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Well all, I've got to come clean - I was wrong about the wavelength of one of my lasers. Although I work with 488nm light all the time, I suppose my eyes aren't all I thought they were, as I just measured the wavelength of my "488nm" laser, and it's outputting at 495nm. Don't get me wrong...

Clamped off laser outputting into a beam dump? I could be convinced that removing goggles is alright then. Look I’m no purist, I love to see my lasers as more than whitish dots. But the fact is that, especially with blues, the wavelengths in question are particularly harmful. The “room glow” you...

^^ absolutely. The "burn" feature on the lasercube is more of a gimmick anyway - it can only stay on for a few seconds - and frankly, you'd get tired of using it. Burning with lasers is fun if you're safe about it, but using a laser projector is definitely not the way. Fortunately, you need to...

Thanks Rich! By the way, is there a post/page where you have information on your host commissioning? The 26650 brass/carbon host you posted is stunning and I’d definitely be interested in your hosts for upcoming projects!

Based on that odd looking power button position, I’d say the module was mounted in there crooked. From the style of button I’m guessing this was a laser you bought assembled? -edit- whoops, didn’t see the comment about sanwu. Yeah that style of button interfaces with a momentary switch on the...

It’s great that you’re concerned about safety, that’s the right attitude to have! I’m not an expert on anything, but I’m especially not an expert on the law, so I’ll try to confine myself to the science. Generally speaking, don’t worry about the wavelengths interacting. That’s not really how...

Also, what’s the origin of the device? Did you build it or buy it? I ask because commercial laser diodes are unfortunately sometimes glued into place, whereas with a DIY you have a better chance to adjust the set screw/lens placement. Hope we can help!

Oh that looks great! What current are you running that diode at? I don't tend to run my lasers with particularly extreme duty cycles so I'm comfortable pushing the current, but at the same time I don't want to stray too far into diode-cooking territory!

It does help clarify, I had a feeling based on the pattern you showed you'd be using some kind of Gaussian calculation based analysis. Unfortunately, the issue still stands. As far as I'm aware, without highly specialized optics (that would take more investment of money and time than would be...

18650 batteries are a great, and fairly standardized choice. Although a lot of stores are closed right now, they're quite readily available if you have a vape store near you, as most vapes run on those batteries (though the mail order ones may be better for lasers, since you're able to order...

Derp, I really need to stop posting from my phone, can’t read as I type! Edited the original, thanks for the fact check Snecho!

Yeah, the short answer is probably “too much”. The long answer is that if you want uniform heating, you’re in trouble. While the pattern you’re trying to achieve could basically be done with a 10 cent diffraction grating, the way diffraction gratings work mean that the beamlets do not have...

Cyparagon is, unsurprisingly, right. Stepping down 9V with a buck converter is a really unusual (for good reason) setup, that is almost certainly what’s failing you. hook it up to an appropriate li-ion for that driver and see if you continue to have problems, rather than stepping down a chemical...

Thanks very much! I already have that one actually and it works like a charm, really beautiful laser. Despite being one of my least powerful, it’s one of my favorites since my first published work used a lot of GFP fluorescence microscopy hence 488nm light being close to my heart, plus it ALWAYS...

😮 nice! I was reading the specs on that and I was a little unclear what he meant by 350mw/1.1w (pulse). From the testing documentation he provided it seemed to be operating >1W in CW, but I couldn’t tell for sure and I didn’t want to end up with a diode I could only run at max power when pulsed.

He does? I can’t find them on his website or eBay, just the 900mw SM. I’ll do some digging around here on the forum too.

Appreciate the input! I know about the divergence issues with the 7W, my concerns were limited though because I can’t think of many occasions where I could safely project a beam of that power over any long distances so I’d likely be up close. I’m definitely leaning towards either the 492 or the...

They claim 253.7, so not ideal but functional. I can’t speak for the validity of that manufacturer, I literally googled “UV led array” to get some kind of clue what was available. If I was seriously considering this project I’d be wondering - could I mobilize a 60W 100+V power supply? Is this...

Idk if this has been stated but I have to urge caution when it comes to shining a laser at glass. TIR and unpredictable optical properties could result in potentially damaging beams exiting the piece of quartz at an unexpected angle. Interesting project idea though, where it’s legal!

Optically very challenging! When you project onto a screen, you’re using fairly well behaved reflection. Usually projection onto water requires projecting onto mist, as you must scatter the light and “hope” that enough photons make it back to your eyes to make out an image. Smoothly flowing or...