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- Jul 8, 2007
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Feeling a bit nostalgic today. It's been close six years now that I've been posting to laserpointerforums. I was looking at my HD today and noticed so many pictures of lasers. Decided to create an anthology of my many projects.
Prior to the mid to late 1990's lasers were rare and expensive items. In the late 80's I purchased a used He-Ne laser. It was a cumbersome creation, and dangerous also. However once I saw that pure glittery light I was enchanted.
In 2001 a friend mine showed off a very inexpensive red keychain pointer and that rekindled my interest. At that time I purchased a 5mW 532nm laser pointer from z-bolt.com and was mesmerized when that alien green light hit me.
Around 2007 I discovered laserpointerforums. With the information gleaned from this site I began many DIY projects.. many pictures below
Here's the trusty LM317 circuit, firing a sony 16x DVD diode:
see this lunker thread:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-homemade-laser-diode-driver-26339.html
All my DIY lasers have used this very reliable circuit, built from easy to locate parts.
This lead to the creation of several lasers using a DVD 'burning' laser diode for their heart:
Picture below - my first DVD laser, within a homemade cardboard box
See this topic:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-red-2-a-27131.html
More advanced version, radio shack parts:
In late 2007 & early 2008 I was one of the first people to successfully 'harvest' 405nm (BluRay) laser diodes from surplus xbox DVD players. Up until that point -- only about four years ago now -- these were very expensive laser diodes.
See this topic:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/xbox-hd-bluray-try-2-success-26905.html
Xbox drive, below, which was ripped apart to harvest a nearly microscopic laser diode.
The sled containing the laser diode:
Diode, after removal from heatsink:
Here's the laser diode itself. Note I've thermal glued into the Meredith housing backwards
My first DIY 405nm laser. I was very proud of this laser. Picture below I'm measuring the current the diode is consuming. As I've got no LPM this is the only way to guesstimate the laser's power output
Completed laser, rising from the wreckage of a wasted xbox DVD drive:
Beamshot. My old S10 camera captured it's color accurately:
Below, another DIY 405nm, this one more powerful:
Both completed lasers:
Beamshots:
A more advanced project. My Jetson's laser pointer. This is a 15mW 635nm pointer. I modified a LED flashlight into this pointer.
See this thread:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-15-20mw-635nm-pointer-26726.html
Completed Jetson's pointer:
During Assembly:
I also managed to modify a dirt-cheap keychain pointer into a respectable 15mW 635nm laser..
See this thread:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/mod-15-20-mw-635nm-keychain-26732.html
During assembly:
Completed mod:
I used the Jetson's pointer, shining through a drop of water, to create a laser microscope. This displayed a bunch of small organisms swimming in a drop of pond water
See this topic - laser microscope:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/laser-microscope-52885.html
Recently purchased and built one of JayRob's pocket mini lasers. Beautiful little laser.
See this review:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/review-pocket-mini-red-68231.html
During construction of the mini, thermal gluing the LPC-815 diode into the housing:
Completed pocket mini:
Finally I've been creating holograms using the DIY lasers I've created.
Two Crystals hologram:
https://vimeo.com/44258757
See these topics:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/hologram-70663.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/video-transmission-hologram-marbles-70711.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/holograms-food-porn-xtals-battery-stonehenge-71793.html
I thank all the people who have assisted me here!
Prior to the mid to late 1990's lasers were rare and expensive items. In the late 80's I purchased a used He-Ne laser. It was a cumbersome creation, and dangerous also. However once I saw that pure glittery light I was enchanted.
In 2001 a friend mine showed off a very inexpensive red keychain pointer and that rekindled my interest. At that time I purchased a 5mW 532nm laser pointer from z-bolt.com and was mesmerized when that alien green light hit me.
Around 2007 I discovered laserpointerforums. With the information gleaned from this site I began many DIY projects.. many pictures below
Here's the trusty LM317 circuit, firing a sony 16x DVD diode:
see this lunker thread:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-homemade-laser-diode-driver-26339.html
All my DIY lasers have used this very reliable circuit, built from easy to locate parts.
This lead to the creation of several lasers using a DVD 'burning' laser diode for their heart:
Picture below - my first DVD laser, within a homemade cardboard box
See this topic:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-red-2-a-27131.html
More advanced version, radio shack parts:
In late 2007 & early 2008 I was one of the first people to successfully 'harvest' 405nm (BluRay) laser diodes from surplus xbox DVD players. Up until that point -- only about four years ago now -- these were very expensive laser diodes.
See this topic:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/xbox-hd-bluray-try-2-success-26905.html
Xbox drive, below, which was ripped apart to harvest a nearly microscopic laser diode.
The sled containing the laser diode:
Diode, after removal from heatsink:
Here's the laser diode itself. Note I've thermal glued into the Meredith housing backwards
My first DIY 405nm laser. I was very proud of this laser. Picture below I'm measuring the current the diode is consuming. As I've got no LPM this is the only way to guesstimate the laser's power output
Completed laser, rising from the wreckage of a wasted xbox DVD drive:
Beamshot. My old S10 camera captured it's color accurately:
Below, another DIY 405nm, this one more powerful:
Both completed lasers:
Beamshots:
A more advanced project. My Jetson's laser pointer. This is a 15mW 635nm pointer. I modified a LED flashlight into this pointer.
See this thread:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/diy-15-20mw-635nm-pointer-26726.html
Completed Jetson's pointer:
During Assembly:
I also managed to modify a dirt-cheap keychain pointer into a respectable 15mW 635nm laser..
See this thread:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f42/mod-15-20-mw-635nm-keychain-26732.html
During assembly:
Completed mod:
I used the Jetson's pointer, shining through a drop of water, to create a laser microscope. This displayed a bunch of small organisms swimming in a drop of pond water
See this topic - laser microscope:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/laser-microscope-52885.html
Recently purchased and built one of JayRob's pocket mini lasers. Beautiful little laser.
See this review:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/review-pocket-mini-red-68231.html
During construction of the mini, thermal gluing the LPC-815 diode into the housing:
Completed pocket mini:
Finally I've been creating holograms using the DIY lasers I've created.
Two Crystals hologram:
https://vimeo.com/44258757
See these topics:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/hologram-70663.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/video-transmission-hologram-marbles-70711.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/holograms-food-porn-xtals-battery-stonehenge-71793.html
I thank all the people who have assisted me here!
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