Big red

[cruch]

Any ideas how to get rid of the red line in the dot?

[jkaiser3000]

How about masking it from the aperture?, Maybe use a pinhole or something similar.

[buffo]

Cruch;

I think you're basically stuck with the beam you've got. If the power supply supports analog blanking you can try to dial the power down and see if the beam quality improves, but even if it does get better that defeats the whole purpose of having a powerful red laser in the first place. :? I believe that the artifacts you are seeing are caused by the diode itself, and not some dirt or other imperfections on your optics. If so, you are going to have to live with it.

Jkaiser's idea about masking the beam might help. At least it would get rid of the line effect. But I don't think you're going to get rid of the TEM03 beam profile unless you replace the diode.

Bummer dude....

Adam

[cruch]

Yes..I thought so!
It is TTL another bummer!!
cheep china lasers!! Never more.

[buffo]

Well, don't let this sour you on all Chinese lasers. Some of them are really very nice. DreamBeamz has a 1 watt CNI DPSS green laser that is friggin' awesome! (Of course, it comes with an awesome price tag as well!)

Before you purchase another high-power red laser, you might want to ask around here on the boards and see what other people are using. I know that the Maxyz modules have gotten very good reviews from people here, but I don't think you can get more than ~220 mw out of them. (Figure an absolute max of 450 mw if you get a matched pair that are hot out of the box, and a near-perfect polarizing beam-splitting cube.)

If you want 600 mw - 1 watt, then you're looking at a lot more money, and you need to be mindful of the beam specs before you buy. (Anyone had any luck with the 635 nm 800 mw diodes that Axis sells?)

Adam

[allthatwhichis]

You could always try to combine 4 maxyz... If that's possible... :?

[JimBo]

To combine the reds they need to go through a filter that allows the H polorisation to pass and reflect the V polorisation (or vice versa).
You could not add another beem using a polorisation filter.
You could use one of the optics that colmunates many beems though.

Jim

[allthatwhichis]

What would happen if you had 2 of each polarization? I ask cause I have no idea what the polarlization of a beam means or does... :?

[buffo]

As Jimbo posted above, in order to super-impose one beam on another (ie to combine them) when both beams are of the exact same frequency, you need to use a polarizing beam-splitting cube. These cubes normally split a randomly polarized incoming beam into two separate beams that have opposite (that is, 90 degrees out of phase) polarizations. If you use it in reverse, and send two beams into the cube that are already at opposite polarizations, you'll end up with a single output beam of nearly double power and random polarization.

The problem with trying to combine 4 beams is that once you combine the first two, you have a randomly polarized beam. You can't mix that beam with another beam of the same color. (If you send it through a beam splitter, you'll just end up with the two beams you started with, not accounting for the losses in the optics.) So you get one shot. One chance to combine two beams. After that, all you can do is place the beams *really* close together and hope that they appear to be a single beam. (The Arctos red multi-diode lasers do this.)

For more information about light polarization, start here:

http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSC...ht/u12l1e.html

Adam

[allthatwhichis]

I C... I though getting two beams, or four for that matter, real close together WAS combining them... ops: :?

I have seen the light, and right now it's red. :lol: and big...