Scientech 362 arrived!!

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03-27-2009, 12:21
SideFX

Scientech 362 arrived!!

Finally!!!!
My scientech 362 powermeter I was talking about arrived!!
It was in the best shape one could imagine.. not a single scratch!

I hooked it up right away and started measuring my lasers.. I couldn't resist sharing this on PL :D

First with my projector currently only containing a 150mw (as how it was sold to me) greeny:

http://visuanetics.nl/scientech/27032009288_small.JPG

After all optics (dichro, x/y) .. only 70mw!!
I removed the scanners.. then I measured 90mw after only the dichro.
Final stage:
http://visuanetics.nl/scientech/27032009290_small.JPG
the greeny without optics measured at 130mw.. well close to 150mw don't you think?

Now ofcourse I expect that this meter needs some calibration.. but i can at least determine some relatives..
30% loss on the dichro? Is that normal?

Then I measured my 635 red which was sold to me as a 300mw..
http://visuanetics.nl/scientech/27032009295_small.JPG
A whopping 60mw!!
Maybe it's calibration is way off.. but considering it was doing well with the greeny i think i got conned bigtime on this..
Too late to ask for a refund i guess..

Someone here who has experience with calibrating these babies? I read somewhere the 2 white connectors should be used to power up an internal resistor of 40 Ohm.. you should be able to measure the exact amount of mW's put in to the resistor..
is that correct?
03-27-2009, 12:30
daedal

Well, congrats on the new purchase :D A meter that is well worth it indeed!

Can you take a picture of the sensor's inside. Is it matte or reflective (thermal or silicon)?

If it's a silicon sensor, there's going to have to be a conversion factor for the wavelength...

Enjoy your new toy ;)

--DDL
03-27-2009, 12:42
SideFX

Quote:

Originally Posted by daedal

Well, congrats on the new purchase :D A meter that is well worth it indeed!

Can you take a picture of the sensor's inside. Is it matte or reflective (thermal or silicon)?

If it's a silicon sensor, there's going to have to be a conversion factor for the wavelength...

Enjoy your new toy ;)

--DDL

Hey DDL.. Thanks!

I was under the impression that wavelength conversion was not an issue with thermophiles.. but i could be mistaking..

Picture of the inside (full size here):
http://visuanetics.nl/scientech/27032009297_medium.JPG

There's some damage there.. could that possibly affect the readings?
03-27-2009, 13:49
daedal

Good picture-taking skills ;)

That looks like a thermal head to me... and as such should most probably NOT be wavelength dependent.

The damage will affect your readings, but it looks like you have enough there to be able to avoid that spot ;)

Sux about the lasers then... :(

Where'd you get them?

--DDL
03-27-2009, 14:39
mixedgas

That is a thermal head. Call scientech with the serial numbers and get the cal procedure and constants for your head. You then need a variable power supply and a really good voltmeter,

The damage wont hurt you much. Zero being off will however.

proper zeroing is to hold a black metal object in front of the detector.

Steve
03-28-2009, 09:16
SideFX

Quote:

That is a thermal head. Call scientech with the serial numbers and get the cal procedure and constants for your head. You then need a variable power supply and a really good voltmeter,

The damage wont hurt you much. Zero being off will however.

proper zeroing is to hold a black metal object in front of the detector.

Thanks for the comments!

I applied 2V to the internal resistor. According to physics this should result in: P = U^2 / R = 2^2 / 40 = 100mW.
And this is exactly what the meter showed.. spot on!

http://visuanetics.nl/scientech/28032009305_medium.JPG

I checked again with 4V <=> 400mW.. same thing.
I'll try contacting Scientech for the 'official' procedure... but if I can trust these measurements then I guess this baby is in pretty good shape :)

For anyone interested BTW, I purchased this meter from RDY-sales (ebay store).

Quote:

Originally Posted by daedal

Sux about the lasers then... :(

Where'd you get them?

China :D

Well I think I'd better get my facts straight (= calibrating power meter, second meter) before bashing a manufacturer..

Cheers!
03-28-2009, 09:29
trwalters001

Hi SideFX,

Check this out:

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ead.php?t=1160

Also, call Scientech at 800-525-0522 and talk to Bob Lee. He's been there forever and knows these meters very well.

:D
03-28-2009, 09:59
SideFX

Quote:

Originally Posted by trwalters001

Hi SideFX,

Check this out:

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ead.php?t=1160

Also, call Scientech at 800-525-0522 and talk to Bob Lee. He's been there forever and knows these meters very well.

:D

Wow.. thank you for this.. all the information I need was right here on PL! must've missed it.

This formula looks a little funny to me though:
V = (Rc x C x W)1/2

shouldn't that 1/2 be SQRT()?
03-28-2009, 10:01
colouredmirrorball

Maybe they meant:
V = (Rc x C x W)^1/2 = Sqrt (Rc x C x W)
03-28-2009, 10:11
SideFX

Quote:

Originally Posted by colouredmirrorball

Maybe they meant:
V = (Rc x C x W)^1/2 = Sqrt (Rc x C x W)

ok that makes sense :)
the ^ probably had fallen off
03-28-2009, 10:15
trwalters001

This is directly from the Scientech manual:

Calculate the voltage required to produce a full-scale indication of the meter for each range using the equation:

v = sqrt(P x R x C)

Where:
P = full-scale watt reading
R = Heater coil resistance
C = Calibration coefficient

I'll scan the complete manual and post it here on Monday.
(schematics included! :D)
03-28-2009, 13:43
Kyle

2 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by trwalters001

This is directly from the Scientech manual:

Calculate the voltage required to produce a full-scale indication of the meter for each range using the equation:

v = sqrt(P x R x C)

Where:
P = full-scale watt reading
R = Heater coil resistance
C = Calibration coefficient

I'll scan the complete manual and post it here on Monday.
(schematics included! :D)

SideFX - Congrats on the nice purchase! The Scientech 362 is a great meter.

Tim - I purchased a Scientech 362 back in January, and Tom Campbell (the VP at Scientech) very graciously sent me scans of the manual. So, to save you a bit of time, I've attached a PDF version of the manual, as well as the original Microsoft Word file Tom sent me.
03-28-2009, 14:16
mixedgas

For those who may need it , I posted the similar Coherent 200 series manual in the FTP site as a zip. Not quite as nice as a Scientech. And Sidefx, I like your Keithley, I have the same one on my bench.

*retardo

Steve
03-28-2009, 14:29
SideFX

Quote:

Originally Posted by mixedgas

And Sidefx, I like your Keithley, I have the same one on my bench.

Cheers! An oldie but precise and reliable as concrete.

Quote:

Congrats on the nice purchase! The Scientech 362 is a great meter.

Thanks, also for the manual! It was also promised to me by Tim, but now he doesn't have to go through the trouble of scanning the pages..
I noticed this is your first post.. welcome!
03-28-2009, 14:55
trwalters001

*retardo Thanks Kyle!!
03-28-2009, 21:07
Kyle

No problem, guys. :)

Also, thanks for the welcome, SideFX. I guess I should become a bit more active here on PL, especially since I've been lurking quite frequently for nearly three years now! :o
03-29-2009, 07:20
Lasernerd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle

No problem, guys. :)

Also, thanks for the welcome, SideFX. I guess I should become a bit more active here on PL, especially since I've been lurking quite frequently for nearly three years now! :o

Yes Kyle you have a wealth of knowledge!
I remember many years back you showed me a cool way to hook up a prism to my 168 pair to select colors!
03-29-2009, 10:40
Kyle

I'm afraid you must be thinking of someone else, Lasernerd. ;)

Unfortunately I've never even handled a gas laser, much less a beastly Spectra Physics 168!

I have, however, learned a great deal about lasers by reading these forums. :)
03-29-2009, 14:07
Lasernerd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle

I'm afraid you must be thinking of someone else, Lasernerd. ;)

Unfortunately I've never even handled a gas laser, much less a beastly Spectra Physics 168!

I have, however, learned a great deal about lasers by reading these forums. :)

oops
03-29-2009, 16:42
Kyle

Eh, we all misremember things on occasion. :)
04-27-2009, 13:59
SideFX

Quote:

Originally Posted by SideFX

Then I measured my 635 red which was sold to me as a 300mw..

A whopping 60mw!!
Maybe it's calibration is way off.. but considering it was doing well with the greeny i think i got conned bigtime on this..
Too late to ask for a refund i guess..

To give an update on this.. I contacted the manufacturer and showed him above picture. I was asked to return the laser, he would fix it. Today I got it back.. and now (after a decent warmup) it puts out around 340mW @ 5V !

Too bad it wasn't working properly in the first place.. but I'm really happy with the way the seller handled this.. I still have faith :) And this shows my powermeter was a good investment :)

Ebay seller is 'snoctony'. Sorry for turning this thread into a seller review.. but i don't think this was worth a new thread..

http://visuanetics.nl/scientech/635nm_300mw.PNG