Laser power meter

[DaFiend]

Any one seen/used one of these meters?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Looks like a very cheap alternative, too, bad if your laser is over 70mW though. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has had any expirence with these or similar laser check meters.

My coherent laser check was the victim of a five finger discount. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] Grrrrrr.

[PhotonWrangler]

I looked at those stickers on the back of the meter, and they say 1uw to 70uw - that's MICROwatts! So which is correct, the label or the claim?
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif[/img]

[DaFiend]

Hmmmm. True. I didn't have that close a look. ive sent them a question regarding this discrepency. I'll post their reply.(if i get one...)

[DaFiend]

Here is the reply:

This was an early sticker, and erroneously read microwatts because it was prepared by someone else. It is Milliwatts. Will remember to put out new photography in the near future. The pieces being shipped currently have the new stickers. Thank you for your observation, it is appreciated. - Daniel K.

Hmmm.

[The_LED_Museum]

I would have bid on it, but the seller does not accept Paypal. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
I have enough laser equipment here to justify the purchase of a laser power meter, even if only for green lasers.

[DaFiend]

True, no paypal. Thats very suspicious isn't it. Makes it very hard to get your money back if you get ripped off. Bags not being the Guinea Pig. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif[/img]

[mm85]

1-70mw isn't much of a range of power handling if you ever want to really shine.

[Shiftlock]

I highly recommend the Coherent LaserCheck. It's such a convenient little device that I almost never use my bigger power meters. It's perfect for handheld lasers. The best price I could find was $310 from Roth Laser Industries at www.rli.com.

[The_LED_Museum]

I am familiar (at least visually) with this instrument, but won't have that kind of cash until at least mid-2005 (early- to mid-May if I'm not mistaken). [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif[/img]
I'll make it a point though, to purchase one when I'm able.

[TTaz]

I'm planning to buy one (LaserCheck) [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] just asked the french distributor for a quotation... but I'm sceptic for a better price than $310 with the actual 1.3 ratio of the EUR/USD

[abeland1]

$310 is a very good price. I paid a lot more for mine and the dollar was a lot stronger then. Does it come with a calibration certificate as mine did? One thing I wonder about these things though. They must have a battery inside but I can not see any way to open one up. I have checked tens of thousands of pointers with this thing and I would not want to be without it even for a day.

[Enigmahack]

I don't think they actually use batteries - they use the power from the laser to turn THAT into the electrical energy and that's what makes the operation of the device work. Perhaps that's why some of them have a 1mw minimum?

Just speculation, I really have no actual idea [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[TTaz]

$310 is a very good price -> for a company, yes.... for a private individual, it depends of his wage... it's about the third of my monthly wage

"Battery Life: 180,000 measurements at 12 sec/sample"

[DaFiend]

i used to have a coherent, unitil it was the victim of a five finger discount[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]. The one i bought cost $660 Australian, stupid weak Aussie Dollar...... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I don't really have the coin at the moment to go get another coherent, i just thought this may be viable alternative for the meantime, for the price. Even if it can only measure greenies.

[TTaz]

"five finger discount" -> what is this ? can you explain me please.. I don't understand this expression [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

"Power Range: 0.5 µW-1W"
"Wavelength Range: 400-1064 nm"
-> not only greenies.... I find the range pretty wide

[PhotonWrangler]

"Five Finger Discount" and "Midnight Discount" both refer to the same thing - theft! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon8.gif[/img]

[TTaz]

ow... okay.... sorry for your coherent, DaFiend [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif[/img]

[Shiftlock]

Yes, it did come with the Certificate of Calibration, along with a Declaration of Conformity (not sure what that is). In fact, when I placed my order, the LaserCheck was not a stock item for RLI, so they had to order it direct from Coherent before they could ship it to me, so it took a couple of weeks. The very nice woman I spoke to at RLI said that they were receiving quite a few orders for the LaserCheck, and I think they may have started to stock it now.

About the battery, I remember reading somewhere that it's good for something like 30,000 readings, so it will never need replacing for the life of meter. If it ever did die, I bet Coherent would replace it free of charge.

[ QUOTE ]
abeland1 said:
$310 is a very good price. I paid a lot more for mine and the dollar was a lot stronger then. Does it come with a calibration certificate as mine did? One thing I wonder about these things though. They must have a battery inside but I can not see any way to open one up. I have checked tens of thousands of pointers with this thing and I would not want to be without it even for a day.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Spec]

http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/cohlascheck.html to see what the inside looks like, including the battery in question.

I am thinking about making a wall power backup for the unit concidering the battery Isn't exactly easy to replace.

[TTaz]

not 30.000, Coherent says 180,000 readings of 12 sec.

180,000 / 60 = 3000

if you use it every two minutes for two hours every day, the battery will last about 3000 days (8 years)