I agree with you guys... I felt cheated after running the test myself. :-?
The majority of the improvements, as I said, is in the optics rather than in the output. The SenKat GB diode is meant to output 250mW pulsed and 80mW CW, awhile this one is meant for 350mW pulsed and 200mW CW. Now... the graphs both clearly show that even with TEC cooling that adding more power slowly but steadily ruins that semi-linearity towards the end of the output. It all just becomes a waste. Although, notice that witht he SenKat GB diode I pushed it until the output was almost flat, while with the phazer diodes I only pushed to 250mW (249) and stopped. I didn't want to shorten the life of these diodes or make them any less efficient than they would be at 'new' status.
That said, these, I believe, make for excellent lab lasers. In a nice block with a big heatsink and a solid PSU, these will easily pump out 250mW and KEEP PUMPING out that much for a while! I wouldn't expect it to be that difficult either.
In terms of the beam pattern, I did notice that with the SenKat GB diodes the beam changed modes (very visible) at around 400-500mA. It just becomes scattered rather than be a beam. It didn't burn out though... it was just still nice and uniform when I took it back down. These units, on the other hand, have not been pushed hard enough to instigate that stage, so I wouldn't know. Also, the beam has a line in the middle of it that was less visible from the SenKat GB diodes, but still there. One of the two units that I tested actually 'lost' that line during one of the measurement sessions. The beams are both about as visible when at the same power output. My initial estimation of the visibility was apparently wrong... although I could have sworn that one was more visible than the other... maybe it was the way one was collimated versus the other... :
Other than that they are still excellent burners and I have a video showing their burning power from about 10 feet unfocused (as a beam rather than a spot) and I also have them burning upclose at a few inches. Anything that intersects the path is burnt to oblivion! I had a friend come over to check up on me during one of the tests and was curious as to how "strong" these new ones were... He burnt his hand just standing in the beam and it was not collimated to a dot on it either... ;D
Now... with all that said... I would like to wait for some kind of PM from the 2 winners (hopefully I can play some more with one of them : :-[) to see how they want them sent. They are right now in the bigger of the AixiZ modules, were tested with the glass and with the acrylic lenses and were the exact same thing. The glass has MUCH LESS of a spatter around the beam so the beam ends up being VERY NICE and super uniform, that is what I used for the distance burn test. The downside is that you cannot focus them down to a spot and so you can't do that deadly burning that you expect from this kind of power 
The medication and my flu both are taking a huge toll on me and I cannot seem to be sitting down for a while to do anything without slipping into a mad coughing frenzy! I feel like I'm getting asthma! :-/ It's horrible! Either way... I'll try as much as I can to get these up for you guys today... I will honestly do my best.
Thanx;
DDL
The majority of the improvements, as I said, is in the optics rather than in the output. The SenKat GB diode is meant to output 250mW pulsed and 80mW CW, awhile this one is meant for 350mW pulsed and 200mW CW. Now... the graphs both clearly show that even with TEC cooling that adding more power slowly but steadily ruins that semi-linearity towards the end of the output. It all just becomes a waste. Although, notice that witht he SenKat GB diode I pushed it until the output was almost flat, while with the phazer diodes I only pushed to 250mW (249) and stopped. I didn't want to shorten the life of these diodes or make them any less efficient than they would be at 'new' status.
That said, these, I believe, make for excellent lab lasers. In a nice block with a big heatsink and a solid PSU, these will easily pump out 250mW and KEEP PUMPING out that much for a while! I wouldn't expect it to be that difficult either.
In terms of the beam pattern, I did notice that with the SenKat GB diodes the beam changed modes (very visible) at around 400-500mA. It just becomes scattered rather than be a beam. It didn't burn out though... it was just still nice and uniform when I took it back down. These units, on the other hand, have not been pushed hard enough to instigate that stage, so I wouldn't know. Also, the beam has a line in the middle of it that was less visible from the SenKat GB diodes, but still there. One of the two units that I tested actually 'lost' that line during one of the measurement sessions. The beams are both about as visible when at the same power output. My initial estimation of the visibility was apparently wrong... although I could have sworn that one was more visible than the other... maybe it was the way one was collimated versus the other... :
Other than that they are still excellent burners and I have a video showing their burning power from about 10 feet unfocused (as a beam rather than a spot) and I also have them burning upclose at a few inches. Anything that intersects the path is burnt to oblivion! I had a friend come over to check up on me during one of the tests and was curious as to how "strong" these new ones were... He burnt his hand just standing in the beam and it was not collimated to a dot on it either... ;D
Now... with all that said... I would like to wait for some kind of PM from the 2 winners (hopefully I can play some more with one of them :
:-[) to see how they want them sent. They are right now in the bigger of the AixiZ modules, were tested with the glass and with the acrylic lenses and were the exact same thing. The glass has MUCH LESS of a spatter around the beam so the beam ends up being VERY NICE and super uniform, that is what I used for the distance burn test. The downside is that you cannot focus them down to a spot and so you can't do that deadly burning that you expect from this kind of power The medication and my flu both are taking a huge toll on me and I cannot seem to be sitting down for a while to do anything without slipping into a mad coughing frenzy! I feel like I'm getting asthma! :-/ It's horrible! Either way... I'll try as much as I can to get these up for you guys today... I will honestly do my best.
Thanx;
DDL
