Greetings All

[Cogitator]

Thank you for my being allowed to join your forum. I am no one particularly special or talented. I am much more likely to buy something from here than sell something. I know a lot about a lot of things but not so much about current laser technology or laser DIY (hence my primary reason for joining here).

I would like to learn about the advances the forum members have made in building power supplies, specialized hosts and other related technologies. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot to add to the LPF but will try and be helpful in any areas I can be.

I realize that I am probably going to get more from the "party" here than I am currently able to give back. Therefore, I will act appropriately appreciative.

My current interests and projects are in using lasers to probe various physics questions and I have an interest in a few exotic, not necessarily politically correct, laser applications.

I have some conceptual host designs that I will eventually ask some of the more talented machinists amongst you about the feasibility and cost of making.

Other than that, I expect to maintain a very low profile. Thank you again for my membership here.

Best Regards,
Cogitator

 

[NightExplorer96]

Welcome to the forums!

-Alex

 

[BurningLaserGuy]

Welcome to LPF. You'll learn a lot of things here that's for sure (this is also my reason for joining here)

Cheers:beer:,
--Matt,

 

[ChaosLord]

Hmmm... I find "exotic not necessarily politically correct" laser projects intriguing...
Maybe you could tell us about these projects, you may get direct help from us.

 

[COMMANDR]

Welcome to LPF :>)
This is the place to learn about all different kinds of lasers and cool laser projects.
Many helpful brains to guide you on your way.
Have fun!!!

 

[ru124t]

Welcome! Remember, the search function on here is your best friend and always wear correct safety glasses to protect your only pair of eyes. Especially when making your type of laser. If it is on the down low , I would be very interested in doing the same!

 

[Cogitator]

I thank all of you for the kind welcome. For the record, I always wear goggles appropriate to the light frequencies I am working with. I have even been known to don protective clothing now and then, depending on what it is that I am tinkering with.

Regarding my other laser project interests, and I am NOT trying to play mysterious or be coy here, but I am still a new guy and an unknown quantity. Therefore, I think it would be sensible and appropriately discrete to learn my way around here a bit before spouting off about specific research areas that others might not be comfortable with.

That being said, I do hope to meet some folks here that might be interested in or working in the same areas and/or directions that I am. I would be very interested in getting to know those folks and to exchange some thoughts with them. So, below are some, probably uninteresting to most folks, general areas that relate to those interests (sorry if this is boring). I am not looking to steal anyone's secrets and would be quite happy to exchange info in general terms.

1) Currently, I have a need for a great deal of electrical energy in as small and light a package as is practically possible. Some of you may have been able to put together hybrid systems using Li+ batteries and so-called "super capacitors" (generally =>1 Farad) that are able to deliver very high energies in very short periods of time. I have found that these very high energy discharges are difficult to regulate. I would be interested in discussing others progress in this area.

2) I would like to know if anyone has been working to combine multiple frequencies of laser light into a single, collimated beam. I am especially interested if anyone has been able to do this with low loss prisms (or any other low loss technique).

3) I would like to discuss the most effective, lowest energy means to produce a laser-initiated, ionized air column along the beam. Is it more effective and less energy-intensive to target specific gases by means of specific laser frequencies rather than using the current shotgun approach?

4) I have difficulty with TEC due to the gross inefficiency and shapes of the units I have been able to find and test. Has anyone come up with a more electrically-efficient, fast and highly portable cooling system or has anyone located TEC units more efficient than what has traditionally been available? Has anyone been able to use flat, square TEC units efficiently? Are there any sources of tubular TEC units with inner diameters around 9mm? Does anyone have the micro-machining skill to cut, rewire and shape current flat TECs into faceted tubes (e.g.,octagons etc.)? I know it is possible theoretically but I am not sure it is doable in reality. There has been some tinkering with drilling a single hole in a flat, square TEC, reconnecting the traces damaged by the drill and then seating a laser diode-heat sink assembly into the hole. I do not know much about it or whether or not it worked. Maybe some of you know about this.

5) I have a preliminary design for a small, virtually instantaneous, compressed gas, non-mechanical cooling system. I would be willing to discuss it in an idea exchange.

5) Has anyone been tinkering with self-initiating chemical lasers? If so, I would be interested in discussing them.

OK, that's some of the areas I would like to address for some things I'm tinkering with. Again, I apologize if I got a bit carried away and put anyone to sleep. But there may be some of you out there that have been working in various areas and have come up against some of the above-described obstacles.

As I originally noted, I have some typical noob questions regarding Nichia laser LEDs, efficient, compact laser diode drivers and various hosts that I will ask about, once I have exhausted my ability to use the "search" function here.

I would welcome PMs regarding the above topics. Thank you for your patience.

Best Regards,
Cogitator

 

[Cogitator]

Geeeez, the above post didn't look nearly that large in the preview. I must have shrunk it by using a split screen. Sorry!

Best Regards,
Cogitator