What is this thing

[RA_pierce]

Anyway, what i wanted to say was: If you want a more powerful laser, buy a more powerful laser.

Yup that's why I got an X105

I hear a lot about DX true 5mW lasers being overpowered, but I doubt it has much to do with the PD. It's just a difference in current regulation and crystal efficiency. If you go to a professional laser distributor (LaserGlow for example) their 5mW lasers are sold for about $10 more than the 3mW models. They are actually both the same, but the 5mW models are just "pot modded" by the manufacturer or distributor to output exactly 5mW. Both the 3mW and 5mW models are basically the same, all it is is adjusted current.

Still don't truly know it's benefits of it's existence. I've removed these from some of my DX 30's and 5mW pens and 5mW modules. Although it has an apparent IR filter, it still leaks quite a bit. And once I removed them, it seems as the power increased just a tiny bit, probably from removing the filter and stopping the loss through reflection.

Oh, and I noticed that the IR filter on my Galileo is not very efficient either. It's almost as if it doesn't filter the IR at all... Is this because of the way it's angled or just because 5mW lasers don't really require filtering?

 

[IgorT]

I hear a lot about DX true 5mW lasers being overpowered, but I doubt it has much to do with the PD. It's just a difference in current regulation and crystal efficiency. If you go to a professional laser distributor (LaserGlow for example) their 5mW lasers are sold for about $10 more than the 3mW models. They are actually both the same, but the 5mW models are just "pot modded" by the manufacturer or distributor to output exactly 5mW. Both the 3mW and 5mW models are basically the same, all it is is adjusted current.

That's what i meant by the manufacturer having to turn the power down for the laser to be at it's rated power.

With these lasers the manufacturer actually doesn't know what will come out, untill it's done. So to achieve a certain power with certainty, the laser has to be made with components capable of more, and then adjusted down to that power. This also makes it more stable, as it heats up less..

Most of these lasers nowadays however are just adjusted for the max output, sorted and sold. And often, they are not even sorted well - at least the cheap ones.

This is also why there are no "pot moddable" lasers anymore (unless you buy a low power from a quality manufacturer, like you said). Only a laser that was adjusted down in power to meet it's ratings is safely "pot moddable".
Many lasers are identical on the inside, but put out a different power, either from being adjusted to meet that power or from better efficiency crystals - like the Nova X series from 50mW up. In fact these even use the same current, so only the crystals came out better in the higher power models.


I'm surprised to hear about the weak filters.. I hope i get one soon, and can compare it with a high quality filter.

 

[Kenom]

These things are most assuradely APC's  I've found them in every single one of my pen style newwish lasers and in the Leadlights that are newer.  I've removed them completely but the biggest problem in doing so is the beam path changes as it's designed to go through that filter/splitter at a different angle so without it the beam exits the laser a whole 5 degree's almost enough to hit the side of the barrel.

I do not think that they have any filtering capacity really just splitters. there is a photosensor mounted on the side of it that the split beam shines onto in order to determine it's power. It then regulates the laser based on that power on the sensor. The couple of newwishes that I've totally taken apart still have a IR filter somewhere else in the laser so... who knows. I personally doubt it.

 

[IgorT]

I think you're right. When i heard about the IR leaking with these things i thought the same thing. That's why i asked Ace to send me some to compare them to a real filter from a CNI pen.


On the other hand, have you actually seen one that did actual regulation depending on the PD feedback? Usually the drivers in these cheap lasers don't do anything more, than a resistor would. It's as if they were copied and hacked not to do much. The current was directly dependant on the battery voltage in all of the KD and DX lasers ii tested so far.