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<5mW 445nm BLUE
PORTABLE LASER
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"<5mW" 445nm Blue Portable Laser, retail $59.88
Manufactured by: (Unknown; possibly Osram) for Laserlands (www.Laserlands.net)
Last updated 01-21-13

(In reference to the small box I received from Laserlands at 11:38am PDT on 06-21-12):
{sung like the Foreigner song "Feels Like the First Time"}

The "<5mW" 445nm Blue Portable Laser (hereinafter, probably just called a "blue portable laser" or even just a "blue laser") is a royal blue-emitting, directly-injected diode laser. That is, it produces deep blue laser radiation directly, without the need for messy, fragile nonlinear crystals like those green laser pointers and the amberish-yellow and slightly greenish-blue ones as well. It uses a pair of AAA cells to feed its laser diode with.

It is advertised on Ebay to output <5mW (0.005W) of laser radiation at 445nm; it was measured at 167mW at 450.421nm (spectrographically measured). You should know though, that the furnished instructional materials are labelled as to this laser emitting 80mW at 450nm so it's still overspec as far as output power goes.

This is the reason I call it a "portable laser" on this website instead of a "pointer". Lasers designated as "pointers" must -- by US law anyway -- have a power output that does not exceed 5mW.

The instructional materials are also "stamped" in blue ink with the following text (inside of a rectangular box):

Tested by Laser Power Meter
Laserlands Quality Guaranteed

It comes in a handsome aluminum body with a black matte finish and brushed chrome-colored accents.

SIZE

To get the laser to turn on, first load it with two AAA cells (see directly below), and THEN you can go set fire to the dead wingless legless fly you found in your box of raisins*...er...uh...go do some "scientifical" experiment.

Aim the laser well-away from your face first.

Press & hold the chrome-colored button on the barrel to turn the death ray...er...uh...LASER on; release the button to neutralise it (deactivate it).

*This is Worm Quartet...one guy (Reverend Shoebox) and three worms.

The song "Find The Dead Wingless Legless Fly In Your Box Of Raisins" is from the album "Faster than a Speeding Mullet".

To change the batteries in your blue laser, unscrew the laser at the halfway point, throw the front portion in the {vulgar term for feces}bowl, yank that silver handle on the front of the cistern down, and flush it away...O WAIT!!! THAT'S THE GOOD PART!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the used AAA cells out of the barrel and into your hand, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.

Insert a pair of new AAA cells into the lower half of the barrel, nipple-end (+) positive first. This is the opposite of how batteries are installed in most flashlights, so please pay attention to polarity here.

Screw the two halves back together, and be done with it.
Aren't you glad you didn't flush away that front half now?

Unable to measure current (amperage) due to the way this laser was constructed.

This is a self-contained laser , and not a flashlight meant to be carried around, thrashed, trashed, and abused - so I won't try to drown it in the toliet tank, bash it against a steel rod or against a concrete porch, let my mother's big dog's ghost, my kitty cat, or or my sister's kitty cats piddle (uranate) on it, run over it with a 450lb Quickie Pulse 6 motorised wheelchair, stomp on it, use a small or medium ball peen hammer in order to bash it open to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannoñata, drop it down the top of Mt. Erupto (I guess I've been watching the TV program "Viva Piñata" too much again

- candiosity is usually checked with a laser-type device on a platform with a large readout (located at Piñata Central {aka. "Party Central"}), with a handheld wand that Langston Lickatoad uses, or with a pack-of-cards-sized device that Fergy Fudgehog uses; the cannoñata (also located at Piñata Central) is only used to shoot piñatas to piñata parties away from picturesque Piñata Island, and Mt. Erupto is an active volcano on Piñata Island), send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analysis, or perform other indecencies on it that a flashlight might have to have performed on it. So this section of the web page will be ***SIGNIFICANTLY*** more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight.

This is a directly-injected laser though (which by their very nature are more rugged than DPSS lasers!), who's active components are the inverter circuit, the laser diode, and the collimating lens. So it should withstand accidents better than a DPSS (diode pumped solid state) laser - the type of laser assembly found in deep red (671nm), yellow (593.5nm), green (532nm), and light blue (473nm) laser pointers. These lasers have several additional components (crystals, filters, etc.) in the optical train, and you can knock them out of alignment by doing little more than looking at them the wrong way. And if any of these components are knocked out of whack, you'll no longer get your deep red, yellow, green, or blue laser beam.

Though you still do not want to intentionally drop your blue-emitting portable laser because it's a precision optical instrument.

The biggest downside to this laser is the fact that while this is clearly a CDRH Class IIIb laser (making it somewhat dangerous!!!), there are no safety features at all that are normally required in Class IIIb lasers; e.g., there is no "emissions" indicator, no startup delay, no interlock of ANY type, and no mechanical beam shutter. This laser behaves like a Class IIIa laser pointer in this regard, which I believe is a rather severe no-no!!!

Beam terminus photograph of this unique (well, "not-so-unique" now) laser on the target at 12".
Beam image bloomed ***SIGNIFICANTLY*** even though it was daylight when the photograph was taken. That white color does not actually exist.
"Not no way, not no how" as they say.
Those "spots" you see (that aren't part of the main beam terminus) in this photograph & the next one are artifacts from the camera, and do not exist in the actual beam.

Beam terminus photograph on a wall at ~10'.
Again, that white color does not really exist, and beam image bloomed fairly significantly.

Photograph of the laser's actual beam taken outdoors.
Photo was taken at 7:08am PST on 12-18-12.

Another photograph of the laser's actual beam taken outdoors.
Photo was taken at 6:55am PST on 01-18-13.

Power output measurement

Power output peaks at 167mW.

Power output measurement

Power output peaks at 187mW.

Power output measurement

Power output peaks at 200mW.
Batteries for the above two analyses tested at 100% on my ZTS Pulse Load Battery Tester.

Power output measurement

Power output peaks at 200mW.
Batteries for this analysis were purchased just before the test.

All three tests (plus the stability analysis below) were conducted on a LaserBee 2.5W USB Laser Power Meter w/Thermopile.

Short-term stability analysis

Short-term (600 seconds {10 minutes}) stability analysis of this laser.

Spectrographic analysis of this laser.

Spectrographic analysis of this laser; spectrometer's response narrowed to a band between 445nm and 455nm to pinpoint wavelength, which is 450.421nm with a spectral line halfwidth of ~3.44nm.

Post-abuse (intentional ignorance of presumed duty cycle) spectrographic analysis of this laser.

Post-abuse (intentional ignorance of presumed duty cycle) spectrographic analysis of this laser; spectrometer's response narrowed to a band between 445nm and 455nm to pinpoint wavelength, which is 451.822nm with a spectral line halfwidth of ~2.11nm.

Spectrographic analysis of this laser below lasing threshold.

Spectrographic analysis of this laser below lasing threshold; spectrometer's response narrowed to a band between 445nm and 455nm to pinpoint wavelength, which is 453.267nm.

Spectral line halfwidth analysis of this laser above lasing threshold.

Spectral line halfwidth analysis of this laser below lasing threshold.

Power output measurement

Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a uranated* glass marble while being irradiated with this laser.

Power output measurement

Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the 2009 NIA Commemorative Insulator in uranated* glass when irradiated with this laser.

*"Uranated" - infused with an oxide anion of uranium, *NOT* piddled (uronated) on.
Commonly referred to as "Vaseline glass" because it has
a distinct pale yellow-green color when not being irradiated.

Note spelling: "urAnated", not "urEnated","urInated",
"urOnated", "urUnated", or sometimes "urYnated".

USB2000 Spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.

ProMetric analysis

Beam cross-sectional analysis with beam widened (fast {X} axis).

ProMetric analysis

Beam cross-sectional analysis with beam widened (slow {Y} axis).

Images made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.

TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased from Laserlands via an Ebay listing on 06-01-12 (or "01 Jun 2012" or even "Jun 01, Twenty Stick-Very-Twirly-Stick" if you prefer) and was received at 11:43am PDT on 06-21-12 (or "21 Jun 2012" or even "Jun 21, Twenty Stick-Very-Twirly-Stick").

UPDATE: 07-02-12
I've noted that the switch button can be a bit difficult to actuate sometimes, and this is why:

See how the internal PCB (printed circuit board) is a bit cockeyed with relation to the external switch button?
The button presses against the switch at a slight angle, rather than being truly perpendicular (oriented at a perfect 90° angle). I've made some attempts to correct this, but have failed; and I do not want such a nice little laser to become broken, so I'm just going to leave it be and press the button somewhat right of center (as I have the laser pointing away from me); this assures correct operation every single time and reduces potential stress on the internal pushbutton.

PROS:
Color is very radiant & unusual for a pen-style handheld laser
The price is right!
Somewhat overspec from the advertised specs in the furnished instructional materials
Uses batteries that are common and relatively inexpen$ive
Color is very radiant an unu...o wait, I said that already!!!

CONS:
No laser warning labelling of any type -- that's what nocked ½ star off its rating
No safety features required of a CDRH Class IIIb laser -- this is what lopped another ½ star off

Unknown; possibly Osram

Blue-emitting laser

Unknown-type blue (450nm) laser diode

Very narrow spot

Momentary pushbutton on/off button on barrel

Aluminum

Metal; laser & lens recessed into a hosel for them

2x AAA cells

Unknown/unable to measure

Light splatter-resistant at maximum

¡¡¡HUSOOS CRISTO EN UN SILLÓN DE RUEDAS, NO!!!

Hard-sided cardboard storage case

142mm L x 12.50mm D

65.10g (2.290 oz) incl. batteries

Not stated; but very likely China

Unknown/not stated

<5mW 445nm Blue Portable Laser *

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