think i found my 1st purchase...

High Power 400mw 808nm Infrared Laser Pointer

the price is right, its reasonable amount of power.

not to mention, this company and THIS UNIT in particular... in in this forums LIST of good companies to buy from. (I worry about buying off ebay or other sites, dont wanna pay for a 300 and get a 100, you know? lol)

as long as the company and this particular unit is on this forums list, its a decent product, right? (just making sure the company didnt get any bad reviews lately and site list wasnt uppdated or anything)

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in particular, right now i am a "single issue laser buyer" nd mainly wanna make a IR illuminator... this unit is talking about w-i-d-e focusing range, and specifically mentions illumination as a use.

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I figure in the future, I can either upgrade it, or upgrade it and change the host... but thats not a deal breaker.


anyone have anything negative about this particular unit, or the company lately?

I'm so excited just thinking about it, i could just pee my pants, haha.

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PS - i live in the USA... is there any mailing/shipping/payment "thingies" i need to know about? I never bought a laser thru the mail before... up till now, all my "laser experience" has been with flea market "cat toys".

For your first higher-power laser I wouldn't get a 400mW Infared as it's virtually invisible which makes it less safe. I'd just stick with a red, green or blue for your first laser, but maybe that's just me.

Also, make sure you get some safety goggles. Just search around on this forum and you'll find loads of links to really good ones.

thanks for the heads up... but, i kinda have to go with a IR wavelength... it being for night vision and all, it would kinda defeat the whole purpose to have a visible unit.

sedstar said:

thanks for the heads up... but, i kinda have to go with a IR wavelength... it being for night vision and all, it would kinda defeat the whole purpose to have a visible unit.

Click to expand...

Oh well if you need to get IR, go for it . As you have, I have also heard good things about that supplier.

this is the part i HATE about buying something like this... *indecision*

its like a motorcycle? you get a 250... then you think maybe i SHOULD have got a (350, 550, 750, etc etc)

its just HARD to find something in IR, when the REST of the world wants to make "dots" and lines and burn stuff... and you know YOU are in the minority that wants a SPRED OUT beam, to illuminate stuff.

theres probably a zillion units out there that will suit my needs, but...

1) without experience, or good trustable recommendation, i cant *trust" just any site nor just any ebay seller... that limits my SITES and COMPANIES i can even look at, realistically.

2) out of what i CAN look at... 99 percent of the world seems to want to mke TIGHT DOTS and BURN STFUFF... so naturally, the specs are "tuned" that way.

3) i hate looking at cool units, that look like they would be good... and they are out of stock...

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i'm gonna keep looking, see if i can do better... haste makes waste...

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i have a "sneaking suspicion" just about "any" IR pointer that has a focus cap, i just take the focus OFF it, and its just like a flood light...

IMHO, 400mw is a bit much for night vision. You should shearch around the forum, there are a few post on IR lasers for night vision.
I would also make sure it can defocus into a large cone, as from what i've read from around here, a straight beam insn't as impessive as you might think.

If you do get one, check laserbtb. My 405nm from them makes a wide, almost flashligt like cone, but brigter.

commercial units, the IR illumiators made for guns... they seem to have specs of 2 to 10 degrees, 4 to 13 degrees... etc etc

the "average" gun scope... (3x to 9x... 40mm objective) tends to have an average degree field of view, of from somethng like 3 degrees to 13 degrees...

but, my experiments with a LENS and a LED flashlight behind it, with the reflector removed? I was able to go from a bright POINT of light I could PROJECT 50, 75, 100 yards... and focusing around, it widened from that POINT, to a small circle, wider circle... until it was controlled FLOOD great for close up work...

the LED EMITTER is like 120 degrees, all that CONTROL came from it being in a tube behind a lens and moving it in and out...

i *think* when i take the LENS off, the thing just sprays out a WALL of "all flood", but i am not sure... one datasheet I found, had something like a 60 degree by 30 degree divergece spec...

also, one project i found online... the guy had a RED visible laser diode, and with the LENS OFF completeky, it just was all flood, illuminating the wall in front of him...

seemed a lot similar to my LED EMITTER flashlight... i am gessing all the control i got with the lens, would work with the laser diode too... but i am guessing...

i *wish* someone here, would take the "lens" off their IR POINTER(s) and look at it with a camera on the wall of their apartment, but... its not realistic to expect a bunch of strangers to indulge me like that... but security cameras, cheap cell phones cameras... lots of them "see" IR...

Yes, if you remove the lens from a laser, you get a something like that, but not as wide.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/3-watt-ir-portable-laser-night-vision-52970.html#post740450

http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/ir-diode-strong-enough-night-vision-28247.html#post477278

Here is a couple of threads you should check out. Their are more out there.

and the eureka moment arrives...

http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/hunting-nv-laser-808-500mw-81625.html

This guy was needing the exact thing i need; his setup is exactly the same as mine. I PMed him, i hope he responds. Rather waiting with baited breath on it. I merely need to make sure i get the same ebay seller and unit he purchased... the rest seems to merely be nuts and bolts.

i'm actually pretty fascinated now with lasers in general, and this has rekindled my former love years ago for electronics. After I am done with this project I am on, I definitely see me getting a decent visible laser, just for pure playing.

I love it when a plan comes together, and you can build a 500 to 600 dollar commercial unit DIY for under 100 dollars. Plus, its much more satisfying to use a component that you can proudly say you built yourself. You guys are great.

ive been building 808nm IR lasers for NV purposes for a while:

heres my 1.7W unit with a lens: