RGV Adjustable Sled Mount Heat Sinks - Feeler

[sightfx]

I have been building a Red, Green, Violet (RGV) laser following Rog8811's Thread here DIY: Pocket sized 7 Color Laser with Spiro Projector by Rog8811

I got pretty far when I burned out my Blu-Ray while aligning it to the red I had epoxied to the sled. I'm not sure what happened but the last thing I did was slipped while wedging a shim against the Blu-Ray and jared the whole unit a bit.

That got me thinking there has to be a better way to align these lasers to run togeter so I looked at what the pros are doing with there fancy labby benches and came up with this design.

I finished my prototype!

This little beuty is sporting a Pioneer 8x BDR-203BKS Blu-Ray and red laser allong with a <50mw DX Greenie. I am suprized by the little 4mm red open can that came from that drive. Nice dot shape and brightness. I will have to get a LPM sooner or later so I can actualy have some numbers to put out there. All I can say is that you don't want to be in front of this bad boy. Instant heat soon to burn. Later builds will be cleaner as this one is sporting 1 1.25" dia heat sink and 2 1". I was not going to remove my Blu-Ray from a press fitting just so they would match. It also needs the hookups attached for the Modulation but for the most part this is my RGV.

Here are the Pros.

Screw adjustable laser alignment.

Removable from sled for Diode Replacements.

No need for fixing the lens to the Module. (Nothing pries on it)

Press Fit Heat Sink.

Built in threaded lens receptical.

Let me know if there is any interest.

Cheers,

Ryan

 

[jayrob]

That right there is awesome man!

That is the whole key to the 7 color build... alignment. I just may buy your awesome adjustable heatsink/adapters when you get them dialed in.

Looking forward to what you come up with for the green module alignment as well...
Jay

 

[sightfx]

Thanks Jay,

Coming from a LPF legend such as yourself that means allot.


Not sure what to do about green yet...It is between either simply making green fixed and the reference to which the other two are adjusted or making a set screw version of the same thing. I am leaning toward the set screw version.

Blue is the one that will take the most work. it needs to be chopped down to fit and still remain adjustable.


Cheers,

Ryan

 

[nikokapo]

Would it be very expensive to make a mold to just simply place the dichros and modules in one prism? (And of course mass producing them later).

 

[jayrob]

I'm wondering if they could be a little smaller in diameter. I don't think you really need them to be that big.

Especially because the red and the blu-ray are close together. But as long as they fit, no problem...

I was just thinking about fitting the complete assembly into an enclosure is all.

I for one, will be buying! :gj:

P.S. For another suggestion, you may want to make the part that will glue to the sled, be able to be the only parts that touch the bottom of the case, or what ever enclosure that it gets mounted in. I say this because the alignment is so 'touchy', that most likely even the weight of the assembly resting on the diode heatsinks could cause some movement just sitting. So if it was sitting on three solid 'platforms' from where the adapter pieces are glued to the sled, then the 'diode or module/heatsink' part of it, would not be touching anything, and it would stay in perfect adjustment!
Jay

 

[Eku]

So does the lens focus well like pointer focus??

 

[jayrob]

Yes, the dots can be focused to a nice tight spot through the sled optics. As rog8811 had suggested, I found that it is best to focus at distance. I went with 75' for mine, and it is awesome. The dot is really tight even at close distances...
Jay

 

[sightfx]

P.S. For another suggestion, you may want to make the part that will glue to the sled, be able to be the only parts that touch the bottom of the case, or what ever enclosure that it gets mounted in. I say this because the alignment is so 'touchy', that most likely even the weight of the assembly resting on the diode heatsinks could cause some movement just sitting. So if it was sitting on three solid 'platforms' from where the adapter pieces are glued to the sled, then the 'diode or module/heatsink' part of it, would not be touching anything, and it would stay in perfect adjustment!

Good suggestions. That part can even be one piece that the sled fits in. It can be a folded piece of sheet metal with the threaded holes in place for the heat sinks of the best size to be screwed in with the standoff springs. For this prototype I will just put a standoff block under the sled.

I have cut chinks of one of the heat sinks off to fit the sled so I have Red and Blu Ray mounts ready. I will post some pics in the AM. I also placed the screws closer together on one heat sink to simulate a smaller one and to see if it makes a big difference in alignment sensitivity. If it isn't bad then smaller heat sinks to start would mean less cuting and a smaller profile. The wider you spread the mounting screws though the less movement you get from a turn of the screw. Finer threads can also be an option if it comes down to it. I am putting an 8X Blu Ray in this one so I want to keep the big Heat Sinks this time. Any suggestions on a Red laser to match. I have a LOC right now but I wonder if it will be bright enough?

My Green is a DX 200 that I think I got lucky with and get 110 out of or so. Just a guess though. in any case it is overkill I am sure even with the 8X Blu Ray...We'll see.


After I use this build in my 4th of July Show I will send it to someone to get a power reading. any takers lol.

Cheers,

Ryan

 

[jayrob]

You can count me in for sure with your adjustable Heatsinks/sled mount assembly! Especially if you find a good way to also have something for the green module...

As far as power for getting the color blend right, you will have to experiment. But I doubt you will need any more than 20mW's for the green. Even with your 8X blu-ray.

I would imagine maybe starting with the known readings that make a good blend, and trying to have the same percentages.

I don't know if that is how it will work or not. But it is a good place to start.

Here is all of the information that I have recorded for my build using a PHR sled with a PS3 turning mirror.

Power settings and diodes:

I stayed pretty close to the recommendations by rog8811 and have a good color blend. Here are my settings...

* Red - Sony/Senkat - 92mA's (measured 42mW's with AixiZ acrylic back opened)
* Blu-ray - PHR - 118mA's (measured 110mW's with AixiZ acrylic back opened)
* O-like 10mW green - I picked the best one I had, which measured 9mW's with a CR123.

You lose a lot through the optics in the sled. And it must also depend on the color of the laser, as to how much of it reflects off of the coatings on the PS3 turning mirror...

* The Red started out at 42mW's, and comes out at 26mW's.
* The blu-ray started out at 110mW's and comes out at only 20mW's. (see note below)
* The green started out at 9mW's and comes out at 4mW's.

Now just do the math for the 'in-between' colors! (yes, I tested them)

* Turquoise - 24mW's
* Yellow - 30mW's
* Magenta - 46mW's

* The white beam measures 50mW’s…

Note: I must not have turned my blu-ray to the best position on this first 7 color build. Because in testing my second sled, I can turn the blu-ray and get much less of a loss in power.

Starting out at 136mW's, and coming out at 98mW's through the splitter cube and off of the PHR turning mirror.

My next one will be much better, especially using the awesome adjustable mounts from sightfx!

Keep us informed on your findings! Please measure power before and after the sled if you have a meter. If you need a meter, I recommend lasersbee, or Kenom...
Jay

 

[Eku]

40mw green.
168 red.
440 blueray.

Would proberly be a good mix with a 8x, Lcc and a 50mw green o-like module with the pot turned down.

 

[sightfx]

Thanks for the advice you two.

* The Red started out at 42mW's, and comes out at 26mW's.
* The blu-ray started out at 110mW's and comes out at only 20mW's.
* The green started out at 9mW's and comes out at 4mW's.

Jay,

Did you try turn the diode modules till you get the least side reflection when you installed them. I think the cube is polarized. I have been playing with the rotation and it seems to make a difference visualy...I can also see a dot form in the cube when rotating the module that grows and srinks as I turn.


Thanks again,

Ryan

 

[jayrob]

Yes, I started with the blu-ray, because it was the one that had the most loss through the optics. I don't know why it has so much loss, maybe the coatings on the PS3 turning mirror doesn't reflect 405nm as well or something.

But I got the blu-ray as good as I could, and them got the others to align.

Something else to watch out for in alignment, is beam alignment. It is possible to have one dot at distance, but still have more than one beam at the aperture. Especially when setting up the green.

Use smoke to make sure your beam is aligned at the aperture, and then go for the single dot at distance...
Jay

Edit: I must not have turned my blu-ray to the best position on this first 7 color build. Because in testing my second sled, I can turn the blu-ray and get much less of a loss in power.

Starting out at 136mW's, and coming out at 98mW's through the splitter cube and off of the PHR turning mirror.

My next one will be much better, especially using your awesome adjustable mounts!

 

[Ramsey_innovations]

Great tips Jay, I'm working on a rig to help ease of alignment as well. Nothing is fixed down yet, but it should look something like the pics when it's done. The back half of the axiz modules would be removed after aligned and fixed in place, then the sled could be turned and clamped again to align the green module.

 

[jayrob]

Looks very precision...

Understandably, precision alignment is what is needed to make this build work right.

Sure would be nice to have adjustments on all three lasers and still have a small size!

What's that custom carbon fiber looking piece?
Jay

 

[Ramsey_innovations]

Oh yeh, forgot to mention the carbon piece has a phr diode w/ a DDL driver and a 9v(working on building my own 3v to 5v step up for 1 rechargeable cr123 instead). I moulded the carbon fiber with a micro textured finish that makes it very scratch resistant.

 

[jayrob]

Nice work! Did you make that carbon fiber enclosure for your 7 color build?
Jay