Advice for a laser build

[rybat14]

I am interested in building a laser for fun but it will also have a purpose.

Specs for my build:

Will regularly use to point from 200 yards, up to 1000 yards. I will be on the other end of the beam looking for where it contacts the object I am pointing at during day and night.
Smallest beam possible at 1000 yards.
Continuous beam for at least an hour. (basically something that wont burn up being on for an hour).

I am guessing green laser diode would be what I want because I want it easily visible.

And of course I would like to do this as inexpensive as possible. I will be building multiple of these.

Least powerful to get the job done is best. No need for overkill.


I have a cheap green laser that says good for 5 miles, but don't use continuously for more than a minute or it would burn up. I understand I need to build something more robust.

Thanks.

 

[RedCowboy]

Have you ever taken a look at your beams spot at 100 yards much less 1000 ? It's not the little dot that you imagine, maybe you would do better sighting with a transit.

David White LT6-900 Meridian Transit-Level 44-8834

The David White LT6-900 22X optical level-transit is modestly priced and easy to use. These instruments are designed for light construction work leveling, turning angles and determining vertical angles. Features a vertical arc reads to degrees (0° to 45°). Built-in sunshade for clearer...

www.contractors-tools.com

 

[rybat14]

Have you ever taken a look at your beams spot at 100 yards much less 1000 ? It's not the little dot that you imagine, maybe you would do better sighting with a transit.

Thank you for the reply. A transit will not work for this situation. I do understand the beam will be wider the farther away it goes. I dont care if its 3+ feet wide as long as I can tell were the beam is at distance. I may have been a bit generous in my estimate of 1000 yrds. lets say 2-500 yrds. At 100 yards with my cheap >5mw pen laser the beam spot is fully visible during the daylight and yes it is larger which is ok. Something like this would probably do my job but I need more battery capacity and longer continuous use. When reading the fine print it says not to run for longer than 2 minutes at a time. ex. laser pointer store - jd-850-laser-pointer

 

[Sowee7]

Thank you for the reply. A transit will not work for this situation. I do understand the beam will be wider the farther away it goes. I dont care if its 3+ feet wide as long as I can tell were the beam is at distance. I may have been a bit generous in my estimate of 1000 yrds. lets say 2-500 yrds. At 100 yards with my cheap >5mw pen laser the beam spot is fully visible during the daylight and yes it is larger which is ok. Something like this would probably do my job but I need more battery capacity and longer continuous use. When reading the fine print it says not to run for longer than 2 minutes at a time. ex. laser pointer store - jd-850-laser-pointer

its definitely not 5mw, those “jd-850” lasers are like laser 303s 30-100mw of 532nm

 

[bostjan]

A 5 mW DPSS 532 green is fairly visible from 200 yards. Probably not worth bothering from 500 yards, though. A 30 mW would be visible, but 1.5mrad of divergence from 500 m away would be a light almost a meter wide, so what's the point?