Knife-edge twin build - any tips?

I'm preparing to start a 445 twin build using one of Pat's kits he was selling last year.
I plan to use this for 1 Watt (+) beam projector.

This will be my first knife-edge build, so any tips concerning mounting, alignment, etc.?

Thanks in advance!

I have his older kit used it for a red build, sets up pretty easy. I am just really picky and with 2 diode builds really just prefer to do a PBS build as the beams can then lay on each other perfect or cross-haired for a better dot without the small separation being scene when scanned.

Just a bit time consuming, but 2 diodes is pretty easy. Are you going to add some sort of correction? My dual 445 is stable at 1.8W. I may upgrade the diodes but there really isn't a need to but 5w would be kinda neat. At least to see the meter move.

Not planning on any corrective optics right now - just the lens assemblies for the individual modules.

This is for a single-color projector, and I would like to get as much beam and power as possible onto the scanner mirrors.

Wow - 1.8W with a dual!!
What kind of tweaking / cooling did you have to do to get that much power?

agreed with polishedball. if you're just doing two diodes, a pbs cube will give you a better beam. it's only slightly more complicated, but it's worth it.

i built a dual 445 rig with pbs cube and corrective optics. it works great, but i don't recommend it as a starter project.

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Originally Posted by polishedball

I have his older kit used it for a red build, sets up pretty easy. I am just really picky and with 2 diode builds really just prefer to do a PBS build as the beams can then lay on each other perfect or cross-haired for a better dot without the small separation being scene when scanned.

Just a bit time consuming, but 2 diodes is pretty easy. Are you going to add some sort of correction? My dual 445 is stable at 1.8W. I may upgrade the diodes but there really isn't a need to but 5w would be kinda neat. At least to see the meter move.

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One question is, what is the aperture of the scanner mirrors you will be using? Also, how did you decide on two diodes? This is not a criticism, but rather something to think about for the power. With a 1 W goal a single M series diode will easily surpass this and if you are willing to consider any additional optics I think you might be happier with a cylinder pair or a prism pair that will turn the near field and far field stripes into near circular spots and the beam into a tight...well beam rather than an expanding blade.

I have two 445nm diodes and a PBS cube. Mine is not so easy to align, but I can get it with some fiddling. I think the best reason to use two diodes is redundancy! If one fails, you still have some blue!

The beams look like flat noodles. One is vertical and the other horizontal. When I put them together in the cube it looks like a + sign.

James. :)

Appreciate the feedback everyone!

This build will be a bit of a "keep it cheap as possible" experiment, so I plan to build it with what I have on hand - some 445's, Flexmods, the module kit, and a set of DT-25's with standard mirrors. (Most of this is packed away in boxes at the moment...:o).

More to follow, and I appreciate any feedback from anyone that wants to chime in!

So I'm rethinking my "keep it as cheap as possible plan" already...

Who sells the 445-compatible "Anamorphic Prism" sets these days, and what is a ball-park estimate of the cost per pair?

Thanks!

dave lasershowparts

Randy, I have a few pair of the prism sets from the B&WTek 473's. They are coated for IR but the losses aren't that bad with 445.

dave and stanwax sell prisms for 445nm, too

Thanks all!
Dave is going to hook me up, once again!!