Want to build a blu-ray laser..... couple questions here ??

Ill start off by saying hello...

I am new to these forums, but I have been reading them for some time now.

I have always had a thing for lasers, but it wasn't until last year that I heard of higher powered lasers (above 5mW). I bought a 20mw green laser off ebay. I love it. It doesn't burn or anything, but being able to see the beam stretch across the sky at night, is pretty awesome.

Anyways, I really want a blu ray laser and I like to do stuff myself to save money. (in other words, Id rather not pay $2,000 for a blu ray laser lol)

About a week ago, my ps3 died on me. I ordered a replacement blu-ray laser and fixed my ps3. But this is what gave me the idea for the blu-ray pointer.

I am almost positive that the old ps3 blu-ray laser is completely dead (since it stopped reading discs) So I will most likely not be able to use that diode.

I am currently looking at this diode. It is pretty cheap, and it is suppose to output around 60-100mW.
405nm PHR-803T Blu Ray Laser Diode [PHR-803T] - $17.28 : High Tech DealZ, Simplifying the LASER Hobby!

I would probably get the one that is already in a housing. Since it is only a couple bucks more.
405nm PHR-803T Blu Ray Diode in Aixiz Laser Module Housing [PHR-803T in Aixiz module] - $19.83 : High Tech DealZ, Simplifying the LASER Hobby!

I just have a few questions after this....
What else would I need to get?

1. I have never seen a blu-ray laser in person...
is 60-100mW enough to see the beam at night or in the dark without fog?

2. Will a 60-100mW blu-ray pop balloons or light matches, like the videos show that it does?

3. I know that I need a flexdrive, but I also need something to put the housing into. (flashlight or w/e)
But I don't really know what type of flashlight that I could get the housing to fit into good. Any recommendations?

Thanks a lot in advance

first of all you will need a driver for the diode and also an axiz module if you buy the diode only , search the forum for rckstr driver, flexdrive and if you want to build it yourself search for DDL circuit
human eyes are not so sensitive to violet light(405nm) as for green(532nm)
you may be able to see the beam in dark or dusted room, also i am currently building my own blu-ray diode laser so i have no expirience yet
it will light matches and pop baloons
for hoousing(host) see this
http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/fs-mxdl-host-heatsink-combo-4171-3405-a-22512.html
for drivers
http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/lava-micro-flexdrive-driver-lavadrive2-fits-pens-22502.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/micro-drive-laser-driver-rkcstr-22553.html

if you have more questins feel free to ask

Welcome to the forum sir. Good start with your post. I do recommend our friend Kendall at Hightechdealz... he has excellent prices and a fair selection of diodes, sleds and accessories. As for a diode driver, I second SeNNHeISeR's suggestion of either the Lava drive (which is small, efficient boost drv but quite expensive) or the rkcstr drive (less expensive but requires a bit highter voltage to operate).

all in all, I think you'll find a ton of info on this site when it comes to diode pinouts, setup, testing, diode harvesting and other stuff.

Robert

50mW of blu-ray will pop ballons, 70+mW should light matches no problem. As far as visibility goes, 405nm is on the lower end of the visible spectrum, near UV. The beam of a bluray less than 100mW will only be visible in the pitch black, or with fog, smoke ect.... Also make sure to buy some saftey glasses, 60mW wont seem like much, but it will severly and permently damage your eyes, should you encounter a direct reflection, and as always, use your saftey glasses whenever you pop any balloons(shiney surface) or burn things.

Alright thanks for the help guys.......

I really like to be able to see the beam of my lasers. Especially outside at night....

I am thinking about maybe getting this red on instead then.
Aixiz Rkcstr Red 650nm 320mA Laser Module [Aixiz Rkcstr & 20x Red Laser] - $59.00 : High Tech DealZ, Simplifying the LASER Hobby!
It has the Rckstr chip and the Aixiz module already

Here is my question.... does a 200-220mw Red (650nm) have a visible beam at night? in the day? And how would that be compaired to a 20mW green laser?

Thanks a lot

Red is LESS visible than blu-ray and has NO beam unless you have smoke or fog... Buy the SF-AW210 from HTD they are good diodes, and you can get them to around 230mW with a G1 lens...

I think red is actually more visible than BluRay (at least 650 nm red, which is what most commonly available red diodes emit)...BluRay is near ultraviolet, so it's about as apparently dim as you can get.

Alright well,

I still want to build my own blu-ray laser.
But I decided that I want to put more money into it and take my time. Id rather make an awesome one if I am gonna build it.

I am going to save up and keep researching. Id love to build a blu-ray that is 250mw or more (maybe even 300) Which is going to cost a little more money and take more time.


So I just ordered a 200mW red laser from O-like for $50 to tie me over until I can build this blu-ray.


The light spectrum picture was a big help.
I am still a bit confused about one thing though.
Doesn't the power of the laser effect how bright the beam will be?

For instance,
Say you have a 20mW green and a 20mW red. Green will obviously be brighter......
But, I own a 20mW green laser, and I just ordered a 200mW red laser.
Will the red be brighter than the green since it is so much more powerful?

My green laser is only 20mW and I can see the beam perfect at night. It seems to go very far too.

Basically what I am getting at here is..... Will I be able to see the beam of the 200mW laser at night?

The beam of a 20 mW green will be stronger than 200 mW of red. To me, it looks almost like the beam of a 5~10 mW. (but then again, this is my point of view... I've heard each individual experiences colors slightly differently.)

So yes, you might see it but it will be faint.

It would take an exceptionally powerful red laser to appear brighter than a marginally powerful green. I've got an (ostensibly) 5mW greeny that produces a visible beam in clear dark air, whereas my 250 mW red certainly does not.

What it comes down to is that if all you're looking for is beam visibilty, then low powered green will suit you fine. You're never going to get a good, clearly visible beam (without fog or smoke) out of red or violet, because it's just not apparently bright enough at any reasonable power. That's why good green lasers are so sought after.

Any light in the yellowish green to bluish geen will always be more visible, unless the power ratio is extremely high. I imagine that the beam of a professional 500 mW red labby will be more visible than a 10 mW green, but you'll notice that in multicolor lasers, whether they're pro light show models or the little DIY RGV build on LPF, the green laser will always be the least powerful. (on the wattage side)

But I think that the violet lasers are the hardest to get a visible beam from... unless it's foggy or there are a lot of dust particles in the air (which isn't good for laser optics)

Robert

In my personal experience bluray has always been brighter than red(to me anyway). I can see the beam of a 50mW bluray much better than a 300mW red. But that may just be my eyes being more sensitive to 405nm light. And when I shine 420mW of bluray in the clear sky it is soooo visible, and when I use it on a foggy night, the 8x beam is comparable to my 150mW viper(532nm) without fog....