Wanted: Blue Ray burning laser

I'm looking for a blue ray laser that can pretty quickly melt the plastic off Cat5 or Coax cables. I'm looking for suggestions/advice/recommendations and custom builds. I've narrowed it down so far to:

Sonar Extreme

200mW blu-ray torch/adjustable/focusable [OL-405-200-T] - $105.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products

Could someone explain what the advantage of the adjustable focus on the O-like 200mW is? Any custom build suggestions and sellers welcome. Any advice welcome period.

adjustable focus means you can change how big or small your dot is.
you can focus it for up close burning or farther away.
If you are looking to cut cat5 with a laser you might need to be looking at something much higher powers.
The 12x blue rays can do that.
i think 200mw just cuts electrical tape and lets you engrave black cd cases.

It sounds like you're looking for a tool there, correct? It may be better to stick to the standard electrician's knife for the job you require. You're not going to get the effect I think you expect for the job and a knife will be a darn sight cheaper. Plus you need goggles for you, anyone around while you use it, etc, etc....

No harm in getting a laser for fun though! Much better to play with them, (play with, in the responsible LPF sense not the, "It's a toy laser!", sense!), and for that, you're in the right place!

M

Thanks for the replies guys. I don't need to cut copper wires with it HAHA. I think even the Artic would have a problem with that. I'd just like to be able to melt the soft insulation on Cat5, RJ45 and Coax cabling for some special/intricate/delicate projects. Not for mass wire stripping or daily/industrial use. It should be able to burn non-black plastic insulation, since wire insulation is red/white/green. Any advice/suggestions/recommendations are appreciated.

hmm then you want some huge power to try to burn non black items.
i think your now looking at the 12xs blu-rays for sure or the new 445nms...
I have burnt my leg hair off with my 445nm only set at around 550 i stood in the beam while playing with my scanner...
I no longer have a bench setup but do you want lab style or pointer.
Lab style would be much more robust as you can add fans and bigger heatsinks.
Daguin had some pointers for sale and i sure he builds the 12x blu-rays. (for the right price)
I think you are looking at the 150-250$ range for one of these.

kiyoukan said:

hmm then you want some huge power to try to burn non black items.
i think your now looking at the 12xs blu-rays for sure or the new 445nms...
I have burnt my leg hair off with my 445nm only set at around 550 i stood in the beam while playing with my scanner...
I no longer have a bench setup but do you want lab style or pointer.
Lab style would be much more robust as you can add fans and bigger heatsinks.
Daguin had some pointers for sale and i sure he builds the 12x blu-rays. (for the right price)
I think you are looking at the 150-250$ range for one of these.

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You're saying neither Wicked's S1 Sonar Lunar or O-likes 200mW blueray will do the trick? I had an old cheap modded laser I used to light cigarettes that could do it. Why couldn't a 200mW laser be strong enough to melt tiny bits of plastic insulation?

Well it depends on what your trying to cut, i found cat wire to be a bit heat resistance.
So you might find that the 200mw wont be enough or it will just be very very slow going.
You can try and good luck but if you want the for sure way you might want to consider going for the better ones first.

So you're saying lighting the brown, dry tobacco takes alot less energy than burning plastic insulation?

In my experience if the laser can light a standard cigarette easily then its upwards of 150mw so hey if the laser you own can cut through the insulation why upgrade?

AndrewM said:

You're saying neither Wicked's S1 Sonar Lunar or O-likes 200mW blueray will do the trick? I had an old cheap modded laser I used to light cigarettes that could do it. Why couldn't a 200mW laser be strong enough to melt tiny bits of plastic insulation?

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If you have a "cheap modded laser" that could do it, why do you want to use a bluray? Just use the cheap modded laser, or some equivalent.

Moreover, why don't you spend the money on a professional wire cutter rather than something that is just going to melt and fuse the insulation onto the wire at best? There is really no reason at all that you should use these lasers for cutting wire. There are even thermal wire cutters if you need to get into tight places.

Even when handheld lasers can cut things, they're not like some awesome super fine knife you see in a movie. Rather, the "cutting" experience will be more like holding a tube with a magnifying glass on the end that you won't be able to hold still enough to do work with. Unless the beam is perfectly focused, and you have some stabilized mechanical arm to keep the focused light at a fixed position, the laser is just going to just melt a large area wherever it points. That means your insulation will melt into your shielding, have uneven edges, and will overall be a pain to work with.

That is why i suggested higher powers it will take a less steady hand and allow for a bit of a faster burn.
But some cat5 wire have some good heat resistant plastic so make sure to check the cable your using.
You can melt heat resistant plastic but it takes a lot more energy.

"I had a cheap laser..." I wish I still had that cheap laser Unfortunately the mod also made it die rather quickly and I've been unable to find another one like it. Based on these responses I guess nobody here can or wants to suggest anything. Guess I'll decide on one of the 2 I posted in the original posting.

i have been!
Contact Daguin hes a member here, he does custom builds and has great quality.
He will give you a great price and tell you what can and cant burn.
you ever see the 12x laser phaser?

No never. Do you have any pics/videos I can check out. Thanks for the recommendation.

kiyoukan said:

i have been!
Contact Daguin hes a member here, he does custom builds and has great quality.
He will give you a great price and tell you what can and cant burn.
you ever see the 12x laser phaser?

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Punch it into the search box. I'm sure it'll find it for you.

M

AndrewM said:

No never. Do you have any pics/videos I can check out. Thanks for the recommendation.

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If you want to see what a 12X blu-ray laser can do, search on youtube. LOTS of videos.