Where to buy high quality dicros for 640, 532 and 457

[kitatit]

Hi guys,
I'm looking for your opinions and suggestions on where to buy a set of high quality dicros for the lasers I'm planing on buying.

I'm considering:
-1.8watt 642 nm Red
-2watt 532 nm
-1watt 457 nm

I don't mind paying a bit more to buy quality gear if it is worth it.

I'm sure there is a sliding scale of;
1 -Cheap.
2 -Average.
3 -Reasonably priced and good quality.
4 -A little pricey but worth it.
5 -Eye wateringly expensive gear of the Gods.

I think I'm probably looking for stuff around the 3 to 4 level

[rfourt]

I prefer: http://www.edmundoptics.com/
Although there are some sellers around here on the forums that are just as good.
laser-wave.com
lasershowparts.com

just to name a few.

[MisterWilling]

Here is a bunch of info in this thread http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...isation-thread .

[mccarrot]

With you lasers... Swisslas.

The price per mW your lasers costs is well worth the higher price of the better dichroics.

[kitatit]

Thanks for your replies guys.

I'm going to have a look at Swisslas.

[mixedgas]

One Stop Laser Shop for the R/G combiner..

Steve

[kitatit]

Hi Steve,
just had another look at OSLS.
I like there selection of optics mounts they have.

[Pitts]

Hi

I use Edmund optics and Semrock (available in Australia as mine had to come through there- Coherent are agents).

I like the fact that Semrock test each dichro and give you the resulting graph for your particular dichro. No guess work here.. of course at a price margin. I guess you hve to pay for quality.
No point in having nice lasers and losing a pile of power on the dichro's..

Cheers
Ray
NZ (big islands across the ditch)

[LaserLover]

Hi guys,
I'm looking for your opinions and suggestions on where to buy a set of high quality dicros for the lasers I'm planing on buying.

I'm considering:
-1.8watt 642 nm Red
-2watt 532 nm
-1watt 457 nm

I don't mind paying a bit more to buy quality gear if it is worth it.

I'm sure there is a sliding scale of;
1 -Cheap.
2 -Average.
3 -Reasonably priced and good quality.
4 -A little pricey but worth it.
5 -Eye wateringly expensive gear of the Gods.

I think I'm probably looking for stuff around the 3 to 4 level

Have you tired Connecticut Lasers ?
I,m not aware of the power specs but the prices are good.

[MisterWilling]

CT Lasers sells the laserwave dichros. He has all ready looked in those. Even the newer style laserwave dichros do not have as good transmission as the swisslas.

[mixedgas]

Hi Steve,
just had another look at OSLS.
I like there selection of optics mounts they have.

The OSLS dichros are custom coated like the Swisslas and Semrock for modern laser wavelengths. I've had issues with Edmund's QC from unit to unit.
I will be reviewing the OSLS ones in 2 weeks.

Steve

[kitatit]

Hi

I use Edmund optics and Semrock (available in Australia as mine had to come through there- Coherent are agents).

I like the fact that Semrock test each dichro and give you the resulting graph for your particular dichro. No guess work here.. of course at a price margin. I guess you hve to pay for quality.
No point in having nice lasers and losing a pile of power on the dichro's..

Cheers
Ray
NZ (big islands across the ditch)

Hi Ray,
Ooow Im listening. That sounds good. I got quote from Margret at Coherent for a Fieldmax II... Cough... But since I can't audience scan more than 1mw in WA it's not really worth buying one. Thanks for the
clues, I'll definatley drop her a line.

Kit

[Pitts]

Wow !!! 1mw audience scan....
just what I rave on about over here, if we can't stop the idiot factor that's what will happen.
As you know NZ government can't think for itself so will almost certainly copy Australia..

Still I manage to do most of mine without audience scanning and if you do it right they still get a good look.

Good luck with the Dichro'

Perth... must get across there one day, I like the look of the pix I see of it.
Had a mate shift there about twenty years ago and he loves it.

Just noticed you are going the 640 way, wow at 1.8W (I have the 1,2W)... do you realise that you may need to do "periodic" re-alignmant as they are a "cluster of beams" ( I have come to call them affectionately a loose association of beams) and they move a little with temperature. (the dots move apart).. My point being make sure you get the most stable one you can AND that the adjustments are easy to get to. I have a Kvant and they are real easy to get at.. thre screws and the lids off..... nerve racking stuff though one slip and goodnight nurse to the LD's


Cheers


Ray
NZ

[kitatit]

Wow !!! 1mw audience scan....
just what I rave on about over here, if we can't stop the idiot factor that's what will happen.
As you know NZ government can't think for itself so will almost certainly copy Australia..

Still I manage to do most of mine without audience scanning and if you do it right they still get a good look.

Good luck with the Dichro'

Perth... must get across there one day, I like the look of the pix I see of it.
Had a mate shift there about twenty years ago and he loves it.

Just noticed you are going the 640 way, wow at 1.8W (I have the 1,2W)... do you realise that you may need to do "periodic" re-alignmant as they are a "cluster of beams" ( I have come to call them affectionately a loose association of beams) and they move a little with temperature. (the dots move apart).. My point being make sure you get the most stable one you can AND that the adjustments are easy to get to. I have a Kvant and they are real easy to get at.. thre screws and the lids off..... nerve racking stuff though one slip and goodnight nurse to the LD's


Cheers


Ray
NZ

I think the rest of Australia is much more reasonable. I assume they follow the AS/NZS 2211.3. In WA they make us adhere to a superseded code of practice (Radiation Health series 37) that was made in 1995 e.g. no audience scanning of anything higher than class 2
Also other conditions specific to WA are:
No mirror balls.
No CW laser to exceed 5watts (ok I know a rookie shouldn't be concerned with lasers above 5 watts but it does limit future possibilities.

I'm aiming for about 5 watts RGB. The wording says no CW laser to exceed 5 watts....hmmmm does that mean 15 watt rgb projector is allowed?

I don't think I'll get cute with the WA radiological council though

About the Red, yes it is Kvant I'm looking at. Thanks for the insight into 642 tweak-age. I assume that is stuff that would be attempted after the warranty period runs out.

Perth? yes it is a nice place thanks . It has a lot going for it but it can be a frustratingly backwards and over regulated place at times.

If you want to see some pics have a look at my Youtube vids. User name KITATIT.
Even if you don't like Drum&Bass have a look. I just posted a few videos i took at Metro City concert club. It was a gig featuring ANDY C and The UPBEATS (LIVE) from NZ. Awesome show and the venue is killa. It's a 5 story purpose built concert club that holds 2000+. When it was built in 99 it had a 10watt Lexel argon mounted at the back of the stage but it's not used anymore though. I'm hoping to do shows here at some stage with my own gear but it will be a challenge. I'll need to aim the projector at about 45deg upwards to get it above the crowd as there is about 6-7 split levels where the crowd looks down on the stage from above.

I must get over your way sometime to. My sister is a doctor and she spent time working at a hospital in your home town.
Also my Dad has been over to NZ racing those crazy old bikes penny farthings in Dunedin and Christchurch.

Given my Dad's crazy exploits, do you think I've got the right nutty DNA to make it in the laser game?

[Pitts]

Mate, I think you'll fit right in..

Re the red adjust, I think you may find you will need to do this reasonably often. Kvant (like others) are constantly improving their designs. I have seen inside three Kvants now and the latest is very nicely laid out.
Kvant are (or were with me at least) very supportive and take a reasonable and practical approach to warranty. It would of course pay to check before touching anything internal.

The only problem I see and I am sure it will be the same with others (except maybe the one LD models) you have to keep those dots in the right place. The beam can quite quickly change from a reasonable profile to more of a "splat" then it slowly progresses to a leg out of bed as they say.

As the alignment is very very very sensitive any adjustment, even slight pressure on the tiny allen key and the dot shifts a long way. I adjusted one of the larger screws and I lost one beam altogether until I could find it again.
I dont believe this is a Kvant thing I think its more the nature of 640 reds and how the beams have to be setup on knife edge mirrors and then cube.. You will probably have twelve LD's I guess.
Kvant set their's up at long distance I think the Kvant engineer said 35' or 35 mtrs then they use a video camera to align. Its not so easy to do close up. I did find adjusting the 90 degree mirror to split into two groups (horiz / vert) seems to help then I walk the two "groups" back together.
But man is it a pleasing red..
Enjoy..

Good luck.

Yell out if your heading this way anytime.

Ray
NZ