WTB: LOW divergence laser

[Mrbikerman]

Hi,
I am more into lasers that have low divergence and high duty cycles rather than the burning type. I am willing to spend up to $250 for a high quality 1.2mrad or lower 532nm laser pointer. The host isnt quite as important, although the larger the heatsink the better. Hoping to be able to get somewhere around 200-300mw for this price. I am subscribed to the thread so either replying or PM's are the best way to contact me. Thanks for any help!!

Eric

 

[goninanbl00d]

Low divergence doesn't come cheap.

Optotronics sells the RPL portable lasers, which can have up to 0.9mRad divergence. However, they aren't exactly cheap and can't be had for $250.

If beam diameter doesn't matter, you can buy a DragonLasers beam expander to fit your Viper. The 10x beam expander will reduce your divergence by 10x, while increasing beam diameter by the same amount.

 

[Mrbikerman]

Good point, I already have the viper beam expander and I do like it, however the power loss through the glass is noticeable. Plus I prefer the crisp, small beam diameter.

So are there no DIY modules with low divergence? The RPLs are awesome, but I'd prefer more power for the money. Maybe I am asking too much...

 

[RA_pierce]

With some modification, you can get the divergence of your Viper to less than 1.0mRad.

I have modified my NOVA X150 (150mW version of the Viper) and I am getting ~0.7mRad. Beam diameter is about 2.2mm.
An additional concave lens is used in the collimating assembly.
I didn't have a lens with the proper coating on hand, so I am using a lens coated for violet. Loss to optics is approximately 4%.