are wanting to do. Search for laser 301 or laser 303 and make sure they are 532nm, these are in the 75mw-150mw range from what I've seen which is plenty for pointing at night. They can be had very cheap ($8-$20) and have a cheap key lock on the end.

I am willing to bet most of these units put out a fair amount of IR also so be aware of that, also narrow your search results to USA sellers so your not waiting 2-3 weeks or longer. I have a few very powerful cheap eBAy 532's laying around and would be happy to send you one for $15 if you pay shipping.

One last thing is they all run on either 18650 li-ions or 16340 li-ions, they are 3.7v. You can pick these up on Amazon fairly cheap with a charger.

Let me say you would likely be much happier with a quality unit bought from one of the recommended company's/builders found on here but you will be investing more than $20. The cheapos work fine and will last it all depends on your preference.

If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask.

-Joe

Alaskan- Sorry I didn't finish reading your post before I put this up. That's my bad.
 
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Willjoe21 said:
Hi there!

Let me say you would likely be much happier with a quality unit bought from one of the recommended company's/builders found on here but you will be investing more than $20. The cheapos work fine and will last it all depends on your preference.
.
Click to expand...
It's always a crap shoot though with eBay lasers. I also own a dozen or so 532 cheapos. A few died pretty quickly or like the OP described jump all over the place but I have also have one that's 100mW and I literally can't kill it. I've run it continuously till the battery died, dropped it and it's still my daily pocket laser. But at the end of the day someone looking to just buy one working laser, buying from a reputable seller like Sky lasers BTB can save him from having to buy multiple cheapos till he gets a good one.

SKY lasers has an inexpensive line under "Hot Lasers" that would be less of a gamble and still get you decent quality for about 25$ pen style pointers. This might be a good option. Check these out. The SS one comes in 30mW for 28$. Pretty good deal. http://www.sky-lasers.com/5mw-80mw-532nm-stainless-green-laser-pointer-pen-silver.html
 
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I could recommend this laser from ebay. I have it myself too (see signature) and it produces quite a nice red beam at night. You might like this one, because it is 650nm and so doesn't ruin your night vision. You can find a review on it here. It has a nice duty cycle, and it's not affected by temperature like the 532nm laser which are DPSS lasers, because it's a direct diode laser. Also, the ebay seller itself is a nice guy :P
 
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doubleone44 said:
I could recommend this laser from ebay. I have it myself too (see signature) and it produces quite a nice red beam at night. You might like this one, because it is 650nm and so doesn't ruin your night vision. You can find a review on it here. It has a nice duty cycle, and it's not affected by temperature like the 532nm laser which are DPSS lasers, because it's a direct diode laser. Also, the ebay seller itself is a nice guy :P
Click to expand...

You can see your 650 beam at night? Must be a multi mode. I can barely see mine on a clear night without fog but it's a single mode 200mW. My 638 I can though it's a bit more visible spectrum.
 
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No, I'm sure it's a single mode, shined it on buildings (without windows :P) a mile away and it was a nice ovalish circle. However, you are true in that it is faint, but it's noticeable. If you spent more money, you could get a 638nm laser which doesn't ruin your night vision that much either but it's twice as visible. A 200mW 638nm laser would be quite more expensive though.
 
I would still recommend around 50mW of green for astronomy. Much easier to see, and a green beam won't ruin your night vision

OP I would suggest saving up some more money. It's not generally worth it to buy cheap lasers. Also be aware of the potential dangers of IR radiation from eBay lasers, and the dangerous surrounding cheap 18650's, 16340's, etc. that do not have protection. Laserbtb is a reputable company with great bang for the buck lasers
 
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This op has never logged back in since he made this thread 3 days ago. waste of time.
 
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well maybe he works alot and has a big family not everyone has time to sit infront of computers and stuff can get easy overlooked..
 
You can also read these threads without being logged in, anyway others will read this and get some useful info from it.

Alan
 
Thanks guys, very interesting answers, clear as water that buying a laser under 20$ is a lottery. The thing is that I will use it ocasionally, so my aproach will be trying with a cheapo one you have recomended, and if it not work, then I will go for a better one.
 
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This is an old thread. The member you are asking isn't even an active member any longer. That is why it is always a bad idea to necro-post to these old threads. It brings them back up and wastes everyone's time looking at them again.
 
why do we even have stickies?? shhhesssh
edit

STOP / ALTO
this Tread is CLOSED.
No Posting.
TURN around. nothing here to see..go home.
 
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