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Thread: Blue DPSS Lasers

  1. #1
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    Default Blue DPSS Lasers

    Guys,

    Anyone here have experience with BLUE 473nm dpss lasers around the 300mw mark ?

    Care to share any of them ? We are looking around for a suitable unit to use in our multicolour box...

    Cheers,

    Adrian
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  2. #2
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    Spec had one at around 235 mw, if memory serves... It was a lasever unit, and the beam quality was TEMM 01. Not exactly optimal for combining with other lasers... He might still have it actually...

    I don't know if the exporter he was dealing with had lasers up to 300 mw or not. (My guess is, probably...) Might want to check with Spec and see if he has any more information about them.

    Adam

  3. #3
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    Spec ?

    Our lambdapro 532nm 350mw was TEM01... then we sent it back coz it blew up and it came back TEM00.... Weird.
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  4. #4
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    300mW 473's are still pretty new to "small order" Chinese manufactueres.

    The biggest player, CNI, does them but the beam profile is completely messy. You will be lucky if its *just* TEM01.

    My guess is that they have a hard time coupling the large stripe sizes of the multi-watt 808 diodes.... Go figure.

    I really dont like Lambda pro. Its a combonation of business and product problems.

    Yea, I imagine they just shelved the unit you sent them and they sent a new one. Its rare to actually get one of them to work on the unit you send back. They scrap it for optics and crystals unless its just a diode or something compartmentalized, then they just replace the housing, TEC and all.

    Really neat stuff in my book.

    Anywho, I still have the TEM01 240ish one sitting here. Any questions you have about it or blues in general, I will be glad to help out.

  5. #5
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    Re Lambdapro - we've bought 3 lasers off them over the years - 2 x 150mw and 1 x 350mw green....

    The first 150 was sent back twice, once do to a dodgy crystal... then again coz its psu blew up... the second time they started ignoring our emails as they didn't want to be hit with shipping charges again...

    Then the 350mw PSU blew up...

    Regarding the blues, we are a bit reluctant as a) the technology is still not entirely mature in our eyes, especially when it comes to Chinese manufacturers... and b) it costs so bloody much more than green... although it is slowly getting cheaper...

    We are looking at either the CNI's, the "Guoke" model that Aixiz sells... I'm a bit more confident with CNI, only because of the high volumes they make, but I've also heard that their lasers drop in power fairly quickly...

    What brand is your 240mw one ?
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  6. #6
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    ahh, I see elsewhere it is Lasever...

    How do you feel all up about the quality of this unit Spec ?
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  7. #7
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    Default Lasever DPSS quality...

    For what it's worth, I've had a 100 mw Lasever DPSS green laser for a few years now, and I've been very pleased with it.

    It was actually advertized as an 80 mw laser, but when I received it I checked the output with my Coherent Lasercheck wand and discovered that it was actually making 98 mw. I probably have 50 hours on the unit now, and the power output remains the same.

    The current control is very accurate; I can adjust the drive current in 1 ma increments. The unit has a built-in current limiter, which kicks in at 651 ma, where the head is making 98 mw. To me, that makes the head quite efficient.

    I haven't had a chance to experiment with the blanking circuit yet, so I can't speak for the stability of the power output under varying duty cycles. Maybe Spec has more info about that. (My other 100 mw DPSS green laser has serious power fall-off problems once the blanking duty cycle gets up around 15%.)

    The beam quality is quite good. Smooth TEM00 output, and a well-collimated beam. I haven't measured the beam diameter, but to my uncalibrated eye it looks to be the same size or just barely larger than the beam from one of my SP-161B single line blue argons...

    EDIT: I performed a test between my Lasever DPSS, my SP-161B, and a largish HeNe... Results in this thread (click here). Quck and dirty answer - the Lasever DPSS green unit had the best beam quality of the three! (It surprised me too...)

    Of course, I understand that in general the DPSS blue units suffer from additional problems with beam quality, and I'm not sure how that carries over to the specific Lasever line. Again, that's something that Spec should have more info about.

    In any event, I'm quite pleased with my Lasever unit, and would consider buying another one in the future.

    Adam

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by aijii
    ahh, I see elsewhere it is Lasever...

    How do you feel all up about the quality of this unit Spec ?
    Sorry for the delay: Today was weird.

    Lasever is a decent manufacturer. They dont have much over other manufacturers when it comes to blue lasers. I personall see that as a good sign. No one needs "oddball designs" with a relatively new design process.

    That being said: their greens are far more mature and stable.

    Basically: I really like the units here, they are pretty good at what they do. The power supply, as found out by junktronix, could use some serious work. The cooler you keep them the better they perform.

    Beam profile is par for the course for "commodity" grade lasers, the lower power units lock in at tem00, higher power units lock in at tem01 or worse.

    Delivery time from the manufacturer is a pain, I waited 3 months for 3 of these things. Repair times are generally a couple weeks and they do honor their warranty. Not something I can say for other manufacturers/distributors.

    I havent been able to fully test the blanking setup as i blew up my DAC, but i have a replacement on the way. For what its worth right now, I know it does TTL and Analog, (Tested with batteries) and it snaps back to full power quicker than an update cycle of my scientech 365.

    I really dont know what else to say... Wont have much hardware to test them with till the end of the week.

  9. #9
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    Hi Spec,

    I was wondering If you are familiar with the "optical capacitance" problem associated with high power DPSS lasers. It limits the're blanking speed and lowers the power output (something to do with thermal lensing , temperature control within the crystals and recovery time). Greenies not as much as blue lasers.
    Likely the reason why Melles-Griot doens't offer blanking on their high power 58- BLD-605.
    I wonder how other manufacturers overcome this design problem. ?

    Rick
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by LaserLover
    Hi Spec,

    I was wondering If you are familiar with the "optical capacitance" problem associated with high power DPSS lasers. It limits the're blanking speed and lowers the power output (something to do with thermal lensing , temperature control within the crystals and recovery time). Greenies not as much as blue lasers.
    Likely the reason why Melles-Griot doens't offer blanking on their high power 58- BLD-605.
    I wonder how other manufacturers overcome this design problem. ?

    Rick
    Never heard it called anything, much less given a name

    In short: They dont do anything amazing to overcome it. Its a "demon".

    Ive seen one unit where they will clip/amp the TEC current to simulate the new found need for temperature stabilization.

    As far as crystal temperatures are concerned, they become a huge issue when your switching watts of "heat" being applied by the laser that quickly. Good for us though the temperature doesnt drop off as quick inside the crystal.

    For blues, specifically blues using BBO/BIBO rocks, its a lot easier as they need to be *way way way* over ambient temperature... If memory serves: 180ish degrees. Its easier to keep things hot than it is to ice them down or keep them near ambient.

    These lasever units can do 10ish K at full power but will drastically reduce power output(by design) if you start going anywhere near 30K.

    There has to be a better way but i havent figured out or heard of anything to help the problem... Other than using a CW laser and a power robbing AOM downstream from it.

    The addage: "The devil is in the details" is so painfully true here.

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