Understanding drivers and lenses

[tony23]

So I'm poking around DTR's shop and I'm seeing options to select different drivers and lenses in the modules. So what I'm wondering is: how do you select those? What goes into deciding what driver to get (or make), and what lens to use? For example, what's the difference between G2 and G8? And with drivers, how do you decide what current you want to use?

If there are articles or tutorials on this, please point me there - so far my google-fu hasn't turned up anything specific to those questions. Overview and basic info, but not how to make those decisions.

 

[Encap]

Re: lenses you can read the 2 links under the title on DTR lens web page and scroll down and look at photos of same laser's dot produced through several different lenses. https://sites.google.com/site/dtrslasershop/home/glass-lenses

Drivers are a matter of matching the driver output to how hard you want to drive a given diode. When you buy a modlue with diode and driver installed form DTR you get a driver that can power the diode. Choice is only at what current a driver that can only deliver 4.5A is not going to drive a diode at 5A and so on. Example an and NUMB-44V2 will do a 7W ouptput driven by 4.5A and do about 8W driven at 5A.
You can look at the didoe specs on the didoe pages an see what maximum current is for the diode and scroll down and see tests at different mA levels showing the mW output of the diode and use that as a guide to what current you need to achieve the utput you want.

If you buy a DTR module with diode, driver and lens you still are going to need a good host to make a hand held laser and battery. See Lifetime17 excellent custom hostwork & 84 photos of different hosts he has made : https://laserpointerforums.com/thre...-adapters-lasers.100082/page-131#post-1596056

Another choice would be Survival Laser host or make one yourself if you have the tools to do that.

If you just want a good laser the two manufacturers with best quaity and products are https://www.jetlasers.org/index.php and https://www.sanwulasers.com/

 

[hakzaw1]

copy-send to printer- pin it on your wall where you will keep seeing.

if we had a 'sticky post' this one would be stickied.

read again
Re: lenses you can read the 2 links under the title on DTR lens web page and scroll down and look at photos of same laser's dot produced through several different lenses. https://sites.google.com/site/dtrslasershop/home/glass-lenses

Drivers are a matter of matching the driver output to how hard you want to drive a given diode. When you buy a modlue with diode and driver installed form DTR you get a driver that can power the diode. Choice is only at what current a driver that can only deliver 4.5A is not going to drive a diode at 5A and so on. Example an and NUMB-44V2 will do a 7W ouptput driven by 4.5A and do about 8W driven at 5A.
You can look at the didoe specs on the didoe pages an see what maximum current is for the diode and scroll down and see tests at different mA levels showing the mW output of the diode and use that as a guide to what current you need to achieve the utput you want.

If you buy a DTR module with diode, driver and lens you still are going to need a good host to make a hand held laser and battery. See Lifetime17 excellent custom hostwork & 84 photos of different hosts he has make : https://laserpointerforums.com/thre...-adapters-lasers.100082/page-131#post-1596056

Another choice would be Survival Laser host or make one yourself if you have the tools to do that.

If you just want a good laser the two manufacturers with best quality and products are https://www.jetlasers.org/index.phphttps://www.sanwulasers.com/ and


Your 'and' moved-- happens to me.

The links work- just click on the name.
OR ..IF you search Sanwu or Jetlasers. lots of links.
VR
hak

 

[tony23]

Thanks for pointing out those links, don't know how many times I read that page and missed them everytime. I've gone through a little of the threads and I'm still not fully understanding, but I'll finish reading and come back hopefully with more informed questions if I have any.

Your answer about driver is exactly what I needed, thank you!

Thanks for the info about hosts - already have talked to him on that.

 

[tony23]

Just to ensure I'm understanding correctly:

One of the posts in the longer thread referenced there is referring to "C-lenses" which from the context I'm guessing means "cylindrical" - if I'm understanding right, these can be used for spread in a single direction, meaning you could either create a flat beam from a "point" source, or you could reduce the spread in one axis so that something like a NUBM44 would be more like a point than a line. Obviously depending on the lens and how it's used.

But looking around at those, I don't see any that are designed for use on the hosts I see around here, so I'm guessing you would have to figure out your own mounting system?

Also I'm reading a bit about using multiple lenses, but again the hosts don't seem to be set up for that. I can't find anything premade to support that, so again I'm guessing that's a DIY project?

Seems like there's quite a bit of beam shaping that can be done with a variety of lenses, it's mainly a matter of figuring out how to set them up.

 

[tony23]

BTW I found a really good article about collimating and focusing. Unfortunately I'm not yet allowed to post links

 

[Encap]

You can read more about cylindrical lenes for line purposes here: https://www.newport.com/n/beam-shaping-with-cylindrical-lenses
Here is a place that sels good quality cylinder pair for use in reducing divergence of laser diodes--they have several different pairs at different magnifications and coated for different wavelengths --all items that OPT makes or ofers are high quality at affordable prices: https://optlasers.com/cylindrical-lenses/

Yes special custom host is needed to incorporate a cylinder pair.
Lifetime17 can make one for you--not generally offered as it drives the costs up and no manufacturers offer and not many want to bother, standard G series or 3 element lens beng good enough for their purposes --a few LPF members have made hand helds with cylinder pairs built in---check LPF search

 

[tony23]

Again, thank you for the information. Seems like you've sent me down the right path! I have a lot more information to use to continue my own research, and it appears that some of it's just going to be some experimentation - which is part of the fun, right?

One last question: on drivers you said "Example an and NUMB-44V2 will do a 7W ouptput driven by 4.5A and do about 8W driven at 5A." - wouldn't that be overdriving the diode, if it's a 7W? On DTR's page there's the power output examples showing what you said but nothing suggesting that it's a problem. I also found an old thread here (from 2008) that pretty much says "every diode is different" (and a few others that were about as helpful). It just seems to me that powering it higher than it's rated could reduce the life of the diode, but I'm not clear how to know what's safe. Or is it just reasonable to assume that someone with DTR's reputation wouldn't sell a combination likely to break down like that?