Battery powered labby project

[brianpe]

True, but that might be all he needs to accomplish his goal. Maybe he'll see these two posts and elaborate

The end goal for this is actually quite stupid. It started as an annual camping trip. First came a laser that could etch our names in firewood (about 3w). Next year I doubled the power and we were able to light the camp fire (6w). This laser was supposed to meet the third year goal: light the camp fire without having to get out of my tent. Unfortunately it couldn't hold a tight beam for the 40 or so feet that would take. So, yeah, mark two.

(And while this sounds really irresponsible and dangerous, the laser can lower bean power to make sure it's actually hitting the fire pit first, fire extinguishers all around, and plenty of OD6+ safety goggles. It's a stupid goal, but I'm not stupid about it).

 

[RedCowboy]

---EDITED---

Nothing wrong with that at all as long as we are responsible and practice appropriate laser safety.

A beam expander will do what you want nicely with your dual corrected 44 build, you probably won't be able to use the Chinese/sanwu 3.3X unless you use a sanwu G2 primary or similar as it's a snug fit into the output lens after expansion and so far only the sanwu G2 will work with the 3.3XBE when using a 6X c-lens pair on the 44 diode in my experience, other G2's will end up with the expanded beam at twice the width of the output lens, it appears to be a slight focal length issue.

Also the Sanwu/Chinese 3.3XBE can develop some thread slack that causes skew and slows things down, a quality beam expander such as a Thorlabs 5X would be amazing although they are 480.00 new, you could make your own or use a telescopic reduction but you would need to lengthen your device, but the beam expander allows for adjustability that would likely suite your needs better, thanks for sharing your project.

 

[trinh hong phuoc]

that is great project-brianpe,3,2mrad is great for nubm44

 

[RedCowboy]

Something else I have had fun with is converging corrected beams, last time I did so mechanically but this time I will use a couple of mirrors to converge from a virtual side by side of 3 corrected beams, this way as they diverge and converge there will be a nice long sweet spot, the sweet spot can be tuned by adjusting the distance that the beam centers overlap.

Granted using a beam expander on combined beams would be better for 50 feet or more but for a no adjustment needed, point and use device this can be used to light fireworks/campfire tinder from up close to 30 feet nicely and possibly a bit further, plus it will look really cool.

If you combined another pair of corrected 44's then knife edge converged those beams at your favorite distance that could also do the trick and would have a better sweet spot stretch than starting 4 abreast.

One thing about reaching the flashpoint of bulkier material at increasing distances is total energy, while having a good tight spot is important the tightest 1/4 watt beam will still lack the desired punch, more total power and time on target will prevail in a quantity over quality kind of way as the threshold of the target exceeds the best possible concentration of the lower energy device at a given distance, heat builds up with time on target better when there is more energy....DUHH I know I am stating the obvious but it is something to think about as I have found in testing the limits of a single anything reasonably available that sometimes more is better even at lesser quality, especially once the need in a " less is more " tuning experiment has exceeded its crescendo.

Note: I am constantly weighing out the cost vs. the benefit, do I want one corrected 44 with a 500 dollar beam expander or four corrected and converged and what will be more fun given my limited working area, if the target is 40 feet then more brute force and less high end optics may be a better choice, also I am a big fan of turn it on and use it, to me a laser should be " Turn it on and use it. " when possible, but after all it's a hobby and not anything serious so most of all stay safe and have fun.

 

[trinh hong phuoc]

Very difficult to make,but it is interesting,RCB-will you make it?

 

[CDBEAM777]

Yikes RC !!! I can see you have a focused " Moral Imperative" !!! HAHAHA....and....furthermore ...Energy Density....Time-On-Target ??? Hmmm !!!
Next...you will be visiting the Website... " CongicalTrackingMirrors-R-Us.COM " hahahahaha !!.....so..." 'Let's watch that movie on Blinding Techniques...and go to lunch "......And ...the Big Picture comes more into focus !!! Seriously...thanx for sharing !! CDBEAM

 

[RedCowboy]

Ha ha ha, very funny, I see you also have a strange sense of humor. Actually anything DEW would be NIR and a few magnitudes more energetic at the least.......as for time on target that's something I heard here, didn't know that was a DEW term specifically, still not sure it is. Well at least I know it's not when I am saying it.

Very difficult to make,but it is interesting,RCB-will you make it?

Yea I most likely will, and I will make each corrected laser with optics on a flat bar of aluminum so each can be aligned in the final device easily, beam height will be set to start the same for each but that can be trimmed out at the mirror with a separate elevation screw.

 

[CDBEAM777]

Well.....Go Big or Go Home RC.....I have imposed my warped sense of humor on LPF....literally for years !!! They'll get over it !!! So it goes !!

 

[RedCowboy]

It's all good my friend, I can laugh at myself and I quite often do.......... so it's got too be fair game, when I laugh out loud at you.

 

[diachi]

The end goal for this is actually quite stupid. It started as an annual camping trip. First came a laser that could etch our names in firewood (about 3w). Next year I doubled the power and we were able to light the camp fire (6w). This laser was supposed to meet the third year goal: light the camp fire without having to get out of my tent. Unfortunately it couldn't hold a tight beam for the 40 or so feet that would take. So, yeah, mark two.

(And while this sounds really irresponsible and dangerous, the laser can lower bean power to make sure it's actually hitting the fire pit first, fire extinguishers all around, and plenty of OD6+ safety goggles. It's a stupid goal, but I'm not stupid about it).

I guess I've been putting the fire to close to my tent...

Nice build - not to sure you could call it portable but at least luggable or unreliant off mains power.

Could use the amateur radio definition for portable, something not tied to some sort of external power source like the grid or a vehicle! Solar or battery powered is usually still portable, even if it's bulky. As long as it can be taken into the field and used without supporting infrastructure I'd call it portable!

 

[hakzaw1]

It's not possible to get this kind info/help/share etc w/o you 'all' and LPF.. awesome thread!!! MOAR WE WANT MOAR!!!

hk w/ thanks!!!

 

[Benm]

Could use the amateur radio definition for portable, something not tied to some sort of external power source like the grid or a vehicle! Solar or battery powered is usually still portable, even if it's bulky. As long as it can be taken into the field and used without supporting infrastructure I'd call it portable!

I'd call that luggable more than portable really.

I get your radio definition, especially from the past where you'd have something that'd be in a backpack with a darn car battery as a power source, and a HF antenna that would bascially require you to run wire between a couple of trees to get a decent signal.

I guess today's idea of portable is something you could fairly easily move around with one hand.

Otherwise a desktop PC and diesel generator to power that would also be portable: while not very practical the entire system could be carried by one man over some distance.

 

[diachi]

I'd call that luggable more than portable really.

I get your radio definition, especially from the past where you'd have something that'd be in a backpack with a darn car battery as a power source, and a HF antenna that would bascially require you to run wire between a couple of trees to get a decent signal.

I guess today's idea of portable is something you could fairly easily move around with one hand.

Otherwise a desktop PC and diesel generator to power that would also be portable: while not very practical the entire system could be carried by one man over some distance.

Wouldn't go quite as far as luggable for this build, could easily be carried in one hand with little effort. That's still portable in my book. Not handheld, but still portable. Similar bulk and weight to a PGL-III from CNI I'd imagine, which is considered portable.

Now that devices are getting smaller and batteries are improving in Ah/Kg I guess the definition of portable is changing, although in the radio world not much has changed. A big pelican case (or even a small flight case rack) is still considered portable, although LiPo batteries have certainly reduced the weight! Hell, a little gas generator and radio would probably still fall under the portable category depending on who you ask/which contest you're operating in.

 

[CDBEAM777]

Something else I have had fun with is converging corrected beams, last time I did so mechanically but this time I will use a couple of mirrors to converge from a virtual side by side of 3 corrected beams, this way as they diverge and converge there will be a nice long sweet spot, the sweet spot can be tuned by adjusting the distance that the beam centers overlap.

Granted using a beam expander on combined beams would be better for 50 feet or more but for a no adjustment needed, point and use device this can be used to light fireworks/campfire tinder from up close to 30 feet nicely and possibly a bit further, plus it will look really cool.

If you combined another pair of corrected 44's then knife edge converged those beams at your favorite distance that could also do the trick and would have a better sweet spot stretch than starting 4 abreast.

One thing about reaching the flashpoint of bulkier material at increasing distances is total energy, while having a good tight spot is important the tightest 1/4 watt beam will still lack the desired punch, more total power and time on target will prevail in a quantity over quality kind of way as the threshold of the target exceeds the best possible concentration of the lower energy device at a given distance, heat builds up with time on target better when there is more energy....DUHH I know I am stating the obvious but it is something to think about as I have found in testing the limits of a single anything reasonably available that sometimes more is better even at lesser quality, especially once the need in a " less is more " tuning experiment has exceeded its crescendo.

Note: I am constantly weighing out the cost vs. the benefit, do I want one corrected 44 with a 500 dollar beam expander or four corrected and converged and what will be more fun given my limited working area, if the target is 40 feet then more brute force and less high end optics may be a better choice, also I am a big fan of turn it on and use it, to me a laser should be " Turn it on and use it. " when possible, but after all it's a hobby and not anything serious so most of all stay safe and have fun.


View attachment 62494

Hmmm....I think....some time in the past....the concept of " target tracking " has been discussed on LPF...but likely not yet realized....that I know of.

One possible version would be to incorporate an IR sensor to determine the distance from lasers to target. Once the target is chosen....the signal is processed and feed into dual. servo motors...which in turn passion the side mirrors.

Then....with the mirrors automatically positioned as a function of Distance to Target..... all three beams automatically converge/ lock on target. Even inexpensive digital camera's have this feature...so....some hack of that technology seem reasonable....and might be cheap to tinker with !!! This is just the next logical step. Likely...dArpa has already done it !

Now....for the " Time on Target " issue. Again....we could borrow from existing technology. The RC hobby employs miniature gyro units to stabilize various flying models. SOooo...we strap a RC Gyro unit...and this would then at least reduce some of the movement introduced by shaky hands....which is always present...to some degree with the hand held platform. Likely....also something dArpa has tinkered with.

Speaking of dArpa.....they explore cutting edge technologies....under the authority of the USA / Department of Defense...Aka DOD.
I have no doubt....billions of $$ for funding...See this site https://www.darpa.mil/
…..WOW !!! …" What has God Wrought " ??...Indeed ????

So it goes....and we evolve....like it or not...depending on your definition of " Evolution " !!!

CDBEAM

 

[RedCowboy]

Just for fun think about a ring of beams.

Single mode lasers could be knife edged and stacked in rows making a grid of 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 ect... then use a telescopic reduction, but multimode even when corrected wont knife edge very well, so articulated mirrors could be fun and how very cool would it be to have 8 beams in a big circle funnel converging to a point.

The thing is putting beams in a line converged by servo mirrors the beams on each side of the center fixed beam would adjust at rate #1 while the next 2 would have to adjust at a different rate to converge and so on, but in a ring they all adjust at the same rate and you don't need a rangefinder, just a pot that you turn until they all converge at the distance you want, you could have a 2 stage trigger so you adjust at low power than burn at full power.

I am only talking about 40 feet or so for say 8 x NDB7875's that could be used with just a single lens, so from up close say 10 feet to 40 feet it would be fun, past that the spot of each laser will diverge past it's usefulness and the further the distance the harder to keep the beams converged, but if you can get them all on top of each other at 40 feet then everything closer is golden.

Something else could be using a ring of mirrors the size of the beams spot in a tight circle converged to infinity, then use a telescopic reduction, but I am not sure how tight that could be made, it's possible though for the 10 to 40 foot range.

Now a deformable concave center mirror would be neat if done right, maybe one could be moved fore and aft on rails for a short distance device.

 

[CDBEAM777]

WOW...And I thought....I had a good size " Tin Foil " Hat...." .Yours is a superior intellect" hahhaha
" Ring Concept " could be done !!! So it goes !! CDBEAM