Lasers

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:37 pm

Hi all,
I see lots of folks with the hand held lasers, pointers or whatever.
I'm not so familiar with them, but, would like one......

can someone help me understand wattage/color/safety/cost?

I'd like a bright one, but, don't want to turn anyones eyes into raisins........
I'd never point one of any power into someones face, but, if it accidentally happens.......

thanks

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:58 am

What color and why on earth?

http://www.wickedlasers.com/
http://www.coherent.com/
http://www.qpclasers.com/index.html

I think sighting lasers are limited to a certain brightness, which ends up being a 5mw in this case in red.
I'm told it is much more expensive to get a green or blue laser which doesn't diffract too much, so red is more common for good reasons.
Some frequencies are considered eye-safe too.

I like these and plan to get one, though it may be built into the case.
http://www.armalaser.com/howitworks.html

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:20 am

The cheap tiny red ones are sold as cat toys.

Igneouss · Post by **Igneouss** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:41 am

Small laser pointers are available in any office supply store.

For bigger stuff start with edmonds scientific (not entirely sure of the name).

Cheers

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:57 am

yeah, I see lots of the hand held pointer types out there, Amazon and all have them.......
I just see power ratings I don't really understand, and, the safety issue........
I've seen 40mw advertised for 50 bucks........they say it'll pop a dark colored balloon.......
I'm just not familiar enough, yet, to know all the issues, safety, and cost/quality........

One guy had one last year, and, it looked so cool flashing up in the air through the dust, he could put a dot on "the Man".....even see it on the hills (it seemed anyway).

I can see tons of fun, from my place, there's a campground about 2 miles away...........bouncing a green dot in the trees when everyone there is partying at 2 am..........

I can hear the UFO calls now.......

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:24 am

Saw a guy on the Playa at night shooting the laser beam through a cut crystal ball( golfball size). The beam went through and split off into wild patterns. Very cool and simple. I think he said it was 5watts.

CompositionB · Post by **CompositionB** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:24 am

Any laser that exceeds 5mW (regardless of color) will require permits from the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). If it will be operated outdoors the FAA gets involved. There are also state regulations. I don't know about Nevada but in Arizona the Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency (ARRA) issues permits. Fines for operating a laser light show without permits are in the thousands.

Here are a couple links:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ocer/guidance/1639.html
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/hea ... les/laser/

In addition to being illegal, operating a laser with more than 5mW of power in an unsafe manner really is dangerous. These lasers should never be pointed at a person and can cause eye damage. There is a black spot in the vision of my right eye that was caused by a laser pointed into the crowd of a nightclub about a year and a half ago.

I have informed the rangers that many of the lasers operated at burning man are potentially unsafe. They never responded to my email and I still saw many "illegal" lasers last year.

If you want a laser to play with I'd recommend a green 4.9mW laser pointer. The human eye is most sensitive to green, so a green laser actually appears brighter than any other color (at the same power level).

I know someone manufactures filters that you can put over the end of a laser pointer to diffract the beam into an image like a star, heart, smiley face, etc.

If you want a laser that will do some crazy tricks for you then a fixture like the American DJ Krypto Sync might suit you. There are also less expensive fixtures that are comparable to the Krypto Sync but use red laser diodes.

links:
http://americandj.com/ProductDetails.as ... pto%20sync
http://americandj.com/ProductDetails.as ... er%20widow

here's a much cheaper portable one:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/97ab/

There are also fixtures that use multiple 4.9mW laser beams to create a much larger effect without needing permits. Here's a link to the American DJ Image 8 DMX:
http://americandj.com/ProductDetails.as ... =image%208

have fun and try not to blind anyone!

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:29 am

Great Info CompostionB...Thanks... Let the fun begin...

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:56 am

Ygmir, I work at Coherent. We had an extensive thread about this awhile back.

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:47 am

> he could put a dot on "the Man"

"A" dot on the Man was probably cute a hundred years ago. Now all the people pointing their handheld lasers at the Man are an aggravation.

Of course, it's Burning Man, so go with it.

(http://www.crap.fi/archive/6895.jpg :->)

Igneouss · Post by **Igneouss** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:53 am

That poster is funny. I needed a laugh. Thanks

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:02 am

Hey Phil.
I'll go with that poster, I wear a hammer at times.........

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:31 am

ygmir wrote:Hey Phil.
I'll go with that poster, I wear a hammer at times.........

hmmm, JK's always pounding it also......I wonder......

a pair of socks?

muah hah hah hahhhhhhhh

DaftBrian · Post by **DaftBrian** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:55 pm

What about those handheld lightshow type laser things? I saw two people with them in the Playa Go Round dome one night and was captivated. They look like flashlights, but the light is filtered through concentric circle slots, so it appears to be a bunch of light circles dancing around. They were pretty bright and the effect was awesome.

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:48 pm

I have a 12V laser lightshow thingy I got at Spencer's Gifts. It make red circles and patterns.

Another place to order lasers is American Science and Surplus. They have a wide range, from cheap to pricey. And tons of other way cool things.

http://www.sciplus.com/

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:38 am

AntiM wrote:I have a 12V laser lightshow thingy I got at Spencer's Gifts. It make red circles and patterns.

Another place to order lasers is American Science and Surplus. They have a wide range, from cheap to pricey. And tons of other way cool things.

http://www.sciplus.com/

I picked up what is probably the same thingy from a thrift store- black rounded plastic case on a pivoting plastic bracket? Makes pleasant whirring sounds? Great toy and cheap even if bought new! I'm working on making a few small knockoffs and improvements- The primary mechanism is pretty simple, just spinning mirror bits on little motors.

Lasers are so cheap now that I'm seeing them in dollar stores!

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 6:30 am

Mine is orange and I got it on clearance... you kidding? Pay full price? Not exactly like the one you have, but I know which one you mean.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:46 am

AntiM, the 12V is the power requirement. When we express the power of a laser in Watts (like 5 mW), that's the optical power output. For a simple diode laser that's more or less accurate and useful (unless you used a Q-switch).

There are tons of things you can do with lasers; you can get any number of light-show packages if you have the cash to burn. I am glad that you are thinking of eye safety first. We couldn't stand having a BM ban on lasers just because one person was irresponsible.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:23 am

UD, I know that. I was just saying I have one which runs off a 12V power supply.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:46 am

Of course, AntiM, and powering these things on the playa is a challenge in itself.

You're not in WA are you?

Post by **mdmf007** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:48 am

My laser is powered by happy thoughts and oontz.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:43 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:Of course, AntiM, and powering these things on the playa is a challenge in itself.
You're not in WA are you?

Nope, I live in Utah.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:35 pm

Lasers are not so fun, and feeble to boot, in my experience. My bet is you can't afford a laser that isn't feeble.

Spend your money on more acid, and an LED flashlight. You'll *think* you have a fantastic laser, and you won't blind anybody.