Some of my lasers

[photonaholic]

 

[CurtisOliver]

Very nice Wayne. Thanks for sharing.

 

[brucemir]

Hi Photonaholic,
That 450nm 1.6w looks pretty nasty. I like the indoor shot of it.
Real nice collection, just need a 589 to finish the rainbow

 

[paul1598419]

Interesting collection of lasers. There are newer wavelengths out now, so if you would like to add to your collection, there are many to chose from. Thanks for sharing them.

 

[BowtieGuy]

Sweet beams, photonaholic; thanks for sharing with us!

 

[photonaholic]

Thanks.. Next two lasers are going to be the 520 and a 638, This time I am assembling the host and heat sinking myself, Serious units of these wavelengths are expensive, the diodes are a bit cheaper and I want to hone my optics assembly and fabrication skills. Been doing the electronics end of this for 45+ years, so diode handling and meeting spec are no problem at all. Just for the heck of it, there is a 505 nm head and TTL for 36 bucks, just have to wait for it to ship from China.

 

[LewDude]

I like the mirrored rig you have! Thanks for sharing the beams!!

 

[paul1598419]

Thanks.. Next two lasers are going to be the 520 and a 638, This time I am assembling the host and heat sinking myself, Serious units of these wavelengths are expensive, the diodes are a bit cheaper and I want to hone my optics assembly and fabrication skills. Been doing the electronics end of this for 45+ years, so diode handling and meeting spec are no problem at all. Just for the heck of it, there is a 505 nm head and TTL for 36 bucks, just have to wait for it to ship from China.

If your new 505nm laser comes in a lab host, you can increase the driver current to get more power out of it. If it has a fan on it you needn't worry about over driving the diode as actively cooled lasers release waste heat quickly. If it doesn't have a fan, it is simple to add one.

 

[photonaholic]

If your new 505nm laser comes in a lab host, you can increase the driver current to get more power out of it. If it has a fan on it you needn't worry about over driving the diode as actively cooled lasers release waste heat quickly. If it doesn't have a fan, it is simple to add one.

Yup... It's in a "Lab host" with a power supply. I think I would investigate the diode used before pushing this. I find it odd that the laser is marketed as 100mw, when the ONLY Sharp diode of 505nm that I can find anywhere on the web is 35 mw. so either the diode is already pushed beyond spec, or the seller is fibbing. I have apprehension when claimed output power does not match known diodes.

 

[photonaholic]

I like the mirrored rig you have! Thanks for sharing the beams!!

Crude, but makes a nice cone. I fabricated it entirely from junk. the aluminum plate was a heat sink from a junk power supply, the "mount" is a magnet from a hard drive (super powerful) the motor from a toy. The magnet allows me to move the motor around for alignment, and it's super strength makes sure it stays put. The metal bar is just a tripod accessory that makes a convenient way to mount things for portable use.
Even the tripod itself is recycled, came from a broken astronomy telescope.

 

[paul1598419]

Yup... It's in a "Lab host" with a power supply. I think I would investigate the diode used before pushing this. I find it odd that the laser is marketed as 100mw, when the ONLY Sharp diode of 505nm that I can find anywhere on the web is 35 mw. so either the diode is already pushed beyond spec, or the seller is fibbing. I have apprehension when claimed output power does not match known diodes.

The data sheet ratings on these diodes are by no means a maximum that can be attained by these diodes. I know of only a couple of people who have kept their builds at or below 35 mW. By pushing this diode to 275 mA, you can expect to get 100 mW or better out using a single element acrylic lens. You can also use the 2 element 520nm AR coated lens offered by DTR to get a nice looking beam out with no artifacts. You can use a glass short focal length aspheric lens, but they will give you a pretty obnoxious rectangular artifact to the side of the focused beam profile. But, it will also give you more power out too.

 

[Pelagius]

Very nice!

 

[photonaholic]

Most recent photos... I like taking pictures.

 

[RedCowboy]

I haven't worked with my spinning mirrors and fog machine in a long time, thanks for the pics.

 

[Pelagius]

Very pretty!!

 

[1up]

The Liquid Sky effect, looks great...!