Portable laser!

[penguinz]

http://lifehacker.com/software/diy/turn-a-flashlight-into-a-handheld-burning-laser-287252.php

[Fish]

Freakin laser beams

[cdcox]

Heh. When I was a teenager I would have been all over that. I used to spend hours studying this book in the jr high library that gave detailed plans on how to build a "hobby" laser that could burn through a razor blade. This was obviously before the pussification of America. Back then they would describe laser power in "Gillettes", as in how many razer blades the thing could burn through. Building it was way beyond my skill level and budget, since it required polishing the ends of a large ruby crystal. But a boy could dream.

[ChiefsfaninPA]

You'll shoot your eyes out!!!!!!!!!

[kepp]

Very cool. I just happen to have an old DVD drive laying around too.

[Donger]

I wonder what class that laser is.

[jAZ]

Wow... that seems dangerous. Someone throw Al Gore in jail and cancel the internets.

[StcChief]

Freakin laser beams
in my dream
laser beam
in my dream
laser beam
in my dream
I can't get on
I can't get off
laser beam's like a sawed off dream...

http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/O/theozarkmountaindaredevilslyrics/theozarkmountaindaredevilschickentrainlyrics.htm
flashback...

[Radar Chief]

Very cool. I just happen to have an old DVD drive laying around too.

Instead of tearing up a DVD drive you can probably shop Jamco, or Mouser, maybe DigiKey, to find a similar laser diode.

[Mr. Plow]

This video popped up after the laser video.....Should be SFW, but I didn't watch the whole thing.

Shake yo money maker (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/594248/chinese_girls_teach_you_how_to_shake_their_s/)

[Lzen]

I wonder what class that laser is.

Some of the replies claimed to know lasers. One said it was a class III and another said a class IIIb.

[BIG_DADDY]

Anybody makes one of these I'll pay for the parts for both if you do the work and ship it to me.

[Donger]

Some of the replies claimed to know lasers. One said it was a class III and another said a class IIIb.

Yikes, those are pretty powerful. 250 mW, I think.

[unlurking]

Awesome, now how do I "up" the power? Use higher voltage batteries? Get a different laser diode? Any thoughts? Sounds like a fun project to do with my son!

[kepp]

Awesome, now how do I "up" the power? Use higher voltage batteries? Get a different laser diode? Any thoughts? Sounds like a fun project to do with my son!
Just combine this with the thread a while back about creating a super-powered flashlight for like $10.

Edit: Here you go (http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=164028&highlight=flashlight)

[DMAC]

Great, now the punks that flash them at movie theater screens are going to make one of these and burn the frikkin theater down.

[stanleychief]

Well this picture is kind of overexposed, but lasers are so bright, they're hard to photograph in the dark. How about a project where you can build your own green laser light show for under $250?

http://www.drpixel.net/dpss.jpg

That's a photo of my entertainment center with a green DPSS laser and a fog machine performing an effect known as 'liquid sky'. Quite the conversation piece!

[unlurking]

Well this picture is kind of overexposed, but lasers are so bright, they're hard to photograph in the dark. How about a project where you can build your own green laser light show for under $250?


That's a photo of my entertainment center with a green DPSS laser and a fog machine performing an effect known as 'liquid sky'. Quite the conversation piece!

Very cool. What was the time of exposure on that?

Where are the instructions (with links to buy components)!!

[007]

cool

[stanleychief]

Very cool. What was the time of exposure on that?

Where are the instructions (with links to buy components)!!

The picture was taken using 'auto mode' on the camera, so I'm not really sure on exposure time. The glow from the beam and reflections on the back wall are bright enough to illuminate the room quite well though.

On the parts list and instructions... I pretty much built the rig myself, but it's very easy to do. What you need are:

1) > 10mW DPSS Laser Head. Best place to find these are on eBay. Here's an example of one such auction: link (http://cgi.ebay.com/50Mw-532NM-DPSS-Laser-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ250151976548QQihZ015QQcategoryZ53141QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) You'll also need a power supply that will drive the laser. The auction above comes with one.

2) Fog machine. Pretty much any unit will do. I got one online for around $50. You can find these at Spencer Gifts, party supply stores, also some music stores carry them as well. Just after Halloween is a great time to find them cheap.

3) Line generating optic or polygon scanner. The easiest way to generate a flat plane of light is to use a line generating optic. You can generally find these on laser levels. You can also find them online, such as this one: link (http://www.novalasers.com/NOVAstore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=6&idproduct=33). The polygon scanner costs a bit more but produces a smooth plane (ie: no beams like in my phoho) the only place I know of that carries these are Meredith Instruments link (http://www.mi-lasers.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=OPT-PS-2&reference=/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi%3Fsearch%3Daction%26keywords%3Doptics_lightshows%26searchstart%3D0%26template%3DTemplate s/SearchResult.html). These are basically the same things used in really old barcode scanners.

The absolute best resource on lasers on the Internet is Sam's Laser FAQ. He has a ton of links to suppliers, and a lot of great information on lasers. link (http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm)

Here's the part where I tell you how dangerous these are...

They are very dangerous!

You can easily burn out your retinas with a DPSS laser, especially a cheap one. The laser emits a powerful infrared beam that you cannot see if not filtered properly. Cheap DPSS lasers use cheap optics and allow for leakage. If for any reason your laser does not appear to power up, under no circumstances should you assume the diode is dead. Read the laser FAQ for more details.

[unlurking]

Thanks!