Thread for my random questions

[Maven]

Well i am new here... Obviously.

I have ordered 2 30mw true greens from DX because of some of the suggestions about price and performance on this board.

The USPS says they have been in NY for 2 days so i am awaiting them as i speak(when the mail runs of course).

One is for me the other is a present. (i claim the best one heh)

uhmmm... yeah so my name is Dale and i am new and stuff.

Oh safety question.. ok so it is 30mw (hopefully) how dangerous is it from reflection off white walls? i do not have the money to buy proper safety glasses and i only got the 30mw because of small price difference from the 5 mw and also the fact that some of the 5 mw true greens are giving out 20mw. also i read that the reflection off a piece of glass is only like 10% so that is like 3mw and shouldn't cause any problems.

i am semi interested in making a diy project from a dvd burner but i don't have any handy however i have about 3-4 cd burners and i was wondering about the power output from the diodes on cd burners.

i know everyone says NO DON'T USE SUNGLASSES. however i was thinking i could take the laser pointer with me and shine it through all the red sunglasses i can find until the dot is mostly blocked on the other side ( also was thinking maybe some mirrored sunglasses that reflect most light from everything)

 

[styropyro]

Re: NOOB

You shouldn't need goggles as long as you don't stare at the dot from up close or point it in your eye.

The CD burners will put out ~80mW of near invisible light, if you mess with those goggles are an absolute must because staring at a high powered invisible dot is not good for your eyes!

 

[Maven]

Re: NOOB

invisible isn't good i will leave the cd burners alone i guess..

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Re: NOOB

Plus if you're going for an invisible laser you might as well just take apart a green laser and use its more powerful IR laser instead of those wussie CD-RW ones. I've shat more IR after eating hot Mexican food than those things put out.

 

[Maven]

Re: NOOB

i thought that the ir diodes in greens were multi mode diodes that put out like an oval shaped beam... i would assume that they wouldn't want something of any kind of odd shape for a cd burner

 

[SenKat_Stonetek]

Re: NOOB

You NEVER want to use mirrored sunglasses with lasers - your pupils dilate, and you are completely screwed if you catch an accidental reflection. Regardless of HOW careful you are - it will happen eventually - just save up the $40 and buy quality protective eyewear - there is no other option, period...that is if you value your eyesight.

 

[Maven]

Re: NOOB

bah who needs eyes.. i still have my hearing ... sort of

 

[daguin]

Re: NOOB

WHAT?

 

[Maven]

Re: NOOB

no really i was only kidding... (unless you just cant hear me in which case) WHO NEEDS EYES!! I CAN STILL HEAR ... KIND OF!!!

i figured that the mirrored sunglasses would not pass very much light like maybe 20-30% and give a good reduction in laser power. however i understand that increased pupil size will increase the chances that the beam would go into my eye.

oh and another question

You shouldn't need goggles as long as you don't stare at the dot from up close or point it in your eye.

how close is up close ? 1 foot, 3 foot ? closer farther away?

modified: ... figured out my own question and forgot to remove some of the text

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Re: NOOB

Actually, you'll find most of the laser diodes output oval-shaped light which has to be colminated into a usable beam.

 

[Maven]

Re: NOOB

Well see there already learning things.

ok more questions then.

ok say most laser diodes give off oval shaped beams, does it have any effect on the beam strength with it being multi mode?
and it being multi mode i would assume that means it runs in multiple modes at the same time and not just switch between them?
also if it did just switch between them would it be possible to stabilize the diode to get a decent output?

would the IR diode use to pump the crystal in my green be sufficient for burning?

would i be able to get the beam focused to a small dot at about 10 feet?

 

[diachi]

Re: NOOB

You could focus it to a small dot at 10 feet, well probably, but you REALLY need IR safety goggles for that kinda power of IR, and IR safety goggles are a littlemore expensive.

Diachi

 

[Maven]

Re: NOOB

"Your item arrived at 7:42 AM on July 14, 2008 in CARROLLTON, GA 30117. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later." -usps

YAY my lasers will be here today or tomorrow... then it is time to start on the spyrograph!!

i don't remember seeing any problems with the button for the true 30 mw from dx but i figure i will ask and see if there needs to be any internal modification like some support for the board or maybe a heatsink for the ir diode or the board to help these lasers out?
also, will i get double reflections off standard type mirrors if i use them for the spirograph or do i need to use some other type of mirror to do it?

 

[diachi]

Re: NOOB

You can do it with normal mirrors, but its best to use Front Surface, or first surface mirrors, they have the reflective coating on the front, so that the beam doesn't bounce around inside the glass causing lots of beams to be reflected.

 

[Maven]

Re: NOOB

hmm i don't have any of those, would i be able to pick them up for a reasonable price at a local store? like walmart or hobby lobby or something?

 

[diachi]

Re: NOOB

Probably, you can buy them from here aswell, maybe try some local stores though, art stores might have them too.

Diachi