Hello everyone!

This community seems great. I have been contemplating making a laser for a little while now so I thought I would join. I'm from Quebec, Canada and am 21 years old. English is my second language and even though I can easily have a conversation, I like to be corrected so I can get better. I am studying in computer engineering and unlike many may think we do a lot of electronics so I am not starting from zero. That's about it for me.

What has attracted me in building a laser is some wicked idea I had. I don't know if near you it is common practice, but here, shoes are laced together and thrown onto electric cables to indicate there is some drug dealing done at this specific location, for example in a park. So I thought I should find a way of cutting the laces to recuperate the shoes. I could then give them to the charity organization that picks up clothing for poor people. I then thought about high power lasers so I looked that up on the Internet and it seems they can burn various materials. Maybe someone who has played a lot with lasers could give me an informed guess about cutting laces at a range of about 50ft? I have been looking at an offering from member DTR, available on eBay. It has the M140 diode which seems quite popular. Would it be poweful enough?

See you soon in the forums!

Smith

to the Forum....
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Enjoy your stay...


Jerry

Aside from having a high output unit, a stable tripod and a good focusable lens are a must. This absolutely can't be done handheld. If you plan to do this at night you will definitely be noticed.

Now that I reread OP's post, he mentioned that these shoes are hung on electric cables. I'm not exactly sure how much heat the cable insulators can take before melting..

TomD said:

Aside from having a high output unit, a stable tripod and a good focusable lens are a must. This absolutely can't be done handheld. If you plan to do this at night you will definitely be noticed.

Now that I reread OP's post, he mentioned that these shoes are hung on electric cables. I'm not exactly sure how much heat the cable insulators can take before melting..

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Hi guys, thanks for your input.

Depending on which cable they are suspended on, it might not have any insulation. Anyway, wouldn't I just have to aim at a part of the lace that's not directly on the cable? I also have a good camera tripod.

Also, to me it looks fine, but could you confirm that such glasses are adequate?

The Smith said:

Hi guys, thanks for your input.

Depending on which cable they are suspended on, it might not have any insulation. Anyway, wouldn't I just have to aim at a part of the lace that's not directly on the cable? I also have a good camera tripod.

Also, to me it looks fine, but could you confirm that such glasses are adequate?

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The glasses look dubious.

Yes of course you would be aiming at the part of the lace not directly on the cable, but it's so up high you can never make sure you'll hit the lace on the first try.

Well I was thinking of making a driver with a variable current limit. I would adjust the current using a thumb wheel resistor so I could first aim using a safe output power, and then I would just increase to full power. I am comfortable when it comes to electronics so that is not a problem.

Do you have a good recommendation for a pair of safety glasses?

The Smith said:

Well I was thinking of making a driver with a variable current limit. I would adjust the current using a thumb wheel resistor so I could first aim using a safe output power, and then I would just increase to full power. I am comfortable when it comes to electronics so that is not a problem.

Do you have a good recommendation for a pair of safety glasses?

Click to expand...

The Eagle Pair ones are a good start.

My sight is worth much more than a few dollars so I will definitely look into these. Getting the advice of experienced people is always a good idea.

So do you think the M140 diodes would be able to cut that lace up there?

The Smith said:

My sight is worth much more than a few dollars so I will definitely look into these. Getting the advice of experienced people is always a good idea.

So do you think the M140 diodes would be able to cut that lace up there?

Click to expand...

I think so. A 2W 445 with a G lens should do the trick. Wait for the vets to chime in though so we can be sure.