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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Spartan 589- *problem solved*

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Sweet!

I have seen 593.5nm awhile back, so hopefully this is a lot more golden :D

-Alex

You are going to see yellow, golden yellow, and gold at different times depending on lighting, temperature and the whims of the temperamental laser fairies that exist inside these lasers. :D
 





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You are going to see yellow, golden yellow, and gold at different times depending on lighting, temperature and the whims of the temperamental laser fairies that exist inside these lasers. :D

Sweet haha!

Thanks for all the help guys :beer:

-Alex
 
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Sweet!

I have seen 593.5nm awhile back, so hopefully this is a lot more golden :D

-Alex

There isn't too much if a difference, but it us definitely noticable. The difference in power between a Spartan and a 594 pen exacerbates the difference though, and it becomes very noticable.

I'm ordering my Laserbee on probably Wednesday. :evil:
 
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There isn't too much if a difference, but it us definitely noticable. The difference in power between a Spartan and a 594 pen exacerbates the difference though, and it becomes very noticable.

I'm ordering my Laserbee on probably Wednesday. :evil:

Cool!

I think it is about time I buy an LPM too. I've been in the hobby for too long now, no excuses.....

Also, do you guys have safety glasses for the 589? I've heard the ones that cover 589 do so, but with low efficiency. If I'm careful enough glasses shouldn't be a problem, no? Don't plan on doing much burning :yh:

-Alex
 
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Cool!

I think it is about time I buy an LPM too. I've been in the hobby for too long now, no excuses.....

Also, do you guys have safety glasses for the 589? I've heard the ones that cover 589 do so, but with low efficiency. If I'm careful enough glasses shouldn't be a problem, no? Don't plan on doing much burning :yh:

-Alex

Even for 100 mW you wouldn't need too powerful Eyewear... Perhaps OD3 Or so.

And laserbees are not bad for a budget LPM. My only issue with them as they have utterly horrible response time and sensitivity/consistency. They're basically useless and hardly any good for DPSS and low power stuff. They're mostly for diode stuff.
 
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Cool!

I think it is about time I buy an LPM too. I've been in the hobby for too long now, no excuses.....

Me too. I've been in the hobby since 1994. I remember when lasersbee was just an enthusiastic hobbyist beginning to figure this stuff out. I remember what it was like for all those years with no LPM, and I got used to it and never bought one.

Now every noob has one and it really throws me off. LOL


Also, do you guys have safety glasses for the 589? I've heard the ones that cover 589 do so, but with low efficiency. If I'm careful enough glasses shouldn't be a problem, no? Don't plan on doing much burning :yh:

-Alex

I don't do glasses, but I don't own anything of particularly high power.
 
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Cool!

I think it is about time I buy an LPM too. I've been in the hobby for too long now, no excuses.....

Also, do you guys have safety glasses for the 589? I've heard the ones that cover 589 do so, but with low efficiency. If I'm careful enough glasses shouldn't be a problem, no? Don't plan on doing much burning :yh:

-Alex

I use these and they were updated to be much better for the 589nm wavelength, they work perfectly fine. Eagle Pair® 190-400nm & 560-640nm Laser Safety Goggles

:beer:
 
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Good stuff, I might get some of those.

The Spartan has caused me to want to have a more, um, vibrant collection of colors than <5mW can provide. ;)

UK, if the Laserbee Meyers aren't very good for what Hap and I are after, is there anything that would work better without breaking the bank?
 
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Good stuff, I might get some of those.

The Spartan has caused me to want to have a more, um, vibrant collection of colors than <5mW can provide. ;)

UK, if the Laserbee Meyers aren't very good for what Hap and I are after, is there anything that would work better without breaking the bank?

Thanks guys!

Ok, I'll hold off on the glasses then. I do need an LPM and as Chic said, a moderately priced one would be great! :)

-Alex
 
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Darn...

Gray must have not gotten my last email, sent him an email & got an answer in 5 mins.... wow :D

-Alex
 
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OVNI

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They're basically useless and hardly any good for DPSS and low power stuff. They're mostly for diode stuff.

I've been wondering why LPMs advertise for a specific way a laser is produced, e.g. DPSS vs direct diode vs Nd:YAG etc. Why does it matter to the LPM?
 
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UK, if the Laserbee Meyers aren't very good for what Hap and I are after, is there anything that would work better without breaking the bank?

Don't get me wrong, a laserbee will work to meter for a general idea of output, but dont hold its measurement to be pure truth. they're too slow to accurately measure finicky lasers most of the time. Alot of their sensors are 10+seconds in response, some of them are half a minute to almost a minute long! unfortunately fast accurate sensors are very expensive. especially new...

I've been wondering why LPMs advertise for a specific way a laser is produced, e.g. DPSS vs direct diode vs Nd:YAG etc. Why does it matter to the LPM?

Depends on the meter/sensor pair. there are different types, each with their own advantages. but generally speaking, most we use for the hobby use thermopile sensors. but there are ones that are diode based too. Thermopiles consist of an absorbant material that when the laser strikes it, it generates heat, which is then sent as a signal to the meter. more heat=more voltage, thus higher output. Thermopiles don't care about wavelength generally, as heat is heat, as long as its of a material that's high absorbance. I dont remember what the laserbee sensor materials are, but i'm sure they're halfway decent. Really good ones use graphite generally. The more absorbance, the more of the light you're actually measuring, and thus more accuracy.

The problem stems from laserbee sensors being passively cooled mostly. They're shaped like a heatsink, and eventually get saturated with heat so they can eventually even over-read if the heat doesn't dissipate fast enough. They also have a response time of 10-40 seconds depending on the model, and a resolution of 1mW. that means that you only get an accurate measurement about every 10s or more! and it only displays in 1mW increments. They have a high-ish threshold, so they only measure accurately (or at all) above that threshold (something like a 3mW iirc but i don't remember.) So it cant catch all the mode hops and peaks and such, only give you a ballpark of its power every so often.

In contrast, a high precision meter such as my Melles Griot PEM for example's sake, consists of a graphite disk with a high sensitivity feedback controlled TEC and heatsink for stability. The higher power incurrs more current to the TEC, cooling the disk to keep it at reading temperature. It has a threshold of 20 microwatts and a response time of about half a second and a resolution of 10uW. meaning it'll measure as low as 20uW accurately in 10uW incraments and give an accurate reading about every half a second digitally, and has analog for in between readings. It also enables it to read extremely short pulsed lasers as well.

If you were to compare something like a diode laser on both meters, it would look similar... but a DPSS graph, would look substantially different on each meter. the laserbee would make the spartan look stable, with a smooth curve. A higher response meter it would look jagged, as you'd see every peak and drop in output all over the place as it was warming up.

I won't get into photodiode ones, but they're even faster to respond, but have limits on wavelength (sensor response to particular wavelengths) and have lower power tolerance. So they're even better in the low power, ultrastable market and pulsed markets. like anything, you buy the tool for the job. The laserbee works fine for general power measurements, but if you're looking for accuracy, such as alignments or stability checks, it simply won't do. It'd be like trying to screw a bolt in with a screwdriver and pliers instead of a wrench.
 
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OVNI

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That's a great explanation, thanks. +Rep.

Is there a standard on sensor outputs so one can mix/match sensors with processors/displays, e.g. 1mV=1mW or is that primarily for thermopiles?
 
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No. Every sensor is different and so it's up to the user to know its operating specs to calibrate the meter to interpret correctly. This is also why lab meters and the sensors need calibration periodically. To make sure everything is set correctly, as they do drift a little as they wear or get damaged from use. Or else the measurements will stray. It also is important to use the center of the sensor generally. As it's usually more accurate than the edge.
 
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Matt is knowledgeable when it comes to these meters. I consulted him on my Scientech Vector s310 with an ac2500 sensor that I am trying to calibrate. I stole this meter and sensor for $65.00 on eBay and everything works well on it. Still, the calibration is tricky.
 
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Historically though, we've only seen two examples of "bad" 50mW Spartans: mine and one that went to another member (whose name I can't remember now) that was almost certainly a Spartan-5 instead of a Spartan-50 based on the way it performed.

Not true. Mine is underspec (does about 30mW) and he refused to replace it. The full story is linked on my sig.

There was also rhd's underspec, and he got ripped off when he attempted a refund (which is why I didn't go for the refund).

My theory is that several different people have gone by the name Adam over the years. Some are helpful and others aren't.


Seeing how much Hap values perfectness and customer service I would never suggest him to buy one.
 
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