![]() This happens, of course, when the laser is not currently in operation and the environment is thermally stable. Using the zeroing function on your monitor will define what is the zero level for you. If you use a fan-cooled head, you’ll want some space behind the detector so air can flow. If it comes with no water or fan cooling, you still need space around the detector to allow air to freely flow and cool down the device by convection. Laserist hint: if the power meter came with a stand there’s a good reason for it. Two minutes should be enough or one minute for head that can take 30 W or less. At the same rate it would transfer heat when exposed to laser. The thermal disc will transfer heat to its casing, or with the fan on or with the water cooling at a normal natural rate now. Step 5 - Laser off: block the laser beam (2 minutes)īlocking the laser beam will let the head reach temperature equilibrium. Laserist hint: for smaller power heads with a maximum average power such as 30 W, you can do this step in one minute. Two minutes are more than enough for the detector to heat up. In other words, the power detector transfers heat all the time, even more so when the head is at a different temperature than the surrounding environment.īest way to solve this issue is to heat it up. Step 4 - Laser on: heat up your Gentec-EO laser power detector (2 minutes)īy keeping in mind that we measure the heat transfer here (for power detectors), you can imagine that having the detector not at the same temperature as the ambient conditions will affect the measurement negatively. ![]() The graph above applies only for H-type absorber please refer to the user manual for more detail on other absorbers. The sensing element behind the absorber is large and symmetrical, so use all that aperture area! A beam that is too small increases the probability that the detector will be damaged during the measurement process. This is the best way to ensure the heat is completely absorbed and transferred to the power meter. Step 3 - Make sure your beam size is 40% to 60% of the optical aperture The most common specifications include: average power, power density, energy, energy density, repetition rate, etc. Every detector has its own set of specifications and you must use one that fits your laser specifications the best if you want an accurate measurement. You can’t just use any laser power detector with any laser. Step 2 - Make sure you use the detector within its specifications This might explain why two detectors tested one after another got a different reading. Why do we do this? The properties of the optical components tend to change over time as the laser reaches equilibrium with its environment, and for this reason, you should not use the laser before that point.Īs you can see in the image below the power output decrease naturally. This typically takes between 20 and 30 minutes. ![]() You need to wait until your laser reaches a stable point before measuring its power. Step 1 – Fire up your laser and make sure it is stable before starting a power measurement (20 - 30 minutes) If you have a photodiode detector instead, worry not: we’ll have another blog post on this subject. Wonder no more! This quick guide is here to tell you exactly how to measure laser power accurately using your Gentec-EO thermal laser power meter. Are you wondering how to get the most accurate measurements possible from your laser power meter? Or, maybe are you looking for simple step-by-step instructions on how to make a power measurement the same way a laser expert would?
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