PROMETRIC 8 BEAM
CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSER
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Somebody set up us the bomb. 
ProMetric 8 Beam Cross-Sectional Analyser, retail ~$10,000.00 (No longer manufactured)
Manufactured by Radiant Imaging (www.radiantzemax.com)
Last updated 01-26-14
This product does not emit light of its own (much like this spectrometer and this spectrometer too), so the standard review format will not be used and the product will be assigned a rating at once. A very high rating too, as during the time I've had it, it has thus far performed flawlessly. 
Also, you must note that a lot of the features of the beam profile analyser and its software suite go unused, and therefore, unmentioned.
The first photograph above shows the ProMetric itself; the second one also shows the calibration light (the thing that looks a bit like a cannon); I was forced by my parents (whom I live with primarily for financial reasons) to dispose of the calibration light prior to moving from Sacramento CA. USA to Federal Way WA. USA just after New Year 2009. 
The ProMetric is a "sophistimacated" instrument that allows one to capture images and data showing the characteristics of a beam of light. In the simplest terms, it shows you artifacts (evil little lighter & darker spots) present in the light beam you're analysing with this instrument. If the beam is smooth, you'll know; and if it's ringy, you'll know that too.
It came to me set up as a US Type A goniometer.
To install the ProMetric on a computer running Windows 98, disassemble the case first (well, unplug the computer FIRST) - insomuch as to allow you access to the top surface of the motherboard. Plug the video capture board into a PCI slot, and put the computer back together.
Plug the included dongle into the computer's 25-pin DB-25 printer port, and tighten the thumbscrews on it so that it does not just summarily fall off.
Turn your computer on, and allow it to come up (boot).
Plug one end of the included BNC video cord into the receptacle for it on the video capture board (now installed in your computer) and plug the other end into the "VIDEO OUT" jack on the ProMetric's camera itself.
Plug the power supply into any standard (in north America anyway) 110 volts to 130 volts AC 60Hz 3-slot household receptacle ("wall outlet"), and plug the plug on the end of its cord to the "DC IN/SYNC" receptacle on the ProMetric's camera itself.
Put the CD-ROM in your computer, and install the ProMetric program from it onto your computer.
From that point, things can range from simple to painstakingly complex (depending on what you want to do and what kind of graph you want); for this website sakes, I've been following these steps:
1: Run the ProMetric program.
2: Select "Start Active Cross-section graph".
3: Set the ProMetric exactly 36" from the target.
4: Adjust the focus of the ProMetric's camera if necessary.
5: Shine the light being analysed at the target.
6: Adjust the iris on the ProMetric's camera as necessary.
7: Press the "PrtScrn/SysRq" key when the graph being displayed (in real time) looks right.
8: Open an image viewer, and press the CTRL-V key sequence.
9: Crop the resulting image.
10: Save the final image in .GIF format to make it "web friendly".
11: Upload (usually via FTP) the image to my web server.
An example of a beam cross-sectional analysis that you'll see all over this website is shown directly below.
These are the video capture board and the security dongle.
This is a front isometric view of the ProMetric imager itself (this is the heart of the system).
This is a rear isometric view of the ProMetric imager itself.
Beam cross-sectional analysis of the Osram 445nm Blue Kaleidoscopic Portable Laserwith beam widened (fast {X} axis).
Beam cross-sectional analysis of the Osram 445nm Blue Kaleidoscopic Portable Laserwith beam widened (slow {Y} axis).
Beam contour analsis from the Docter Aspherilux 125 incandescent torch.
Isometric plot from the Docter Aspherilux 125 incandescent torch.
Screen dump showing the ProMetric software's startup screen.
Since losing the paper manual, I no longer know how to perform isometric and beam contour analyses with this instrument. 
TEST NOTES:
Unit was received on long-term loan from Radiant Imaging near 11-01-01.
The power supply is rated to output 12 volts DC at 1.20 amps; this is also shown to be a regulated value.
UPDATE: 11-29-09
I failed to mention that the ProMetric came to me with a rather sturdy and obviously high-end (somewhere between $306.00 and $550.00) tripod; a Bogen "Manfrotto" unit.
This tripod has fully adjustable leg length, and has bubble levels built in for tilt and azimuth adjustments.
Directly below, is a photograph of just the tripod itself, so that you can see how good a unit it really is:
UPDATE: 01-09-10
I've been forced to offer this instrument for sale; I do not do so willingly -- it is up for sale to prevent an eviction. It is being sold both on CPF Marketplace and on Craigslist. 
This is an extremely esoteric (and may I also say "exotic") instrument; although its sale is not super likely, the probability is not mathematically zero.
If it does sell, I'll be forced to append the dreadful "
" icon to its listings on this website. 
UPDATE: 02-01-10
This instrument is no longer for sale.
I discovered yesterday morning that the software CD is corrupt, and the software was not found online.
UPDATE: 07-18-11
This instrument has now been packed up for a move to take place on 08-01-11; therefore, that new (but still slightly dreadful) "
" icon has been appended to its listings on this website, denoting the fact that the instrument is
temporarily not at my disposal.
UPDATE: 01-13-14
This instrument was destroyed by lightning in mid-July 2013 , so that dreadful, "
" icon will have to be appended to its listings on this website.
MANUFACTURER: Radiant Imaging
PRODUCT TYPE: Beam profile analyser
LAMP TYPE: N/A
No. OF LAMPS: N/A
BEAM TYPE: N/A
SWITCH TYPE: N/A
CASE MATERIAL: Metal
BEZEL: N/A
BATTERY: N/A
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
WATER- AND PEE-RESISTANT: No
SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
ACCESSORIES: Software, paper manual, hard-sided case, power supply, image capture board, long video cord terminated in BNC connectors, security dongle
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: United States of America (unit itself); Italy (tripod)
WARRANTY: Unknown/TBA
PRODUCT RATING:
ProMetric 8 Beam Cross-Sectional Analyser * www.radiantzemax.com
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