just bought 40mw greenie!!!

[Fussy]

havent had it but bought it. How far away will it light cigars from??? Just kidding!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gifany tips? and how does it compare to a 15mW?

 

[lasercrazy]

The dot won't be much brighter but the beam will be a lot more visible.

 

[DaFiend]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gifTip: when you get it, use it on a cycle of 30 seconds on, then 1 minute off. Just to give her some time to cool down between bursts. Some people do a 1 minute on, then 2 minutes off cycle. but i prefer the first method.

 

[lasercrazy]

I never run my lasers for over 15 seconds at a time, no matter what the mw.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

From the page on my website regarding the 50mW SCE green laser, comes this text:

Word from SCE is that this laser should be run for 30 seconds, followed by 1-2 minutes (60-120 seconds) of "off" time to allow it to cool. This represents a 25% to 50% duty cycle, if used in this manner. For very intermittent use like briefly pointing at things, you probably don't have to worry too much about this.
This laser does not have a TE cooler in it, and you don't want to pop the laser diode or crack the KTP or NdYVO4 crystals inside due to excessive heat. That's why there is a duty cycle recommendation on it.

 

[liteglow]

[ QUOTE ]
lasercrazy said:
I never run my lasers for over 15 seconds at a time, no matter what the mw.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this rule only for the GREEN lasers ?!
I got some RED lasers, and i often use them ON for more than one hour /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I have orded a green laser, hope it`s here the next days !

That one is 5mw .. shoud i not use that one more than 30 sec?

The red\green lasers at the discolight stay on and on for days /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif they dont hurt .. (they maybe got a FAN inside?)

thanx...

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I don't think you need a duty cycle (time on and then off for cooling) for red lasers. The laser diode inside those is little more than a glorified LED, consumes 20-40mA of current, and should not overheat.

And if you have a "stock" 5mW green laser pointer, there should not be a duty cycle recommendation on that one either, but you don't want to just leave it on for hours and hours because they already have a limited lifetime of 1,000 to 3,000 hours.

 

[mm85]

Unless you have killer crystals like me, 3 minutes of taking pics on with a rubberband and the 58mw is just gettin' warmed up.

 

[aussielextsy]

how about abelands 20mw stockie do these need duty cycles

 

[Fussy]

i have just ordered a heat sink off ebay for when my 40mw arrives. what do i need to do with it to get it to work ok? do i need thermal grease as i dont want to make a mess on the laser?

also what is a TE cooler is it a heat sink?

 

[The_LED_Museum]

[ QUOTE ]
Fussy said:
also what is a TE cooler is it a heat sink?

[/ QUOTE ]
A TE (thermoelectric) cooler, also known as a peltier cooler, requires a DC input of low voltage (typically +12 volts DC) at relatively high current - typically over 1 amp.
That's why TE coolers aren't used in laser pointers.