Thor m2 Dimming

[raw0625]

https://youtu.be/g3SOsHJfZQw

I’ve had this laser for about a year, it get bright for maybe a second then gets barely visible. Is this laser junk or should I hold on to it?

 

[RedCowboy]

Maybe buy a new battery, a good battery, not ultracrapola, otherwise your driver is likely failing.

 

[Encap]

Email the seller you bought it from and ask if they have any idea about fixing it beyond trying a different battery

If not just junk it and buy another if you want more of the same type--they are only approx $59 and not worth the postage to return it for repair

Better yet buy a good high quality laser see: https://www.jetlasers.org/

 

[Benm]

That's really odd behaviour for a direct driven laser diode. Given how quickly it dims the issue is not likely to be thermal, unless the driver is completely uncooled and the chip goes into protection mode that quickly. Something like that could happen if you have a driver chip that's normally heatsinked against the host but has broken off or something.

This may actually be the case, it seems it dims much faster in subsequent attempts to turn it on. It could also be a battery problem, but i suppose you've tried it with known-good batteries and/or a lab lower supply?

 

[raw0625]

I tried 2 different brands of batteries and it still does the same thing

 

[raw0625]

Email the seller you bought it from and ask if they have any idea about fixing it beyond trying a different battery

If not just junk it and buy another if you want more of the same type--they are only approx $59 and not worth the postage to return it for repair

Better yet buy a good high quality laser see: https://www.jetlasers.org/

I actually bought a sanwu cyan laser last night! Super excited to get it but I’ll probably just end up trashing this one, I did try 2 brands of batteries and it does the same

 

[Benm]

If you decide to get rid of it, would you consider sending it to another LPF member instead so we can investigate the problem with this laser?

Normally i'd be happy to pay for postage for such a thing, but given the limited value of these lasers and postage from the us to europe it may not be viable to send it to me, but i'm sure some other member in the us would be willing to pay postage and take a look.

 

[raw0625]

If you decide to get rid of it, would you consider sending it to another LPF member instead so we can investigate the problem with this laser?

Normally i'd be happy to pay for postage for such a thing, but given the limited value of these lasers and postage from the us to europe it may not be viable to send it to me, but i'm sure some other member in the us would be willing to pay postage and take a look.

I’d be willing depending on the price of shipping, I’m in USA and I’ve never shipped anything outside of the USA so I’m unsure of the cost

 

[paul1598419]

You know that could be a bad switch, or possibly a bad battery connection. I have had these kinds of problems before and those two suggestions covered most of them.

 

[RedCowboy]

It's likely the driver, and the way it dims faster after the 1st power up from cooled is very much what I have seen happen when the driver is the problem, it's possible that the output from the driver is shorted, if you take it apart check to see if there is a short between the driver output and the laser diode and also test it outside of the host to see if that makes a difference, but don't run it long without a heat sink.

 

[raw0625]

It's likely the driver, and the way it dims faster after the 1st power up from cooled is very much what I have seen happen when the driver is the problem, it's possible that the output from the driver is shorted, if you take it apart check to see if there is a short between the driver output and the laser diode and also test it outside of the host to see if that makes a difference, but don't run it long without a heat sink.

Any idea on how to get it open? I think it’s glued shut.

 

[paul1598419]

You might also want to eliminate the switch by removing the tailcap and shorting the battery to the threads on the host. I have seen under rated switches go bad like this and cause the switch to behave like a resistor by burnt carbon deposited on the contacts.

 

[RedCowboy]

I have not bought that unit so I don't know, if I had it in hand I could get it apart, probably start at the aperture and maybe give it a twist, some use a heat sink that's pressed in or glued in, I use a hollow tube to press that kind out.

 

[raw0625]

You might also want to eliminate the switch by removing the tailcap and shorting the battery to the threads on the host. I have seen under rated switches go bad like this and cause the switch to behave like a resistor by burnt carbon deposited on the contacts.

I used a peice of wire to connect the battery to the threads and the same issue persists :/ guessing its a bad driver.

 

[GSS]

raw, it should about $2.50 to $3 for shipping First class in a small bubble rap to someone in the US. It would be a good thing for the forum like Benn said for someone to check it out as problem's with thors are pretty normal. You would also most likely get it back if it was repairable.
They use Alot of glue in these cheaper China builds so if your not to knowledged maby don't try taking it apart.
Paul,
RedCowboy,
Lifetime17 and
Bowtie are US members who might just want to try..

 

[RedCowboy]

Naw. it's just a 1-2w cheap laser, tear it apart and learn, maybe use the body later in your own build or just feed the trash can after you tear it apart, half the fun is in tearing broken stuff apart yourself, maybe rebuild it if the housing is any good...or send it to Lifetime17 and he can rebuild if for you if you really like the housing.

Slightly off topic but not really, it seems like the nugm01 diodes have a pretty good focus, not perfect but better than some blue GBalls as they don't pump phosphor, as I buy more I will see how they all compare, I don't know how long they live without the can but I have scored some at auction in the 40-50 dollar range and they run strong at 1.8a.

You could score a diode and driver to put into the housing, you will need a module and need to make a heat sink and springboard.