Do lasers get dimmer?

[DJ Jules]

I have a couple of ADJ Gobostar's that are about 18 months old now and get fairly heavy use and I'm fairly sure that the laser element in them isn't as bright as it used to be...

They used to hold their own in daylight, and now I'm struggling to make them out in a relatively dark room. I'm not sure if I've dislodged something in the optic path (nothing obvious there) or if the diode's are failing?

Any experience here? Do diodes get dimmer, or just fail?

Julian

[Nakatomi]

They can get dimmer as they age but I don't think yours are old enough to do that - unless the fixture design is terrible enough they're being overdriven. Misalignment is a definite possibility though, as is dust collection. Maybe it needs a clean inside - it certainly might if you use it in haze much.

[Pe7e]

Have you opened them up and taken a look? I've got a few of these and found them to be prone from components coming loose, including the diode units, which can give the symptoms you are experiencing, worth checking it out.

[DJ Jules]

I've had a very quick look and everything appears to be in place and the path for the optics appears to be clean and clear. They're now noticably brighter in the centre than they are at the edges so I've been thinking optics.

I think they might be making a trip to my local friendly retailer (who sold me them) to see what he thinks. I've invalidated the warranty so it might be an interesting comversation (chinese wireless dmx pcb's have been fitted which required a bit of drilling :D ).

Thanks :)

[yourdj]

The diodes are usually about £20 depending on the power and colour. :)

I have had to change a few, especially the red ones.

Don't know what my laser world one would cost, but I suspect quite a bit.

[DJ Jules]

The diodes are usually about £20 depending on the power and colour. :).

I know they're not too expensive, but I've had experience with various cheap diffraction lasers (in club installs) that have taken a beating 3-4 times a week for years without any degradation of performance - and these are only 18 months old with quite minimal use.