nero_design
Enlightened
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TITAN 350mW @ 532nm
It was with some trepidation that I opened the ominously bulging parcel that arrived at work today bearing my name. The company address was unfamiliar to me although i surmised it to be the likely location of the folks at Tech Lasers who had recently asked if I would photograph and review their product for them. The parcel contained two boxes with simple yet direct businesslike printing across the surfaces hinting at their contents: a small one containing a Blue MIRAGE laser at 5mW ...and another much larger box containing the largest and most frightening looking portable laser I have ever encountered in my life. I'd seen pictures of come of the CNI monsters before and thought perhaps that it was a trick of the lens. Yet here was something shrouded in a split-molded block of foam before me begging to be fed and sporting the name 'TITAN'. Actually, I made that bit up because there's no visible name printed on the case at all. I had to look it up online before I noticed a mini-manual in the packaging which differentiated between Tech Lasers models and indicated correct battery polarization.
Side by side to show just how huge this laser is, I placed it alongside one of Wicked Laser's largest units: The Spyder GX and also an Executive series laser. Both are also Class 3B. The new Tech Lasers' TITAN outputs a rich and powerful 350mW although I am convinced this one is actually a little under-rated when compared to my Spyder sample which has closer to 300mW.
Not a long exposure, this is how the beam reacted to an incense candle which I lit a moment earlier to afford me some light atmosphere. I'm wondering what would happen if I fired up the Fog Machine?! The beam is VERY slender and consistent. Divergence is amazingly low. Normally I would photograph lasers on my frosted glass desktop but this one was far too heavy to risk and even the clamp had to be tilted in order to safely clasp the TITAN laser. The laser beam is sharp, tight and flicker free in my sample. The finish is a lovely matte black reminiscent of professional DSLR camera coatings. All parts are incredibly well machined.
The laser uses a BRIGHT blue LED to indicate power status and I believe it has a low-power caution light which is red although this has not yet activated during tests.
There's a number of safety features on the TITAN:
* Blue Power Indicator Light with one second delay.
* Safety Key Interlock (with two keys)
* Cut-out safety plug to disrupt power if unit is dropped or snatched
* Rotating beam blocker accessed at the aperture end. The last metal layer at the aperture rotates a blocking plate between the laser diode assembly and the aperture glass to cancel the beam from within the laser unit if required for additional safety.
When you turn the unit on, you can hear the fan inside gently begin to spin. It's all but silent. More of a sensation really. Then the beam activates after 1 second. The switch is a constant on/off locking-switch made from blue molded plastic.
If you look closely, the beam core of the TITAN is actually brighter than the Spyder GX although both look similar to the eye. The spot from the TITAN is slightly brighter though which shows you it's putting out an amazing strength of beam. The dot was so hideously bright that I was concerned for the camera sensor. I've damaged them before and didn't want a repeat. The TITAN beam was a very narrow beam about 1.2mm (specs said 1.5mm) wide compared to the Wicked Laser's Spyder GX which is closer to 1.8mm wide. Though not completely airtight sealed like the Spyder lasers, the TITAN was still a monster at over 15" long with keys attached.
Testing against an UNMARKED Amex card. No marker-spotting was used to accelerate the power of the laser. I just aimed for the front of the card. The green laser spot on the card was so incredibly bright that I had no choice but to wear safety glasses and in order to protect the camera lens, I placed my hand in front of it until the timer had counted down far enough.
Ouch! I turned the laser off before it cut through the card but that was a with and light-blue surface... a specular one too. Quite an impressive start and the diameter of the burn should show tight the beam is near the aperture. Indoor tests showed no visible divergence at all within 50 feet although making this observation was made extremely difficult from the brightness of the dot. The only way for me to view the dot width is against a dark surface and those always started smoking the moment the laser met the surface. Safety glasses were fantastic in cutting down the light though. You do NOT want an accident with this type of laser. This includes specular reflection related disasters. The multiple safety features are justified in my opinion, something I never thought I'd say.
The D-Cell batteries I used for testing were non-commercial Duracell Pro batteries. No visible power fluctuations were visible to the eye during testing. Correctly rated laser safety glasses were worn during this interaction. 'What kind of uses does a laser this powerful offer?,' I wondered. Clearly you could use it to signal ships at sea. It would make an excellent lab laser with the added safety features. I think a laserist would have plenty of use for a self-cooled, high-powered unit... but when my colleagues asked me what on earth I had in mind for a laser like this.. well, I just didn't have an answer. Other than reminding them you could use it to signal ships with.
Leave me with it and I'll get back to you will some thoughts on possible applications. Other than signaling ships in a storm. Or the Mars Rover.
TITAN 350mW @ 532nm
It was with some trepidation that I opened the ominously bulging parcel that arrived at work today bearing my name. The company address was unfamiliar to me although i surmised it to be the likely location of the folks at Tech Lasers who had recently asked if I would photograph and review their product for them. The parcel contained two boxes with simple yet direct businesslike printing across the surfaces hinting at their contents: a small one containing a Blue MIRAGE laser at 5mW ...and another much larger box containing the largest and most frightening looking portable laser I have ever encountered in my life. I'd seen pictures of come of the CNI monsters before and thought perhaps that it was a trick of the lens. Yet here was something shrouded in a split-molded block of foam before me begging to be fed and sporting the name 'TITAN'. Actually, I made that bit up because there's no visible name printed on the case at all. I had to look it up online before I noticed a mini-manual in the packaging which differentiated between Tech Lasers models and indicated correct battery polarization.
Side by side to show just how huge this laser is, I placed it alongside one of Wicked Laser's largest units: The Spyder GX and also an Executive series laser. Both are also Class 3B. The new Tech Lasers' TITAN outputs a rich and powerful 350mW although I am convinced this one is actually a little under-rated when compared to my Spyder sample which has closer to 300mW.
Not a long exposure, this is how the beam reacted to an incense candle which I lit a moment earlier to afford me some light atmosphere. I'm wondering what would happen if I fired up the Fog Machine?! The beam is VERY slender and consistent. Divergence is amazingly low. Normally I would photograph lasers on my frosted glass desktop but this one was far too heavy to risk and even the clamp had to be tilted in order to safely clasp the TITAN laser. The laser beam is sharp, tight and flicker free in my sample. The finish is a lovely matte black reminiscent of professional DSLR camera coatings. All parts are incredibly well machined.
The laser uses a BRIGHT blue LED to indicate power status and I believe it has a low-power caution light which is red although this has not yet activated during tests.
There's a number of safety features on the TITAN:
* Blue Power Indicator Light with one second delay.
* Safety Key Interlock (with two keys)
* Cut-out safety plug to disrupt power if unit is dropped or snatched
* Rotating beam blocker accessed at the aperture end. The last metal layer at the aperture rotates a blocking plate between the laser diode assembly and the aperture glass to cancel the beam from within the laser unit if required for additional safety.
When you turn the unit on, you can hear the fan inside gently begin to spin. It's all but silent. More of a sensation really. Then the beam activates after 1 second. The switch is a constant on/off locking-switch made from blue molded plastic.
If you look closely, the beam core of the TITAN is actually brighter than the Spyder GX although both look similar to the eye. The spot from the TITAN is slightly brighter though which shows you it's putting out an amazing strength of beam. The dot was so hideously bright that I was concerned for the camera sensor. I've damaged them before and didn't want a repeat. The TITAN beam was a very narrow beam about 1.2mm (specs said 1.5mm) wide compared to the Wicked Laser's Spyder GX which is closer to 1.8mm wide. Though not completely airtight sealed like the Spyder lasers, the TITAN was still a monster at over 15" long with keys attached.
Testing against an UNMARKED Amex card. No marker-spotting was used to accelerate the power of the laser. I just aimed for the front of the card. The green laser spot on the card was so incredibly bright that I had no choice but to wear safety glasses and in order to protect the camera lens, I placed my hand in front of it until the timer had counted down far enough.
Ouch! I turned the laser off before it cut through the card but that was a with and light-blue surface... a specular one too. Quite an impressive start and the diameter of the burn should show tight the beam is near the aperture. Indoor tests showed no visible divergence at all within 50 feet although making this observation was made extremely difficult from the brightness of the dot. The only way for me to view the dot width is against a dark surface and those always started smoking the moment the laser met the surface. Safety glasses were fantastic in cutting down the light though. You do NOT want an accident with this type of laser. This includes specular reflection related disasters. The multiple safety features are justified in my opinion, something I never thought I'd say.
The D-Cell batteries I used for testing were non-commercial Duracell Pro batteries. No visible power fluctuations were visible to the eye during testing. Correctly rated laser safety glasses were worn during this interaction. 'What kind of uses does a laser this powerful offer?,' I wondered. Clearly you could use it to signal ships at sea. It would make an excellent lab laser with the added safety features. I think a laserist would have plenty of use for a self-cooled, high-powered unit... but when my colleagues asked me what on earth I had in mind for a laser like this.. well, I just didn't have an answer. Other than reminding them you could use it to signal ships with.
Leave me with it and I'll get back to you will some thoughts on possible applications. Other than signaling ships in a storm. Or the Mars Rover.
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