Aspheric collimators for red and blue laser diodes

[taggalucci]

Sounds like you're onto it

[lasertack]

Not really, just answered your question.

[lasertack]

For red diodes (LPC-836) this lens puts out a 2x3mm beam @ 0,3mrad divergence full angle.

[lasertack]

Finally my Beam Profiler arrived. Attached are some pictures of the beam analysis results. I compared the O-Like and aspheric lenses.
Not all beam parameters of the O-Like could be measured, because of the large beam diameter. The Beam Profiler BP104-UV can only measure beams up to 4mm.

For whatever reason I cannot upload the pictures to PL, so I uploaded them to rapidshare.com LINK

The pictures are also posted on the Laserfreak forum LINK

[dsli_jon]

..nice werk, but... still not seeing the 'value-proposition' of the additional ~$26. / lens for most-peoples' applications... if the lens were €12. maybe...

Still, good info to have... always best to know of all-other 'options'...

Danke for your efforts..
j

[lasertack]

The value of this lens is higher output power and tighter beam after the collimation, so you can stack 445nm diodes much better. Do you know what I mean?

[taggalucci]

I know exactly what you mean, your explanation is clear.

Would be good to have your post updated to include the images though. I'm not one to go off somewhere else to get the pictures. You can upload and embed images here.

[Solarfire]

Still not very convincing, comparing your lens to an O-Like is like comparing a Ferrari to a bicycle, a 35€ (after VAT) lens compared to a 5€ lens with totally different data? For blue, put it up to a 405-G-2 which is more in the same league and would be considered as a comparable candidate and for red the optima lens would be a suitable candidate. Both these lens have similar data to yours.

[lasertack]

@ Solarfire

The price is still 30€ incl. VAT, not 35€.

I´ve sent you a PM.

[dsli_jon]

The value of this lens is higher output power and tighter beam after the collimation, so you can stack 445nm diodes much better. Do you know what I mean?

Umm, not a clue...

Ok, so:

Beam diameter at aperture with O-Like lens: 4,5 x 2mm
Beam diameter at aperture with aspheric lens: 4 x 1mm

..indeed, your lens, is slightly better at-aperture (which is highly-desirable for knifing..) and also, better 'transmission-specs', power-wise, (which is, also, highly-desirable for knifing..) However...

Divergence with O-Like lens: 1,4 x 0,2mrad
Divergence with aspheric lens: 2,2 x 0,4mrad

..divergence is a good-deal 'worse', (which is not as-desirable for knifing..), and in-addition:

Beam diameter after 5m with anamorphic prisms and aspheric lens: 10 x 3mm

..so, in other words - in *any lens-case* - the 'true hero', here, is the lens / prism-pair-combo, not just the $26. more-expensive lens, by-itself..

Again, thanks for posting the details / info, for this 'option'.. but, imho, it's just not 'paydirt', amigo..

cheers..
j