Can I Use My Beamtrack Sensor With a Pulsed Laser?
The answer to this is, of course, it depends.
It depends on the pulse frequency and it depends on which sensor you want to use.
Thermopile detectors do not have very fast response times, so frequencies above 100Hz are effectively the same as CW to them and all BeamTrack functions will perform as expected.
Below 100 Hz the response time of the detectors becomes relevant.
Low power sensors generally have faster response times so they will be more susceptible to fluctuating readings when used with a pulsed laser. The position measurement function uses the same thermopile detector as the power reading. If the laser frequency is high enough for the sensor to provide a stable power reading without fluctuations then the position measurement function will perform well too.
All of our BeamTrack sensors will provide reliable position measurements for pulse frequencies down to below 10 Hz. The beam size function employs a detector that has a faster response time. At low frequencies the size measurement reading will fluctuate. We don’t recommend relying on the size reading for laser pulse frequencies below 100 Hz. In any event, you can always try the sensor with your laser. If the readings are stable, without significant fluctuations, then they will be reliable.
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