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Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
hey guys, I picked up a 1W laser at a hamfest recently (little bit of a rip off for the price not to be mentioned, but I spent a little extra knowing the vendor is in the US and regularly at hamfests and left a phone number). Also seeing the laser in person and getting a feel for it's build quality is nice compared to eBay. It is in a small flashlight style package with a rechargeable battery. It is surprisingly well built, even if Chinese (very study, good heat dissipation, very smooth and gentle focusing adjustment, and with the removal of a spacer accepts standard Surefire batteries, and a threaded aperture barrel for use with Fiber). The only issue with its construction is the use of a "push on/push off" rather than momentary type button. I actually realized, before I bought it, that a surefire push button could be easily modified for this laser as a layer of safety.
Now, here is my problem: The label on the laser says it is between 400-500nm which is not too specific (a generic label). I am fairly certain it is a 405nm due to the response of UV sensitive materials I have, but it may just have some side spectrum just far enough to trigger it. I have somewhere a UV light meter I have used with 405 lasers before, but have to find it.
The beam itself in air appears more blue than what I could see with my previous 405 lasers, but violet enough that I wonder.
Maybe it is an oddball 432nm? I am not sure. I am hoping that someone here can help me figure out a way to test it.
I am still debating what to do with it. I could have gotten a 445nm "true blue" for the same price (and with googles) but I never see these at this power with UV output in large amounts (as compared to 405 which is largely UV) and after seeing some UV laser PCB work and the fact I am building a CNC machine, I thought I might put a laser on the machine so that not only can it mill a PCB but also maybe make the traces, and etch a few materials for projects like electronics enclosure boxes.
I can't find too much information on 1W 405 lasers, always getting 445nm results or a 1W 445nm driver with support for a 200mW 405nm. Anyone here know much about them?
Registered Member #2099
Joined: Wed Apr 29 2009, 12:22AM
Location: Los Altos, California
Posts: 1715
You can determine the wavelength by measuring the diffraction pattern with an inexpensive (and may be unusually coarse) grating between laser and target surface. If the grating pitch isn't exactly known, you can use a laser with known wavelength as a reference.
A fine wire screen (such as used in fuel filters) can serve as a grating and not, I expect, be burned up by the 1W laser. I can send you a bit of suitable screening.
With other grating materials, you may need to turn down the power or use some optics to spread the beam without overly expanding the spot on target surface.
A source of free gratings for demonstrations is the linear encoder ribbon found in many discarded inkjet printers. In USA they are typically 150 lines per inch, but you can trust it's a round number and can directly measure it with some care. For example, juxtapose it with a reference scale & make enlarged photograph or photocopy on which you can count the lines. Another source, of course, is CD's or other optical disks. You can look up the standard pitch, and/or use a wavelength reference laser.
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
Klugesmith wrote ...
You can determine the wavelength by measuring the diffraction pattern with an inexpensive (and may be unusually coarse) grating between laser and target surface. If the grating pitch isn't exactly known, you can use a laser with known wavelength as a reference.
A fine wire screen (such as used in fuel filters) can serve as a grating and not, I expect, be burned up by the 1W laser. I can send you a bit of suitable screening.
With other grating materials, you may need to turn down the power or use some optics to spread the beam without overly expanding the spot on target surface.
A source of free gratings for demonstrations is the linear encoder ribbon found in many discarded inkjet printers. In USA they are typically 150 lines per inch, but you can trust it's a round number and can directly measure it with some care. For example, juxtapose it with a reference scale & make enlarged photograph or photocopy on which you can count the lines. Another source, of course, is CD's or other optical disks. You can look up the standard pitch, and/or use a wavelength reference laser.
Thanks a lot, I think I'll try the linear encoder ribbon, and I have some other known lasers I can test it with. The focusing lens on this works very well for un-focusing and focusing so I could probably start once I get home later this week if all goes well. (in fact, I've decided to take advantage of that as a safety measure, leaving the focusing as far off as possible when stored).
bwang wrote ...
I wouldn't trust the 1W rating on it; 1 sketchy Chinese laser watt is probably a couple hundred mW.
I know and trust this vendor, and I have had lasers in the 405 range in the past with a couple hundred mW and this is much stronger. I actually never could get matches to light in under five seconds, and this did it in about one second on average (if focused of course).
I also found some more information and apparently 445nm still has a violet tint and fluorescence excitement under certain conditions? I don't want to stare at this laser obviously to try to figure it out, until I get some higher rated lenses or goggles. Right now I just found the focus from not being in the light path and watching for smoke from tape up close on the laser. I will do more tests once I get some better goggles and possibly a few extra sets once I am able to, I got the laser the same day that I went to a beach house for the week (I did get to sorta start the barbeque with it though :)
I also may talk to my university about using their laser space for a safe testing and project environment, as I won't need their equipment.
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
Grenadier wrote ...
Can you see the beam? If so than it's a 445.
Like this:
I need to get another one :-/
Yes, I can see it very well, but I have been reading that, at a significant power level, the beam is visible with 405 lasers as well due to the fluorescence of particles in air. I am suspecting that, irregardless of fluorescent particles in air, it is a 445nm (either way for the price I paid it is about right anyways except glasses were not included, but I liked being able to hold it first), as I have now found a few things that are neither fluorescent nor had been drenched in saltwater leaving changing illumination properties.
Still, there is a lot of UV coming out or maybe my UV sensitive powders and items are just easily stimulated by near-UV blue spectrum?
Registered Member #2919
Joined: Fri Jun 11 2010, 06:30PM
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 652
"It lights matches faster" is no substitute for a power meter. "It looks purple" is no substitute for a spectrometer. What are you worried about? It sounds like a nice laser either way :) If you want to do CNC photoresist get one of the cheap 405's off Ebay and mount it on your CNC.
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
bwang wrote ...
"It lights matches faster" is no substitute for a power meter. "It looks purple" is no substitute for a spectrometer. What are you worried about? It sounds like a nice laser either way :) If you want to do CNC photoresist get one of the cheap 405's off Ebay and mount it on your CNC.
I get that, but it is a significant improvement. I'm only estimating things until I can get back home and setup tests. I was just hoping that with some details someone might point me in the right direction.
As for the CNC, doing things like etching ABS plastic Face-plates for electronics projects is more what I want, but if it were UV based or has enough UV output then I could do photoresist with an attenuator
(BTW, when I say "match" I mean a Hurricane Safety Match which I have had extreme difficulty in lighting with lasers in the past, of any wavelength).
Registered Member #2628
Joined: Fri Jan 15 2010, 12:23AM
Location:
Posts: 627
Got pictures of it?
From what you describe anyway it is a 445nm, they are not quite purple, but not quite blue like a 473nm DPSS.
They are more idndigo/blue with a purple kinda glow around it.
Do you have an actual 405nm pen laser or something of sorts? holding 405nm and 445nm side by side really shows the differance.
This is a half decent beam shot of the color of one of my 445nm, never mind the big purple splash, it is definatly blue/indigo in person, but there is a very weak purple glow about the room, despite bieng a dark blue dot/beam. While 405nm is better at exciting things with UV, 445nm can do the same to some materials too (will excite phosphor screens, etc). but not as effectivly as 405nm.
Also, of the "445nm" diodes, there are pretty much 2 common ones floating around, the A-130s and A-140s. (as extracted from the projectors). The A-130s are of lower power and have a slightly lower wavelenth (a few nm IIRC). while the A-140s are more blue. (There is also an A-150, but its the same die as the 140).
So you probably gotten an laser that was built with an A-130 diode too?
This is a 445nm with an A-140:
Yours look the same?
This is again just a rough idea, as said already, this will not replace a spetrometer or a power meter.
Registered Member #509
Joined: Sat Feb 10 2007, 07:02AM
Location:
Posts: 329
The 445s definitely excited UV reactive stuff, I put a single lens in front of mine and put on my goggles, and it still makes black-light sensitive stuff light up. Not as bright, but the OD7 goggles kill all the 445 and make it easy to see the fluorescense.
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1W ~405nm Laser?
