Cheap way to measure laser wavelength

[paul1598419]

Be careful using rechargeable AAA batteries as they are never 1.5 volts like the ones you have been using. You could easily kill your laser in a heart beat using those.

 

[Skittles]

Be careful using rechargeable AAA batteries as they are never 1.5 volts like the ones you have been using. You could easily kill your laser in a heart beat using those.

Thank you Paul for the warning, there's a chance I would not notice that without your heads-up. :bowdown:

 

[paul1598419]

Sure, not a problem. I have some of those and they charge to 4.2 volts. Stick a couple of those in there and you have 8.4 volts instead of 3 volts.

 

[steve001]

The Edmund's and Thorlab's gratings are made for Scientific research. You will also pay more for these.

Pardon my incredulity. You do know I'm sure people readily shell out hundreds to do nothing more than burn a trash bag or pop a balloon and you're cautioning members they'll be paying for a precision tool to more accurately measure the wavelength - really?

 

[paul1598419]

Not at all. They make great products. My point was you will pay for that quality. That was it. Wasn't trying to make a big deal out of it. If I had wanted to do that, it would have been followed by an explanation.

 

[Benm]

This is not the way to get an accuracy of a fraction on a nm. It is for getting an accuracy of 1 to 2 nm if you set it up carefully and can repeat your results several times.

Probably, i think something like 0.5 nm is the best you could ever get with a setup like this, using a good grating, exact measurements of all distances and such.

Then again, getting it right to within a nanometer or two is not that bad for something you can do at home without any expensive equipment.

 

[steve001]

Not at all. They make great products. My point was you will pay for that quality. That was it. Wasn't trying to make a big deal out of it. If I had wanted to do that, it would have been followed by an explanation.

I knew your intent. I provided the links simply so members knew what was available.