# Cool laser on ebay. Legit?



## Chief117 (Jun 30, 2006)

http://cgi.ebay.com/50-Powerful-Green-Laser-Pointer-PEN-50-Output-532nm-NEW_W0QQitemZ230002612886QQihZ013QQcategoryZ94882QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## Athoul (Jun 30, 2006)

That's interesting, I've never seen this particular model? If it is legit that a very good price for a 50mW laser. Problem is I find on ebay things rated 30/50mW etc are usually about half in actuality. Maybe someone can get one and test it on a meter?


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## abeland1 (Jun 30, 2006)

One more time:

Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Which is all right with us.


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## nero_design (Jun 30, 2006)

And then there's THIS idiot: 
http://cgi.ebay.com/60mW-Green-Lase...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

If anyone feels like reminding him that it's actually illegal, immoral and stupid to point lasers at aircraft, perhaps he'll alter the wording in his ad.

The words


> "...it is capable of touching low Planes in the sky with ease"


 were of particular interest.


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## dr_lava (Jun 30, 2006)

hah. I like how he rated it at an output of >60 and <55 mW. That IS pretty amazing.


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## Chief117 (Jul 1, 2006)

I sent him a message.


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## bootleg2go (Jul 1, 2006)

He has a note on the listing defining the < and > symbols and if you notice and read the listing carefully, all they are promising is a laser with output of less than 50mW...I bet it more like 5 mW....


Jack


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 1, 2006)

Well, if he'll accept a cashier's chech from the bank, I'll take the bate.


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## msnyder (Jul 1, 2006)

Athoul said:


> That's interesting, I've never seen this particular model? If it is legit that a very good price for a 50mW laser. Problem is I find on ebay things rated 30/50mW etc are usually about half in actuality. Maybe someone can get one and test it on a meter?



Plus -- it runs on *one* CR2? How long can that last?
Given the typical efficiency of green DPSS crystals, it
must be pulling 400-500 mW for the IR pump diode.


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## dr_lava (Jul 2, 2006)

bootleg2go said:


> He has a note on the listing defining the < and > symbols and if you notice and read the listing carefully, all they are promising is a laser with output of less than 50mW...I bet it more like 5 mW....
> Jack




He has edited the listing to add those and remove the >60 <50 ratings. Someone must have told him, or he in on these forums.


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## Chief117 (Jul 2, 2006)

I sent him a message about the "low flying planes" thing, thats it though.


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## nemul (Jul 2, 2006)

i also posted about this (see closed thread) and was wondering if there legit....


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 3, 2006)

I just purchased one of the lasers - for CPF sakes of course. 

I'll check it for visible stability & power output, and I have all those CR2 cells I bought for my blue laser, so keeping it fed will not be a problem.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 10, 2006)

Hey Craig,
Have you gotten the laser yet? I'm really curious as to whether it will stand up to your rigorous testing.


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## Athoul (Jul 10, 2006)

Hey great to hear, I like how compact it is but am worried that it's operation time might be on the short side with only one battery. Though I guess it can't be as short as the green keychain laser!


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 10, 2006)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Hey Craig,
> Have you gotten the laser yet? I'm really curious as to whether it will stand up to your rigorous testing.


I haven't received the laser yet, but I'll post in this thread the moment I do receive it and begin my evaluation of it immediately after if at all possible.


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 10, 2006)

I have one of those novop**** laser which also run on 1 cr123 battery and I would say it lasts longer then my 40mW wit 2 lithium batterys.So I wouldnt worry about battery life.=)









Athoul said:


> Hey great to hear, I like how compact it is but am worried that it's operation time might be on the short side with only one battery. Though I guess it can't be as short as the green keychain laser!


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## nemul (Jul 11, 2006)

The_LED_Museum said:


> I just purchased one of the lasers - for CPF sakes of course.
> 
> I'll check it for visible stability & power output, and I have all those CR2 cells I bought for my blue laser, so keeping it fed will not be a problem.




you rock!


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## Athoul (Jul 11, 2006)

Isn't the novophone 5mW though? As such it would have less current draw then a 50mW laser(unless we have some superjuice crystals in that 50mW!).

Anyway it actually shouldn't be too bad, considering a cr123A battery has around 1300mah, you should get at least an hour or so out of it.


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 18, 2006)

Hey LED museum did this laser come in yet?


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 18, 2006)

It hasn't arrived yet; you'll know when it does.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 19, 2006)

The laser just arrived.
It measures *52.605mW* on a laser power meter specifically intended for that purpose. :thumbsup:


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## nemul (Jul 19, 2006)

The_LED_Museum said:


> The laser just arrived.
> It measures *52.605mW* on a laser power meter specifically intended for that purpose. :thumbsup:



OMG! really.... 50mW for $99


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 19, 2006)

I just now measured *54,387µW (54.387mW)* of green laser radiation on the same instrument.   :twothumbs:


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 19, 2006)

Yay it's legit.Thats my next laser to buy.Hey LED MUSEUM did you figure out if you can pot mod it or some how mod it yet? Im really interested in this unit.THANKS!!!


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 19, 2006)

I just now found that the bezel can be unscrewed & removed; this exposes a brass tube that can also be unscrewed & removed that exposes the PCB with the pot on it!!! :thumbsup:







Check it out...a pot mod that may be possible to perform with no tools other than the screwdriver necessary to turn the pot.
O, and the laser functioned properly when reassembled!!!


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 19, 2006)

OMG!!! dude let me know if this pot mod works and let me know the results after the mod.Because if it ends up at least 65-70mW's IM BUYING ONE!!! O and one last thing can you post up a video or something.Like popping a balloon? I wanna see the power.THANKS!!!


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 20, 2006)

Hey LED MUSEUM I know this is off-topic but have you ever done a review of the CNI PGL-IIIA? Just wondering  im in the GB here.


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## kakcoo (Jul 20, 2006)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Powerful-Green-...7592864QQihZ013QQcategoryZ14954QQcmdZViewItem

Same seller. What a strange laser. Says it's 40 mw green power.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 20, 2006)

Dj_sTyLz808 said:


> Hey LED MUSEUM I know this is off-topic but have you ever done a review of the CNI PGL-IIIA? Just wondering  im in the GB here.


I'm also in the GB here; I purchased this laser specifically for evaluation purposes. :thumbsup:
So no, not yet. But soon. :twothumbs:


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## Athoul (Jul 20, 2006)

Just out of curiosity does the laser remain above 50mW for say 20-30 seconds?


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## dr_lava (Jul 20, 2006)

What is the current draw, LED? and I agree with athoul, you can't just say the laser 'measured' 50mW without giving measurement duration and a stability assesment.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 20, 2006)

Current draw was measured at 361mA.
After 40 seconds, power output measures 52.83mW.


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## dr_lava (Jul 20, 2006)

So does this laser contain a 9mm IR laser can? If so, then I'll officially call it 'not a scam'. If it's a 5.6mm can, it's still an overdriven 'leadlight' type.


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## Corona (Jul 20, 2006)

Hmmm - the seller's EBay store is closed now. Wasn't sure if it was ever there, but I'd be a little careful...

He really should NOT be selling this as a "pointer" at all. If it is sold as a "module" or "source" (with suitable beam shutter etc.) then he'd be under the radar.

Is there any lockout, beam emission indicator, or shutter on this thing? I really like the meaty heat management - though the choice of power source kinda sucks. 

Looks like it's big enough for a 9mm diode, but I'd bet its a 5.6mm based on the price.

It would make a good basis for lots of things, that's for sure.


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 20, 2006)

Hey LED MUSEUM so did the pot mod help?


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 20, 2006)

Dj_sTyLz808 said:


> Hey LED MUSEUM so did the pot mod help?


I didn't do the pot mod on it yet.
I need to get a source of +3 volts and some wires so I can do the modification in real-time. Don't want to screw up ya know.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 20, 2006)

dr_lava said:


> So does this laser contain a 9mm IR laser can? If so, then I'll officially call it 'not a scam'. If it's a 5.6mm can, it's still an overdriven 'leadlight' type.


Judging solely by what I can see in there and by the diode lead spacing, I'd say there's a 5.6mm can in there..


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 20, 2006)

O ok well keep us updated.THANKS!


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## Corona (Jul 20, 2006)

I'm not so sure that "overdriven" is necessarily the case. Assume the LD is capable of 250mW, the crystal set conversion only needs to be 20% to achieve 50mW output. A decent Nd:YVO4 / KTP crystal set can be over 35% efficient (which explains those rouge >75mW Leadlights). 

That's assuming ~60% on both the Nd:YVO4 and KTP... 0.6 * 0.6 = 0.36

Regardless, the larger heatsink can only make this thing better off than any pointer (except for portability).


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 20, 2006)

Corona said:


> ...Is there any lockout, beam emission indicator, or shutter on this thing?...


There is no interlock, beam delay, beam shutter, emission indicator, or key switch normally required on CDRH Class IIIb devices.


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## dr_lava (Jul 20, 2006)

It's looking to be a decent laser, no doubt, but it's still overdriven because the typical rating for 5.6mm diodes is 300mA (at controlled 25C case temperature) and the maximum possible (but not reccommended for long term use) current is 350mA (still at 25C). After a while, the case temp in this setup, even if heatsunk well, is 30-35C, which means the drive current should be derated further. 

If anyone would like to post a datasheet for a 5.6mm packaged diode with higher specs, be my guest, but I have never seen one.


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## That_Guy (Jul 21, 2006)

361mA current consumption is very impressive. I was expecting it to use a 1W diode to allow them to get away with using inefficient crystals. Looks like the diode power is around 350mW, so the crystals are rather efficient at around 15%, similar to the 75mW "Pheonix" sold by Wicked Lasers. The large case combined with the relatively low power IR diode should make it pretty stable and maybe even capable of continuous operation if the heat sink is properly coupled to the diode with thermal compound.

When you consider that it costs the same as a 15mW Wicked Laser this looks like a real winner! I just hope that the diode isn't being overdriven as suggested by dr_lava. If it uses an under driven 500mW diode we could be looking at a very stable, long life laser capable of continuous operation.


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## dr_lava (Jul 21, 2006)

I expect that we'll get the full report from the LED museum before long. It should include ruggedness tests, LD size, beam stability, beam divergence, IR FILTRATION, estimated battery life, and thermal observations. Maybe even a toilet encounter.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 21, 2006)

dr_lava said:


> I expect that we'll get the full report from the LED museum before long. It should include ruggedness tests, LD size, beam stability, beam divergence, IR FILTRATION, estimated battery life, and thermal observations. Maybe even a toilet encounter.


I do not perform the more abusive tests on lasers or products which contain lasers...same with "The Toliet Test". I did suction the product though, and it exhibited a significant air leak, so it is not submersible.

I am not equipped to measure beam divergence, so that test will have to be up to somebody who has sufficient free air space (accurately measured).

As for IR filtration, there is little or none.







As this spectrographic analysis shows, there is considerable emission at 808nm from the pump diode; more so than the 532nm laser line these are intended to produce..


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## That_Guy (Jul 21, 2006)

Yikes! That's nasty. Looks to be about 100mW of IR, very dangerous! Have you checked weather the IR is collimated, or if it fans out (making it harmless beyond a few inches from the aperture). What’s worse is most 532nm laser goggles don't protect against IR, giving users a false sense of security. I guess this helps explain why it is so cheap, should make the burning crowd happy though.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 21, 2006)

I just shot two photographs with my digital camera at maximum resolution and maximum zoom specifically to look for IR (at these wavelengths, it should show up as a yellowish-white), and did not see it in the photographs, so it must be collimated and therefore piggybacking itself on the green beam.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 22, 2006)

With the IR filter from my blue DPSS laser over the output aperture of this laser, I obtained a reading of 13.305mW.


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## Handlobraesing (Jul 22, 2006)

To answer your question, no it is not. It is against the law to smuggle in >5mW laser for entertainment purpose by those not approved to own them.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 22, 2006)

Just 13mW? Does this mean that the laser's green output is more like that of a 10-15mW laser? It sounds like a lot of energy is being wasted as IR.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 22, 2006)

Let me go measure that again just to be certain...as my former housemate said "Just to be sure it's Westinghouse:...*25.605mW* this time, using the IR filter from my blue DPSS laser. With the IR filter not in place (this laser in its feral state), it measures *54.387mW*.


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## nemul (Jul 22, 2006)

The_LED_Museum said:


> Let me go measure that again just to be certain...as my former housemate said "Just to be sure it's Westinghouse:...*25.605mW* this time, using the IR filter from my blue DPSS laser. With the IR filter not in place (this laser in its feral state), it measures *54.387mW*.



does the output look the same with and without the IR filter?


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 22, 2006)

I just now tested this, and yes, the output looks visually similar both with & without the IR filter.


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## nemul (Jul 22, 2006)

The_LED_Museum said:


> I just now tested this, and yes, the output looks visually similar both with & without the IR filter.



so it's safe to say this is more like a <25mW?


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 22, 2006)

nemul said:


> so it's safe to say this is more like a <25mW?


~25mW or less of green radiation, yes.
But remember, at least 30mW of NIR radiation at 808nm and 1,064nm are piggybacked onto the visible beam.


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## Corona (Jul 24, 2006)

dr_lava said:


> It's looking to be a decent laser, no doubt, but it's still overdriven because the typical rating for 5.6mm diodes is 300mA (at controlled 25C case temperature) and the maximum possible (but not reccommended for long term use) current is 350mA (still at 25C). After a while, the case temp in this setup, even if heatsunk well, is 30-35C, which means the drive current should be derated further.
> 
> If anyone would like to post a datasheet for a 5.6mm packaged diode with higher specs, be my guest, but I have never seen one.



Whoops - I missed the current consumption measurement - my bad. 

The lack of IR filtering (or the horribly ineffective filtering) on this thing is nasty - this laser is junk and even worse - dangerous junk. I wouldn't own one and sure wouldn't use it without wide spectrum goggles. 

Bummer


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 24, 2006)

I'm also finding the power button on the tailcap to be a real PWPOSMF - I'm having a terrible time getting the unit to come on at all. :shakehead:


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 25, 2006)

Still no pot mod? =)


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 26, 2006)

Hey LED MUSEUM do you know if this is the same laser?

http://cgi.ebay.com/POWERFUL-Astronomy-Green-Laser-Pointer-Pen-50mw-532nm_W0QQitemZ160012007683QQihZ006QQcategoryZ14954QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 26, 2006)

It certainly *LOOKS* the same, but I'd have no way of actually *VERIFYING* it's the same without purchasing one...and money's a bit low now (since purchasing that 100mW blue DPSS laser), so I cannot offer any real confirmation here...sorry about that. :shakehead:


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## Dj_sTyLz808 (Jul 26, 2006)

Ha no problem  thanks for checking it out for me.


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