DIY RGB unit questions.

[SoulFeast]

Hey folks =] This idea started solely because I saw the 2 pack RGB mirrors on o-like. So now I have an enormous craving to do this (to be honest, I've had it for a while, now I have the motivation to do it.) I just have a couple questions. What is a decent mW ration for a 635/532/445 and a 650/532/445? I'd like a decent output, nothing killer requiring 200mW of green though as that'd skyrocket the red and whatnot, just a decent 500-750mW+. Also, what glasses should be used when looking at the "white" dot/beam? Or is there really no exact wavelength? Perhaps one that covers all 3 colors? Anyway, I'm making an alpha of this project in a couple weeks with a 200mW red, ~50mW green, and 300mW violet. It might look a little goofy, but it's all I'll have, once I get the alignment procedures, and practice all that, I'll drop some proper cash on a good green module, and a 445. Until then it's a wait for a paycheck game (I hate this game!) Thanks for your time, and in advance for answering my questions and any tips you provide =] Take care folks!

[LaNeK779]

both figures should be taken with a fairly large grain of salt as it is a matter of personnal taste, but here goes

635/532/445 1:1:1
650/532/445 2.5:1:1

i see you are using 405 for the time being, so don't expect anything major. just switch to 445 as soon as money allows

there are rgb glasses that cover white light, but not many people prefer them (don't know why). an alternative could be what is called "neutral density filter" of a suitable % density (works a bit like sunglasses). even sunglasses themselves are ok for low powers

just use appropriate single colour glasses while aligning each colour. Then just don't "crowd-scan" yourself

[SoulFeast]

Thank you sir =] And I'm just using the 405 because it's all I have, simply for practicing alignment procedures and stuff, nothing permanent by far. Thank you for the ratios! I'll just start there and tweak it until I get something I like =] I'm not going to make this a projector or anything, just want all the colors, and the DIY aspect of something like this. Also, to get 300mW of green, would taking apart a 300mW pointer, and harvesting the module work? Or are there easier means to do this without breaking the bank? The 300mW of 635 won't be a hassle, just not sure what to drive a 445 at to get such low power from it, 300 isn't low, but from a 445, eh, you get the picture I'm trying to paint. Thank you for the tips mate!

[LaNeK779]

here are some cheap and trustworthy dichros http://www.synchrovision.co.uk/optics-electronics
and a very nice alignment guide can be found here http://www.stanwax.plus.com/lw/rgb%20alignment%20lw.pdf
here is a nice guide to using a pbs in case you want to combine 640 and 660 nm reds (or pretty much everything if you have a broadband pbs) http://www.stanwax.plus.com/lw/pbs%20guide.pdf


i would advise against the use of 635 and would recommend a single one of the 300mw mitsubishi diodes we have been discussing here lately @ 638nm. you have some catching up to do on this one in terms of reading and optics, but all the info is here

a 445 is ok doing 300mw, think of it as a "built to last" situation, running nice and cool for a long long time

a pointer core for 532nm would need adequate heatsinking (a good old lump of metal), as pointers are designed for an on-off work cycle and continuous use could overheat and destroy them

I would just like to say here, that you will be reaching 1 watt of combined laser power, so this is no toy. Plus, if i understand correctly, you are not going to use a galvo set to project scanned images, so that makes us a 1 watt static beam (could even start a fire). make sure you know at all times where others stand and get appropriate safety goggles (or at least don't look into laser beam with remaining eye, as we usually use as a joke)