Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

Buy Site Supporter Role (remove some ads) | LPF Donations

Links below open in new window

FrozenGate by Avery

building an FDA compliant portable laser

M

m60gunner29

0
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
67
Points
0
So I have been doing a lot of reading and have a qestion on building FDA compliant lasers.

I realise they need safety features built in.

I also realise most people are hobbiests and build for personal use and the regulations arent really an issue.

But I am wondering if any of you have built portables with enough safety features to qualify as 'FDA compliant' and if so, which safety features did you add where did you get your parts? I would think its just a key switch and some sort of power interrrupt or a front end cap or something.

Your thoughts?
 





If you are building a laser for your own use there is no requirement for compliance. Safety systems would be just for your sake. If you are building a laser for sale >5mW you should have a key switch safety (on/off), power switch (on/off) and interlock, an indicator lamp (laser emission indicator), an aperture shutter, beam on delay (can be part of soft start in the electronics). Even then you still need to register the unit with the FDA for a legal sale. If you cannot comply with the safety systems you must request a variance and provide a very good reason. The only variances I've seen are for aperture shutters.
 
adding some sort of key lock would kinda be cool anyway.

anyone know of a source of a key lock that is small enough to fit onto one of the dorcy jr size flashlight hosts or one of the cree? Id imagine i would need to have a side button instead of a rear clicky at that point but a key would have a coolness factor to it.
 
I suppose the easiest way to use a keylock is to integrate in in the tailcap of a host. A key lock could be useful if you have others living in your house (kids or something) that cound otherwise accidentely activate the laser.
 
Im trying to figure out what those would be called anyways...

Electric key lock?

Am stumped!
 
I recently bought a laser ( my 300mv greenie) from a shop in the UK, and it came with a tail cap key lock, a button safe ( outlying piece of metal that slides over the push button when your not using it) , but other than those two safety features i have not seen a laser pointer with a X second pause before activating, or one with a indicator light...

The key lock makes it seem a lot more bad ass than it really is to the people who don't know.:eg:

because the laser im talking about does NOT have ALL the safety features stated above, does that mean mine is technically considered to be not approved by the FDA?

just curious... :)
 
Semper Fi Morbid!
Yes, that's what it means. Stuff it way down in yer duff when you rotate back to the real world. Stay safe, Kick Butt, and thanks for your service.
 
Oh! I'm mailing this baby DHL in a locked footlocker before i leave here. They will rip my bags apart looking for items i didn't come here with. which is a shame, cause there are so many things i would like to take home :(

I appreciate the support Splat!
 
I don't get the point in the turning on delay. Someone's bound to press the button, see it's not working and then look into the aperture and have it turn on into their eye.

Just my opinion. Don't see what accidents the delay on activation could prevent.
 
JaiNobeZ said:
I don't get the point in the turning on delay. Someone's bound to press the button, see it's not working and then look into the aperture and have it turn on into their eye.

Just my opinion. Don't see what accidents the delay on activation could prevent.
Click to expand...

The only reason I can think of that anyone would point a laser into their eye to check if it is working or not is plain stupidity.
Do you expect safety features to protect from that, too?
 
Last edited:
it's either on or it isn't. if it is on you will see it. there is never a reason to look into a complete laser. if you want to check things out then take it a part and do it the safe way.

michael.
 
That's why there also an emission indicator on the laser. You know it's active and that a beam will come out. Broken active lasers are unpredictable even without a delay, so that doesn't change much.
 
RA_pierce said:
The only reason I can think of that anyone would point a laser into their eye to check if it is working or not is plain stupidity.
Do you expect safety features to protect from that, too?
Click to expand...

No. Just don't see the point in the delay on turning on, or what accidents it could protect from. Might save batteries if it's got a momentary button and it's in your pocket, but otherwise i can't see it serving any purpose.

The idea that someone would look into it was just illustrating my point.


...but someone must have done it at some point...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.





Back
Top