USERS' thoughts on their 5W LPM systems

[scumbagatheist]

Re: USERS' thoughts on their LPM systems?

Thanks everyone.

LL...I did talk to him. He had other needs than I did. :beer:

 

[lasersbee]

Re: USERS' thoughts on their LPM systems?

Thank you, Bonic-Badger. I should have mentioned that I want something in the 5W range.

Your Thread Title states "thoughts on User LPMs".
You should really include all LPMs not just the ones
you are looking for.

It would give you a better insight on the different technologies...

I noticed that you had opened the "Who has LPMs" thread
only to find a member near you for your needs. Now it seems
this thread is only to address your 5Watt LPM needs.:thinking:

ARGMeter/Ophir all the way, everything else is a waste of money!

Of course this is only your opinion and we know that they
are like a$$holes.... everybody has one...


Jerry

 

[ARG]

Re: USERS' thoughts on their LPM systems?

Your Thread Title states "thoughts on User LPMs".
You should really include all LPMs not just the ones
you are looking for.

It would give you a better insight on the different technologies...

Perhaps a better title would have been "USERS' thoughts on their 5W+LPM systems?"
This topic of this thread was pretty clearly to help SBA get some feedback from various hobbyist grade LPM's that meet his requirements, not a thread about all LPM's.

As for your final comment, that is no way for anyone to conduct themselves here on LPF. Insults are not needed. Edit: Jerry removed his rude comment.

 

[ARG]

I actually wasn't trying to promote my own meter, I don't think I even mentioned it before this post.
I'm all for DIY with Ophir heads. The goal of the ARGMeter project is to provide people with a digital LPM design that they can make themselves rather than something that I make to sell for profit. I only sell them incase people cannot produce one themselves. My hopes was that they would also serve as a stepping stone for someone who wants to produce their own meter.


Since you're going the Ophir route I recommend you check out the systems Blord and offroadfreak have made, they are great examples of how to build a cheap, but good quality LPM.
There's really not much needed besides a DPM, case and a couple of 9V batteries.
http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/diy-ophir-lpm-78856.html#post1133591
http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/5w-ophir-20c-lpm-offroad-now-datalogging-79026.html#post1136010

This one is also pretty snazzy, he made his own circuit so the entire meter used only 1x 9V battery.
http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/simple-single-battery-lpm-81558.html#post1171591

 

[scumbagatheist]

My mistake, ARG. I apologize. I will edit that post. Thank you for the objective information, it shows you're a gentleman. I have not decided, as yet, which meter system I will choose. I know which one I will not being choosing, however.

 

[Speedy78]

I have a 5W Ophir by Nospin and I love it. Super fast response time on that Ophir head and although some people were complaining about the meter looking like an "alarm clock" I like the wood grain finish on it. It was very easy to add ARGs original data logging add on based on the full size arduino after I replaced a few parts i blew up when I shorted the entire unit out.

 

[awillis2589]

Any don't forget my diy meter!

http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/ophir-lpm-build-78853.html

 

[ARG]

Any don't forget my diy meter!

That too!
http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/ophir-lpm-build-78853.html#post1133560
The use of a USB cable for the connector was a good idea to clean it up

@Speedy Do you know if the nospins are still available? They are great LPM's, but I haven't seen any new ones in a while on the forums.

Also, SBA you should check out the BlueFan basic. I think you can get them with 5W options.
It's 50$ cheaper than an Ophir head IIRC but the trade off is that it doesn't have the same level of accuracy or response time.

 

[Speedy78]

Not sure if he has any heads left. He only had a few when I get mine.

 

[scumbagatheist]

Thanks, guys. I will continue to research my options. One thing I know I won't be happy with is a lack of accuracy or response times. If people keep wanting small builds from me, I need something fast.

 

[norbyx]

Well I had a chance to test the laserbee today, and even if I know that they don't make a 5W meter with sensor, I didn't dislike the performance of the meter at all....
This is what I have and for now I am doing fine with it, too bad I won't be able to test anything over the 3.2 W range but when I get a laser of over 3.2W I will have it tested by the builder and problem solved....
AND IF I end up building my own lasers.... well my first option would be an ophir...

 

[Speedy78]

I beleive Jerry has a 5W model with a Ophir head.

 

[awillis2589]

but the real question is the Ophir and what? Laserbee, ARGMeter, DIY??

 

[scumbagatheist]

^ That seems to be the way this is going...

 

[ARG]

Let me list out the ones I know. Kenometer USB, Kenometer Pro, BlueFan OEM, ARGMeter Ophir, Laserbee 5W, Apex, DIY.

I believe this may come in handy. I made it a while ago but never posted it because I didn't want to have to maintain it.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Agl60dWgiC12dFcxblFLbXhNQnJBdkRwbTdxT1U4dlE&usp=sharing
***This is only accurate as of a month ago, specs may have changed***

 

[andrewb]

I second everything ARG and awillis said. I researched the heck out of the various LPM options out there when I was in the market for one, and especially for the money, the Ophir is the way to go IMHO. Two batteries and a multimeter are all you need in addition to the head, and the response time can't be beat.

If you're on a budget, the Bluefan option is reasonable (at about $125), but for that much, I decided to spend the extra $75 and get something that's worth many hundreds of dollars more (as they really are on the order of $700 new). Also, the upgradeability of the Ophir option is kinda neat, if you want to make it fancy over time with datalogging, etc, but the 2 batteries + multimeter route is pretty slick too, and works perfectly fine.

-Andy