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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

General Knowledge Check and Questions Before I Buy/DIY my First Laser

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Jul 16, 2015
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Hello all,
First off I'd just like to say I'm new to lasers and this site, so if I do something wrong or break a rule I don't know, I apologize in advance. Second of all, I'd just like to thank all of you for your help in advance, both for the help here and the countless threads I've read recently to try and understand more about lasers.:thanks:

I'm thinking that for my first laser I would like a 100mw green laser, under $60 if possible. I found Sci-Fi Lasers, run by thejoker301, which seems to get rave reviews from everyone here. He sells a 100mw green in my price range, but it is out of stock. I've tried to contact him through his website and PM here but I have not received a response, so I sent him an email. Hopefully he responds to that. I also researched how to build a DIY laser and am interested in that, as I could build the laser I want for around my price range.

Anyways, on to my knowledge check. Here I will post my understanding of the different parts of lasers, ask questions about what I don't understand, and post my thoughts on what I'm currently planning to do.

Safety
Lasers are dangerous, and can seriously damage your eyes. They are not like normal lights because all of the photons are focused into one beam instead of being spread out. To protect your eyes (retinas) in case the laser strikes your eye, there are laser glasses. Laser glasses typically protect your eye from a specific wavelength (color) of laser best. They have an OD rating level. The OD level corresponds to how much light it lets in from a specific wavelength. Each level lets in 1/10th of the light of the level before it. OD4+ goggles are acceptable for 100mw or less lasers (which is what I will be buying/making.)
I need a pair of laser safety glasses for my first lasers. Which one of the following will protect my eyes for the least amount of money?
Also, don't point lasers at airplanes, that's just a stupid thing to do for a multitude of reasons.

Parts of a Laser/DIY
Here are, to my understanding, all the parts needed to build a laser, their functions, and where to get them.
Diode
This is the part of the laser that emits light. It can emit light with different strengths (measured in milliwatts) and colors (measured in nanometers, for wavelength). Green diodes (DPSS) work very different from red diodes. The light emitted straight from the diode isn't collimated yet. Generally standard diodes are pretty cheap, but can become expensive depending on your need. Diodes don't do well with heat. They also suck up all the energy they can get, which can cause them to burn out. There are two general sizes of diodes, 5.6mm and 9mm, the latter being used for higher powered diodes. Diodes can be found in many places, including ebay.
Driver
As mentioned, diodes are power hungry, and can pull too much power and burn themselves out. Thus, a diode needs a constant source of current, which is not a battery. A driver is a circuit that connects to the battery and the diode, and supplies the diode with a constant current that will not burn it out. Not all drivers work with all diodes, as diodes have different current and voltage needs that not all drivers can supply. You can easily build your own driver. rkcstr's and DrLava's drives seemed to be the best before, but I'm not sure they're still around here. You can also buy drives from places like survivallaser, budget beams, or DTR's shop. Smaller drivers go in a a metal housing called a driver pill, though I'm not sure why. Sometimes they're also included with a diode when you purchase it.
Module
Modules are metal, circular, elongated housings for diodes, and sometimes the driver too. AixiZ makes the best modules, which are usually 12mm in diameter. Sometimes diodes already come in the module. If not, the diode has to be pressed into the module, which is easy to do incorrectly.
Lens
The light coming directly from the diode is not focused. Lenses are used to focus the beam at a certain place, and can be adjustable. Collimation makes the edges of the beam parallel so it's focus is at infinity. Are lenses included with a diode&module&driver kit? I'm not sure where a good place to get lenses is. Perhaps DTR's shop?
Heatsink
Diodes don't do well in heat, so when they are enclosed in a laser pointer, they need a heat sink to draw heat away from them so they can stay cool. A heat sink is just a metal housing that goes around the module. You can get these from survivallaser.
Host
The laser host is the container for all of the internal laser parts and the battery. It is the actual outside part of the laser that you see and hold. As long as it's big enough, design for these can be whatever someone wants. Great kits come from survivallaser and budgetbeam.

If I don't get a response from SciFi lasers, I'm planning on building a laser myself (partly). Browsing ebay, I found a couple 532nm 100mw laser diodes, which include a module and driver. The one I'm looking at in particular is here. I have a few questions though- Can I trust that this is 100mw? Will the included driver work for it? Is there an acceptable lens included with it? If not, where can I get an acceptable, adjustable focus lens that will work for it? Also, I'm looking at the DIY C6 (here) and the DIY WF-501B (here) Host Assemblies from SurvivalLasers. Will both work for the diode&module&driver I linked to? Is one suggested over the other? Will this be all I need to make a laser?

That's all I have to ask, sorry if it's a lot! Thanks again for any help I receive:wave::)
 
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Peche

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Hello and welcome to the forum!
I'm new around here but i can answer a couple of your questions.

First people usually introduce themselves in the Welcome forum and tell a little about why are them interested in the hobby. You already said that you wanted to make a 100mW green handheld so that you skipped the intro shouldn't be a big problem.

About the safety glasses the Eagle Pair are a safe bet in terms of safety but arent the cheapest option. About the lenses just as you said DTR's shop is a good place to get them.

I can't really help you with the other questions but if you edit your profile and add more info, for example your country/city it will be easier for other members to help you.
 
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If you're going to use the dpss module listed in that link, then all you really need is a single lithium battery to power it.
It should already have the lense installed and ready to go.
You just need a host and heatsink to make it look pretty...

As far as power, I don't know who sells it so the only way to know, is to measure it.
If the module doesn't have an IR filter you'll get an inaccurate reading as it's going to read the IR light as well as the green light.

That module plus a host/heatsink will work well.
I have a similar module inside a wf501b host that uses a single 16340 battery. Work great.

I have it unfocused into a giant circle that I use to find coyotes in the field.
 
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Also, those modules are generally case positive. (Battery negative goes against that spring)
And those drivers usually die if you put the battery in backwards, so be careful.
 
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Honestly, This seems to be alot better than many other first posts I have seen. Welcome to the forums. +rep for actually appearing to have read stuff.
 
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
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Hello and welcome to the forum!
I'm new around here but i can answer a couple of your questions.

First people usually introduce themselves in the Welcome forum and tell a little about why are them interested in the hobby. You already said that you wanted to make a 100mW green handheld so that you skipped the intro shouldn't be a big problem.

About the safety glasses the Eagle Pair are a safe bet in terms of safety but arent the cheapest option. About the lenses just as you said DTR's shop is a good place to get them.

I can't really help you with the other questions but if you edit your profile and add more info, for example your country/city it will be easier for other members to help you.
Okay, thank you for the advice Peche. I'm curious though- how does adding my city/country enable more members to help me?
 
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
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If you're going to use the dpss module listed in that link, then all you really need is a single lithium battery to power it.
It should already have the lense installed and ready to go.
You just need a host and heatsink to make it look pretty...

As far as power, I don't know who sells it so the only way to know, is to measure it.
If the module doesn't have an IR filter you'll get an inaccurate reading as it's going to read the IR light as well as the green light.

That module plus a host/heatsink will work well.
I have a similar module inside a wf501b host that uses a single 16340 battery. Work great.

I have it unfocused into a giant circle that I use to find coyotes in the field.

Okay, thanks for the help. I'll be getting an 18650 or 16340 for the battery. I think I might bump up to the 150mw or 200mw version that this same seller has just to be more sure that it's 100mw, since I don't have an LPM to check it.

Also, those modules are generally case positive. (Battery negative goes against that spring)
And those drivers usually die if you put the battery in backwards, so be careful.

And thanks for the reminder, don't want to burn out my first laser before it's even complete!

Honestly, This seems to be alot better than many other first posts I have seen. Welcome to the forums. +rep for actually appearing to have read stuff.

Thanks:D I come from other hobbies where it's important to teach yourself what you can before you ask for help.
 
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Peche

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Okay, thank you for the advice Peche. I'm curious though- how does adding my city/country enable more members to help me?

Mainly because it's hard to suggest places to buy pieces when people don't know if the store ships to your country/city. When it comes to prices your country/city is important because you can save some buying from a local store to avoid the shipping expenses.
 




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