Hello to all, I felt a few words about myself should be done before I post anything else . . .
I'm a teacher at a local College in Southern California, I teach Electronics, Microprocessors (the PIC), and Basic Robotics. All my lasers that I have right now are all under 5mW, but it is tempting to step up to a higher powered laser and experiment with it.
My current laser project is to take several (5 or 7) < 5mW lasers controlled by a PIC and generate characters on the wall by moving the lasers and turning the beams on and off rapidly in the proper sequence. Earlier in the week I was able to drive a single laser from a PIC and 500 Hz (1mS on & 1mS off). As I moved the laser across the wall, I could see a string of dashes proving that I could modulate the laser.
By the way, on the night that the test was successful, I decided to sign-up to be able to post on the forum. Up to that point I had been spending several weeks reading the forum and researching the high powered lasers.
By the way, one of the more interesting and informative videos I've seen on YouTube is, "Laser Safety Seminar", presented by the Physics Department of Fort Hays State University. IMHO, I feel it should be required viewing by anyone who wants to play or experiment with lasers.
Bob Diaz
I'm a teacher at a local College in Southern California, I teach Electronics, Microprocessors (the PIC), and Basic Robotics. All my lasers that I have right now are all under 5mW, but it is tempting to step up to a higher powered laser and experiment with it.
My current laser project is to take several (5 or 7) < 5mW lasers controlled by a PIC and generate characters on the wall by moving the lasers and turning the beams on and off rapidly in the proper sequence. Earlier in the week I was able to drive a single laser from a PIC and 500 Hz (1mS on & 1mS off). As I moved the laser across the wall, I could see a string of dashes proving that I could modulate the laser.
By the way, on the night that the test was successful, I decided to sign-up to be able to post on the forum. Up to that point I had been spending several weeks reading the forum and researching the high powered lasers.
By the way, one of the more interesting and informative videos I've seen on YouTube is, "Laser Safety Seminar", presented by the Physics Department of Fort Hays State University. IMHO, I feel it should be required viewing by anyone who wants to play or experiment with lasers.
Bob Diaz