NUBM07E 465nm 2.9W Diode Test (Hitting 470nm+)

[blasterman]

Any suggestions for a good, controlled test? I have a bunch of Arctic Alumina thermal compound and adhesive, some Arctic Silver compound, small aluminum and copper heatsinks, a thermocouple/digital thermometer, and an IR thermometer.

Dan's Data did some fun tests on this topic with over clocked CPU's some years ago, and his results were rather startling, if not proved some basic physics. Essentially he found good old toothpaste was just as good at conducting heat as expensive silver based thermal pastes and lithium grease. When it comes down to moving heat away from metal surfaces that have gaps moisture trumps all other variables. Having a few percent of silver flake in the compound does nothing in regards to moving heat better. Obviously air is an insulator (given it's dielectric), but when it comes to filling in larger gaps we don't need to get exotic. Not having the gap in the first place is the best option.

 

[TaterMay]

Are you running your 07E with the Gball on or off?
If off and you have a LPM can you chronicle it's output over the weeks ahead, I would like establish some solid data.

Off. I ended up having to fix my a/c tonight, so I didn't even get to begin. I'll be starting after work tomorrow afternoon. I actually just recently added an Ophir capable of 10 watts to my collection, so I can definitely do that. I might even be able to graph the output via Laserbee with a 3-element lens on it.

Dan's Data did some fun tests on this topic with over clocked CPU's some years ago, and his results were rather startling, if not proved some basic physics. Essentially he found good old toothpaste was just as good at conducting heat as expensive silver based thermal pastes and lithium grease. When it comes down to moving heat away from metal surfaces that have gaps moisture trumps all other variables. Having a few percent of silver flake in the compound does nothing in regards to moving heat better. Obviously air is an insulator (given it's dielectric), but when it comes to filling in larger gaps we don't need to get exotic. Not having the gap in the first place is the best option.

Nice. I definitely want to perform this experiment myself now. I've got several different compounds and adhesives to work with, and I think I might have some toothpaste laying around here.

I just ordered the larger, cheaper tube of Arctic Alumina compound this week because I felt fairly confident that it wasn't absolutely necessary for me to keep paying such high prices for such a small tube of Arctic Silver.

 

[Alaskan]

Received my diode today, did some beam shots tonight, this is one of the better of them in a host with a 2 inch diameter expanded beam. 465-470nm is such a beautiful color. 4 watts out of the G2 lens (@4500 mA) and then into a slow axis widening cylinder lens and PCX collimating lens on the end for a resulting 2.9 watts out:

 

[RYDorDIE278]

Received my diode today, did some beam shots tonight, this is one of the better of them in a host with a 2 inch diameter expanded beam. 465-470nm is such a beautiful color. 4 watts out of the G2 lens (@4500 mA) and then into a slow axis widening cylinder lens and PCX collimating lens on the end for a resulting 2.9 watts out:

Ohh thats right Alaskan! this thread is about the new 465nm diode not about
adhesives,
I would love to see that in person , pictures just dont cut it,
that wavelength at that power level.........mmmmm
I think im going to make one too!

 

[Alaskan]

Seeing how beautiful this color is just makes me want more, have to either knife edge or PBS cube a pair of these diodes!

 

[Glutton]

@Alaskan Man I love all the pics you post especially the expander pics. I'm definitely going to build an optically corrected handheld with this new diode and was thinking about throwing together an expanded for it as well and seeing what you have going there has sealed the deal for me. One optically corrected and expanded 470nm handheld coming up in my future lol.

 

[TaterMay]

Ohh thats right Alaskan! this thread is about the new 465nm diode not about
adhesives,
I would love to see that in person , pictures just dont cut it,
that wavelength at that power level.........mmmmm
I think im going to make one too!

Sorry you're upset about a few posts talking about thermal compounds in this thread, but it's quite relevant for anyone who may want to use this diode with a driver attached directly to it, as they will have a good bit of space to fill.

@Alaskan Man I love all the pics you post especially the expander pics. I'm definitely going to build an optically corrected handheld with this new diode and was thinking about throwing together an expanded for it as well and seeing what you have going there has sealed the deal for me. One optically corrected and expanded 470nm handheld coming up in my future lol.

Ditto. I plan on ordering a beam expander or the components to build one this afternoon.

Alaskan, is that beam expander one you put together yourself or did you buy it?

 

[Alaskan]

Hi Taterman, yea, I put it together using a helical focuser found on ebay from a China seller, the difficulties of using one of those is finding a diameter which can fit your pointer, mine was just about right so I wrapped some black tape around the end of my pointer so the OD and ID would match close enough to tape the thing on. Next challenge is to find a PCX lens the right focal length for the range of the focuser. I found when using an over sized lens, about 25 percent larger than the aperture, that the beam had far less splash than if the correct diameter to fit the end of the focuser. I'm still learning about how to best do this using a defocused G2 or such lens as an expander, it isn't perfect, the optics aren't perfect in some respects but they do make a pretty beam.

Using a small plano-convex cylinder lens on the output of the NUBM07E works well, also for the NDG7475T but not the NUBM44, it just won't focus right at all with the extra wide beam width output of the 6W 445nm diode for some reason when using a cylinder lens with it to help correct the slow axis. It wont' correct it near close enough to make the beam square, but a cylinder lens does help with the NUBM07E and NDG7475T.

One more gotcha, the focal length of a lens used with the defocused G2 lens won't work out exactly like you might expect, the distance from the G2 (three element lens, or what have you) doesn't match the focal length of the PCX, it will 20 percent or so closer to adjust to infinity, so you have to find the right sweep spot and have enough range for the focuser to make it work. As I'm writing this I'm starting to second guess if it was closer, or really further away.... I will have to check, but I don't see how it would be possible for it to be further away. Anyway, with this kind of beam expander your output will be more like a sword, a beam output with both a thin and wide edge in the sky, even with a cylinder lens to help widen the slow axis output.

 

[RedCowboy]

Seeing how beautiful this color is just makes me want more, have to either knife edge or PBS cube a pair of these diodes!

Even with a full moon it stands out well, but I also am craving more power, I was thinking of how awesome 2 entire blocks of 8 would be stacked, they are only 2cm X 6cm and the spacing would let you stack 2 blocks with a little gap between for an evenly placed 16.
With the G-ball lenses in place it may be possible to simply reduce and hold with a lens pair for a fairly decent output of 60 watts.:eg:
I know you have seen styropyros video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVrJUbeuG44
Styros video is with the 450nm 05T the 07E block is 100 bucks cheaper than a week ago and will no doubt come down more in time.
I seriously would like to see 16 of these in that awesome 465-470nm.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NICHIA-NUBM...Laser-Diode-/231611078762?hash=item35ed18986a

 

[Alaskan]

I'd like a block like that, but impossible to combine into one single beam output, all of Styropyro's beams diverge after a distance from his huge lens so not much of a beam except for burning at that distance, and of course, the aweseome brightness of it. Ehgemus is building a block for me to parallel several RGB diodes to shoot through a long cylinder lens, that will make one hell of a combined line output, that you could do, but two lines for two rows for a block like that.

 

[RedCowboy]

I'd like a block like that, but impossible to combine into one single beam output, all of Styropyro's beams diverge after a distance from his huge lens so not much of a beam except for burning at that distance, and of course, the aweseome brightness of it. Ehgemus is building a block for me to parallel several RGB diodes to shoot through a long cylinder lens, that will make one hell of a combined line output, that you could do, but two lines for two rows for a block like that.

I know it would not be one beam but 16 beams running together each needing correction/shaping but I am thinking of the feasibility of building a mount and finding or having made optics to accomplish this in block as there is a
#1 Substantial cost savings up front.
#2 Superior heat sinking.
#3 The Gball lens could be useful.

I was thinking just a grid overlay to hold 16 plano concave cylindrical lenses to tame the more aggressive axis, if the math was done right it could be followed by a 2nd lens to bring into line the less aggressive axis.

Or I was thinking of just doing a quad by the regular means of removal, remounting, knife edging 2 and 2 then knife edging the 2 edged pairs.

Now when you think about all that I start looking at the blocks again LOL

Maybe each G-ball output could be lensed to a point where it enters a fiber and the fibers all stacked 4 x 4 ?

I know with communications fiber the bandwidth becomes limited with distance, requiring repeater stations because the beam bounces of the fiber walls and the length of the digital pulse becomes wider, this makes me think that fiber could provide some benefit.
That is a rectangle beam with 2 axis's propagating at different divergences enters the fiber that is spooled 10-200 feet and exits as more of a single modish fog light that is lens able.

I know all 16 fibers cant just be mixed but each could possibly be culminated and run side by side 4 x 4 and lensed to a desired diameter of 16 beams.......or we can just wait 16 months until units come with just 1 big single emitter, or a trio of RGB LED's

 

[RedCowboy]

My apologies for the double post.
Something I have successfully done is to focus the diodes output just like the G2 lens does but at a longer focal length there by giving me a much longer working range for lighting fireworks fuse.
Yes the output is still a rectangle, but it is a focusable rectangle just like it is with our G2 and other lenses only with a larger exit diameter and a longer working range. It looks really cool too.

Also with a dozen single mode diodes all lensed and focused to infinity mounted on little articulated mounts, I have arranged them into a cone and picked them up as they merge with a double concave and then a doublet and by adjusting the distance of the 2 lenses I could set the width of the circle of beams and if they contracted or expanded from that point. These were cheap little 200mw red 660's but when 405's get cheap enough....well by then we will likely have larger affordable single emitters, you can get them now but they are expensive.

Your Ehgemus build sounds very interesting, I hope to read about that.

 

[Alaskan]

I've been considering an array of single mode diodes, I have lots of R,G,B single modes to work with and wanted to do something similar, expanding them and having the expanded beam outputs overlap one another but then I started thinking about just combining them all into a line output. Dreaming more, I thought what if there is a way to convert the line back to something more rounded, hummm.... but the cost and complexity and added losses quickly ended that dream. If you have a solution I'd love to be clued in on it so I can build a nice RGB combined array to produced a white or multicolored fat beam, adjusted to color by which diodes are on. Of course, dichro mirrors can be used but I have like a dozen of each color diodes, so it's more involved than just three diodes.

Lately I've been thinking about knife edging some of the 07E diodes, I have lots of parts already in hand, just need mirrors for blue light. I prefer the prism shaped first surface mirrors because they have such a precision knife edge, very cleanly cut. I've been trying to think how to PBS cube two rows of knife edged diodes and have the PBS cube mounted right in the middle so I can have the output in the right place for expansion right down the center axis of a pointer, but so far I can't seem to envision how to do so yet. I'm about ready to hire an expert to find the solution! I've googled and googled and can't find an example, I suppose the only solution is to add more mirrors and bounce things around until the beam exits down the center of the platform of diodes and mirrors to fit in a pointer. I've also considered fiber, but everyone here tells me it's a real PITA and expensive to get them lined up right, not very suitable for a pointer with all that hardware to deal with, I think. Maybe I shouldn't give up so easily on the idea... I don't mean to get the thread off topic, so I better not continue posting on optics here, I started another thread in the optics section days ago with the PBS in the center question, no one has been able to give any ideas on that yet.

 

[RedCowboy]

I've been considering an array of single mode diodes, I have lots of R,G,B single modes to work with and wanted to do something similar, expanding them and having the expanded beam outputs overlap one another but then I started thinking about just combining them all into a line output. Dreaming more, I thought what if there is a way to convert the line back to something more rounded, hummm.... but the cost and complexity and added losses quickly ended that dream. If you have a solution I'd love to be clued in on it so I can build a nice RGB combined array to produced a white or multicolored fat beam, adjusted to color by which diodes are on. Of course, dichro mirrors can be used but I have like a dozen of each color diodes, so it's more involved than just three diodes.

Lately I've been thinking about knife edging some of the 07E diodes, I have lots of parts already in hand, just need mirrors for blue light. I prefer the prism shaped first surface mirrors because they have such a precision knife edge, very cleanly cut. I've been trying to think how to PBS cube two rows of knife edged diodes and have the PBS cube mounted right in the middle so I can have the output in the right place for expansion right down the center axis of a pointer, but so far I can't seem to envision how to do so yet. I'm about ready to hire an expert to find the solution! I've googled and googled and can't find an example, I suppose the only solution is to add more mirrors and bounce things around until the beam exits down the center of the platform of diodes and mirrors to fit in a pointer. I've also considered fiber, but everyone here tells me it's a real PITA and expensive to get them lined up right, not very suitable for a pointer with all that hardware to deal with, I think. Maybe I shouldn't give up so easily on the idea... I don't mean to get the thread off topic, so I better not continue posting on optics here, I started another thread in the optics section days ago with the PBS in the center question, no one has been able to give any ideas on that yet.

Yea the pbs cube has to be polarized, but you could knife edge 2 beams and knife edge 2 others beams then knife edge those 2 sets of 2 so you have 4 beams running together like a box. Alignment is so critical, a fraction of a mm in your setup can equal several feet in the far field.

This newer material can be used for combining different wavelengths.
BragGrate? Combiner | Beam Combining and Applications


Ok you know about dicros, but have you seen this guys work, this adjustable handheld RGB is a work of art. All his videos are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrwxUbrYNgA

 

[Alaskan]

Yep, saw that, just that his is low power, I want watts! I could buy one of these and have it skinnied for use in a pointer, that would be four watts:

4W RGB Laser Module with 7 5V PSU Laser Diode 638nm 445nm 520nm | eBay

 

[RedCowboy]

Yep, saw that, just that his is low power, I want watts! I could buy one of these and have it skinnied for use in a pointer, that would be four watts:

4W RGB Laser Module with 7 5V PSU Laser Diode 638nm 445nm 520nm | eBay[/QUOTE]

Well I'm sure you see they are cube combining 2 reds and using beam correction for the reds after the cube, that's interesting, but the green and blue look un corrected and it is only 4 watts.
1 w green that's probably just a 700 diode, 2 638's and a m-140.
You could build that yourself cheaper, and the final beam is not going to be symmetrical, I would want a better quality beam for that much money.
The diodes and drivers and lenses are 700 bucks then the mounts and dicros...they are making 500 bucks and it's only 4 watts.
Someone here can get you more for that money or for a bit more cash you could get a lot more laser.
DTR said he was testing 8 new diodes, I know there are Gball diodes 465nm/07E that's 4W, 455nm/05T that's 6W, 520/01T that's 1W I wonder about the reds, I know there is that dual beam hunk of junk unless you were going to wave plate and cube it right out of the diode, it's 2.5W.....If I were you I would wait and get more than that, put that 1500 bucks with a little more and get a lot more laser. There's still 4 more mystery diodes. I think a larger 405 that's multi mode ...... I would love to see a 2.5 W 520nm , I know it's just around the corner LOL But seriously I think you want more than 4W of RGB or dam good quality if only 4W.
I Love this wavelength. It's 4 watts for 200 bucks.