Just sent you a message and want to join the chorus of folks appreciative of your efforts and sharing of knowledge. You've saved me a bunch of experimentation myself as many times when I got in the "OK so what will XXXXXXX" and if I search your videos, more often than not, I find the answer! I have a 80w black and red machine I bought from RedSail, and as you've noted many times the support from China post sale is... at best... abysmal. You're work has turned into an invaluable resource for learning how to run these machines with MUCH more knowledge than I would have possibly managed to do myself without destroying my tube in the process... so again, thank you! :)
Russ, Best and most informative laser videos on CZcams! I’d love to know more about obtaining a DoHicky. I am questioning my tube’s performance. Thanks again. Bruce Dot X-ray Charlie Alpha Lima at that famous G company that we all know and love.
Well I'm just going to have to have one of those also. I can't believe how much you've helped us all understand and tune our systems for max output. You're an incredible teacher! I wish I had you back in High School shop class...
+cdenyb Hi Thanks for your appreciation. I have two main loves (after my wife of course!), engineering and video. Learning to use tame this little Chinese Dragon seemed like an ideal subject for video hobby. As I have said on every one of my videos, I'm no expert, I'm not a teacher, I'm just an old guy having the most fun ever and you get to look over my shoulder courtesy of my hobby. It's been a great 8 month journey so far and if fate had dealt me a better hand and I had bought a perfect machine to start with, there would be only a few boring videos and I would not have been pushed to explore the corners of this technology. I will gladly add you to the doHICky list, just message me privately with you email details. Best regards Russ
well Russ. I've received and used my doHICky and I have to tell you, it's an eye-opener device! Thank you again for all your help in bringing us up to your level of understanding.
Hey Russ. Just want to say that I love all the great laser vids you've posted and are an inspiration. I have a laser cutter but I'm so busy with other domestic projects that I struggle to make the time so your videos help fill the void. Please keep up the great work and especially your build projects and calibration
+Mohammed Ali Hi Mohammed. Thanks for your appreciation but really try to get just a LITTLE fun time with this great techno toy. I'm having the most fun ever.... but then again I am 80% retired and no mortgage or family to support. Best wishes Russ
Thanks Russ. BTW, Bula is Fijian for Greetings. I will be buying my machine direct from the manufacturer, and it will be a $3K-4K machine, so hopefully I will have a few less issues. By watching your series I have been able to over specify the machine to get exactly what I want. I am paying more, but will hopefully have fewer problems. While shipping from China to the UK is expensive, it is almost double to Fiji because the volume is so low. Also a lot of the stuff you can find at shops there in the UK, I have to import. So I need my machine to be almost perfect when I get it. Cheers, Kim
Russ, you are absolutely brilliant at explaining the calorimeter - comparator to measure the laser output. I am not going to order one of your DoHICky's, as I have OPHIR power meter. I wish you lot of success with your metal lollipop. You are quite productive in covering your learning curve with the laser, I just found out your channel and I LOVE it! otto
I am deeply into 3D printing and last year I thought I will add laser cutter to my workshop. So I made A3 size laser machine with 6W LD and I realised it's limitations. I want to cut 6mm ply and perspex. I decided to go for CO2 laser. So I got K40, sold as faulty for spares, and thought I will have it sorted in a couple of days. Two months later I am still at it, getting there... I wonder, if you would meet for a drink, as you mentioned living somewhere in North London, which makes us almost neighbours. best regards otto
Hi Russ, Happy New Year. Hope all is well. Just upgraded from a diode to CO2 laser and your material is awesome. Would love to invest in a DoHICky, if possible. I note you have listed a feedback form for the K40 project - so happy to use that to submit details. Cheers Mate Gunno
After watching this video I started poking around the Internet looking at power meters. I see that Russ is using a Macken analog meter. Macken lists this probe at $339. Not a cheap item. Very nice design on the dohicky by the way.I happened to run across an auction on eBay for a Macken DM5 digital meter with two 20-100 watt probes. Macken lists the digital meter at $480 and the probes at $252 each. I managed to pick up the meter and the two probes for $190. At that price I couldn't pass it up. I was excited to get home and test it out. I recently installed an ammeter to make sure I wasn't overdriving my tube. I've been concerned from day 1 after watching these videos and hadn't ever run it at more than 70% power. After installing the ammeter I was pleased to find that at 100% power I was reading just over 21.5 ma. The tube in my machine is an EFR 1200CL. The manufacturer lists the tube as a 60 watt nominal power tube with 70 watts max and a current rating of 22ma. So at 100% I was driving the tube just under the rated current. With this meter having come with two probes I was able to test one probe against the other. I was quite happy to find that I am getting a measurement of 71.8 watts with one probe and 71.7 watts with the other probe. That was at the entrance to the third mirror. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the laser machine, the tube, and the meter.
Hi Travis A real good buy for a digital system. Is the reading instant? You are now all instrumented up, safe and able to sort out any power loss issues. You will find you don't use it much, maybe once a week at the workface just as a health check. Russ
I didn't figure I'd use it much but also figured it would be nice to have. At that price I couldn't pass it up. It is not an instant reading instrument. It works very much on the same principle as their analog meter. It's a lollipop of aluminum that is heated over the course of a specific time period. In the case of my probe it's 20 seconds. On the higher wattage probes it is selectable. According to their literature it's somewhat smarter than just a digital thermometer on their analog probe. In practice that seems to be exactly what it is. I'd be happy to send you the 3 page manual the company emailed me today. I think the main advantage is the resolution that can be read. It reads to .1 watts. I also found that I made an error in my earlier test. Their is a calibration sticker on each probe. One is 18.9 and the other is 18.5. I believe I'm supposed to use that exposure time as opposed to 20 seconds to get an accurate reading. Still was happy to see the output of my tube is obviously very close to what it's supposed to be and that the two probes had fairly consistent readings. You can take a look at them at www.macken.com.
Hi Travis Yes their sticker is the number to work with. The probes would have originally been supplied with their own calibration certificate, it's not a chart , just a piece of official paper that restates the sticker number. The new numbers will reduce your readings by 3 or 4 watts at most. I had to think twice when I bought my probe but it has been worth it. With my analogue probe, when the meter has been exposed I have to wait for the thermal lag to register the highest reading on the gauge. This could be a 15 or 20 second wait to see the result. The K type thermocouple in the doHICky reads instantly the exposure has finished. That is the question I was asking, do you get an instant reading after exposure or do you have to wait? Best regards Russ
I understand now. You do have to wait. The meter decides how long. After the exposure the value continues to rise until the meter beeps and says "final" at which point it locks the reading. I'm guessing it's just waiting for it to peak.
As of July 9, 2018, the ability to send, receive, or read private messages in Creator Studio is no longer available. We made this change because this feature was not widely used, and will allow us to focus on the features and tools that matter most to you. All private messages have therefore been deleted from Creator Studio and anywhere else on CZcams.
Great info as usual Russ. Do you still do the doHICky? Wouldn't mind getting one along with the head mounting brackets for the chinese machine you developed? Thanks Andy
Well done Russ. I'm sure the Dohicky will be popular. Keep me posted on your progress of the Thingamajig and the Wattsit. In the mean time, I'd love to see some cutting action. I kind of feel a little demanding of you Russ, but remember one thing, you started it! Keep up the good work.
+Phillip Barnes Hi Phill I noticed I had a dragging beam problem with 15mm acrylic I was cutting recently. I think this beam drag issue is not uncommon and will be the subject of a near future video. Thanks for your support Russ
Love the vids, keep them coming. I just got my laser the other day, can't wait to start using it. Anyway, I just bought a Mahoney power probe from Bell Laser. I got the 0-200 for $105 and $7 shipping, they also sell a 0-100 for $95. Pass it on to your viewers if they are looking to pick one of these power probes up.
+Anthony Triemert Hi Anthony I think most US viewers are aware of Bell Laser as a source for these Mahoney devices. Although they come from China, we in Europe and maybe other continents have no access to them. They are not available on Ebay or other sites that I could find whilst hunting 6 months ago.If Bell would ship to UK the price will have doubled with shipping, import tax and vat. They maybe cheap to you....we can only look in and envy. Thanks for your appreciation, I'm sure you'll get hours of fun from your machine. Best regards Russ
+Anthony Triemert I am curious about your purchase with Bell Laser. I have been trying to contact them for 3 days and can not get a reply by phone or email. I have read on several forums that they are a scam actually from China. Did you get the meter? Were you able to actually talk with anyone on email or phone? Thanks Kerry
+Kerry Carlson I did not talk with anyone, but I did not try either. I just placed my order and used PayPal to pay and waited for it to arrive. It did come from China, it took about two weeks but arrived safe and sound.
Hi Russ - I have taken the time to binge watch all of your videos while I wait for my Chinese laser to arrive. I very much appreciate your lust for learning why things do and do not work and am a big fan of your methodologies and your ability to diagnose real world problems "on your feet". If y ou have any DoHICkys left I would very much like to purchase one
Hi Dave Thanks for the kind words. Yes I still have dohickys available. Just go to the You Tube private messaging system andlet me have your email address and I will send you a data pack. Best regards Russ
Hi Russ, just me, again. 1. if you like to sell such devices you should definatly sell them with the electronic thermometer unit, as usually they are not calibrated and different brands (especially the cheaper chinese devices) will give you different numbers on different sensor devices. 2. instead of a calibration chart you should calibrate the system by deliver a specific measurement time to have a 1 to 1 relation from Watt to C . This would make things so much easier then. 3. the elektronic thermometer devices could be bought having a zero offset calibration. With such a unit and the right calibration time the system could be much easier to use. best regards, Walter
+pyrofilm Hi Walter As always , excellent comments. However there are good reasons for not producing a complete instrument. There maybe copyright issues involved that I wish to steer well clear of.. As I mentioned to Dwayne above, this is not intended to be an accurate scientific instrument but something that emulates the principle and gives between 5 to 10%. accuracy. If you have a 100 watt machine and are seeking to reduce 3 or 4 watt losses between mirrors is .3 or .4 of a watt inaccuracy an issue? The K type thermocouple is being used as a comparator here also to measure temperature difference, so it matters little that the absolute values displayed on the meter may be a few degrees off but the difference will remain reasonably constant. Yes, if you had a fancy meter that would zero and you had time to experiment with each one to get the scaling correct, you could indeed set 1 degree =1 watt. That's exactly what Macken do with their meter. It says 20 seconds on the dial but the calibration certificate states 20.2 seconds. The important principle here is that you have a lump of metal with a calibration characteristic. There will be lots of clever electronics guys (I'm not one of those) who will be able and enjoy building their own meter to convert the data into watts display. There will equally be housewives and hobbyists with no specialist knowledge that want the simplicity of the solution I'm proposing. Many thanks for your input and best regards Russ
Hello Russ! Congratulations on creating a video series that has captured my interest like none other! Like so many others I have recently started down this long road and would love to purchase a Dohicky. I will happily provide my email upon confirmation of availability. Thanks!
Hi Cullen Yes, even after all this time I still have a slow steady demand that means I have to make new batches occasionally. Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment/email address from public view. Best wishes Russ
Thank you for sharing all of your hard work, I would like to purchase one of your devices but can't find the new message system. Are you set up to receive messages with the new system? Thanks, Scott
+Sunrise Tactical Gear Hi Scot If you double click the blue square beside Sarbar Multimedia it should open a new window with tabs. Select the ABOUT tab and another window opens. Top right there is a message button. That should do it. I generally try to discourage people publishing email addresses on public viewing places, hence the private message request. Sure, there a few left in my batch, but I have to express surprise at how quickly they have been requested. Thanks for your appreciation Best regards Russ
Hi Russ, If still available I would like to order a doHICKy. The first part is rhinevisser Add an at symbol and then hotmail followed by a dot and a com. Thanks
Hi Russ, regarding your answer: I see no difference in supplying a sheet of paper with a relation table or (in my opinion much better) supply the information of the right time (for the device you sell) to have a 1 to 1 relation between W and C. best regards, Walter
+pyrofilm Hi Walter I just love your input......dont stop!! Your point is well made with one small problem as the design currently exists. For people in hot climates (one guy in Australia was working in a 35C workshop. Unimaginable to us in Europe but he was well used to it. That would mean the current block mass would reach about 110C at it's top specified value of 100 watts and that's with the current temperature to watts ratio of about 0.7 deg C/watt. What are my choices to achieve a 1:1 ratio? 1)I could increase the exposure time by about 30%. That would drive the top temperature even higher to say 140C for the 100 watt guy in Australia. Logically this is no problem for the block or the thermocouple (there's no glue in here to worry about ), I just find this intuitively too high a temperature. 2)I could increase the time by about 30% and limit the chart to 70watts 3)I could increase the mass of the block by about 30% and rework all the calibrations This last option is the only sensible one to try and achieve your goal. I do accept that after subtracting the ambient temperature, for that temperature difference to also be the number of watts is very convenient. I am shortly about to embark on cutting metal so I will increase the mass and see if I can find that magic time when I calibrate them Thanks again for your very constructive input Best regards Russ.
Great job with idea and explanation. I have one doubt: why you don't try insulate back and sides of aluminum block? This will act as "reduce leak hole in the bottle" in your explanation, so should effect in more accurate reading. Too hard to avoid / remove moisture? Maybe removable, foam insulating cap will do the job?
+bialy100k When I first received my expensive Macken power meter, my thoughts were much like your own. I tried experimenting with it using a foam jacket on the 5 non irradiated sides It was increasing readings by half to one watt. However, there was the immediate inconvenience of having to take the jacket off every time I wanted to water cool it back to room temperature and secondly I quickly realised that I was messing with the calibration data that was supplied with the instrument. Over time I established just how and why this instrument works. It matters not at all how efficient it is at absorbing IR energy or how much of that energy leaks away. As my video tries to explain, it's key to start each test from room temperature , whether that be 5C or 35C because the heat loss from the block is directly related to the temperature DIFFERENCE, not the actual temperature. The mass and absorption characteristics of the aluminium block remain constants, the heat loss characteristic, although complex to analyse, remains a constant and the exposure time remains constant If you keep the IR power constant as well and keep running tests you will finish with exactly the same temperature rise in the block each time. If you now change the IR power level, the temperature rise in the block will increase also.....but maybe not proportionately. That doesn't matter because IT WILL ALWAYS BE THE SAME. Constant conditions give constant results. Many people have tried copying this device because its mechanically simple to replicate. Despite being expensive it has two significant design weaknesses. Firstly the aluminium block is fixed to the thermometer with epoxy, so if you get the block too hot it will break down the glue and fall off, Secondly the thermometer is a mechanical mechanism, that makes it delicate and possesses significant thermal lag. Even when you understand the way in which this device works you are faced with what I like to describe as "a piece of string problem" If I give you a piece of string of random length, is it of any use for measuring distance? Obviously, no. Ah, but I have a tape measure. If I let you CALIBRATE your piece of string by transferring FACTS from my tape measure onto your piece of string, you now have a secondary standard piece of measuring kit. Anyone making their own power meter is effectively creating a random length of string. It may sound a crude analogy but my doHICky is effectively a piece of string with fairly accurately positioned knots in it. It is not intended to be a laboratory standard device but a means by which you can asses your machine's performance and do important checks like power losses between mirrors or through lenses. I have now consigned my expensive and delicate power meter to a safe drawer and regularly use my more rugged "lollipop" Best regards Russ
Hello I live in Preston uk and would really like one of your dohickey things. I used to deride the yanks for the various accents saying dohickey, Texas for example. Now I'm buying one! Mike
Hi Mike I know I have used an Americanism with the name but all the English descriptions of something you don't know the name for, seemed too long or clumsy. About 90% of my correspondence is from the USA so it felt like the best choice. Anyway. yes I still have stock so if you like to add your disguised email address to another comment I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment. Best wishes Russ
Russ, I would love to purchase one of your dohickies. How can we make that happen? Love your channel. Your instruction will be a blessing to many for decades.
Hi Chad Just add your disguised email to another comment and I will send you a datapack and a paypal request for £30 which includes postage. I will also delete your comment/email address Best wishes Russ
+2020tesla Hi Dwane I know I replied to you earlier but the answer isn't posted....strange. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I could have made it cup shaped but that would have made the machining more difficult and the mass more difficult to control. The shot blasted finish may have reduced the incidence issue in an easier manner by presenting lots of angled faces.However, provided the beam is reasonably normal to the absorbing face it seems to be very repeatable. The other thing to bear in mind with this device, I'm not trying to produce an accurate scientific instrument, this is more a piece of string with knots in it. If that was good enough to get Christopher Columbus across the pond then it will be good enough for our little machine problems. Seriously though, I know from experimentation and calculations that there's probably less than 5% error up to 100 watts. I'm claiming no accuracy figures because I'm relating it to the the accuracy of the Macken meter. Best regards Russ
+SarbarMultimedia please advise when the dohicky lolly pop is available, you may e mail me at Dart19@aol.com btw enjoy your videos greatly tom davidson
Got my doHICky awhile back, and laser finally here ready to run some initial tests. Curious what your thoughts are on the deep hole for the grub screw withholding varying amounts of water per test. Seems like a small piece of electrical tape to block water from entering would work well. But that is not the same setup you've used to create the tables and such. Thinking about doing some experiments of my own, but wondering if you've thought or tested this issue much yourself yet.
I do advise in the accompanying video that you put a glob of silicone bath sealent in the hole when you have fixed the thermocouple in place. Best wishes Russ
Dear Russ, long time listener, first time caller. I would love to purchase a doHICky. Do you still have them available? If so, I can add my email to a subsequent comment when you're ready. Thanks for all the fine, fine education you provide!
Hi Micheal Thanks for the kind words. Sadly CZcams does not allow email adresses and although we are smarter than their algorithms and it is possible to hide adresses in sentences , it will be easier to use this private contact form forms.zohopublic.eu/ndeavorlimited/form/K40XtreeemLaserCutterContactRussSadler/formperma/k2Cn0QN5ChpazfTMAUw25lZ-FKpjZa96TQWHjv3ntOg Best wishes Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia I have contacted you via the link. Thank you! And to anyone reading this wondering if Russ's content is worth investing your eyeballs: yes. Watch everything he puts out, young Jedi.
Russ, wish to purchase the Chinese power meter described in lab 53. If the ordering period has lapsed let me know and I'll order from resources listed in lab 53. Thanks, ron
Hi Russ, firstly I’d like to say thank you so much for all your advice you have given throughout your videos, they are amazing, actually you are. Just wish I lived next door to you haha. I’m having big problems with my laser machine at the moment and am trying to figure what’s wrong with it. If you are producing more of your DoHICky’s is it possible I could purchase a probe and the files from you please? ☺️
Hi I am happy to send you a Dohicky data pack but you will need to send me your disguised email address in another comment/ I will then delete that comment. Best wishes Russ
+Ron R Hi Ron This is designed to work with CO2 lasers emitting at 10.6 micron wavelength.I'm just in the process of making a batch and I have modified my original design slightly so that it will work for lasers up to 150 watts. If your ambient is 5 or 35 it doesn't matter because the whole principle is based on temperature differences not actual temperature Regards Russ
This device was designed for use at 10.6micron wavelength where the conversion of light energy to heat is virtually 100% . I do not have experience of your 0.45 micron wavelength but the physics says absorption at that wavelength is about 70%. So yes it will work but not give accurate results. Best wishes Russ
Hey Russ! I recently bought a used Blue and White 50w from someone and they included the dohickey! Can I pay you for the files that you usually include with it? They didn't give me those.
Hi Russ, I've been watching some videos from your channel by subject, I found them so informative that I started to watch them all in order. I came to episode 53 to find that measuring instrument is made by you :) the doHICky!!! Is it still available? Can I buy one? The price remains the same (30GBP)?
Hi Andre Yes I am still selling them as new people such as yourself discover it so demand is a gentle trickle. Add your disguised email address (johndotsmithatgeeeeemaildot com) and I will send a data pack. I will also delete your comment. Best wishes Russ
Russ, understanding your feelings on proprietary ownership I will ask if there are any current incumbency to the free status of the videos and intellectual property rights? If not. I would ask if you'd be willing to acceptable assuming those rights and marketing the series for profit. There are reasons of respect for your experience and development of the videos as well as some boring personal financial needs forcing the question. Thank you, ron
These videos are great, thanks for doing them. How did you determine the calibration chart? was it done my camparing to your commercial meter? Is there any way I can develop my own chart?
Hi Ron You are correct. I bought the Macken meter to check my machine because I had failed to find a way to do it on the cheap for myself . Once I had the meter I was able to calibrate my machine. I then spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how it worked. I could never make one for myself without having a calibrated power source. Having spent my money I then had a seconadary standard power source (my machine) that allowed me to design and calibrate the dohicky. . It has been designed to cover a much wider range than standard kit but it is not claimed to be a scientific instrument but something that is pretty repeatable but not absolute . Even my Macken meter only claims to be accurate within +/- 5%. Many have tried to follow your dream and many have failed because how hard can it be to stick a block of aluminium to a meat thermometer?? Not hard at all. It's a bit like cutting a piece of string from a ball to use as a measuring stick. What does it measure? units of string!! there is no relating that length of string to absolute without a secondary standard (tape measure) to define its length is usable units. Hope this helps answer your question Best regards Russ
Thank you for that quick reply. You are right if one wants to make a measurement in absolute terms. But for use to see if we make improvements to our laser we don't need to know an absolute power value. If I made an instrument like your dohikey and simply use it to make before and after tests of things like mirror adjustment, then just noting if the temperature is higher is all we need. I only need to see if I made improvement with my adjustment, knowing a watt number is nice, but not necessary.
Hi Ron Again you are perfectly correct. The problem I had was trying to find something anodized, cheap and uniform that anyone could buy. I f I could have found such an item then I could have devised a calibration chart for it and just given that away and let folks fend for themselves. No such item available. The biggest costs of making something are the machining, the anodizing in particular, and the postage. If you buy something like this and expose it long enough to rise by about 30 C above ambient you should have something that repeats within a degree C. Maybe your local Maplin or electronics store will have something similar. www.ebay.com/itm/1PC-30-17mm-Black-Anodized-Machined-Solid-Aluminum-DVD-Potentiometer-Volume-Knob/321441068287?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3De4bb60b42e9e4336b9643deea5cd5513%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D321441068287 Regards Russ
Russ, I absolutely love watching your videos. So much so that I have gone and bought a small laser cutter myself. I would love to buy a doHICky from you if those are still available. I realize that much time has past and I may have missed the boat, but I hope that is not the case.Please let me know how I can get one if I still can. Thanks, John Barrow
Hi John The dohicky has been very well received and I keep making new batches because demand has been pretty constant over 3 years. I am now coming to the close of batch 4 but still have a few left. I need your email address to send you a data pack and Pay Pal request. So add a new comment that will be auto copied to my gmail and I will respond and quickly delete your comment/email from public view. Best wishes Russ
Hi Russ.... very impressive your work!!!! Your dedication and perseverance has not limit! I’m very interested to take your offer buying one of the aluminum pieces to measure temperature. I have a laser machine but I have doubts about the power. I purchased an 80 Watts CO2 tube…. Not sure if this it is correct. I’ll verify it with your method . Please, send me by mail you information to pay you by PayPal. Thanks!
Hey Russ, thanks for all the great videos. We're in the process of importing a machine and these have been a tremendous source of well presented information. You've got a great style of teaching. Are the doHICky devices still available? I saw on another forum that you were recommending people leave their emails in a comment and you'd get back to them quickly, and remove their email so it wasn't sitting in public view for long. If you go to YT's help and search for 'send and receive messages', it will indeed say they've removed that feature, but it will also describe how you can add an email address on your 'About' page which people can read after they pass a bot check. It might only work for people who have an account, not sure, but that would be required to leave a comment too. Then there would be no need for anyone to post their email publicly. Anyways, if you could check my channel's 'About' page and e-mail me the details on how to go about payment, I'd appreciate it! Thanks for everything!
Hi Yes I am still selling them but currently stock is zero. However I am manufacturing a new batch. So send me your disguised email address in another comment and I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment. Best wishes Russ
Hello Russ. I read that the best way to contact you now is to comment on one of your videos. I'd really like to buy one of your doHickey's, if you still have them available.
Hi It's weird. I had replied to this comment but it seems to have transported to a parallel universe!! Attach your email to another comment and I will reply and also delete your comment from public view. Best wishes Russ
Bula from Fiji Russ, I have enjoyed your videos enormously and learned a bunch. I am buying a bigger machine with a 130W laser. You created your calibration chart based on the power graph for your new 60W tube. If you created it from the power graph from the original tube the values would be quite a bit different I imagine. Now I doubt that the power graph for my 130W tube would have a linear relationship to your 60W tube, so how would I create a calibration chart without a reference? I could make a power graph but the output numbers would just be relative to one another with having a true value associated. I wouldn't know if top end power was 100W, 130W or 150W or anywhere in between.
Hi Bula There is no way to measure the power other than having a power meter and you should certainly have an ammeter on your machine. If there is not one fitted they are at most $5 from ebay., I strongly advise fitting one, it will be your best friend. helping to look after your tube. . I cannot say what tube will actually arrive with your machine but if it's an ebay machine then it will almost certainly be a usable 100 watt tube, with a maximum output of 130 watts which you cannot use or you will invalidate any tube warranty. When your machine arrives let me know the diameter (80mm i guess) and its overall length (maybe 1650mm but I guess 1450mm). Tell me of any labels on the tube and I will advise on the maximum current you should be using. Best wishes Russ
How important/necessary do you reckon the anodizing is? Surely the laser will remove the anodizing after a few tests!, or is it that much out of focus at the end of the laser
+DigitalFPV Hi The anodizing is absolutely crucial because raw aluminium is about 99% reflective so no heat energy will be absorbed. I have tries rough and smooth anodized surfaces with no discernible absorption difference. The forced aluminium oxide surface that is produced during the anodizing process is thin, may be as little as 25microns (about .001") but the change in the crystal structure allows it to absorb the infrared radiation. In itself this oxide layer is not a very good conductor of heat, but the layer is thin so it quickly transmits its heat into the raw aluminium beneath. As you rightly say, you can etch an anodized aluminium surface and that is exactly because the oxide absorbs the energy (how much is debatable but it's more than 95%) it heats up and can be damaged (etched). It does require a HIGH ENERGY DENSITY to do this damage. If you refer back to my "Understanding Lenses" video czcams.com/video/WbBPps42iHc/video.html you will see how the energy density is all to do with the spot size.max energy density is achieved at the focus point but as you move the work away from the focus point where the spot size has increase by just 30% the spot size will have TWICE as much area and the energy density will halve. Now move a little more and increase this new spot by 30% and the same halving will apply We are now at 1/4 density. You will see from this that the energy density is falling off very quickly as you go out of focus My 1.52 lens would do significant damage to the anodized surface if I was closer than 1/2" to my nozzle. I tend to test at about 2" awa.y For a 2" lens I would think 3" below the nozzle would be safe and for a 2.5" lens I would leave 4" Hope this answers your question Best regards Russ
Thanks for the answer! The reason I asked was because of the low power needed to etch Anodizing (Actually I rather suspect it is not etching but vaporizing the dye perhaps). Had good results etching commercial black anodizing using only 16mm/sec @ 10% using a (hopefully realistic) 100W laser so operating near full power even with the beam defocussed could probably affect the anodizing, hence the question.
+SarbarMultimedia Hi To be honest there is a little mark on one side of my Macken Meter where i quickly learned my lesson. So I always use that side to do my first test at a new power....just in case.. The doHICky is wide enough to use an edge for initial "sighting" Thanks for question Russ
Hi Marcin Yes they are still available. Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a datapack. I will then delete your comment/email from public view. Best wishes Russ
Is this the personal messaging system?? I can't seem to find any other way of messaging you but this is public and not personal as far as I can tell. Thanks. Kerry
Hi Marc Add your disguised email address (johndotsmithatgmaildotcom) to another comment and I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment/email Best wishes Russ
Hi I still have them available. Attach your email to another comment. I get auto copied to my email so I will send you a data pack and will also delete your comment from public view. Best wishes Russ
Hi Mattias You Tube canned their private messaging system a few months ago so now the only sensible way is to add your email address to another comment. I get auto copied to my gmail and so I will immediately remove you comment/email from public view and send you the data pack for the dohicky. Best wishes Russ
Hi Dave Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a data pack. I will also delete your comment from public view Best wishes Russ
Hi Srdan Yes I am currently making a new batch because demand has been steady and there always people such as yourself that are joining the laser club. This is not something you need to use every day so it is not a good investment to spend a lot of money on convenient hi tech equipment.. This was purposely designed to replicate the results from much more expensive kit but at a price that allows you to use it a few times a year when NOTHING else will do the same job. I need your email address to send you a data pack . Add another comment with that information and I get auto copied to my gmail. I will immediately remove your comment/email from public view, Best wishes Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia we oedered our laser just a few minths after you started your chanel so i learnt the basic of rd labs from you, and then dare i say it i did not watch your vidoes as i had a lot of other stufd going on, now two years down the road i regret nit watching your videos as i would have learned a few more things then instead of only now. The gauges are really expensive so your solution dose fit the bill, i do need a way to kwep track on the powef of tube and to see even if we did get a 130w tube :) other thing is that i have a laser wirh the fixed head positikn as the beam aligement is a big issue for me. Wondering if you will also make a modd for this head to make it adjuatable. Thanks again.
Hi Walter I'm currently in Dubai but plan to be back in UK next week. Jusy go to the You Tube massages section and send me your email address and we will move on from there. Best regards Russ
Hi Robert Yes and no. Yes, I am still making and selling them steadily but there has been a bit of a rush in the past couple of week for some reason and all of a sudden my stock has depleted. I am in the middle of making another batch so within a couple of weeks they will be available again. If you wish to add another comment with your email address , I get auto copied to my email. I will send you a data pack in readiness and will also delete your comment. Best wishes Russ
Yes There is a steady flow of new laser users that discover they need such a device for either contesting what their vendor has advertised or for fault finding . You tube does not allow publication of email addresses and has algorithms to detect anything that looks like.one. However it's not clever enough to decode sentances so do something like this and I will answer. You can start with joey123 and you can see me AT the famous G company with a COMma.
Could measuring the temperature rise of a known volume of water measure laser power?. Water absorption coefficient at 10um is 100000/meter or 99.9% for 1 cm, water thermal mass is 1C/gm/watt. Shining a de focused laser into a small container of stirred water
Hi Tim My first attempts at power measuring were done with water and I did a lot of reaearch to establish what the absorption efficiency of water was. "almost 100%" was as close as I got. The physical problems associated with getting the water to absorb the energy was never overcome. The light hitting the surface of the water gets absorbed rapidly within parts of a millimeter as it changes to heat energy and causes the water to boil and evaporate. As the power increases the ability to agitate the surface to prevent this evaporation loss becomes impossible. You are then faced with the inevitable question of how much is my stirring energy causing the temperature to rise and how efficient am I at preventing surface heat losses because of the high thermal gradient (ie convection losses). I even tried a recirculating micro pumped whirlpool into a funnel where the beam was fired into the bottom of the funnel where the turbulence and flow rates were greatest. I could monitor the temperature rise caused by the pump and compensate for that.. Great fun trying but a real waste of effort. Water calorimetry was not the right approach to power measurement. It was silly to even pursue that route to start with because how ever was I going to measure power losses across in situ mirrors or directly out of the laser tube. I have to admit that my enthusiasm and naivity swamped common sense. I have spent many hours discussing other enthusiasts ideas for cost effective ways of measuring power and I have done a few more crackpot experiments myself. None have succeeded and so it came about that I decided to understand and develop a much cheaper non-commercial version of the existing technology. By the way defocusing the beam does not fix the issues. The raw beam is typically 6 to 8mm diameter with a Gaussian energy density profile. I have looked at the energy profile in the beam with a K type thermo-couple that will work up to 1300C. In a 40 watt beam I can see peak temperatures at the centre of the beam that are over 1200C. I tried the same test with a 70 watt beam and melted the thermo-couple. The other issue that was a surprise to me is just how bad water is at conducting heat I have to say that this machine/technology has sent me back to my old text books many times and taught me many new things as well. Thanks for the comment because it's always good to rework ideas in case some stones.did not get turned. Best wishes Russ
Makes sense, 99% of the energy is absorbed in the first mm of water as I think about it. I’ll be receiving an aged but quality laser engraver over the next week, it surely need some TLC,. Do you have any lollipops left. I really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work!
Hello Russ, you should have been lecturing at a University. The explanations are text book or better damn perfect.... Its a pity that many lecturers/professors can not explain as clear as you are able to on Engineering.... Welcome to the University of Laser Engineering.... Why oh Why do we let people like yourself with years of Experience retire at 65 , there should be some inducement to allow you to retire earlier in life so that this knowledge does not simply disappear, so many young would be engineers need people like yourself to train our new generation of highly skilled and motivated Engineers. Could I please ask if this is still available or whether you have plans available so that I could make one. I do have my own small workshop /lathe etc and should be able to reproduce this if not.... I have contacted you in the last day or so and left my details on the 185 video on the upgrade lightweight laser head.....Many thanks Russ.......Neil...
Hi Neil Many thanks for your kind words You must understand that these videos are not about teaching people . I retired with years of experience in many engineering discipines . For ten years I was running a precision sheet metal company that had two 3kw CO2 metal cutting machines. I thought I had a pretty good understanding of laser technology. When I almost retired I bought a cheap Chines laser machine as an excuse to reteat to my man cave and duck the long "to do" list my resident project engineer had created . It soon became apparent that this "simple" non-metal cutting technology was like something from another planet. I exaggerate if I claim 5% of my prior laser experience was transferrable.. Seven years ago, CZcams was in its infancy and the only laser videos were of people spending half an hour barbequing pieces of wood and claiming to be photo engraving. The software manual was constructed with random words from the english dictionary . In effect I had bought 10 jigsaw puzzles tossed into a bag with no pictures. i'm not into fishing golf or aerobic activty. I reason that menat accuity is more important than physical prowess. Do giant tortioses play golf or run? NO, they just THINK about it. Well that my life model. My only serious hobby has long been film and video editing. However you can't edit without material to work on. Thus this magical happenstance where I could create endless video material as I educated (and redsigned where necessary) myself in all aspects of this weird laser technology. I am not teaching, I am a student on a journy of discovery.and 7 years later there are still amazing things to investigate that others seem to have ignored.. If you watch more recent videos I investigare the mechanism by whiclh laser beams can cut through thick material with a parallel cut. ( see czcams.com/video/vTEAm-01E1Q/video.html ) Lens theory and your imagination tells you this is impossible. Lenses have been designed and used for thousands of years in telescopes cameras etc for working with IMAGES. . 60 years ago laser beams were invented and we now use them to DAMAGE material with light INTENSITY . 60 years have passed and no one seems to have realized that the relationship that lenses and laser beams enjoy is not predictable by lens theory. It's a fascinating subject Although I have pro and studio video kit, I chose to make this series VERY basic. Just one camera, no special lighting or mics. You are looking over my shoulder as I learn the emphasis is on discovery . My commentry is me thinking out load and trying to reason with myself. Self education means I make mistakes and often draw incorrect premature conclusions. I do not hide these. They are out there for all to see and when I look back I am often embarassed by my naivety. Most of my videos are totally unprepared and you discover with me and my thought processes.. I do not monetize my videos and I have no concern about views or subscribers. So as you can now see this is a very SELFISH pleasure that allows me to immerse myself in engineering, learning (exercising my two remaining grey cells) and my hobby. The notion that others would benefit from this "laser porn" was never in my thoughts. However having found my self a bit of an agony aunt for laser problems, I admit to deriving satisfaction from helping others with their problems. Those problems , oddly enough, expand my experience as I solve issues I personally have not encountered. I cannot visuailze the world as sets of numbers and data. my mind is filled with millions of little 3 D moving models. My terrible drawings are an attenmpt to show you whay I see but I find it useful for me (and maybe for you) I can prove a point by demonstration or by using a simple analog that helps you visualize what I can see so clearly. As a young designer I was taught to exaggerate or oversimplify to understand the essence of a problem. My mentors did not waste the effort. Your question about the dohcky will be answered fully when I get your details .I will check 185 but I also lefy a way to cintacy me as well. Best wishes Russ .
@@SarbarMultimedia Wow Russ, theres an awful lot to think about here. ....I thought I was the only person who left very long replies and messages....I am always being told so by others.... I think that you are a very proud person and do not accept compliments well as so many others do who like to build their wall of success. Let me just tell you that I have watched a good few of your engineering videos and I can not fault them, the way that you bring your film work to life is to me a breath of fresh air , you are adept, concise and have a wealth of experiences that many people simply now do not have now and will never have as life today is less challenging I feel that it was before the wide use of computing, the internet and the way that we now communicate globally in seconds rather than hours, days and week s. Of course there are other challenges that we face but education is now not one of them. It is freely available to the masses now simply by clicking on a computer mouse. for most what holds most people back is a lack of will or motivation to improve your own knowledge and understanding. While you feel that you do not teach I have to disagree with you here as you do teach, you share the knowledge that you have discovered as a "student yourself on your own road to discovery" This I feel is Education even if unstructured and unscripted. as you yourself have said. Its a very refreshing and interesting way to share your knowledge. I now spend my own retirement working with lasers and small self built CNC machines, its a new hobby for me over the last 5 to 10 years and now that I no longer "work" I devote all of my time to learning and increasing my own knowledge and in turn I share what I learn, whether it helps I do not know ! I just wish many years ago that perhaps I should have taken a different path in my career but who knows maybe now I would not be playing with lasers and 3d printers as I do today....I think our generation has a lot of fun times ahead. Ill be in touch... thanks for everything. Neil.
@@SarbarMultimedia Hi Russ thanks for all of your thoughts I did miss your comment sin the final paragraph, I can not seem to find that way at all....unless perhaps I just missed something so obvious on this its got past my radar totally!!
@@SarbarMultimedia Thanks Russ for your thoughts, I still think despite what you say that the way that your unscripted dialog comes across in the videos is very clear, concise and is a good way to impart knowledge. In your last paragraph I seem to have missed where you might have left it the comment......... I have been quite involved over the last few years with Endurance lasers and at the moment they are carrying out mainly R&D ( because of what it happening though no fault of themselves lately) and George and his team are exploring the UV 335 nm spectrum...the results are quite interesting. czcams.com/video/a7ZUyDGp6c0/video.html Hopefully this country can leave its troubles behind and become again involved with the West and develop these lasers much farther. I have to admit though I really cant see much happening within the next 15 years or so..... Thanks for your interesting comments.
Hi Arun Yes I still have them available. Just send me your email address via the You Tube private messaging system and I will send you a data pack. Best wishes Russ
Hello, thank-you for all your great videos. Is it yet possible to buy 2 or 3 DoHICky's ? I plan to replace the 'normal thermometers' by a uC. A litle uC like a litle Arduino, can take temperature, time, and calculating the power automatically. If it works well, i plane to put all on public site for share. Thank-you in advance. :-)
Hi Daniel Sounds like great idea. A couple of others had spoken of something similar many months ago but I'm certain they stalled. I shall need your email address so that we can speak off line. Use the private message system to get me your email. Best wishes Russ
Hi Erich Press the S tag on this message and it will put information into the address bar. Add /about to the address and that will open a page where there is a MESSAGE button top right, You can send me your email addres via this private messaging system and I will send you a data pack. Many thanks Russ
Hi Just Googler twin channek k type digital thermometer There will be orage ones and yellow ones. Both have a MAX button, Both can be bought at widely varying prices from Ebay or Amazon. Best wishes Russ
@@rodstartube Hi, Let's share the blame. It is me that sells the dohicky. If you wish to add your disguised email address to another comment (Johndot smith====at????geeemaildottcom) that confuses the bots, I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment Best wishes Russ
You are not wrong. However I always wear glasses that have polycarbonate lenses. Perhaps you misunderstand the nature of this 10.6 micron wavelength light. Yes it is classed as light but at this wavelength the energy manifests itself as heat energy that is rapidly absorbed within parts of a millimeter when it his an aqueous surface. That means that IF you get your eye right in the path of the beam or get in the way of a coherent reflection then the surface of your eyeball will absorb the energy and permanently damage your cornea. Other wavelength lasers will react differently with the eye and could damage the retina and make you blind. Those other wavelengths will not be absorbed by glass or plastics and the do require specially prepared glass materials to filter out the dangerous rays. The IR generated by a CO2 laser is definitely not safe. However, nor are moving automobiles when you purposely or accidentally step in front of them! You should understand the risks when working with fire and act accordingly. Please do not fear this technology, just treat it with respect. I use my machines all the time with the covers open because I am filming, but on those few occasions when I demonstrate the dangers of reflectivity I will not be putting my eyes or my camera in the firing line. I must also point out that the very nature of a laser beam is it's ability to remain coherent ie there is no scattered or incidental rays, only direct or reflected rays. Watch my video czcams.com/video/kJe16YQlIM0/video.html for a demonstration. If you use your machine with the cover closed the risk is ZERO but if you do run the machine with the cover open and do not wear glasses, then any cheap polycarbonate industrial safety glasses will afford 100% protection. Thanks for the comment Best regards Russ
Could I order 2 x DoHickies please Russ. Been following along with your video's. Find them very informative. Oh I am in Australia. Not sure how to contact you any other way?
Hi Steven Sadly You Tube canned their personal messaging system about 6 months ago so it makes private email address swapping less private. The way I overcome this is for you to attachyou email to another comment. I get auto copied to my G mail and I immediately remove your comment. I can then send you a full data pack about the dohicky. Curiousity makes me inquire "why 2?" Best wishes Russ
Hi Luis Yes they are still avaialable. If you like to add your disguised email addess to another comment I will send you a data pacl. About 2 years ago CZcams canned their personal messaging service and are getting cleverer at detecting lightly disguised email addresses. Somehing that still works is to hide it in a sentence or two like this. The first part is luis followed by a dot and then an m. Add an at symbol and then gmail followed by a dot and a com. I will delete the comment. Best wishes Russ
Hi Stefan Yes I still have stock I don't think I have your email addess so add it in a disguised form to another comment and I will send you a datapackCZcams seemms to detect lightly disguised emails and not posting comments. So here is a way that beats the algorithms, lose it in a sentance or two like this . The first part is john followed by a dot and then smith. Add an at symbol and then geeeeeemail with a dot and a com I will delete your comment. best wishes Russ
@@catweazle_1 Hi It was the system , It iis getting clever at Identifying email addresses Try again in a different format , maybe try mirroring the whole email address Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia the next attempt was deleted as well. I now have tried to send you a PN in the rdworkslab forum, where I am registered as stefan herbener
Hi Yes there seems to be a steady demand so I always keep making stock. Add your email address to another comment. I get auto copied to my gmail and will immediately delete your comment from public view. I will send you the data pack and details. Best wishes Russ
Hi Bill Yes, still available. Sadly you tube canned their private messaging system. If you belong to the www.rdworkslab.com forum you can contact me privately through there. Otherwise add your email to a comment and I will get copied to my gmail. I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment Best wishes Russ
H Simon. Sadly You Tube canned the PM service. If you add your email to another comment, I get auto copied to my email and will send you a dohicky data pack. I will also remove your comment from public view Best wishes Russ
I don't think Russ has time for emailing on how to get this just by typing a comment here, that after doing these beautiful videos. Here is what I did and hoping he will reply to me one day when he gets time :-). Send private messages to Russ - Go to the channel of the person you want to contact. You can do this by clicking their channel name underneath one of their videos. - Click the About tab. - Click Send message. - Type in your private message and click Send.
Hi Go to message section and send me your email and I'll add you to the list.l get bits back from anodizing in next day or two, so shipment is imminent Regards Russ
Hi Oli I am currently away on vacation in St Lucia until next Monday. You Tube canned their private message system recently so you will have to add your email to a comment. I will be auto copied to my gmail and will delete your comment from public viewI will then send you a data pack and a paypal request. Best wishes Russ
Hi Panos Yes it is still available . Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a data pack. I will also delete your comment/email address from public view. Best wishes Russ
Hi Uros You do not need any special pattern. Just a simple circle will work. You just have to make the line length (circumference) and speed combine to give you a "beam on" time that suits the power range you are using. Best wishes Russ
Hi David Yes they are still available at £30 each including postage If you wish to proceed then add your disguised email address (daviddotcatyahoodotcom) to another comment and I will send the data pack Best wishes Russ
Hi Terje Yes this is still available. Add your disguised email address to another comment (johndotsmithatgmaildotcom) and i will reply and also delete your email address/comment Best wishes Russ
Hi Jim. If you add your email to another comment, I get auto copied to my gmail. I will delete your comment and send you a data pack for the dohicky. Best wishes Russ
Hello Peter I'm afraid you are stuck with me as the the only source. My stock is currently quite low (but still available for immediate shipment)and I have a new batch in progress. The price has remained the same over 4 years and is £30 including postage to anywhere in the world. If you wish to proceed, add your email address to another comment but in a disguised form (johndotsmithatzoomdotcom) and I will send you a dta pack and a PayPal request. Best wishes Russ
Yes but I shall need your email to send details. You Tube has ceased it's private message system so send me your email as a comment and I will immediately delete the comment so that it's not sitting in a public forum Best wishes Russ
Just sent you a message and want to join the chorus of folks appreciative of your efforts and sharing of knowledge. You've saved me a bunch of experimentation myself as many times when I got in the "OK so what will XXXXXXX" and if I search your videos, more often than not, I find the answer! I have a 80w black and red machine I bought from RedSail, and as you've noted many times the support from China post sale is... at best... abysmal. You're work has turned into an invaluable resource for learning how to run these machines with MUCH more knowledge than I would have possibly managed to do myself without destroying my tube in the process... so again, thank you! :)
Russ, Best and most informative laser videos on CZcams! I’d love to know more about obtaining a DoHicky. I am questioning my tube’s performance. Thanks again. Bruce Dot X-ray Charlie Alpha Lima at that famous G company that we all know and love.
Well I'm just going to have to have one of those also. I can't believe how much you've helped us all understand and tune our systems for max output. You're an incredible teacher! I wish I had you back in High School shop class...
+cdenyb
Hi
Thanks for your appreciation. I have two main loves (after my wife of course!), engineering and video. Learning to use tame this little Chinese Dragon seemed like an ideal subject for video hobby. As I have said on every one of my videos, I'm no expert, I'm not a teacher, I'm just an old guy having the most fun ever and you get to look over my shoulder courtesy of my hobby. It's been a great 8 month journey so far and if fate had dealt me a better hand and I had bought a perfect machine to start with, there would be only a few boring videos and I would not have been pushed to explore the corners of this technology. I will gladly add you to the doHICky list, just message me privately with you email details.
Best regards
Russ
well Russ. I've received and used my doHICky and I have to tell you, it's an eye-opener device! Thank you again for all your help in bringing us up to your level of understanding.
Hey Russ. Just want to say that I love all the great laser vids you've posted and are an inspiration. I have a laser cutter but I'm so busy with other domestic projects that I struggle to make the time so your videos help fill the void. Please keep up the great work and especially your build projects and calibration
+Mohammed Ali
Hi Mohammed.
Thanks for your appreciation but really try to get just a LITTLE fun time with this great techno toy. I'm having the most fun ever.... but then again I am 80% retired and no mortgage or family to support.
Best wishes
Russ
Thanks Russ. BTW, Bula is Fijian for Greetings. I will be buying my machine direct from the manufacturer, and it will be a $3K-4K machine, so hopefully I will have a few less issues. By watching your series I have been able to over specify the machine to get exactly what I want. I am paying more, but will hopefully have fewer problems. While shipping from China to the UK is expensive, it is almost double to Fiji because the volume is so low. Also a lot of the stuff you can find at shops there in the UK, I have to import. So I need my machine to be almost perfect when I get it. Cheers, Kim
Russ, you are absolutely brilliant at explaining the calorimeter - comparator to measure the laser output. I am not going to order one of your DoHICky's, as I have OPHIR power meter. I wish you lot of success with your metal lollipop. You are quite productive in covering your learning curve with the laser, I just found out your channel and I LOVE it!
otto
Thanks Otto. I still have a lot to learn and dark corners to dig into
Best rgards
Russ
I am deeply into 3D printing and last year I thought I will add laser cutter to my workshop. So I made A3 size laser machine with 6W LD and I realised it's limitations. I want to cut 6mm ply and perspex. I decided to go for CO2 laser. So I got K40, sold as faulty for spares, and thought I will have it sorted in a couple of days. Two months later I am still at it, getting there... I wonder, if you would meet for a drink, as you mentioned living somewhere in North London, which makes us almost neighbours.
best regards
otto
Hi Russ, Happy New Year. Hope all is well. Just upgraded from a diode to CO2 laser and your material is awesome. Would love to invest in a DoHICky, if possible. I note you have listed a feedback form for the K40 project - so happy to use that to submit details.
Cheers Mate
Gunno
The contact form will be ideal
Happy New Year
Russ
After watching this video I started poking around the Internet looking at power meters. I see that Russ is using a Macken analog meter. Macken lists this probe at $339. Not a cheap item. Very nice design on the dohicky by the way.I happened to run across an auction on eBay for a Macken DM5 digital meter with two 20-100 watt probes. Macken lists the digital meter at $480 and the probes at $252 each. I managed to pick up the meter and the two probes for $190. At that price I couldn't pass it up. I was excited to get home and test it out. I recently installed an ammeter to make sure I wasn't overdriving my tube. I've been concerned from day 1 after watching these videos and hadn't ever run it at more than 70% power. After installing the ammeter I was pleased to find that at 100% power I was reading just over 21.5 ma. The tube in my machine is an EFR 1200CL. The manufacturer lists the tube as a 60 watt nominal power tube with 70 watts max and a current rating of 22ma. So at 100% I was driving the tube just under the rated current. With this meter having come with two probes I was able to test one probe against the other. I was quite happy to find that I am getting a measurement of 71.8 watts with one probe and 71.7 watts with the other probe. That was at the entrance to the third mirror. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the laser machine, the tube, and the meter.
Hi Travis
A real good buy for a digital system. Is the reading instant?
You are now all instrumented up, safe and able to sort out any power loss issues. You will find you don't use it much, maybe once a week at the workface just as a health check.
Russ
I didn't figure I'd use it much but also figured it would be nice to have. At that price I couldn't pass it up. It is not an instant reading instrument. It works very much on the same principle as their analog meter. It's a lollipop of aluminum that is heated over the course of a specific time period. In the case of my probe it's 20 seconds. On the higher wattage probes it is selectable. According to their literature it's somewhat smarter than just a digital thermometer on their analog probe. In practice that seems to be exactly what it is. I'd be happy to send you the 3 page manual the company emailed me today. I think the main advantage is the resolution that can be read. It reads to .1 watts. I also found that I made an error in my earlier test. Their is a calibration sticker on each probe. One is 18.9 and the other is 18.5. I believe I'm supposed to use that exposure time as opposed to 20 seconds to get an accurate reading. Still was happy to see the output of my tube is obviously very close to what it's supposed to be and that the two probes had fairly consistent readings. You can take a look at them at www.macken.com.
Hi Travis
Yes their sticker is the number to work with. The probes would have originally been supplied with their own calibration certificate, it's not a chart , just a piece of official paper that restates the sticker number. The new numbers will reduce your readings by 3 or 4 watts at most. I had to think twice when I bought my probe but it has been worth it. With my analogue probe, when the meter has been exposed I have to wait for the thermal lag to register the highest reading on the gauge. This could be a 15 or 20 second wait to see the result. The K type thermocouple in the doHICky reads instantly the exposure has finished. That is the question I was asking, do you get an instant reading after exposure or do you have to wait?
Best regards
Russ
I understand now. You do have to wait. The meter decides how long. After the exposure the value continues to rise until the meter beeps and says "final" at which point it locks the reading. I'm guessing it's just waiting for it to peak.
As of July 9, 2018, the ability to send, receive, or read private messages in Creator Studio is no longer available. We made this change because this feature was not widely used, and will allow us to focus on the features and tools that matter most to you. All private messages have therefore been deleted from Creator Studio and anywhere else on CZcams.
Great info as usual Russ. Do you still do the doHICky? Wouldn't mind getting one along with the head mounting brackets for the chinese machine you developed?
Thanks
Andy
Well done Russ. I'm sure the Dohicky will be popular. Keep me posted on your progress of the Thingamajig and the Wattsit. In the mean time, I'd love to see some cutting action. I kind of feel a little demanding of you Russ, but remember one thing, you started it! Keep up the good work.
+Phillip Barnes
Hi Phill
I noticed I had a dragging beam problem with 15mm acrylic I was cutting recently. I think this beam drag issue is not uncommon and will be the subject of a near future video.
Thanks for your support
Russ
Love the vids, keep them coming. I just got my laser the other day, can't wait to start using it. Anyway, I just bought a Mahoney power probe from Bell Laser. I got the 0-200 for $105 and $7 shipping, they also sell a 0-100 for $95. Pass it on to your viewers if they are looking to pick one of these power probes up.
+Anthony Triemert
Hi Anthony
I think most US viewers are aware of Bell Laser as a source for these Mahoney devices. Although they come from China, we in Europe and maybe other continents have no access to them. They are not available on Ebay or other sites that I could find whilst hunting 6 months ago.If Bell would ship to UK the price will have doubled with shipping, import tax and vat. They maybe cheap to you....we can only look in and envy.
Thanks for your appreciation, I'm sure you'll get hours of fun from your machine.
Best regards
Russ
+Anthony Triemert I am curious about your purchase with Bell Laser. I have been trying to contact them for 3 days and can not get a reply by phone or email. I have read on several forums that they are a scam actually from China. Did you get the meter? Were you able to actually talk with anyone on email or phone? Thanks
Kerry
+Kerry Carlson I did not talk with anyone, but I did not try either. I just placed my order and used PayPal to pay and waited for it to arrive. It did come from China, it took about two weeks but arrived safe and sound.
I think it is a macken P4000C if i recall
Hi Russ - I have taken the time to binge watch all of your videos while I wait for my Chinese laser to arrive. I very much appreciate your lust for learning why things do and do not work and am a big fan of your methodologies and your ability to diagnose real world problems "on your feet".
If y ou have any DoHICkys left I would very much like to purchase one
Hi Dave
Thanks for the kind words. Yes I still have dohickys available. Just go to the You Tube private messaging system andlet me have your email address and I will send you a data pack.
Best regards
Russ
Hi Russ,
just me, again.
1. if you like to sell such devices you should definatly sell them with the electronic thermometer unit, as usually they are not calibrated and different brands (especially the cheaper chinese devices) will give you different numbers on different sensor devices.
2. instead of a calibration chart you should calibrate the system by deliver a specific measurement time to have a 1 to 1 relation from Watt to C . This would make things so much easier then.
3. the elektronic thermometer devices could be bought having a zero offset calibration. With such a unit and the right calibration time the system could be much easier to use.
best regards,
Walter
+pyrofilm
Hi Walter
As always , excellent comments. However there are good reasons for not producing a complete instrument. There maybe copyright issues involved that I wish to steer well clear of.. As I mentioned to Dwayne above, this is not intended to be an accurate scientific instrument but something that emulates the principle and gives between 5 to 10%. accuracy. If you have a 100 watt machine and are seeking to reduce 3 or 4 watt losses between mirrors is .3 or .4 of a watt inaccuracy an issue? The K type thermocouple is being used as a comparator here also to measure temperature difference, so it matters little that the absolute values displayed on the meter may be a few degrees off but the difference will remain reasonably constant. Yes, if you had a fancy meter that would zero and you had time to experiment with each one to get the scaling correct, you could indeed set 1 degree =1 watt. That's exactly what Macken do with their meter. It says 20 seconds on the dial but the calibration certificate states 20.2 seconds. The important principle here is that you have a lump of metal with a calibration characteristic. There will be lots of clever electronics guys (I'm not one of those) who will be able and enjoy building their own meter to convert the data into watts display. There will equally be housewives and hobbyists with no specialist knowledge that want the simplicity of the solution I'm proposing.
Many thanks for your input and best regards
Russ
Hello Russ! Congratulations on creating a video series that has captured my interest like none other! Like so many others I have recently started down this long road and would love to purchase a Dohicky. I will happily provide my email upon confirmation of availability. Thanks!
Hi Cullen
Yes, even after all this time I still have a slow steady demand that means I have to make new batches occasionally. Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment/email address from public view.
Best wishes
Russ
Hi, I would like to purchase a little Dohicky.
I'm from France, you can contact me at geekoid85 at gmail dot com.
Thanks !
Hi, I would like to order one of your DoHICky's.
Are they still available?
Thank you for sharing all of your hard work, I would like to purchase one of your devices but can't find the new message system. Are you set up to receive messages with the new system?
Thanks, Scott
+Sunrise Tactical Gear
Hi Scot
If you double click the blue square beside Sarbar Multimedia it should open a new window with tabs. Select the ABOUT tab and another window opens. Top right there is a message button. That should do it. I generally try to discourage people publishing email addresses on public viewing places, hence the private message request.
Sure, there a few left in my batch, but I have to express surprise at how quickly they have been requested.
Thanks for your appreciation
Best regards
Russ
This sir is a brilliant display that anyone even I could understand, thank you :-)
Hi Russ, If still available I would like to order a doHICKy. The first part is rhinevisser Add an at symbol and then hotmail followed by a dot and a com. Thanks
Hi Russ,
regarding your answer:
I see no difference in supplying a sheet of paper with a relation table or (in my opinion much better) supply the information of the right time (for the device you sell) to have a 1 to 1 relation between W and C.
best regards,
Walter
+pyrofilm
Hi Walter
I just love your input......dont stop!!
Your point is well made with one small problem as the design currently exists. For people in hot climates (one guy in Australia was working in a 35C workshop. Unimaginable to us in Europe but he was well used to it. That would mean the current block mass would reach about 110C at it's top specified value of 100 watts and that's with the current temperature to watts ratio of about 0.7 deg C/watt. What are my choices to achieve a 1:1 ratio?
1)I could increase the exposure time by about 30%. That would drive the top temperature even higher to say 140C for the 100 watt guy in Australia. Logically this is no problem for the block or the thermocouple (there's no glue in here to worry about ), I just find this intuitively too high a temperature.
2)I could increase the time by about 30% and limit the chart to 70watts
3)I could increase the mass of the block by about 30% and rework all the calibrations
This last option is the only sensible one to try and achieve your goal. I do accept that after subtracting the ambient temperature, for that temperature difference to also be the number of watts is very convenient.
I am shortly about to embark on cutting metal so I will increase the mass and see if I can find that magic time when I calibrate them
Thanks again for your very constructive input
Best regards
Russ.
Great job with idea and explanation.
I have one doubt: why you don't try insulate back and sides of aluminum block? This will act as "reduce leak hole in the bottle" in your explanation, so should effect in more accurate reading. Too hard to avoid / remove moisture? Maybe removable, foam insulating cap will do the job?
+bialy100k
When I first received my expensive Macken power meter, my thoughts were much like your own. I tried experimenting with it using a foam jacket on the 5 non irradiated sides It was increasing readings by half to one watt. However, there was the immediate inconvenience of having to take the jacket off every time I wanted to water cool it back to room temperature and secondly I quickly realised that I was messing with the calibration data that was supplied with the instrument. Over time I established just how and why this instrument works. It matters not at all how efficient it is at absorbing IR energy or how much of that energy leaks away. As my video tries to explain, it's key to start each test from room temperature , whether that be 5C or 35C because the heat loss from the block is directly related to the temperature DIFFERENCE, not the actual temperature. The mass and absorption characteristics of the aluminium block remain constants, the heat loss characteristic, although complex to analyse, remains a constant and the exposure time remains constant If you keep the IR power constant as well and keep running tests you will finish with exactly the same temperature rise in the block each time. If you now change the IR power level, the temperature rise in the block will increase also.....but maybe not proportionately. That doesn't matter because IT WILL ALWAYS BE THE SAME. Constant conditions give constant results.
Many people have tried copying this device because its mechanically simple to replicate. Despite being expensive it has two significant design weaknesses. Firstly the aluminium block is fixed to the thermometer with epoxy, so if you get the block too hot it will break down the glue and fall off, Secondly the thermometer is a mechanical mechanism, that makes it delicate and possesses significant thermal lag. Even when you understand the way in which this device works you are faced with what I like to describe as "a piece of string problem" If I give you a piece of string of random length, is it of any use for measuring distance? Obviously, no. Ah, but I have a tape measure. If I let you CALIBRATE your piece of string by transferring FACTS from my tape measure onto your piece of string, you now have a secondary standard piece of measuring kit. Anyone making their own power meter is effectively creating a random length of string. It may sound a crude analogy but my doHICky is effectively a piece of string with fairly accurately positioned knots in it. It is not intended to be a laboratory standard device but a means by which you can asses your machine's performance and do important checks like power losses between mirrors or through lenses. I have now consigned my expensive and delicate power meter to a safe drawer and regularly use my more rugged "lollipop"
Best regards
Russ
Hello
I live in Preston uk and would really like one of your dohickey things. I used to deride the yanks for the various accents saying dohickey, Texas for example. Now I'm buying one!
Mike
Hi Mike
I know I have used an Americanism with the name but all the English descriptions of something you don't know the name for, seemed too long or clumsy. About 90% of my correspondence is from the USA so it felt like the best choice. Anyway. yes I still have stock so if you like to add your disguised email address to another comment I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment.
Best wishes
Russ
Russ, I would love to purchase one of your dohickies. How can we make that happen? Love your channel. Your instruction will be a blessing to many for decades.
Hi Chad
Just add your disguised email to another comment and I will send you a datapack and a paypal request for £30 which includes postage. I will also delete your comment/email address
Best wishes
Russ
Hi Russ, I received my dooHICky and plan on using it today. Where can I find your “conversion chart”?
Russ, you're a damn genius. Did you consider making the target a cup shape? it would be less sensitive to off angle laser strikes.
+2020tesla
Hi Dwane
I know I replied to you earlier but the answer isn't posted....strange. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I could have made it cup shaped but that would have made the machining more difficult and the mass more difficult to control. The shot blasted finish may have reduced the incidence issue in an easier manner by presenting lots of angled faces.However, provided the beam is reasonably normal to the absorbing face it seems to be very repeatable. The other thing to bear in mind with this device, I'm not trying to produce an accurate scientific instrument, this is more a piece of string with knots in it. If that was good enough to get Christopher Columbus across the pond then it will be good enough for our little machine problems. Seriously though, I know from experimentation and calculations that there's probably less than 5% error up to 100 watts. I'm claiming no accuracy figures because I'm relating it to the the accuracy of the Macken meter.
Best regards
Russ
+SarbarMultimedia
please advise when the dohicky lolly pop is available, you may e mail me at Dart19@aol.com
btw enjoy your videos greatly
tom davidson
Got my doHICky awhile back, and laser finally here ready to run some initial tests. Curious what your thoughts are on the deep hole for the grub screw withholding varying amounts of water per test. Seems like a small piece of electrical tape to block water from entering would work well. But that is not the same setup you've used to create the tables and such. Thinking about doing some experiments of my own, but wondering if you've thought or tested this issue much yourself yet.
I do advise in the accompanying video that you put a glob of silicone bath sealent in the hole when you have fixed the thermocouple in place.
Best wishes
Russ
Ahh not sure how I missed that. Thanks again Russ!
Dear Russ, long time listener, first time caller. I would love to purchase a doHICky. Do you still have them available? If so, I can add my email to a subsequent comment when you're ready. Thanks for all the fine, fine education you provide!
Hi Micheal
Thanks for the kind words. Sadly CZcams does not allow email adresses and although we are smarter than their algorithms and it is possible to hide adresses in sentences , it will be easier to use this private contact form
forms.zohopublic.eu/ndeavorlimited/form/K40XtreeemLaserCutterContactRussSadler/formperma/k2Cn0QN5ChpazfTMAUw25lZ-FKpjZa96TQWHjv3ntOg
Best wishes
Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia I have contacted you via the link. Thank you! And to anyone reading this wondering if Russ's content is worth investing your eyeballs: yes. Watch everything he puts out, young Jedi.
Russ, wish to purchase the Chinese power meter described in lab 53. If the ordering period has lapsed let me know and I'll order from resources listed in lab 53. Thanks, ron
Hi Russ, firstly I’d like to say thank you so much for all your advice you have given throughout your videos, they are amazing, actually you are. Just wish I lived next door to you haha. I’m having big problems with my laser machine at the moment and am trying to figure what’s wrong with it. If you are producing more of your DoHICky’s is it possible I could purchase a probe and the files from you please? ☺️
Hi
I am happy to send you a Dohicky data pack but you will need to send me your disguised email address in another comment/ I will then delete that comment.
Best wishes
Russ
Can you tell me if the calibration chart will work with all lasers? Or does it have to be adjusted per location?
+Ron R
Hi Ron
This is designed to work with CO2 lasers emitting at 10.6 micron wavelength.I'm just in the process of making a batch and I have modified my original design slightly so that it will work for lasers up to 150 watts. If your ambient is 5 or 35 it doesn't matter because the whole principle is based on temperature differences not actual temperature
Regards
Russ
Hi, works your system also for LED laser diodes with a range of 0,5 ... 10 W optical power?
This device was designed for use at 10.6micron wavelength where the conversion of light energy to heat is virtually 100% . I do not have experience of your 0.45 micron wavelength but the physics says absorption at that wavelength is about 70%. So yes it will work but not give accurate results.
Best wishes
Russ
Hey Russ! I recently bought a used Blue and White 50w from someone and they included the dohickey! Can I pay you for the files that you usually include with it? They didn't give me those.
Hi
just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send the data and also delete your comment
Best Wishes
Russ
Hi Russ
Are you still selling the Dohicky. Would like to get one if you do.
Cheers
Tony
Hi Russ, I've been watching some videos from your channel by subject, I found them so informative that I started to watch them all in order. I came to episode 53 to find that measuring instrument is made by you :) the doHICky!!! Is it still available? Can I buy one? The price remains the same (30GBP)?
Hi Andre
Yes I am still selling them as new people such as yourself discover it so demand is a gentle trickle. Add your disguised email address (johndotsmithatgeeeeemaildot com) and I will send a data pack. I will also delete your comment.
Best wishes
Russ
Russ, understanding your feelings on proprietary ownership I will ask if there are any current incumbency to the free status of the videos and intellectual property rights? If not. I would ask if you'd be willing to acceptable assuming those rights and marketing the series for profit. There are reasons of respect for your experience and development of the videos as well as some boring personal financial needs forcing the question. Thank you, ron
These videos are great, thanks for doing them. How did you determine the calibration chart? was it done my camparing to your commercial meter? Is there any way I can develop my own chart?
Hi Ron
You are correct. I bought the Macken meter to check my machine because I had failed to find a way to do it on the cheap for myself . Once I had the meter I was able to calibrate my machine. I then spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how it worked. I could never make one for myself without having a calibrated power source. Having spent my money I then had a seconadary standard power source (my machine) that allowed me to design and calibrate the dohicky. . It has been designed to cover a much wider range than standard kit but it is not claimed to be a scientific instrument but something that is pretty repeatable but not absolute . Even my Macken meter only claims to be accurate within +/- 5%.
Many have tried to follow your dream and many have failed because how hard can it be to stick a block of aluminium to a meat thermometer?? Not hard at all. It's a bit like cutting a piece of string from a ball to use as a measuring stick. What does it measure? units of string!! there is no relating that length of string to absolute without a secondary standard (tape measure) to define its length is usable units.
Hope this helps answer your question
Best regards
Russ
Thank you for that quick reply. You are right if one wants to make a measurement in absolute terms. But for use to see if we make improvements to our laser we don't need to know an absolute power value. If I made an instrument like your dohikey and simply use it to make before and after tests of things like mirror adjustment, then just noting if the temperature is higher is all we need. I only need to see if I made improvement with my adjustment, knowing a watt number is nice, but not necessary.
Hi Ron
Again you are perfectly correct. The problem I had was trying to find something anodized, cheap and uniform that anyone could buy. I f I could have found such an item then I could have devised a calibration chart for it and just given that away and let folks fend for themselves. No such item available. The biggest costs of making something are the machining, the anodizing in particular, and the postage. If you buy something like this and expose it long enough to rise by about 30 C above ambient you should have something that repeats within a degree C. Maybe your local Maplin or electronics store will have something similar.
www.ebay.com/itm/1PC-30-17mm-Black-Anodized-Machined-Solid-Aluminum-DVD-Potentiometer-Volume-Knob/321441068287?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3De4bb60b42e9e4336b9643deea5cd5513%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D321441068287
Regards
Russ
Russ,
I absolutely love watching your videos. So much so that I have gone and bought a small laser cutter myself. I would love to buy a doHICky from you if those are still available. I realize that much time has past and I may have missed the boat, but I hope that is not the case.Please let me know how I can get one if I still can.
Thanks,
John Barrow
Hi John
The dohicky has been very well received and I keep making new batches because demand has been pretty constant over 3 years. I am now coming to the close of batch 4 but still have a few left.
I need your email address to send you a data pack and Pay Pal request. So add a new comment that will be auto copied to my gmail and I will respond and quickly delete your comment/email from public view.
Best wishes
Russ
@@russsadler3471 I am wanting to get two if possible... true _ dohicky at trueserve dot org - thank you
Hi Russ.... very impressive your work!!!! Your dedication and perseverance has not limit! I’m very interested to take your offer buying one of the aluminum pieces to measure temperature. I have a laser machine but I have doubts about the power. I purchased an 80 Watts CO2 tube…. Not sure if this it is correct. I’ll verify it with your method . Please, send me by mail you information to pay you by PayPal. Thanks!
Hey Russ, thanks for all the great videos. We're in the process of importing a machine and these have been a tremendous source of well presented information. You've got a great style of teaching. Are the doHICky devices still available? I saw on another forum that you were recommending people leave their emails in a comment and you'd get back to them quickly, and remove their email so it wasn't sitting in public view for long. If you go to YT's help and search for 'send and receive messages', it will indeed say they've removed that feature, but it will also describe how you can add an email address on your 'About' page which people can read after they pass a bot check. It might only work for people who have an account, not sure, but that would be required to leave a comment too. Then there would be no need for anyone to post their email publicly. Anyways, if you could check my channel's 'About' page and e-mail me the details on how to go about payment, I'd appreciate it! Thanks for everything!
Hey, I know is a long shoot here, but is there any chance you left some of the doHICky comparator till now ?
Hi
Yes I am still selling them but currently stock is zero. However I am manufacturing a new batch. So send me your disguised email address in another comment and I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment.
Best wishes
Russ
Hello Russ. I read that the best way to contact you now is to comment on one of your videos. I'd really like to buy one of your doHickey's, if you still have them available.
Hi Russ, Only just starting the adventure. Is there anyway of
Still getting a Dohicky? Thank you for the Videos.
Hi
It's weird. I had replied to this comment but it seems to have transported to a parallel universe!!
Attach your email to another comment and I will reply and also delete your comment from public view.
Best wishes
Russ
Bula from Fiji Russ, I have enjoyed your videos enormously and learned a bunch. I am buying a bigger machine with a 130W laser. You created your calibration chart based on the power graph for your new 60W tube. If you created it from the power graph from the original tube the values would be quite a bit different I imagine. Now I doubt that the power graph for my 130W tube would have a linear relationship to your 60W tube, so how would I create a calibration chart without a reference? I could make a power graph but the output numbers would just be relative to one another with having a true value associated. I wouldn't know if top end power was 100W, 130W or 150W or anywhere in between.
Hi Bula
There is no way to measure the power other than having a power meter and you should certainly have an ammeter on your machine. If there is not one fitted they are at most $5 from ebay., I strongly advise fitting one, it will be your best friend. helping to look after your tube. . I cannot say what tube will actually arrive with your machine but if it's an ebay machine then it will almost certainly be a usable 100 watt tube, with a maximum output of 130 watts which you cannot use or you will invalidate any tube warranty. When your machine arrives let me know the diameter (80mm i guess) and its overall length (maybe 1650mm but I guess 1450mm). Tell me of any labels on the tube and I will advise on the maximum current you should be using.
Best wishes
Russ
Hello Russ, are you still selling the doHICky? if so please let me know how I can get my grubby little paws on one.
How important/necessary do you reckon the anodizing is?
Surely the laser will remove the anodizing after a few tests!, or is it that much out of focus at the end of the laser
+DigitalFPV
Hi
The anodizing is absolutely crucial because raw aluminium is about 99% reflective so no heat energy will be absorbed. I have tries rough and smooth anodized surfaces with no discernible absorption difference. The forced aluminium oxide surface that is produced during the anodizing process is thin, may be as little as 25microns (about .001") but the change in the crystal structure allows it to absorb the infrared radiation. In itself this oxide layer is not a very good conductor of heat, but the layer is thin so it quickly transmits its heat into the raw aluminium beneath. As you rightly say, you can etch an anodized aluminium surface and that is exactly because the oxide absorbs the energy (how much is debatable but it's more than 95%) it heats up and can be damaged (etched). It does require a HIGH ENERGY DENSITY to do this damage. If you refer back to my "Understanding Lenses" video czcams.com/video/WbBPps42iHc/video.html you will see how the energy density is all to do with the spot size.max energy density is achieved at the focus point but as you move the work away from the focus point where the spot size has increase by just 30% the spot size will have TWICE as much area and the energy density will halve. Now move a little more and increase this new spot by 30% and the same halving will apply We are now at 1/4 density. You will see from this that the energy density is falling off very quickly as you go out of focus
My 1.52 lens would do significant damage to the anodized surface if I was closer than 1/2" to my nozzle. I tend to test at about 2" awa.y For a 2" lens I would think 3" below the nozzle would be safe and for a 2.5" lens I would leave 4"
Hope this answers your question
Best regards
Russ
Thanks for the answer!
The reason I asked was because of the low power needed to etch Anodizing (Actually I rather suspect it is not etching but vaporizing the dye perhaps).
Had good results etching commercial black anodizing using only 16mm/sec @ 10% using a (hopefully realistic) 100W laser so operating near full power even with the beam defocussed could probably affect the anodizing, hence the question.
+SarbarMultimedia
Hi
To be honest there is a little mark on one side of my Macken Meter where i quickly learned my lesson. So I always use that side to do my first test at a new power....just in case.. The doHICky is wide enough to use an edge for initial "sighting"
Thanks for question
Russ
Hi Russ.
Id like to order one if they are still available.
Hi Marcin
Yes they are still available. Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a datapack. I will then delete your comment/email from public view.
Best wishes
Russ
Is this the personal messaging system?? I can't seem to find any other way of messaging you but this is public and not personal as far as I can tell. Thanks.
Kerry
Hi Daniel, are these still available? I would like to order one.
Hello Russ, I like your doHICky very much and I want to buy one also for me. Is that still available? Best Regards
Hi Marc
Add your disguised email address (johndotsmithatgmaildotcom) to another comment and I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment/email
Best wishes
Russ
Any drawings for the doHICky size, type of aluminium, and anodization? I want one unless you have any for sell still.
Hi I still have them available. Attach your email to another comment. I get auto copied to my email so I will send you a data pack and will also delete your comment from public view.
Best wishes
Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia rshtunik@gmail.com thank you.
Hi!
I add my voice to all the others in praise of your videos!
Do you still have have any DoHickys in stock?
Hi Mattias
You Tube canned their private messaging system a few months ago so now the only sensible way is to add your email address to another comment. I get auto copied to my gmail and so I will immediately remove you comment/email from public view and send you the data pack for the dohicky.
Best wishes
Russ
Russ; Do you still have your doHICky's available for purchase? Good video by the way. The ebay links are no longer valid.
Hi Dave
Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a data pack. I will also delete your comment from public view
Best wishes
Russ
Hi russ Id like to order one if they are still available.
Hi Joe
Just add your disguised email address (johndotsmithatyahoodotcom) to another comment and I'll send you a data pack
Best wishes
Russ
Hello Russ,
finally found this video :) i'm also interested in the doHICky any left?
Hi Srdan
Yes I am currently making a new batch because demand has been steady and there always people such as yourself that are joining the laser club. This is not something you need to use every day so it is not a good investment to spend a lot of money on convenient hi tech equipment.. This was purposely designed to replicate the results from much more expensive kit but at a price that allows you to use it a few times a year when NOTHING else will do the same job. I need your email address to send you a data pack . Add another comment with that information and I get auto copied to my gmail. I will immediately remove your comment/email from public view,
Best wishes
Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia we oedered our laser just a few minths after you started your chanel so i learnt the basic of rd labs from you, and then dare i say it i did not watch your vidoes as i had a lot of other stufd going on, now two years down the road i regret nit watching your videos as i would have learned a few more things then instead of only now. The gauges are really expensive so your solution dose fit the bill, i do need a way to kwep track on the powef of tube and to see even if we did get a 130w tube :) other thing is that i have a laser wirh the fixed head positikn as the beam aligement is a big issue for me. Wondering if you will also make a modd for this head to make it adjuatable. Thanks again.
Dear Russ,
By chance, do you still have one of your DoHICky's? Would be really happy to purchase one!
Best regards,
Hi Walter
I'm currently in Dubai but plan to be back in UK next week. Jusy go to the You Tube massages section and send me your email address and we will move on from there.
Best regards
Russ
Great place! Have a nice time there!
My first contact mail is Yp6VwC4nMHXU@migle.riese.lt
Best regards,
Hell Russ, How do I go about to purchase one of your comparators,ThanksRegardsPeter
Hi Peter. Add your email to a new comment and I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment/email from public view
Best wishes Russ
Hi Russ, fantastic channel. Sorry I'm a little late to the doohickey party! Are you still making them?
Hi Robert
Yes and no. Yes, I am still making and selling them steadily but there has been a bit of a rush in the past couple of week for some reason and all of a sudden my stock has depleted. I am in the middle of making another batch so within a couple of weeks they will be available again. If you wish to add another comment with your email address , I get auto copied to my email. I will send you a data pack in readiness and will also delete your comment.
Best wishes
Russ
Is it still possible to purchase such a part?
Yes There is a steady flow of new laser users that discover they need such a device for either contesting what their vendor has advertised or for fault finding .
You tube does not allow publication of email addresses and has algorithms to detect anything that looks like.one. However it's not clever enough to decode sentances so do something like this and I will answer. You can start with joey123 and you can see me AT the famous G company with a COMma.
Could measuring the temperature rise of a known volume of water measure laser power?. Water absorption coefficient at 10um is 100000/meter or 99.9% for 1 cm, water thermal mass is 1C/gm/watt. Shining a de focused laser into a small container of stirred water
Hi Tim
My first attempts at power measuring were done with water and I did a lot of reaearch to establish what the absorption efficiency of water was. "almost 100%" was as close as I got. The physical problems associated with getting the water to absorb the energy was never overcome. The light hitting the surface of the water gets absorbed rapidly within parts of a millimeter as it changes to heat energy and causes the water to boil and evaporate. As the power increases the ability to agitate the surface to prevent this evaporation loss becomes impossible. You are then faced with the inevitable question of how much is my stirring energy causing the temperature to rise and how efficient am I at preventing surface heat losses because of the high thermal gradient (ie convection losses). I even tried a recirculating micro pumped whirlpool into a funnel where the beam was fired into the bottom of the funnel where the turbulence and flow rates were greatest. I could monitor the temperature rise caused by the pump and compensate for that.. Great fun trying but a real waste of effort. Water calorimetry was not the right approach to power measurement. It was silly to even pursue that route to start with because how ever was I going to measure power losses across in situ mirrors or directly out of the laser tube. I have to admit that my enthusiasm and naivity swamped common sense.
I have spent many hours discussing other enthusiasts ideas for cost effective ways of measuring power and I have done a few more crackpot experiments myself. None have succeeded and so it came about that I decided to understand and develop a much cheaper non-commercial version of the existing technology.
By the way defocusing the beam does not fix the issues. The raw beam is typically 6 to 8mm diameter with a Gaussian energy density profile. I have looked at the energy profile in the beam with a K type thermo-couple that will work up to 1300C. In a 40 watt beam I can see peak temperatures at the centre of the beam that are over 1200C. I tried the same test with a 70 watt beam and melted the thermo-couple.
The other issue that was a surprise to me is just how bad water is at conducting heat
I have to say that this machine/technology has sent me back to my old text books many times and taught me many new things as well.
Thanks for the comment because it's always good to rework ideas in case some stones.did not get turned.
Best wishes
Russ
Makes sense, 99% of the energy is absorbed in the first mm of water as I think about it. I’ll be receiving an aged but quality laser engraver over the next week, it surely need some TLC,. Do you have any lollipops left. I really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work!
Hi Tim
Use the You Tube message service to privately send me your email address and we can proceed from there
Best wishes
Russ
Hello Russ, you should have been lecturing at a University. The explanations are text book or better damn perfect.... Its a pity that many lecturers/professors can not explain as clear as you are able to on Engineering.... Welcome to the University of Laser Engineering....
Why oh Why do we let people like yourself with years of Experience retire at 65 , there should be some inducement to allow you to retire earlier in life so that this knowledge does not simply disappear, so many young would be engineers need people like yourself to train our new generation of highly skilled and motivated Engineers.
Could I please ask if this is still available or whether you have plans available so that I could make one.
I do have my own small workshop /lathe etc and should be able to reproduce this if not....
I have contacted you in the last day or so and left my details on the 185 video on the upgrade lightweight laser head.....Many thanks Russ.......Neil...
Hi Neil
Many thanks for your kind words
You must understand that these videos are not about teaching people . I retired with years of experience in many engineering discipines . For ten years I was running a precision sheet metal company that had two 3kw CO2 metal cutting machines. I thought I had a pretty good understanding of laser technology. When I almost retired I bought a cheap Chines laser machine as an excuse to reteat to my man cave and duck the long "to do" list my resident project engineer had created . It soon became apparent that this "simple" non-metal cutting technology was like something from another planet. I exaggerate if I claim 5% of my prior laser experience was transferrable.. Seven years ago, CZcams was in its infancy and the only laser videos were of people spending half an hour barbequing pieces of wood and claiming to be photo engraving. The software manual was constructed with random words from the english dictionary . In effect I had bought 10 jigsaw puzzles tossed into a bag with no pictures.
i'm not into fishing golf or aerobic activty. I reason that menat accuity is more important than physical prowess. Do giant tortioses play golf or run? NO, they just THINK about it. Well that my life model. My only serious hobby has long been film and video editing. However you can't edit without material to work on. Thus this magical happenstance where I could create endless video material as I educated (and redsigned where necessary) myself in all aspects of this weird laser technology. I am not teaching, I am a student on a journy of discovery.and 7 years later there are still amazing things to investigate that others seem to have ignored.. If you watch more recent videos I investigare the mechanism by whiclh laser beams can cut through thick material with a parallel cut. ( see czcams.com/video/vTEAm-01E1Q/video.html ) Lens theory and your imagination tells you this is impossible. Lenses have been designed and used for thousands of years in telescopes cameras etc for working with IMAGES. . 60 years ago laser beams were invented and we now use them to DAMAGE material with light INTENSITY . 60 years have passed and no one seems to have realized that the relationship that lenses and laser beams enjoy is not predictable by lens theory. It's a fascinating subject
Although I have pro and studio video kit, I chose to make this series VERY basic. Just one camera, no special lighting or mics. You are looking over my shoulder as I learn the emphasis is on discovery . My commentry is me thinking out load and trying to reason with myself. Self education means I make mistakes and often draw incorrect premature conclusions. I do not hide these. They are out there for all to see and when I look back I am often embarassed by my naivety.
Most of my videos are totally unprepared and you discover with me and my thought processes.. I do not monetize my videos and I have no concern about views or subscribers. So as you can now see this is a very SELFISH pleasure that allows me to immerse myself in engineering, learning (exercising my two remaining grey cells) and my hobby. The notion that others would benefit from this "laser porn" was never in my thoughts. However having found my self a bit of an agony aunt for laser problems, I admit to deriving satisfaction from helping others with their problems. Those problems , oddly enough, expand my experience as I solve issues I personally have not encountered.
I cannot visuailze the world as sets of numbers and data. my mind is filled with millions of little 3 D moving models. My terrible drawings are an attenmpt to show you whay I see but I find it useful for me (and maybe for you) I can prove a point by demonstration or by using a simple analog that helps you visualize what I can see so clearly. As a young designer I was taught to exaggerate or oversimplify to understand the essence of a problem. My mentors did not waste the effort.
Your question about the dohcky will be answered fully when I get your details .I will check 185 but I also lefy a way to cintacy me as well.
Best wishes
Russ
.
@@SarbarMultimedia Wow Russ, theres an awful lot to think about here. ....I thought I was the only person who left very long replies and messages....I am always being told so by others....
I think that you are a very proud person and do not accept compliments well as so many others do who like to build their wall of success.
Let me just tell you that I have watched a good few of your engineering videos and I can not fault them, the way that you bring your film work to life is to me a breath of fresh air , you are adept, concise and have a wealth of experiences that many people simply now do not have now and will never have as life today is less challenging I feel that it was before the wide use of computing, the internet and the way that we now communicate globally in seconds rather than hours, days and week s. Of course there are other challenges that we face but education is now not one of them.
It is freely available to the masses now simply by clicking on a computer mouse. for most what holds most people back is a lack of will or motivation to improve your own knowledge and understanding.
While you feel that you do not teach I have to disagree with you here as you do teach, you share the knowledge that you have discovered as a "student yourself on your own road to discovery"
This I feel is Education even if unstructured and unscripted. as you yourself have said.
Its a very refreshing and interesting way to share your knowledge.
I now spend my own retirement working with lasers and small self built CNC machines, its a new hobby for me over the last 5 to 10 years and now that I no longer "work" I devote all of my time to learning and increasing my own knowledge and in turn I share what I learn, whether it helps I do not know !
I just wish many years ago that perhaps I should have taken a different path in my career but who knows maybe now I would not be playing with lasers and 3d printers as I do today....I think our generation has a lot of fun times ahead.
Ill be in touch...
thanks for everything.
Neil.
@@SarbarMultimedia Hi Russ thanks for all of your thoughts I did miss your comment sin the final paragraph, I can not seem to find that way at all....unless perhaps I just missed something so obvious on this its got past my radar totally!!
@@SarbarMultimedia Thanks Russ for your thoughts, I still think despite what you say that the way that your unscripted dialog comes across in the videos is very clear, concise and is a good way to impart knowledge.
In your last paragraph I seem to have missed where you might have left it the comment.........
I have been quite involved over the last few years with Endurance lasers and at the moment they are carrying out mainly R&D ( because of what it happening though no fault of themselves lately) and George and his team are exploring the UV 335 nm spectrum...the results are quite interesting.
czcams.com/video/a7ZUyDGp6c0/video.html
Hopefully this country can leave its troubles behind and become again involved with the West and develop these lasers much farther. I have to admit though I really cant see much happening within the next 15 years or so.....
Thanks for your interesting comments.
Russ, do you still have the DoHICky's available for sale?
Hi Arun
Yes I still have them available. Just send me your email address via the You Tube private messaging system and I will send you a data pack.
Best wishes
Russ
Hello, thank-you for all your great videos. Is it yet possible to buy 2 or 3 DoHICky's ? I plan to replace the 'normal thermometers' by a uC. A litle uC like a litle Arduino, can take temperature, time, and calculating the power automatically. If it works well, i plane to put all on public site for share. Thank-you in advance. :-)
Hi Daniel
Sounds like great idea. A couple of others had spoken of something similar many months ago but I'm certain they stalled. I shall need your email address so that we can speak off line. Use the private message system to get me your email.
Best wishes
Russ
Thank-you. Did you received my private message ?
I would like to purchase a doHICky. How can I go about getting one??
Hi Erich
Press the S tag on this message and it will put information into the address bar. Add /about to the address and that will open a page where there is a MESSAGE button top right, You can send me your email addres via this private messaging system and I will send you a data pack.
Many thanks
Russ
hello, eBay link doesn't exist, can you provide an updated one?
Hi
Just Googler twin channek k type digital thermometer
There will be orage ones and yellow ones. Both have a MAX button, Both can be bought at widely varying prices from Ebay or Amazon.
Best wishes
Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia my confusion, I was really asking for a link where to buy the "doHICky comparator"
@@rodstartube
Hi, Let's share the blame.
It is me that sells the dohicky. If you wish to add your disguised email address to another comment (Johndot smith====at????geeemaildottcom) that confuses the bots, I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment
Best wishes
Russ
22:17... It seems that you are testing an IR Laser at 67Watts without Laser Safety Googles...
Please tell me I'm wrong....
You are not wrong. However I always wear glasses that have polycarbonate lenses. Perhaps you misunderstand the nature of this 10.6 micron wavelength light. Yes it is classed as light but at this wavelength the energy manifests itself as heat energy that is rapidly absorbed within parts of a millimeter when it his an aqueous surface. That means that IF you get your eye right in the path of the beam or get in the way of a coherent reflection then the surface of your eyeball will absorb the energy and permanently damage your cornea. Other wavelength lasers will react differently with the eye and could damage the retina and make you blind. Those other wavelengths will not be absorbed by glass or plastics and the do require specially prepared glass materials to filter out the dangerous rays. The IR generated by a CO2 laser is definitely not safe. However, nor are moving automobiles when you purposely or accidentally step in front of them! You should understand the risks when working with fire and act accordingly. Please do not fear this technology, just treat it with respect. I use my machines all the time with the covers open because I am filming, but on those few occasions when I demonstrate the dangers of reflectivity I will not be putting my eyes or my camera in the firing line. I must also point out that the very nature of a laser beam is it's ability to remain coherent ie there is no scattered or incidental rays, only direct or reflected rays.
Watch my video czcams.com/video/kJe16YQlIM0/video.html for a demonstration. If you use your machine with the cover closed the risk is ZERO but if you do run the machine with the cover open and do not wear glasses, then any cheap polycarbonate industrial safety glasses will afford 100% protection.
Thanks for the comment
Best regards
Russ
Could I order 2 x DoHickies please Russ. Been following along with your video's. Find them very informative. Oh I am in Australia. Not sure how to contact you any other way?
Hi Steven
Sadly You Tube canned their personal messaging system about 6 months ago so it makes private email address swapping less private. The way I overcome this is for you to attachyou email to another comment. I get auto copied to my G mail and I immediately remove your comment. I can then send you a full data pack about the dohicky. Curiousity makes me inquire "why 2?"
Best wishes
Russ
HI Russ, this is a great solution. Are you still selling them?
Hi Luis
Yes they are still avaialable. If you like to add your disguised email addess to another comment I will send you a data pacl. About 2 years ago CZcams canned their personal messaging service and are getting cleverer at detecting lightly disguised email addresses. Somehing that still works is to hide it in a sentence or two like this. The first part is luis followed by a dot and then an m. Add an at symbol and then gmail followed by a dot and a com.
I will delete the comment.
Best wishes
Russ
Reply received.
if you still have probes. I'd love to buy a few. can I get your contact info?
Hi Russ,
do you still sell doHICkys?
kind regards from Germany
Stefan
Hi Stefan
Yes I still have stock
I don't think I have your email addess so add it in a disguised form to another comment and I will send you a datapackCZcams seemms to detect lightly disguised emails and not posting comments. So here is a way that beats the algorithms, lose it in a sentance or two like this . The first part is john followed by a dot and then smith. Add an at symbol and then geeeeeemail with a dot and a com
I will delete your comment.
best wishes Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia Did you get and delete my comment or was it the system?
@@catweazle_1 Hi
It was the system , It iis getting clever at Identifying email addresses Try again in a different format , maybe try mirroring the whole email address
Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia the next attempt was deleted as well. I now have tried to send you a PN in the rdworkslab forum, where I am registered as stefan herbener
hi russ do you have any doohicky's left
Hi
Yes there seems to be a steady demand so I always keep making stock. Add your email address to another comment. I get auto copied to my gmail and will immediately delete your comment from public view. I will send you the data pack and details.
Best wishes
Russ
Would Like to order a DoHicky if you have any Russ??
Hi Bill
Yes, still available. Sadly you tube canned their private messaging system. If you belong to the www.rdworkslab.com forum you can contact me privately through there. Otherwise add your email to a comment and I will get copied to my gmail. I will send you a data pack and also delete your comment
Best wishes
Russ
hi russ i caint seem to be able to message you through utube are the dohickys still avalable (lollypops) thank you in advance simon
H Simon.
Sadly You Tube canned the PM service. If you add your email to another comment, I get auto copied to my email and will send you a dohicky data pack. I will also remove your comment from public view
Best wishes
Russ
I don't think Russ has time for emailing on how to get this just by typing a comment here, that after doing these beautiful videos. Here is what I did and hoping he will reply to me one day when he gets time :-).
Send private messages to Russ
- Go to the channel of the person you want to contact. You can do this by clicking their channel name underneath one of their videos.
- Click the About tab.
- Click Send message.
- Type in your private message and click Send.
Russ as always a supper video
Hi Russ could you send me the information needed to purchase. Thanks
Hi
Go to message section and send me your email and I'll add you to the list.l get bits back from anodizing in next day or two, so shipment is imminent
Regards
Russ
@@russsadler3471 i would like to order one:
einar.mikkelsen@gmail.com
I'm interested in a DoHICky, please.
Can't find a good way to message you with more information about it.
Hi how do I send you a private message so I can buy a dohicky from you? Thanks oli
Hi Oli
I am currently away on vacation in St Lucia until next Monday. You Tube canned their private message system recently so you will have to add your email to a comment. I will be auto copied to my gmail and will delete your comment from public viewI will then send you a data pack and a paypal request.
Best wishes
Russ
Do you still sell the doHiCky?
Hi Panos
Yes it is still available . Just add your disguised email address to another comment and I will send you a data pack.
I will also delete your comment/email address from public view.
Best wishes
Russ
Can you share (send) me program for power measurement (circles)?
Hi Uros
You do not need any special pattern. Just a simple circle will work. You just have to make the line length (circumference) and speed combine to give you a "beam on" time that suits the power range you are using.
Best wishes
Russ
I would like to purchase one.
Are you still making these?
Hi David
Yes they are still available at £30 each including postage If you wish to proceed then add your disguised email address (daviddotcatyahoodotcom) to another comment and I will send the data pack
Best wishes
Russ
If still avaliable ? I will order some please
Hi Terje
Yes this is still available.
Add your disguised email address to another comment (johndotsmithatgmaildotcom) and i will reply and also delete your email address/comment
Best wishes
Russ
Are you still selling these. If so I would like to get one.
Hi Jim.
If you add your email to another comment, I get auto copied to my gmail. I will delete your comment and send you a data pack for the dohicky.
Best wishes
Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia Hi Russ, if you still have them i would like to order 1 too. ruud.de.rooy.1974@gmail.com
Hi Russ could you send me the information needed to purchase email in prev post. Thanks
Good video
Hello, where can I buy your Dohicky? how much it costs?
Hello Peter
I'm afraid you are stuck with me as the the only source. My stock is currently quite low (but still available for immediate shipment)and I have a new batch in progress. The price has remained the same over 4 years and is £30 including postage to anywhere in the world. If you wish to proceed, add your email address to another comment but in a disguised form (johndotsmithatzoomdotcom) and I will send you a dta pack and a PayPal request.
Best wishes
Russ
SarbarMultimedia Hi Russ, great, my email address : bittersroatgmaildotcom
By the way great work with your channel, I really learned a lot, also have some issues with my laser I can’t figure out yet :(
@@studiobitter
If we speak by email I'm sure everything is fixable.
Best wishes
Russ
@@SarbarMultimedia great!, So I am waiting for your email
Russ,
I would be very happy to purchase one of your comparators.
Would you please send me your file for the laser probe holder.
Trevor
I would like to purchase it, i will post my disguised email below.
Hi are these still available Russ?
Yes but I shall need your email to send details. You Tube has ceased it's private message system so send me your email as a comment and I will immediately delete the comment so that it's not sitting in a public forum
Best wishes
Russ
SarbarMultimedia if you let me know and I will remove the comment. Thanks again
Hi Russ,
Need a Dohicky if they are still available.
jim@jdwitt.com
Thanks for all your work.
Hi Russ,
Are you still manufacturing these? I’d certainly be interested in one. File13addy@yahoo.com
Terry
Write me up one DoHICKy please. Thanks