Lenses for laser experiments

Hello i've been lurking for a while and this is my first post.

Anyway I've searched the forum and such and I think this is the most appropriate place to post this.

I'd like to reconduct some of the experiments out lined in my university optics course (which I bombed extremely badly)

I've crafted a laser driver before (basically a power supply whose outputs go straight to a current source circuit) and had it hooked up to a diode and had it work. My current problem is I need to get lenses. Specifically, larger diameter lenses. They don't need to be special lenses or anything but they do need to have a focal length in the 50mm - 200mm range. Their diameters should be like 3" - 4" at least. I need them in order to diverge the beam and the re-collimate it at a different beam width. I am thinking specifically of the fourier transform experiments that I had to do.

Another cool thing you can do with fourier transforms is to make the output beam a very clean gaussian as opposed to having sidesplash or whatever I think you guys called it, but that requires higher precision devices. You lose a bit of power doing this though.

So, basically you need to buy lenses ?

If you need precision material, optical specialized shops are the only choice, but ofcourse expensive (sometimes a lot) ..... if instead you need a possible source where choose between cheap available items for some tests, i suggest you to try places like surplusshed.com, that is not a specialized distributor, but have in stock a lot of cheap things ..... just go in the lens section and look for diameters and focal lenghts, sometimes you find good pieces, there .....

If your on a limited budget you may also be able to get some lenses out of
old telescopes or binoculars...

BTW....

to the Forum...

Jerry

Limecat;

I have some ~3" diameter plano-convex lenses for the collimation duties.

The focal length is probably a little shorter than you requested.

I'll check them when I have more time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

LarryDFW

Yes I just want to buy lenses. they don't need to be fancy camera/telescope quality lenses or anything. The ones in the lab weren't anything of the sort. A magnifying glass with that focal length would be perfect

Beamsplitters - Surplus Shed

http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/category/lenses_1.html

Sweet, thanks.

I don't know where you are located but have you looked in the dollar store they prob have cheep magnifying glasses.

Pyro...

Limecat said:

Yes I just want to buy lenses. they don't need to be fancy camera/telescope quality lenses or anything. The ones in the lab weren't anything of the sort. A magnifying glass with that focal length would be perfect

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