My new laser

[MRC_Hans]

Perhaps we need a forum for gadgets.

OK, background: Decades ago, I read a lot of stuff about lasers, holograms, and such stuff. All very fascinating, but in those days lasers were unaccessible to common people.

So, as soon as they became available as affordable laser pointers, I had to have one, of course. That became several, and now a days, these are dirt cheap (and the quality has descended into the abominable).

On my latest trip to China, however, I got a new laser toy: A max 5mW green laser pointer . Most you find today (reds) are <1mW, for safety reasons, so this one is, well, one where you can say "That's not a laser .... This is a laser!".

OK, just wanted to share, hehehe.

Now waiting for the blue ones .

Hans

 

[sol invictus]

Not exactly a laser, but.... watch the video

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/the-torch-why-illuminate-when-you-can-incinerate/

 

[richardm]

Well I think it's bad form to have a thread about your new laser without illustrative pictures!

 

[fishbob]

Did you get the XL upgrade with the shark head mounting kit?

 

[ThatSoundAgain]

So, are you going to do some holgraphy with it?

 

[Furi]

I have been thinking of a nice 130mw (they can do 200s or so as well)
http://www.scitec.uk.com/lasers/sdl_green_laser_pointers_10-130mw.php

there have been some intersting products advertised from other companies, but a lot of them have been so varying in reviews that I think I will lay off for a bit (or are in the US and I don't want to get buttsexored by import duty)

I used to have 2x HeNe 5mW and around 5x 2mW HeNe lasers the 2 mW used to out perform any 2-10 mW LED laser I have seen, and the 5s were oodles of fun.

 

[Madalch]

On my latest trip to China, however, I got a new laser toy: A max 5mW green laser pointer. Most you find today (reds) are <1mW, for safety reasons, so this one is, well, one where you can say "That's not a laser .... This is a laser!".

One of the webcomics I read used to often have an ad for "Wicked Lasers"
http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/Pulsar_Series-56-1.html which offers lasers from 5 mW to 300 mW.

 

[BoogieWoogieWookie]

I have several of these, including a 100 mW that is awesome! It has a beam that you can see even during the daylight. It will pop dark colored balloons and melt thin black plastic, although I don't know why you would want to. High geek factor item for sure.

 

[fuelair]

One of the webcomics I read used to often have an ad for "Wicked Lasers"
http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/Pulsar_Series-56-1.html which offers lasers from 5 mW to 300 mW.

Thanks kindly! They and I may wind up doing some business!

 

[Ladewig]

One of the webcomics I read used to often have an ad for "Wicked Lasers"
http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/Pulsar_Series-56-1.html which offers lasers from 5 mW to 300 mW.

Some of the reviews on the site mention that these are helpful in amateur astronomy. How are they used?

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Some of the reviews on the site mention that these are helpful in amateur astronomy. How are they used?

So you can get an exact distance to Mars so that you can focus your camera really well and get awesome pictures?

 

[bioinfinity]

Turn a flash light into an high-power laser pointer by using a DVD burner laser diode. Here are the Youtube instructions: pop.youtube.com/watch?v=0sH0muQnKWQ

 

[BenBurch]

In teaching Astronomy to people, the green laser is often used to point at things in the sky. Because the beam is visible due to particulates, you can point out things to dozens of people at once while delivering your stargazing lecture. They even make them on mountings that auto-point so all you need to do is tell it what object you want it to point at.

Back when we were all being fed our daily dose of terror fear, the Bush Goons ginned up the story that green laser pointers would crash airliners by blinding the pilots. Ignoring how hard it would be to track that cockpit window or how easy it would be for the pilots to close their eyes and ask the tower for a go-around, or how trivial it would be for the gendarmes to locate said terrorist.

 

[a_unique_person]

It will pop dark colored balloons and melt thin black plastic, although I don't know why you would want to.

You don't need to know why.

 

[MRC_Hans]

Sorry about not popping back in for some time. Pretty busy, I'm afraid. I could take some pics, I suppose. I know there are MUCH more potent lasers around; where I work we use a lot of laser engravers. I'll look into the DVD burner thing .

The fun thing about this one is that it is, so to say, OTC stuff.

I don't think I'll be going into holograms, although it was reading about those that I first caught an interest in lasers. But all this handling real films turns me off. If only you could capture them with a digital cam.

Hans

 

[MRC_Hans]

Turn a flash light into an high-power laser pointer by using a DVD burner laser diode. Here are the Youtube instructions: pop.youtube.com/watch?v=0sH0muQnKWQ

Oooo! I'm definitely gonna try that! I even have a dead DVD burner sitting around . Now for having fun.

... Does anybody know if CD burners are also visual red?

Hans

 

[Furi]

Sorry about not popping back in for some time. Pretty busy, I'm afraid. I could take some pics, I suppose. I know there are MUCH more potent lasers around; where I work we use a lot of laser engravers. I'll look into the DVD burner thing .

The fun thing about this one is that it is, so to say, OTC stuff.

I don't think I'll be going into holograms, although it was reading about those that I first caught an interest in lasers. But all this handling real films turns me off. If only you could capture them with a digital cam.

Hans

I first got my old HeNe with an idea of playing about with holography, Just setting up a stable work place (floated with half inflated inner tubes and that) was enough to drive me to utter distraction at passing traffic, or loud farts, I did produce a couple (eventually) of a lego blocks anodised coins and a Glass, but it was the type you needed to illuminate with coherent light to view (my Uncle did all the developing stuff as he was all photography nuts, and I just thought lasers and holograms are cool),

 

[genesplicer]

I have a 10mW green and a 5mW green. I use the 10 for nighttime stuff and the 5 in class.

 

[MRC_Hans]

I don't think even the 5mW is legal here (we are very safety oriented: Anything fun is forbidden). I look forward to dissecting DVD burners, however, heheh. Btw, my green one was getting weak and unstable, and I thought maybe it was burning out. Then I replaced the crappy Chinese batteries it came with, with two nice high-quality Energizer batteries (it takes two AAA), and ... WOW!

You know, there is a nice bull-**** thing to do in a large meeting: Somebody has a big boring presentation with lots of slides with too much writing on them, and he waves the weak laser that sits in the projector remote. Then from the back of the room, you point your gorgeous green laser at a figure, and ask: How do you get this number?


Hans

 

[MRC_Hans]

Somebody asked for pictures. Not really anything exciting, but here they are (crappy cellphone cam):

The pen. The light, and straight into the lens.

Hans