Hey, all!
I got bitten by the laser bug recently (it's all eBay's fault! ), although I have been interested in science and electronics all of my life. I have been lurking here, reading fast & furiously, and immersed myself in this fascinating topic the past few weeks (along with other great sites, such as Sam's Laser FAQ).
I find the idea of actually being able to make a battery-operated DIY handheld "burner" absolutely amazing!!! (If someone had told me about this two months ago, I would have thought they had been watching too many Star Trek re-runs! : )
I now have a small red+LED that runs off buttons (~5mw), also a red pen that arrived unfocused and unlabeled :question, but once focus was corrected, appears to be at least twice as bright at a distance (searching for how to make a homemade power meter to check is how I came across this forum!), and a 5mw greenie on it's way! (able to see a beam? - I can't wait!)
I am finding some of the "insider" terminology new for me (PHR-803/LPC-815? multimode? phase matching? cross-section for emission? critical angles? thermal lensing? host - isn't that where web sites reside?), so I may ask a newbie question or three, but you will find I am a quick study!
I got bitten by the laser bug recently (it's all eBay's fault! ), although I have been interested in science and electronics all of my life. I have been lurking here, reading fast & furiously, and immersed myself in this fascinating topic the past few weeks (along with other great sites, such as Sam's Laser FAQ).
I find the idea of actually being able to make a battery-operated DIY handheld "burner" absolutely amazing!!! (If someone had told me about this two months ago, I would have thought they had been watching too many Star Trek re-runs! : )
I now have a small red+LED that runs off buttons (~5mw), also a red pen that arrived unfocused and unlabeled :question, but once focus was corrected, appears to be at least twice as bright at a distance (searching for how to make a homemade power meter to check is how I came across this forum!), and a 5mw greenie on it's way! (able to see a beam? - I can't wait!)
I am finding some of the "insider" terminology new for me (PHR-803/LPC-815? multimode? phase matching? cross-section for emission? critical angles? thermal lensing? host - isn't that where web sites reside?), so I may ask a newbie question or three, but you will find I am a quick study!