- Joined
- May 14, 2013
- Messages
- 3,438
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Hello everyone. I have been reading here on LPF every day since about the 1st of December of last year, usually several time a day. I have often wanted to comment or reply to something so I am long overdue in becoming a member. I have learned much here so I hope I can contribute something useful as well. I have no questions as I have found answers long ago. So I wont be asking questions like:
Where should I buy my next laser?
What laser should I buy?
My laser is broken, what's wrong with it and can it be fixed?
What safety glasses should I buy?
etc.:crackup:
I already have safety glasses and will be buying more.
I am age 51 and I live in a huge RV park (2500 lots, 3 miles across with a lake in the center) in a remote area in the forest, we have a few deer here and lots of raccoons, rabbits, squirrels and there was once even a cougar inside the park. If you even sneeze the electricity will go out.
I may post a photo or two at some point but because of my remote location I have to use wireless internet access, it is slow and very expensive, I use Verizon and T-Mobile, the Verizon is 3G and works well but the T-mobile is much slower than 3G so you wont see much video from me but probably a few photos at some point.
I first became interested in lasers in 1970 when I was 8 years old, even at that young age I was very interested in science and technology and had also watched too much sci-fi by then. I don't remember how but I somehow learned that lasers were real and there was a company in the US making and selling them. I wrote to them and they sent me a catalog, I wish now I could have saved it all these years because you would be shocked to see what was available back then and at what prices. The company was called Spectra Physics, a brand that still exists today. I remember being very disappointed thinking I would never be able to buy a laser in my lifetime, so I imagined I would learn how and someday build one myself. That was 43 years ago and I am only now going to build that laser.
I became aware of laser diodes back during my ham radio days probably about the same time red laser pointers started to become widely available. At the time I didn't really think of those low power reds as real lasers. I purchased my first laser several years ago and I think it was at Walmart and cost $4.99 and I still have it and it still works, but it wasn't enough to get me interested in lasers again. It wasn't until last November when I started making colloidal silver, if you don't know what that is its not important, that's a topic for another thread sometime, anyway when you make a silver solution you make both silver ions and particulate silver, there are several methods of testing a silver solution but it is a common practice to use a 635nm laser to provide a visual indication of the particulate silver content, you start with distilled water and the beam is not visible in distilled water, but as particulate silver content increases the beam becomes visible. Well I had never imagined I would have a real need to use a laser for some useful purpose. This is what got me interested again. I didn't realize how far the technology had improved and I did some searches on lasers and found LPF and couldn't stop reading once I found it.
I currently have 3 lasers, had 4 but my MillionAccessories green laser quit after 10 days with only about 30 minutes run time. I have already determined it is not fixable. He who buys cheap buys twice.
A little more about me: my knowledge of electronics and soldering skill is very good, I first became interested in electronics when I was 11 years old. I have studied electronics in college twice for a total of over three years, first in 1980-81 I was going for an associate degree in electronics but I was not ready to go back to school, I made it 2/3rds of the way and reached a point where I couldn't take another day and stopped. Several years later I went back to school for 3 years (1987-1990) mainly to study computer programming but also took electronics classes for a full 2 years of that time, later had to learn some more on my own to get my ham radio license. I eventually became discouraged with ham radio because it is an expensive hobby and I never had the money to buy what I needed.
If you are still reading this I apologize for taking so much of your time. I have been reading the forums so long now I feel almost like I know some of you so I think you should know something about me as well. Thanks for your time and thanks for helping me learn so much about lasers.
Alan
Where should I buy my next laser?
What laser should I buy?
My laser is broken, what's wrong with it and can it be fixed?
What safety glasses should I buy?
etc.:crackup:
I already have safety glasses and will be buying more.
I am age 51 and I live in a huge RV park (2500 lots, 3 miles across with a lake in the center) in a remote area in the forest, we have a few deer here and lots of raccoons, rabbits, squirrels and there was once even a cougar inside the park. If you even sneeze the electricity will go out.
I may post a photo or two at some point but because of my remote location I have to use wireless internet access, it is slow and very expensive, I use Verizon and T-Mobile, the Verizon is 3G and works well but the T-mobile is much slower than 3G so you wont see much video from me but probably a few photos at some point.
I first became interested in lasers in 1970 when I was 8 years old, even at that young age I was very interested in science and technology and had also watched too much sci-fi by then. I don't remember how but I somehow learned that lasers were real and there was a company in the US making and selling them. I wrote to them and they sent me a catalog, I wish now I could have saved it all these years because you would be shocked to see what was available back then and at what prices. The company was called Spectra Physics, a brand that still exists today. I remember being very disappointed thinking I would never be able to buy a laser in my lifetime, so I imagined I would learn how and someday build one myself. That was 43 years ago and I am only now going to build that laser.
I became aware of laser diodes back during my ham radio days probably about the same time red laser pointers started to become widely available. At the time I didn't really think of those low power reds as real lasers. I purchased my first laser several years ago and I think it was at Walmart and cost $4.99 and I still have it and it still works, but it wasn't enough to get me interested in lasers again. It wasn't until last November when I started making colloidal silver, if you don't know what that is its not important, that's a topic for another thread sometime, anyway when you make a silver solution you make both silver ions and particulate silver, there are several methods of testing a silver solution but it is a common practice to use a 635nm laser to provide a visual indication of the particulate silver content, you start with distilled water and the beam is not visible in distilled water, but as particulate silver content increases the beam becomes visible. Well I had never imagined I would have a real need to use a laser for some useful purpose. This is what got me interested again. I didn't realize how far the technology had improved and I did some searches on lasers and found LPF and couldn't stop reading once I found it.
I currently have 3 lasers, had 4 but my MillionAccessories green laser quit after 10 days with only about 30 minutes run time. I have already determined it is not fixable. He who buys cheap buys twice.
A little more about me: my knowledge of electronics and soldering skill is very good, I first became interested in electronics when I was 11 years old. I have studied electronics in college twice for a total of over three years, first in 1980-81 I was going for an associate degree in electronics but I was not ready to go back to school, I made it 2/3rds of the way and reached a point where I couldn't take another day and stopped. Several years later I went back to school for 3 years (1987-1990) mainly to study computer programming but also took electronics classes for a full 2 years of that time, later had to learn some more on my own to get my ham radio license. I eventually became discouraged with ham radio because it is an expensive hobby and I never had the money to buy what I needed.
If you are still reading this I apologize for taking so much of your time. I have been reading the forums so long now I feel almost like I know some of you so I think you should know something about me as well. Thanks for your time and thanks for helping me learn so much about lasers.
Alan
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if you ham was expensive then youre in the wrong place! Haha. 
