O-Like 150mW module review

[HIMNL9]

@ ReNNo: no, i actually don't have access to CNC or tools, also for this it's all stopped ..... i really have no free time, in this period, and don't know when i can try, too.


@ RA_pierce: what expander have you used ? ..... the original one is already a damn high dioptry lens .....

That what i mean, basically, is this:

The first scheme is a standard module, where the expander enlarge the beam just few degrees ..... i was planning to add a piece of tube with a second negative lens, for expand it more, and substitute the original 6mm collimator with a 10mm lens in a second tube (so it come out from the front and can be focused), making the beam more "fat" at the start, but, hopefully, making it work like a "built-in beam expander", with the possibility to collimate it better at distance ..... i know that this probably cause a little loss of power, from the second negative lens, it was just an idea for an experiment, anyway .....

 

[RA_pierce]

@ ReNNo: no, i actually don't have access to CNC or tools, also for this it's all stopped ..... i really have no free time, in this period, and don't know when i can try, too.


@ RA_pierce: what expander have you used ? ..... the original one is already a damn high dioptry lens .....

That what i mean, basically, is this:

The first scheme is a standard module, where the expander enlarge the beam just few degrees ..... i was planning to add a piece of tube with a second negative lens, for expand it more, and substitute the original 6mm collimator with a 10mm lens in a second tube (so it come out from the front and can be focused), making the beam more "fat" at the start, but, hopefully, making it work like a "built-in beam expander", with the possibility to collimate it better at distance ..... i know that this probably cause a little loss of power, from the second negative lens, it was just an idea for an experiment, anyway .....

I used a lens from another green laser. I don't know what module it came from as it was an old lens I threw in my "spare lenses" box. It was from either a leadlight or a newwish type.
It improved minimum divergence slightly but not enough to have been worth the time aligning it.

Regarding the second diagram, I have done exactly that with my X105 years ago.

I have lots of spare parts and disassembled modules... this thread has inspired me to experiment with this...

 

[ReNNo]

Collimating lens that comes with O-like module is 5mm in diameter and beam that this lens collects is <1mm in diameter.
Maybe you can find another diffuser that can make beam fatter (maybe 3mm).
Or you can use collimating lens with longer focal point so you can put lens few millimeters more away from diffuser... it will also make beam fatter that means better divergence.

 

[laserhooligan]

o-like sells you a module that's obviously a reject and it's suppose to be a good place to buy? hmmm. they sold me a 100mw module which is definitely underpowered, (compared to a certified 100mw and a 50mw). the module rip off by the likes of o-like and similar continues until people are willing to pay a bit more for guaranteed power and quality. how can these rejects ever have passed QC???

 

[Traveller]

... All three had various levels of divergence from an excellent 1.2mrad TEM00 to a terrible 3~4mrad TEM01 ... The first "150mW" I got from Susie was actually 80mW (incl. 17% IR...) and then she replaced it with a 130mW module. At least they were both relatively tight (@2mrad) ... 2mrad is not that great, particularly when I compare it to my 1.2mrad 70mW LP ...

...and while the divergence is not as great as I would like it, I've never had one that was absolutely unacceptable (usually within 1.2-1.5mRad)...

1.2-1.5mrad? wow! My two O-Like modules both measured 2.0. 1.2 is not "not bad", it's great! What do you consider great divergence...

FWIW, I made some errors during my initial divergence measurements "way back when". Thanks to a recent review I wrote, I re-measured all of my 532nm modules and I have to correct my previous quote of 2mrad for my O-Like module to 1.6mrads. Consequently, my LP quoted at 1.2 is actually 0.6mrad! Sorry about that...

... I have a funny feeling that these CN modules, particularly the lower "ultra-budget" samples from the likes of DX, are focused for a very tight beam at near-distance. That is to say, my 3mrad DX module actually burns (black) stuff up close better than the other two modules.

I determined in the same review that my cheaper modules are 1mm (max) at module exit while my 0.6 mrad LP measures 2mm. Thus the reason why the modules "burn" better than my LP, but in turn, suffer from higher divergence.