Xi'an Aurora. To trust or not to trust?

[sradmard]

Hello all,

As you can see I'm a nube. I am a bit specific about the diodes I'm after, OCD and all. I was looking to buy some from Xi'an Aurora on Alibaba, and I wanted to see if anyone has been down that road before.

Many thanks!

 

[paul1598419]

Welcome to the LPF. I have purchased from Alibaba before. Just not that particular seller. I am always careful when buying parts there. Some of their sellers are fake.

 

[hakzaw1]

Hello all,
hello
'As you can see I'm a nube.'

Is this also your first forum???
I think so because you never made an "intro' thread in our 'Welcome section' (just good forum manners)
'So go there and read a bunch of threads and replies==please make a nice thread WITH your location in it's title.) Your welcome posts will count towards your needed 20 posts BTW-- until then you are not able to make any threads in the BS&T section--

Our former forum showed our locations (if in our profile) and anyone reading the thread would instantly know your location as it appears below our avatars EVERY time we post anything--
This newer forum does not have that feature-- however IF you add your location into your personal profile your location can be known at your profile and it can be seen by just placing your cuseor on the members name any time...

The Welcome section is read by many members AND very often they will make a post there, welcoming you AND some will post that they also live where you do... hands-on help is super-- the other member can be a big help AND if they own a Laser Power Meter (or LPM) they will meter any lasers for any members free of charge. (a LPF tradition)

I would guess that very few are totally successful with their first 'build' AND many never know what exactly went wrong-
so we often say you need to make your first laser with lower cost parts. AND/OR by Getting a JAD or JADD are a smart way to start-- much of the 'tricky' parts are already done -- you simply Just Add Diode and /or Driver-- which will be set to the correct M amps ALSO a total understanding of ESD Protection is a must.


I am a bit specific about the diodes I'm after, OCD and all. I was looking to buy some from Xi'an Aurora on Alibaba, and I wanted to see if anyone has been down that road before.

The search here at LPF is where you should have started (after posting your intro)
First-- my personal take on those with ODC-- not the best hobby to choose as perfection and homemade lasers are not a good fit. NO DIODES were EVER made with 'us' in mind.

Very few make 'perfect' lasers.
Diodes are easily killed by a dozen+ reasons-- and a 'perfectly round 'dot' is rare. The makers of these diodes and where they were intended to be used is a factor--EXAMPLE we get Blue wavelenght diodes from Kasio Projectors ( we do NOT use the correct spelling to avoid any more problems --(like lawsuits)----Only laserists with some experience should 'harvest' diodes', as there are some steps in the harvest that are intentionally made hard to extract by the projector makers.

We have many great threads by helpful members on making a first laser--SEARCH to find them. WE all like to spend our time making lasers and NOT spoon feeding noobes. IF you do not find threads here that help -change search terms or -search again at Google.

Paul kindly gave you some good advice--however VERY few here EVER buy from Alibaba or 'Made in China' sites-- another option is to buy from any trusted member-- make a thread (after you have 20 related to lasers posts) called WTB - a 'want to buy' request.

It is extremely rare that ANY laser diodes are EVER warranted-- The cause of 'death' may never be known BUT the most common reason was a mistake made by the builder and NOT the seller or maker of the diode. At best some member seller MIGHT send another diode at a lower price, (like DTR-a VERY trusted and super helpful member--see and read ALL of his tutorials)

With all that is going on presently I would, for now avoid buying parts from China.
The two trusted China laser makers here are JETLASERS (I am 'associate') and Sanwu (their member here is Podo.) AFAIK they mostly sell complete laser but not many parts. BUT if needed send your laser back to them for repairs.

Buying from any sellers where you live has advantages. Inspections and seizures are very rare in packages that do NOT cross any borders. Also use PayPal for buying.

SO best wishes-- AND do your own homework-- we are NOT REALLY fond of questions that have been asked & answered MANY times already.

peace
hak (aka Len)

 

[sradmard]

Hello all,
hello
'As you can see I'm a nube.'

Is this also your first forum???
I think so because you never made an "intro' thread in our 'Welcome section' (just good forum menners)
'So go there and read a bunch of threads and replies==please make a nice thread WITH your location in it's title.) Your welcome posts will count towards your manditory 20 posts BTW.

Our former forum showed our locations (if in our profile) and anyone reading the thread would instantly know your location as it appears below our avatars EVERY time we post anything--
This newer forum does not have that feature-- however IF you add your location into your personal profile your location can be known at your profile and it can be seen by just placing your cuseor on the members name any time...

The Welcome section is read by many members AND very often they will make a post there, welcoming you AND some will post that they also live where you do... hands-on help is super-- the other member can be a big help AND if they own a Laser Power Meter (or LPM) they will meter any lasers for any members free of charge. (a LPF tradition)

I would guess that very few are totally successful with their first 'build' AND many never know what exactly went wrong-
so we often say you need to make your first laser with lower cost parts. AND/OR by Getting a JAD or JADD are a smart way to start-- much of the 'tricky' parts are already done -- you simply Just Add Diode and /or Driver-- which will be set to the correct M amps ALSO a total understanding of ESD Protection is a must.


I am a bit specific about the diodes I'm after, OCD and all. I was looking to buy some from Xi'an Aurora on Alibaba, and I wanted to see if anyone has been down that road before.

The search here at LPF is where you should have started (after posting your intro)
First-- my personal take on those with ODC-- not the best hobby to choose as perfection and homemade lasers are not a good fit. NO DIODES were EVER made with 'us' in mind.

Very few make 'perfect' lasers.
Diodes are easily killed by a dozen+ reasons-- and a 'perfectly round 'dot' is rare. The makers of these diodes and where they were intended to be used is a factor--EXAMPLE we get Blue wavelenght diodes from Kasio Projectors ( we do NOT use the correct spelling to avoid any more problems --(like lawsuits)----Only laserists with some experience should 'harvest' diodes', as there are some steps in the harvest that are intentionally made hard to extract by the projector makers.

We have many great threads by helpful members on making a first laser--SEARCH to find them. WE all like to spend our time making lasers and NOT spoon feeding noobes. IF you do not find threads here that help -change search terms or -search again at Google.

Paul kindly gave you some good advice--however VERY few here EVER buy from Alibaba or 'Made in China' sites-- another option is to buy from any trusted member-- make a thread (after you have 20 related to lasers posts) called WTB - a 'want to buy' request.

It is extremely rare that ANY laser diodes are EVER warranted-- The cause of 'death' may never be known BUT the most common reason was a mistake made by the builder and NOT the seller or maker of the diode. At best some member seller MIGHT send another diode at a lower price, (like DTR-a VERY trusted and super helpful member--see and read ALL of his tutorials)

With all that is going on presently I would, for now avoid buying parts from China.
The two trusted China laser makers here are JETLASERS (I am 'associate') and Sanwu (their member here is Podo.) AFAIK they mostly sell complete laser but not many parts. BUT if needed send your laser back to them for repairs.

Buying from any sellers where you live has advantages. Inspections and seizures are very rare in packages that do NOT cross any borders. Also use PayPal for buying.

SO best wishes-- AND do your own homework-- we are NOT REALLY fond of questions that have been asked & answered MANY times already.

peace
hak (aka Len)

Thank you for all the details. It is my first time posting in a forum, but I have read through a lot of forums, including this one. I searched this forum for this particular supplier and nothing came up. So I made a post to ask. The supplier claims to have all the Nichias for $9 so I needed answers. I do appreciate your long post. My intention was not to talk so much of your time but, rest assured, I learned a lot from it. Like the importance of ESD, especially as the carpet in my apartment seems to be made out of electrons, I get shocked 10 times a day. There's not a lot about the beam I am strict about apart from the wavelength. I realise a lot of diodes have wide ranges and that they might be grouped after production, like the PLT5 520 B1, B2, B3. But try and go and buy a B2... It seems like you have to roll the dice and wait 8 weeks to find out which B you got. Might buy 10x of them and find they're all B3s

 

[Coonie]

Hello all,
hello
'As you can see I'm a nube.'

Is this also your first forum???
I think so because you never made an "intro' thread in our 'Welcome section' (just good forum menners)
'So go there and read a bunch of threads and replies==please make a nice thread WITH your location in it's title.)

I am so tired of seeing this bs. It's not bad "menners" if someone doesn't make an intro thread in the welcome section and telling people it's mandatory to post their location is a violation of their privacy. There are millions of forums out there were people don't introduce themselves so I don't see how not doing so means you have never been to a forum before.
Really the only thing we need to know is age. It's an adult hobby imo

 

[hakzaw1]

What? you are not making any sense...feel free to avoid reading anything I post..
I quote--'Buy, sell, and trade lasers and/or laser pointers. Minimum 20 laser related posts required before thread creation. '

 

[sradmard]

What? you are not making any sense...feel free to avoid reading anything I post..
I quote--'Buy, sell, and trade lasers and/or laser pointers. Minimum 20 laser related posts required before thread creation. '

Thank you good sir. I posted a blurb in the welcome page. Summary is I'm 33 and live between (not a geographical average) Toronto and San Francisco. I'm an engineer, I've got decent intuition, but I am certainly clueless when it comes to lasers, for now. I'm a fast learner, and I love passing on knowledge. I am not afraid of saying "I don't know".

 

[hakzaw1]

You will do fine. You might even become the next Joe Calvo.
I got to sorta know Joe and Lucy when a driver they sold me stopped working right. Lucy walked me thru finding the problem and fixing it myself. I had learned about them and found out that they even had a 'cleanroom' where they lived as well as a work room with lathe and mill and the things they made blew me away-- a lot of 'firsts' with a RGB handheld, and several record breaking high power handhelds. IICR the RGB was tuneable and thus actually full color. (instead of simply 7 color.)
They had invited me to visit should I ever make it to Toronto.
I got that chance while driving my Dads live-in caretaker home in Ontario.

Dad has just gotten (on his elder care lawyers advice) a new Saturn hybrid. So on my way home I stopped in Toronto and called the Calvos-- HOWEVER my timing was bad as Lucy was in the hospital about to give birth to a new baby-- So I missed my chance to visit who I consider to be the most outstanding couple involved deeply with lasers... I still enjoyed my 3 days in Toronto vowing to return some day (I especially enjoyed the coffee shops there-- and coffee was good too (LOL) ) ....

IF this does not get you 'wet' you are not really a laser geek;;lol JK

peace to you--hak

 

[gazer101]

U got safety gear right? Or are you just making a <5mw pointer?

 

[sradmard]

U got safety gear right? Or are you just making a <5mw pointer?

I'm getting the diodes first, as they're the trickier to source/longer leadtime part of my project. It wasn't my first instinct to be careful, but after spending the past few days on this forum and realising how much worse (large number multiplier) than staring into the sun lasers are I will not power on without safety gear. But I'm still months out. I appreciate the care

 

[gazer101]

I'm getting the diodes first, as they're the trickier to source/longer leadtime part of my project. It wasn't my first instinct to be careful, but after spending the past few days on this forum and realising how much worse (large number multiplier) than staring into the sun lasers are I will not power on without safety gear. But I'm still months out. I appreciate the care

Ah, same with me (will be waiting a few more months for stuff to arrive from China). Atm I have a DIY camera-drone-vr-headset thing as my safety, but I plan on buying these once I save up a ton (and recommend you do as well): https://www.survivallaser.com/Eagle...0nm_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p556088_3653067.aspx