Noob in over his head with 12 Watt diode collimation

Yeah, I got safety goggles. See the link I posted at the bottom of the first post.

A bit pricey but I couldn't find any other filters that were cheaper and offered the same optical density in my wavelength.

You've got some nice goggles there!

Something like an IR detection card will be handy for aligning this thing, it gives an idea where the beam is going. To mount the lenses you probably have to make something yourself, but with a non-standard diode package you're already busy anyway.

For the diodes I know the fast axis is usually around 4 times more divergent, so I then pick two cylindrical lenses with a factor 4 difference in focal length, this should give a nice spot instead of a line when it diverges.

Too bad he sold only to the US, I'd buy it too.

Yes, rigging the lenses and all that using only a dremel and other hand tools should be a challenging project. Something to pass the time as I slip slowly into madness in my last semester of college, which consists of solid humanities courses...

As to the detector cards, I'm hoping my digital camera will pick it up. Might have to yank an IR filter out to get it to work though.

That's good to hear about the focal length ratio, I got two 6.4mm and two 24.4mm lenses. I lied about the 9mm focal length earlier. Guess I was way ahead of you with the focal length ratios

Actually, I just picked two with lengths that looked long enough so they wouldn't get in each others way.

I'll definitely post photos and other info as I get closer to a complete product.

i know this is a little off topic but is there any truly safe way to operate a laser of this wattage? what do u need something this powerful for anyways? its like owning an RPG sure its cool but not at all usable in any situation and insanely dangerous

inuboi8 said:

i know this is a little off topic but is there any truly safe way to operate a laser of this wattage? what do u need something this powerful for anyways? its like owning an RPG sure its cool but not at all usable in any situation and insanely dangerous

Click to expand...

Sure there is a safe way to use it.
Use adequate shielding for the power and wavelength. Use a beam stop, attenuator, and operate it only in a controlled and safe environment.

There are plenty of uses for multi-Watt lasers. In the hobby community it's not something everyone would be interested in. But experimentation and exercising your brain certainly is not useless.

RA_pierce said:

Sure there is a safe way to use it.
Use adequate shielding for the power and wavelength. Use a beam stop, attenuator, and operate it only in a controlled and safe environment.

There are plenty of uses for multi-Watt lasers. In the hobby community it's not something everyone would be interested in. But experimentation and exercising your brain certainly is not useless.

Click to expand...

good point:beer:

As long as I keep my eyes out of the beam and wear my goggles I think I'll be fairly safe.

As far as dangerous shit goes, that's pretty much how I roll. I've been playing with Tesla coils and explosives and shit since I was 13, I'll admit lasers add a bit more range to the danger than I'm used to but compared to my other hobbies 12 Watt lasers aren't that big a deal.

Why tiptoe carefully around risks just so you can arrive safely at death anyways?

As far as uses, a few paychecks from now I hope to build a CNC X-Y table to do some plastic work, etch printed circuit boards, cut out solder stencils, laser-etch laptop cases, etc.

Or maybe just get one collimated, mount it on a tripod with a web cam and some stepper motors and write some code to make it web-controllable and let people on the internet burn shit behind my apartment. Maybe put it on an anthill and make it into a tower defense game.

Or just build it into a battery operated unit and hand it to some random 10 year old at Halloween.

I haven't really decided yet, I'm sure I'll think of something.

JatoFox said:

Or just build it into a battery operated unit and hand it to some random 10 year old at Halloween.

I haven't really decided yet, I'm sure I'll think of something.

Click to expand...

aside from yellow lasers i am also accepting IR lasers as well that would be kinda badass carrying some massive mega death ray with a backpack battery

JatoFox said:

As far as dangerous shit goes, that's pretty much how I roll. I've been playing with Tesla coils and explosives and shit since I was 13, I'll admit lasers add a bit more range to the danger than I'm used to but compared to my other hobbies 12 Watt lasers aren't that big a deal.

Click to expand...

Well, i'd say lasers are a differnt danger entirely. With things like explosives or electric shock, you're either suffer severe trauma, or you escape mostly unharmed. A pyrotechnic endeavor gone slighly wrong would give you some cuts and burns, but nothing that would permanently alter your life.

With lasers its quite different - the first accident costs you stereoscopic vision, and the second blinds you, more or less.

From that viewpoint lasers are far more insidious devices. Explosions or electrocutions will eiter kill you, or leave you in a 'repearable' state for the medics. A 12 watt laser blast to an eye will not kill you at all, but is very likely to cost you that eye.

In all seriousness, I haven't even powered them up yet, and intend to only do so when I feel it will be safe. I just recently bought an IR detector plate and am shopping around for safe power supplies or parts to build one.

After that I'll still need mounting hardware, some way of mounting and adjusting these awkward ass cylindrical lenses, a block of copper to stick the actual diode package in to keep it cool and god knows what else.

It'll be at least a couple weekends from now before I can even hook these things up.

I see that no one have mentioned LiFePo4 batteries yet.
They need their own chargers, but can deliver a lot of amps in a small package, making the backpack unnecessary.

Here is just one seller.
BatterySpace.com/AA Portable Power Corp. Tel: 510-525-2328 - LiFePO4 Cells / Packs

I have some batteries out of my old laptop that should do the trick, I also already have a charger circuit for them.

Also, I can't think of too many uses for a portable 12Watt laser. Aside from blinding people or a really cool cigarette lighter. Maybe tripping the laser-lock alerts on military aircraft from a plausible deny ability distance. I guess I see military landing at the airport by where I work... That could provide a few hours of entertainment on my lunch breaks...

NO! Bad bad bad.

You guys definitely shouldn't be encouraging me.

I believe that at least some military aircraft's have the gear to get a fix on the location of a laser.

(It may sound like I am trying to discourage you, that's because I am.)

And the gear to destroy said laser including everything around it.