Cd Player laser-possible?

[Willtmi]

Alright im a noob, and have heard alot about dvd lasers.
i dont have alot of money, or time, so i was wondering if it was possible to make a working laser from a
CD player.
if it is possible, what will i need?
thanks,
will

 

[MarioMaster]

you could, but it would be pointless since cd players use not only low power lasers (5mW or less) - but it's infrared and almost invisible to the eye

 

[philguy]

If you were to take a cd burner, they have up to 80mW IR diodes in there. So popping balloons/lighting matches, yes, but pointing, no.

A regular DVD(Rom)-drive will allow you to build a "weak" pointer, but you get equal pointers for 2$ and lower.

 

[Phazonx]

POSSIBLE - YES

WORTH IT - NO

 

[Willtmi]

Thanks for the help!
i guess i no longer have an excuse to take apart my cd player!

 

[pocketfluff]

Why only up to 80mw?

 

[Chris.]

Why only up to 80mw?

Because companies exist to make money, hence, why would they put diodes with a spec greater than necessary into a product?

 

[SteelRain]

CD players use low milliwatt diodes that emit IR light, now visible light (IR is invisible) CD burners have a higher powered diode but emit the same kind of light that you cant see. Also, burning would be possible from close distances but once you move back some distance the IR would have little to no effect because of the way it spreads over a distance.

DVD burner diodes emit red light, and thats what you need to make an actual high powered pointer