Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Another newcomer

R

Roofsbyrobert

0
Joined
Jul 24, 2014
Messages
12
Points
0
Over a year ago a friend brought over the first handheld laser I had ever seen. (Other than the keychain ones you can buy at the mall) it was night time and when he turned it on it lit up the sky! He held it on a dried leaf in my yard and it started to smoke in a couple of seconds....I've wanted one ever since! My little bit of research hasn't gotten me very far, I was hoping you guys could help. I figured the best way to ask for help would be list my want and concerns so her goes:

Budget is around $200....I'd like to pop balloons, light matches and basically impress the crap out of my friends the way my buddy did me.

Concerns: I'd rather not wait weeks and weeks for shipping, battery (rechargeable??replaceable?), focusable (I'd like to put a dot on a wall not a big blob

I think what I'm looking for is around a 200mw green. I've called several places but the only person I spoke to that spoke English said that they could not sell lasers in the US!?

Can't wait! Thanks
 





The Lightning Stalker

The Lightning Stalker

0
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
2,655
Points
63
Welcome to the forums. If a keychain laser your friend got at the mall did that, it must have been some
laser. For something that powerful burning up close, you will need eye protection. Head over to Survival
Laser and get a set of 540nm glasses. For the laser, there are some Laserbtb PL in your price range.
 
S

Stu

0
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
33
Points
0
Hi there, there are 200mw ready made green modules on ebay 532nm 200mW Green Laser Diode Module w/ Heatsink | eBay all you'd need is a decent host with a sensible heat sink,probably far easier to buy a pre made module as iv'e found from my limited experience that lining up the crystal that turns the ir light to green is not an easy job.hope this helps :)
 
S

Stu

0
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
33
Points
0
I'm not the right person to build you one,i'm still learning myself and have killed a few diodes and drivers already in my learning experiences
the link is for a ready made module with the crystal,lenses and driver ready attached,all you'd need is a blank host to drop the module into and hey presto one green laser,but there is a 1watt green laser on ebay too 1 W Military High-Power Green Beam Light Laser Pointer Pen+Battery+Charger+BOX | eBay
and to buy the parts to build a 1 watt green would probably total more than the asking price.as to build a 1 watt green you'd need over 3 watts of infrared then a decent crystal,just those 2 parts alone would total more than the asking price of the above.
hope this helps :)
 
Photonz

Photonz

0
Joined
Jun 20, 2013
Messages
530
Points
0
I think the forum here would be the best place to learn how, or even the best place to find someone reputable to build you one.
 
S

Stu

0
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
33
Points
0
^^ wise words,there are loads of experienced people on here,but it is good fun buying the bits and having a go at a diy build.i know i was well chuffed when i built my first handheld 1.4w blue,took a lot of head scratching and lots of internet searching to find out where i was going wrong,this forum helped loads,as there's always a thread somewhere with the relevant info,have a go at a diy build,and if you go wrong or need advice i'm sure some of the more experienced laser enthusiasts will pitch in with their helpful advice,the price of infrared diodes,drivers etc isn't dear for the smaller diodes,i know iv'e learned from my mistakes along the way,with a $200 budget you could build an awesome high powered laser pointer but you may need to double up on all the parts in case of accidents :)
 
R

Roofsbyrobert

0
Joined
Jul 24, 2014
Messages
12
Points
0
What about lasershk.com? They have a 1W with box, lock,focus, glasses and charger for $109!?!? How is that possible? It's probably really a 50mw?
 
The Lightning Stalker

The Lightning Stalker

0
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
2,655
Points
63
eBay lasers are hit and miss. That "1W" green sounds very iffy to me. One time you might get a
module that does 200mW, another you might get one that does 10mW. With laserbtb, at least you
know what you are getting. IF you do decide to go the eBay route, at least buy from techhood or
maybe laserlands since they mostly know what they are doing.

green = better visibility per mW, more expensive
blue = more bang for your buck (mW), not as visible
 
S

Stu

0
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
33
Points
0
i have bought one from lasershk for 1$ and it is well bright,runs on an 880mah 3.7v battery so must have a diode around 800mw inside it,it was advertised as being under 5mw but it's blatantly up around the 100+mw range somewhere.iv'e been tempted to buy one of the supposed 1w ones but there's no fun in buying ready made pointers,much more fun to try building one,my mission now is to build one that outshines this $1 purchase,can match the beam distance but have yet to match the brightness,the Chinese have the direct coupling of the ktp yv04 down to a fine art.soon though my 3 watt c mount diode will arrive then my fun can begin again :)
 
S

Stu

0
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
33
Points
0
to be honest am not 100% on this,but i'm quite sure that a 1 watt infrared diode needs about 1 amp of current so on that basis the battery in my cheap greenie must be around the same current as what the diode needs....but i'm no expert :)
 
RayJay

RayJay

0
Joined
May 2, 2014
Messages
344
Points
0
Wow.. Just.. wow. Really? So why isn't the 500mW diode I tested out today with 2 3400mah batteries putting out 6900mW? Me thinks you need to rethink your calculations..

Also, The milliamphours of a battery has absolutely nothing to do with how much current the laser draws! It has to do with how long the battery will last. It is like saying "my truck can hold 300 gallons of fuel.. Therefore it can go 300 mph"


Also.. Please god please to the lord above do not touch a 3W IR diode until you actually learn something about lasers!!! ..Just a quick question.. What sort of goggles do you have?
 
Last edited:
S

Stu

0
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
33
Points
0
every time i buy a diode they come wit max current settings,the 1 watt ones i have bought use about 1amp of current,the 500mw ones use about 500ma's of current,i wouldn't put 2 high current batteries on a diode,like i said i'm no expert but at the end of the day if the batteries capacity is as close to the diodes required current as possible you'll probably get the diode to last a lot longer,i was advised by a so called expert about using 2 batteries on my first blue handheld,the higher current and higher voltage of the batteries killed the diode in a flash,so since then i try to use batteries that aren't massively high on the current side.plus 2 batteries at whatever ma in line will still be the same amps it's the voltage that gets doubled is it not? ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.




Top