LaserMan532 / microlaserlabs.com Custom Dual Red!

[300EVIL]

I want to give a BIG THANKS to Pat (LaserMan532) for his wonderful dual red combiner he built for me! I came to him with space constraint issues and he built this awesome custom unit. Not only did he do it amazingly fast but for a great price as well. Check it out!







As you can see it's not finished on my end, I told him not to anodize it because I have a little extra machining work to do on it myself. Pat even made a nice little jig the PBS cube fits right in! The whole module measures 4cm wide by 7cm deep (counting the adjuster screws) and 6cm high with a 2.5cm beam output height. SO TINY! As you can see the beam exits the module from the hole in the MM1.

My initial plan it to equip this module with 2 LOC 660nm diodes running @ 250mW each off of a single FlexMod2 driver for an output of 500mW @ 660nm. I also plan on sticking a 40mm TEC on the back, (Yeah, overkill but it fits.) and a TEC driver for stability. Eventually I want to swap out the diodes for 2 642nm diodes for a whopping 300mW. I will post pics and details as I progress in this build. Should be awesome when It's done!

Thanks Again!
Adam

[Laserman532]

WOW thanks a lot 300evil! I think that is a sexy beast...however, it is a little large for our European friends. It allows the diodes to be clamped, isolated, rotated, adjusted in x and y, precision combining via PBS not scraper technology and the MM-1 gives very precise 1/4 x 80 pitch far field adjustment. Yes it is big...but it is totally functional.

It was a collaborative effort between 300 evil and myself he is the brains and I am the brawn. I have the drawings if others are interested. I did not put it on www.microlaserlabs.com as I feel it is unfinished and needs a few refinements.

I look forward to this build and tons of pictures of popping balloons!

[QUAZAR]

That is just sooo sexy.

[mophead]

Hmmm. Top and side, rotate the cube.

Similar to one I was thinking of..... although i never thought to drill the mm1. Good idea.


Kick Ass job guys!

[shrad]

it is a little large for our European friends

not at all your builds are really nice! when I'll have a little spare money, I plan on contacting you to build something similar but with these o-like diode housings I PMed you

[sugeek]

I have to say once again great job Pat (http://www.microlaserlabs.com) you did a great job on the combiner and great engineering as I have come to expect! In the soon future I will have a product review for you too! I can't wait to see the finished product 300Evil, hopefully this weekend!

-Adam

I wanna see some of this, but in red:

[swamidog]

i have to second that.... on both accounts!

I have to say once again great job Pat (http://www.microlaserlabs.com) you did a great job on the combiner and great engineering as I have come to expect! In the soon future I will have a product review for you too! I can't wait to see the finished product 300Evil, hopefully this weekend!

-Adam

I wanna see some of this, but in red:

[300EVIL]

UPDATE


New Pics!









It's a modded Aixiz module with the back half of the case cut off to .5" long to allow better thermal conduction into the .5" mounts. These have a LOC 660nm diode inside along with DrLava's glass collimator. It is also equipped with a LASORB and a 2.2 ohm 1/2W resistor for balancing. Thanks for the Resistors and Aixiz modules Sugeek!

Here are pics of the single diode assy mounted in the combiner running on a FlexMod2. Still in the design/testing phase and waiting for my other LOC diode.





Oh, and I painted the inside of the hole in the MM1 with high temp grill paint.

[sugeek]

That is looking good! I am glad to see they got put to good use!

-Adam

[300EVIL]

UPDATE!

IT'S ALIVE!







I even installed a HUGE 40mm TEC.




My goal was 500mW. It easily does that and then some. (See 532mW)

Not finished yet though. Still needs the diode modules isolated and the TEC controller installed. I'm hoping to get a stable 500mW out of it using the TEC cooling.

[shrad]

I really like the video chipset (or north bridge or south bridge) heatsink idea!

If one needed such a big TEC with high heat diodes like big blurays, they could put some passive heatsinks or other nice things coming from the PC world

[dar303]

Nice!
But is that small heatsink on that big TEC really going to work? Wouldn't it be better to just use the baseplate/optical breadboard as the heatsink for the hot side of the TEC? Maybe if you attached a fan to the heatsink. What it your target temperature for the unit?

[FourDee]

Nice work. Am Is the hole in the bottom a mounting hole or the output aperture?

[p1t8ull]

Very neat indeed, top job

[hobbybob]

Not finished yet though. Still needs the diode modules isolated and the TEC controller installed. I'm hoping to get a stable 500mW out of it using the TEC cooling.

I see you use a small metal plate under the MM1.
Couldn't you use 2 small plates of isolating material under the diode holders to isolate them from another ?
Wouldn't have too much impact on your beautiful design, and you keep the possibility to rotate the diodes for optimal performance.
Wow. I like this idea. It's cool ! Well done guys !

[Laserman532]

I see you use a small metal plate under the MM1.
Couldn't you use 2 small plates of isolating material under the diode holders to isolate them from another ?
Wouldn't have too much impact on your beautiful design, and you keep the possibility to rotate the diodes for optimal performance.
Wow. I like this idea. It's cool ! Well done guys !

I dont want to speak for 300evil but i will impart, there were very physical constraints for the space he had available as well as the beam height required for minimum installation requirements. This base is a temporary base to allow construction. Final base design will evolve when final constraints have been determined. The diodes are isolated by kapton tape soon to be SIL-PADS in the u shaped parts of the clamp. I hope 300 dosnt mind I chimed in here.

[300EVIL]

I really like the video chipset (or north bridge or south bridge) heatsink idea!

If one needed such a big TEC with high heat diodes like big blurays, they could put some passive heatsinks or other nice things coming from the PC world

Thanks! Yes, it is overkill but I had the TEC and it fits.

Nice!
But is that small heatsink on that big TEC really going to work? Wouldn't it be better to just use the baseplate/optical breadboard as the heatsink for the hot side of the TEC? Maybe if you attached a fan to the heatsink. What it your target temperature for the unit?

Well, the way I figure it is the larger TEC will do less work. I ran the TEC on there with a resistor for ballast. (just a test) The diode base got nice and cold with the little heatsink only at 120F max. I'd say that is safe being passively cooled but more experimenting and a real TEC controller will be needed before I know for sure. I'm not sure of my target temp yet. I just want the kit to make stable output power.

Nice work. Am Is the hole in the bottom a mounting hole or the output aperture?

Yes, it's a mounting hole. The output is the hole in the MM1.

Very neat indeed, top job

Thanks!

[300EVIL]

I see you use a small metal plate under the MM1.
Couldn't you use 2 small plates of isolating material under the diode holders to isolate them from another ?
Wouldn't have too much impact on your beautiful design, and you keep the possibility to rotate the diodes for optimal performance.
Wow. I like this idea. It's cool ! Well done guys !

I thought of that but the diodes are adjusted there and didn't want to use nylon screws on anything too complicated. The Kapton I plan on using for isolating the Aixiz modules is thin and slippery so rotating shouldn't be much of an issue. I also like the localized isolation because it prevents me from touching a tool in the wrong spot and grounding the diodes.

I dont want to speak for 300evil but i will impart, there were very physical constraints for the space he had available as well as the beam height required for minimum installation requirements. This base is a temporary base to allow construction. Final base design will evolve when final constraints have been determined. The diodes are isolated by kapton tape soon to be SIL-PADS in the u shaped parts of the clamp. I hope 300 dosnt mind I chimed in here.

Well said and feel free to chime in anytime!

[hobbybob]

OK, clear for me now. The Kapton tape is some sort of teflon tape ? heat conductive, electrically isolating ?

[sugeek]

OK, clear for me now. The Kapton tape is some sort of teflon tape ? heat conductive, electrically isolating ?

http://www.kaptontape.com/1_Mil_Kapton_tape.php

[platinum]

This would go nicely with 250mW of Argon.


-Jonathan

[300EVIL]

UPDATE

Okay, I got the Kapton tape in and isolated my diodes. Now the whole module can be grounded with no problems. Also, I have the TEC running with no controller, just straight 5V without current limiting. I do have to use forced air on the tiny heatsink to get the module cold eenough but the best part is it's ROCK STABLE! It'll float at 500mW +/-2mW all day. I imagine with modulation It will do around 530-550mW. The beam is nice and tight too. I'll break out the tripod this week and get some beam pics.



Nice and cool!



Power output at startup...

[tommylee333]

This is a Nice piece of equipment.

UPDATE!




IT'S ALIVE!







I even installed a HUGE 40mm TEC.




My goal was 500mW. It easily does that and then some. (See 532mW)

Not finished yet though. Still needs the diode modules isolated and the TEC controller installed. I'm hoping to get a stable 500mW out of it using the TEC cooling.

[edison]

This is one of the better ones i have seen on PL. The quality looks great and its nice and compact. Well done!!!!!!

Maybe a slightly longer version of the L- bracket, kniveedging (instead of a pbs cube and

a prism pair in front of it would be an awsome blue!!

[andythemechanic]

Why so big?

Andreas