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Main
Date: 14 Jul 2007 10:53:37
From: Peter Lynch
Subject: How long does a green laser last?
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I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
out of your GLP?
Pete
--
..........................................................................
. never trust a man who, when left alone ...... Pete Lynch .
. in a room with a tea cosy ...... Marlow, England .
. doesn't try it on (Billy Connolly) .....................................
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Date: 19 Jul 2007 10:21:34
From: John Savage
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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Exercise extreme caution before considering even using one of these
pointers! Many of the cheaper brands these days DON'T have any IR filtering
whatsoever, so you end up getting both green and IR light at the output. In
the latter case, this could be harmful to the eyes.
JS
"Peter Lynch" <pete@freyr.local > wrote in message
news:slrnf9hb0r.b3r.pete@freyr.local...
>I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
> then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
> 2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
> Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
> visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
> conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>
> Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
> of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
> out of your GLP?
>
> Pete
>
> --
> ..........................................................................
> . never trust a man who, when left alone ...... Pete Lynch .
> . in a room with a tea cosy ...... Marlow, England .
> . doesn't try it on (Billy Connolly) .....................................
>
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Date: 15 Jul 2007 18:28:06
From: Matthew Ota
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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On Jul 14, 3:53 am, Peter Lynch <p...@freyr.local > wrote:
> I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
> then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
> 2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
> Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
> visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
> conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>
> Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
> of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
> out of your GLP?
>
> Pete
>
> --
> ..........................................................................
> . never trust a man who, when left alone ...... Pete Lynch .
> . in a room with a tea cosy ...... Marlow, England .
> . doesn't try it on (Billy Connolly) .....................................
I bought a green laser from Howie Glatter four years ago and it still
has 14 mW of output
Matthew Ota
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Date: 14 Jul 2007 15:53:44
From: canopus56
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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On Jul 14, 4:53 am, Peter Lynch <p...@freyr.local > wrote:
> I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
> then. . . . Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point
> where it is not visible at night. . . . . would you expect to get more
> that a couple of battery-lifes out of your GLP?
It is possible to kill a GLP. The first model that I owned in 2004, I
would leave in the on position for extended periods of time
(minutes). That prematurely aged the crystal and it dimmed.
Fortunately, I got it replaced on warranty. Now I just use teh GLP in
short bursts. - C
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Date: 14 Jul 2007 15:40:38
From: jgsstars
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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I had a laser that did that once and it just had lint in it from my pocket.
After I removed that it work just fine.
John Shiflett
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Date: 14 Jul 2007 09:17:35
From: Shawn
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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Peter Lynch wrote:
> I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
> then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
> 2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
> Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
> visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
> conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>
> Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
> of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
> out of your GLP?
I had an Orion GLP that faded significantly well out of warranty. Orion
replaced it for the cost of shipping it to them. Give the dealer or
manufacturer a call before tearing into it.
Shawn
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Date: 15 Jul 2007 11:43:39
From: Jim Dubya
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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Don't tear into it unless you know what you are doing! These green lasers
operate at infrared non-visible wavelength and use a frequency doubler to
increase the frequency into the green spectrum. If you remove the doubler
you could be operating the laser in infrared mode where you would not see
the beam and could damage your eyesight. If you don't understand it, don't
mess with it.
"Shawn" <s.currynospam@bresnan.net > wrote in message
news:q_GdnZtoCr2MdAXbnZ2dnUVZ_qyjnZ2d@comcast.com...
> Peter Lynch wrote:
>> I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly
>> since
>> then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
>> 2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
>> Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
>> visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
>> conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>>
>> Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
>> of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
>> out of your GLP?
>
> I had an Orion GLP that faded significantly well out of warranty. Orion
> replaced it for the cost of shipping it to them. Give the dealer or
> manufacturer a call before tearing into it.
>
>
> Shawn
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Date: 15 Jul 2007 19:23:40
From: Peter Lynch
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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Thanks for the feedback guys. My feelings are that the device still pulls
about 150mA, so I don't think the GLP is suffering from a bad battery or
switch connection. It looks like it's just a cheapo laser that has quit
on me. The (online) store I bought it from does not appear to exist anymore.
So far as what to do next goes, I don't think there's much danger from
dismantling it if the batteries are removed (no toxic substances and I'm
well past sticking things in my mouth, if I don't know what they are).
The worst that can happen is I end up with a number of pieces of junk
instead of one larger piece.
Pete
--
..........................................................................
. never trust a man who, when left alone ...... Pete Lynch .
. in a room with a tea cosy ...... Marlow, England .
. doesn't try it on (Billy Connolly) .....................................
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Date: 14 Jul 2007 14:08:39
From: Chris L Peterson
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:53:37 GMT, Peter Lynch <pete@freyr.local > wrote:
>I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
>then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
>2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
>Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
>visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
>conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>
>Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
>of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
>out of your GLP?
Yours has clearly failed prematurely. Used ordinarily as a sky pointer,
a GLP should last many years.
Be careful if you take yours apart. While the majority of green laser
modules incorporate the frequency doubler directly into the primary
cavity, there may be some that do not. In that case, it could be
possible to expose yourself to several hundred milliwatts of invisible
IR laser radiation- enough to do some serious damage.
_________________________________________________
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com
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Date: 14 Jul 2007 08:49:29
From: William Hamblen
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:53:37 GMT, Peter Lynch <pete@freyr.local >
wrote:
>I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
>then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
>2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
>Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
>visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
>conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>
>Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
>of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
>out of your GLP?
Maybe the battery contacts have corroded.
Bud
--
The night is just the shadow of the Earth.
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Date: 14 Jul 2007 13:12:16
From: Davoud
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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Peter Lynch wrote:
> I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
> then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
> 2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
> Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
> visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
> conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>
> Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
> of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
> out of your GLP?
I would look at the switch. I had a GLP that had a very dim beam when
new out of the box. After playing with the switch I found that if I
held it a certain way I got what appeared to be full power. Defective
switch.
The seller replaced my GLP. At 2-1/2 years the seller is not likely to
replace yours. Disassemble carefully. The switch is not very complex
and there is a chance that you can repair it.
Davoud
--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
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Date: 14 Jul 2007 05:06:21
From: thad@thadlabs.com
Subject: Re: How long does a green laser last?
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On Jul 14, 3:53 am, Peter Lynch <p...@freyr.local > wrote:
> I bought a green laser pointer in Feb 2004 and have used it sparingly since
> then. To give an idea of the amount of use, I've only had to change the
> 2 AA batteries (alkaline types) once since getting it.
> Now I find that the light output has dropped to the point where it is not
> visible at night. New batteries make no difference, so I am forced to
> conclude that the laser output has "dried up".
>
> Before I take it apart (possibly permanently) to see if there's any way
> of fixing it, would you expect to get more that a couple of battery-lifes
> out of your GLP?
Yes.
It would help if you reveal where you purchased it and/or the
manufacturer.
These should last at least 2000 hours of usage per the specs
from reputable manufacturers/distributors.
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