Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

Buy Site Supporter Role (remove some ads) | LPF Donations

Links below open in new window

FrozenGate by Avery

Review: CNI PGL-III-C 532nm (500mW Nominal)

EpicHam said:
The POWER! I would have held the laser up with a clamp, but this one is waaay too heavy for my clamp to hold on tightly.... so you'll have to eat charts on this one.
On paper, this should churn out at least 500mW after collimation,but does it?
The Test Report they supplied stated that it'll pump out at least 673mW... yet..... when I LPM it with my LaserBee 2.5W
Well..... barely.
It peaked at 527mW after collimation.
Thats a 5.4% overspecs.
Full mark for the power ... kinda curious about how did they churn 673mW on it... perhaps its the LPM.Since its not exactly an OPHIR head after all.
Click to expand...

CNI uses a Coherent labmax-TO I believe, I would trust their number.
DPSS lasers have large power fluctuations though, it might just have had a bad day :p

Bummer about the shutter, that's my favorite part of the CNI lasers.
 
Last edited:





26nc.jpg


I need to learn how to take pics.
Cos this Single-lens reflex camera is driving me up the wall
 
Good review. Now sure how the heck the shutter thing got past QA! The good thing is after looking at my 589's head it looks like the shutter assembly is held in place by two *tiny* set screws in the first grove of the host so if they can send you the part you can probably attach it yourself.

For the LPM readings you may be running into the same thing I did. First make sure you have a decent, fully charged battery. Secondly all DPSS lasers have a warmup time. This can vary by laser but the easiest thing to do is run it for a couple minutes minding any duty cycle guidelines before doing the test. Heck I used to "warm up" my 589 GLP by sticking it under my arm for about 45 seconds otherwise it'd take a good minute or more to come up to full power. Both my JL 473 and CNI 589 were coming in about 30-35% less than what they were quoted as but using a good fully charged battery and remembering to let them warm up first gave me identical readings (well +/- 2mw or so) to what I was quoted/
 
Last edited:
great review, the data sheet states that the divergence is 1.5mrad, have you measured this yourself and does the laser stay in temoo through the 90 second run? i've only heard good things from CNI :thinking: wonder why you where left with a laser that had quite a bit to desire
 
Last edited:
will manners said:
great review, the data sheet states that the divergence is 1.5mrad, have you measured this yourself?
Click to expand...

well not yet , but the beam does appear to be pretty tight out to a few km away.

Maybe I'll measure the beam diameter later :p

LtKernelPanic said:
Good review. Now sure how the heck the shutter thing got past QA! The good thing is after looking at my 589's head it looks like the shutter assembly is held in place by two *tiny* set screws in the first grove of the host so if they can send you the part you can probably attach it yourself.

For the LPM readings you may be running into the same thing I did. First make sure you have a decent, fully charged battery. Secondly all DPSS lasers have a warmup time. This can vary by laser but the easiest thing to do is run it for a couple minutes minding any duty cycle guidelines before doing the test. Heck I used to "warm up" my 589 GLP by sticking it under my arm for about 45 seconds otherwise it'd take a good minute or more to come up to full power. Both my JL 473 and CNI 589 were coming in about 30-35% less than what they were quoted as but using a good fully charged battery and remembering to let them warm up first gave me identical readings (well +/- 2mw or so) to what I was quoted/
Click to expand...

Armpit heater :crackup:

Well I CNI lasers often have a little blue sticker over the aperture when they are shipped.
So I guess when their workers kept to getting my address wrong , it isn't really a surprise sloppy QA missed the shutter ...

Still no excuse for their action tho.

GREAT disappointment.
 
Last edited:
DJNY said:
It was weekend. I´m 99 % sure they will answer till 10:30 a.m. (MEZ) or at least tomorrow.
Click to expand...

To be honest, Ava usually answer my emails within hours of me sending it during working hours.
Kinda rare for her to skip my emails like this....
 
CNI Review update.
Just talked with CNI's Sara, she referred me to Ava for follow up actions.

Getting somewhere , but pretty much still just waiting here
 
wannaburnstuff said:
Great review, looking forward to hearing what they do about it.
Click to expand...

One thing I don't like about CNI is that we can only pay via Wire Transfer .
We don't really have the PayPal sword on this one.

If anything goes wrong , we are pretty much at the mercy of the company

....or we can file a complaint against them and reverse it at the bank , but any how... its gonna be WAAAY complicated if things go south.

Hopefully it won't come to that, but it does leave the customers pretty naked
 
Update.
It appears that my request to make the laser focusable means that I'll lose the shutter function... which was not known at the time of purchase.
NOTE :Always ask for specifics when you purchase a laser from CNI,especially when you ask if it'll have a function not stated on the specs sheet.cos you might lose some

Still trying to figure out how to focus the thing
 
EpicHam said:
Update.
It appears that my request to make the laser focusable means that I'll lose the shutter function... which was not known at the time of purchase.
NOTE :Always ask for specifics when you purchase a laser from CNI,especially when you ask if it'll have a function not stated on the specs sheet.cos you might lose some

Still trying to figure out how to focus the thing
Click to expand...

Didn´t read that you unit is focusable.

Could have told you before, no shutter if you wish to get a focusable version in the PGL-III-C.
 
DJNY said:
Didn´t read that you unit is focusable.

Could have told you before, no shutter if you wish to get a focusable version in the PGL-III-C.
Click to expand...

the funny thing is , no matter how much I screw the cap , it still has the same beam diameter
 
Maybe the focus is stuck (look closely?). When I got a focusable handheld (not a cni though) it came with the focus ring stuck. I had to apply a little force to it to release. Just don't damage your laser...

Duh. I can't rep you again... congrats on new laser :beer:
 
Last edited:
Leodahsan said:
Maybe the focus is stuck (look closely?). When I got a focusable handheld (not a cni though) it came with the focus ring stuck. I had to apply a little force to it to release. Just don't damage your laser...

Duh. I can't rep you again... congrats on new laser :beer:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip mate.
Yeah I tried.
The lens in the assembly moves freely as I screw the cap outward , it just rattles .... no focusing at all
:(
Massive disappointment.
The beam is beautiful and highly visible, the power is to specs if not overspecs.

But the peripherals and the service.. just leaves me....

original.jpg
 
Can you take a photo of the front of the laser from the side? It may be that you dont have to unscrew the entire heafld...maybe it is something else.
 
wannaburnstuff said:
Can you take a photo of the front of the laser from the side? It may be that you dont have to unscrew the entire heafld...maybe it is something else.
Click to expand...

I just realized the the so called "focusable" function ... is pretty much non-existent
Just tried turning the lens assembly all the way clockwise... so much in fact I can see the heat transmission cream on the groove .

The beam diameter increased by ..... 2mm at 1m.
Will show you some pics later.

But if you ask me.... not really worth it.... I'll rather have the shutter
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top