Radiant X4: A LPM for the masses at Illumination Supply!

[csshih]

I have a problem. I made my order for an LPM and a blue case on July 8th. I received it today (very fast :yh, however the only thing in the box was the case, I would suspect that you shipped them separately but the packing slip says the case and LPM should be in there and you only gave me one tracking number.

Looking into this now. Looks like our packaging department has been making mistakes recently.

 

[i73770k]

Just wondering when you test a high powered laser, like say my 2.8W 445 you get a mark on the TEC.. Why is that? and will it affect anything overtime?

 

[Pi R Squared]

Just wondering when you test a high powered laser, like say my 2.8W 445 you get a mark on the TEC.. Why is that? and will it affect anything overtime?

You have to unfocus the laser so the beam is the full width of the TEC or it will leave burn marks and damage it. I did the same thing with a laser probably in the 3W range even though it was properly unfocused and it seems to have had no effect even though it left a burn mark on the TEC. You probably shouldn't test that laser again. I don't think all of these can handle up to 3.7W, I know mine can't, I suspect that the black coating may vary or sometimes be defective. You don't want that coating damaged much or it may become inaccurate.

Alan

 

[jdawg]

Do you have any still in stock?
Thanks

 

[crazyspaz]

Do you have any still in stock?
Thanks

Did you even bother reading the OP? You would have found the link to their website, which clearly says they are out of stock.

 

[jdawg]

Did you even bother reading the OP? You would have found the link to their website, which clearly says they are out of stock.

I realized that, thanks. I purchased one already from Illumination Supply, paid, after four days, I contacted them and they told me it was out of stock. Just giving a try to see if he is a private seller. Many people don't update their threads..

 

[starlight]

I asked about the radiant x returning to stock and was told "our new model comes out next year". I would buy one now if I could. I'll probably never own a LPM they are a mystery to me.

 

[Reiign]

I asked about the radiant x returning to stock and was told "our new model comes out next year". I would buy one now if I could. I'll probably never own a LPM they are a mystery to me.

I got the same answer aswell. Im just paying the extra costs for the rubicon seems like a far superior unit compared to other cheapish lpm's

 

[rhd]

I've been waiting eagerly for their new version as well. Have the existing version, and it's great, but the 4W limit is unfortunate, and for some reason when I built my Ophir based LPM, I used components limited to 3.9W, even though the sensor goes higher.

Side note, in the past couple years since I looked into this, has anyone released a really simple Ophir driver? I'm currently using a circuit based off Jib77's opamp design.

 

[ARG]

Side note, in the past couple years since I looked into this, has anyone released a really simple Ophir driver? I'm currently using a circuit based off Jib77's opamp design.

Send me a PM with the specs you want (Vin/Vout). I have an entire folder of drivers for Ophir heads, just never released any of them.

 

[BodhiSci]

They are looking to charge $150-$200 now up from $99.95 in exchange for that you will save 10 seconds per reading and also be able to read up to 5W vs 3.7. Neither of which the "masses" and those on a budget need. An LPM is usually a luxury, for a quarter of a grand out the door I think I'll pass. Really seems to have lost the spirit of the original product. I wish I was here for the original. Both versions should be available if you want to charge that much.

Edit: 150 for the extra capabilities would be OK but not more I think. Sorry I have been looking forward to getting your LPM for awhile and now I doubt I will get to have one at all.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I expect the difference in the price is mostly due to different hardware, and components that they do not themselves source.

The response time difference, while it may not seem like a big deal, actually is, because it allows you to see fluctuations, and actual output with far more clarity, as well as to see how quickly the output drops off.

 

[csshih]

They are looking to charge $150-$200 now up from $99.95 in exchange for that you will save 10 seconds per reading and also be able to read up to 5W vs 3.7. Neither of which the "masses" and those on a budget need. An LPM is usually a luxury, for a quarter of a grand out the door I think I'll pass. Really seems to have lost the spirit of the original product. I wish I was here for the original. Both versions should be available if you want to charge that much.

I'll post what I sent to you in response to your email:

We found out we needed to move towards a higher power design as people were exceeding the 3.7W limitations.
The higher power design required us to machine custom heat-sinks and formulate a completely different thermal coating.
This added additional costs but doubled the response time, and the sensors are harder to damage now. We could not continue the selling the original due to the complexity of assembly (this is extremely low volume, after all.).

Also - check out the price of the competition. I think you'll find our prices are quite reasonable when compared.

 

[ARG]

They are looking to charge $150-$200 now up from $99.95 in exchange for that you will save 10 seconds per reading and also be able to read up to 5W vs 3.7. Neither of which the "masses" and those on a budget need. An LPM is usually a luxury, for a quarter of a grand out the door I think I'll pass. Really seems to have lost the spirit of the original product. I wish I was here for the original. Both versions should be available if you want to charge that much.

I think you're forgetting that before Radiant came back people were paying $200-$250 for a "budget" LPM. Even with a price increase the new power meter is still the cheapest option for a hobbyists thermal power meter.

There were two major complaints with the X4:
-People disliked the slow response time
-The sensor not performing as well at higher powers.

The new LPM addresses both of these issues, but to fix the response time more expensive hardware was needed.
This presented a dilemma, either the price had to increase or the response time has to stay slow. It was decided that the price increase for a faster response time was justified.

However, I can see how you would feel this isn't justified if you think it will only

will save 10 seconds per reading

it is far more than that.

Here's a test with a typical handheld 445nm laser:

You can see that by the time the X4 has responded the peak power of the laser has already passed, which was problematic for some users with lasers that dropped in power rapidly, or users with unstable DPSS lasers.

 

[BodhiSci]

All that totally makes sense. It is certainly better for those that are willing to pay double for those improvements.

I just want to measure my lasers and get an accurate reading. If I build a crazy ass 4W+ laser in the future I will just figure out what it is approx by splitting the beam, measuring those, and adding up with the estimated loss from the splitter. It doesn't have to be perfect for me. I really think most people feel the same way and that there will be a loss in the # of sales if it is that high. It is true it is still the best option out there, but that doesn't really matter as far as the fact that a lot less people are going to pay over two hundred than over one hundred. It is just a lot less attractive to beginners and (I don't know the numbers but I suspect that there is probably a lot more people who go through the hobby over time (beginners/intermediates) than there are people who are advanced.

If it is $150 I might do it. Otherwise I think I will try to buy a used one from someone who upgrades (feel free to PM me lol).

It does sound great though!


Edit: I'm sorry for discussing here, wish I didn't bring it up (maybe you will have a new thread for the new version I hope) is a great product obviously, if people can afford it they should go for it. It is a very fair price for what you get but it is just out of my price range so it doesn't matter. Thx!

 

[rhd]

An increase in price from $100 to $150 is well warranted and probably long overdue.

However, if they're only improving it's capabilities from 3.7 to 5 Watts, that's a huge misstep in my view. That tiny bump isn't enough to entice the existing user base into an upgrade. That additional range doesn't really address the reason many people might want an LPM capable of over 3.7W, which is to measure the NDB7A75, because the NDB7A75 can still exceed the 5W mark.

I'm all for Radiant charging more. I never understood how they could sell what they do for $99 bucks, but we really need a more substantial power range boost too.