50 mw laser pointer

[Peanut]

Hello, can anyone here tell me how you test the output of a laser? Mine says <50mW but I want to see the true value. Thank You

 

[Peanut]

Also, the info that came with the laser says that it should only be turned on for a max of 10 seconds and then allowed to cool for 30 seconds. Is this really critical? If it is, how significantly will it shorten the life of the laser?

 

[luvlasers]

Also, the info that came with the laser says that it should only be turned on for a max of 10 seconds and then allowed to cool for 30 seconds. Is this really critical? If it is, how significantly will it shorten the life of the laser?

Different people will quote you anywhere from 7 seconds to 100 seconds for the duty cycle of a laser pointer. Anything in that range should be safe. I personally go for 60 seconds on and 30 seconds off with my lasaer pointer. Have on the odd ocassion gone way passed that. Happens when you get too excited or involved and forget about duty cycle.

Regardless if your laser is getting hot to touch, stop using it and let it cool down.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I would recommend a duty cycle of 25% (30 seconds on, 60 seconds off) with any high-powered DPSS (blue, green, or yellow) laser.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

 

[stevetexas]

To test the output you really need a meter. The green LED method tells you a little bit, but the result needs to be taken with a whole lot of salt. (it can be WAY off) Also, having it tested with a meter helps determine the IR output as well since a lot of meters test multiple wavelengths.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

If you have access to or know anybody who has access to a spectrometer, you can *EASILY* find out if there is an IR filter in there or not.

Here are two spectrographic charts, showing you what to expect.
The first is with an IR filter, the second is without: