Quick Q: Threshold (mw) for acrylic lens no-go with Reds?

[rhd]

Does anyone have any insight into the threshold beyond which the cheap acrylic lenses shouldn't be used for reds?

I'm going to try something funky with a bunch of LOCs, and it would be nice if I could get away with not using glass lenses on each of them.

Any sense as to where these breakdown?

IE, could I run LOCs through them at 100mW? 200? And if not, what are the negative results - just poor beam quality? or permanent damage to the lens? melting?

 

[Prototype]

I wouldn't go beyond 300mW with an acrylic lens.

 

[rhd]

Thanks Prototype. Much appreciated.

 

[Meatball]

I can second that assertion. When 300mws or so of light is coming straight from a red diode, the lens must either reflect or absorb ~50mws all on its own. Decomposition of the lens still occurs, but very slowly.

 

[rhd]

Is that figure linear (proportional) or based on a threshold?

IE, if I ran it at 250mW would the lens be absorbing substantially less (like almost nothing), or just 1/6th less (so still like 40mW) ?