445nm diode with beam correction optics (anamorphic prism pair)

[RedlumX]

getting away from these angles is impossible, someone might be able to tweak them for best performance, but there will always be losses due to the angles of the prisms.

...no... just read the above.

[ElektroFreak]

The issues are compounded by the fact that most of the people here will be fairly hard pressed to find a prism pair coated for anything other than 808nm IR or visible red. Given that red/IR is a long way from blue in terms of wavelength, we're lucky these prism pairs don't happen to be HR to blue or something like that. What's really needed are prisms coated for blue, but the cost of getting them made would be very high unless a company were to start a line of them. *cough* Bridge *cough*

[RedlumX]

The issues are compounded by the fact that most of the people here will be fairly hard pressed to find a prism pair coated for anything other than 808nm IR or visible red. Given that red/IR is a long way from blue in terms of wavelength, we're lucky these prism pairs don't happen to be HR to blue or something like that. What's really needed are prisms coated for blue, but the cost of getting them made would be very high unless a company were to start a line of them. *cough* Bridge *cough*

Well I was investigating and found a manufacturer for prisms that are not expensive, when 10 or 20 pairs are bought; for the latter it is less than $50 per pair. They claim 95% average throughput. Perhaps a group buy can be made, though I don't like to mess with that. Remaining issue is that the glass should be changed from SF11 to BK7, and I didnt yet receive a quote for that. Most likely this will drive it up a bit.

[ElektroFreak]

I would love to hear more about that.. I like the pricing!

[RedlumX]

Well I will tell when the pricing is firm.

[taggalucci]

Does anyone know what the diode divergence specifications are without optics?

[allthatwhichis]

Does anyone know what the diode divergence specifications are without optics?

Like a damn flashlight stripe...

these also don't seem to be 445nm across the whole stripe. Seems like they are more violet at lower powers... to me at least.

[kecked]

I finally put power to my diode tonight and have to say just using a glass colimator for the short 20 feet I project in my house I don't need any optics beyond the collimator. In fact it matches my DPSS green pretty well. I'll have to fatten my red a bit to match but it is extremely acceptable. I have not tried it for beams yet. I also have not driven it beyond 500ma so maybe it gets worse with more power. I'd say try it yourself before you spend a bunch of cash. Heck it even fits on my normal 6800 mirrors. Will the quad red to balance it fit is the issue.

Did anyone notice a ton of crap around the usable beam? Like internal reflections type stuff. It's faint and you don't see it when you scan but thought I'd ask. These are definately not the higher quality diodes I have seen from NICHIA. The good $2600.00 diodes have none of that crude.

[taggalucci]

Did anyone notice a ton of crap around the usable beam? Like internal reflections type stuff.

Have you tried blackening the inside of the collimator and lense housing? I've seen this mentioned elsewhere and a sooty candle was used to do this.

[kecked]

nope will try. Maybe slip in some heat shrink tape on the inside of flock it.