Pulsed, 700Hz?

[c0ldshadow]

for most laser pointers i see the operating mode as 'CW'

i noticed that for this one blue laser pointer the operating mode is Pulsed, 700hz.
http://laserglow.com/bluepointer.html
click specifications for info on the laser.

what is the difference between CW and pulsed? are there advantages/disadvantages?

btw im pretty sure this blue laser is made by CNI. both http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/896a and http://www.onpointlasers.com/catalo...-pointers/blue-phire-bpl-5-laser-pointer.html appear to be selling the exact same laser

 

[tommygreen23]

yeah, thats a cni laser.

pulsed means it turns off and on really fast. it keeps the laser running cool. i believe that if you are just pointing with it, you get a solid looking beam, but if you run it across a wall really fast, you get a bunch of dashes.

you can get more power from a pulsed laser and cooler operation temperatures. with a cw or constant wave laser you get a solid beam all the time, good for lasershows and what not.

pseudeomnen had 2 of those lasers, and he returned them because of bad quality or somthing like that.

 

[kingzilla]

I think pseudeomnen was having mode problems, that they were running TEM01. The pulsed will have a longer battery life, and as tommygreen23 said, it keeps it from overheating. I think CNI is the only brand on pen-sized blue laser. I have seen any other, all the sites you guy mentioned were the same model, correct me if I am wrong. I have seen pulsed greenies, in fact a while ago alot of the greens were pulsed, the beam will look pretty much the same (it may appear ever so slightly duller), and the dot will be the same, just when you move it quickly over a wall, it will give a dashed line, not a solid one.

 

[pseudonomen137]

Yeah, for the price the CNIs are crap. Definitely not cheap, but I'd much rather go with WLs Spyder blue, or better yet, optotronics' RPL blue if I were looking for another blue portable.

 

[kingzilla]

Wow, yeah the RPL blue looks great! Was mode the problem with your blues? Or was there power fluctuation as well? If you had to recommend a handheld blue would it be the RPL?