Different ***nm?

[linkmaster03]

What are the difference between lasers with different ***nm? Are certain ones brighter or more powerful than others? Have more burning power? I hope somebody can help clear this up.

 

[me_too_lazy]

i think ur referring to wavelengths
diff nm means different COLORS
so 532nm is green 650nm red
lol those are the only two i know off the top of my head

 

[pseudonomen137]

nm is the wavelength. Now would be a good time to do some searches and learn some of the basic principles of physics if you're getting interested in lasers.

The nm/wavelength tells you the color of the laser. For instance, 532nm is roughly green, 650-700nm is red, etc. past 700 and below 400 you get into the infrared and ultraviolet regions. 400-700nm is the visible spectrum (a rainbow basically).

Different colors appear more visible than others, with the peak near green. So if you have 10mW of 532nm, and 10 mW of 680nm, the 532nm will look much brighter even though its the same power.

Also, different wavelengths bring different prices, but that's usually just because of how complex/simple it is to create that wavelength (IE, red wavelengths are cheap in lower powers, green offer best price/visibility, blues are generally quite expensive. IR is cheap for the power, but carries its own set of disadvantages)

 

[Gazoo]

Here is a decent chart:

http://www.lexellaser.com/techinfo_wavelengths.htm

And a 100mw red will burn just the same as a 100mw green.....for example.

 

[linkmaster03]

Oh i get it now! Thanks guys.

 

[AJ_Dual]

Here is a decent chart:

http://www.lexellaser.com/techinfo_wavelengths.htm

And a 100mw red will burn just the same as a 100mw green.....for example.

I'd just add though that while that's true, the color of the object you're trying to burn will matter. If you try to burn a red object with a 100mW red laser, it'll absorb the light energy poorly and not heat up very well. That's because as a red object, by definition it absorbs all wavelengths BUT red to look red to our eye.

Same for green.

Black will absorb all (at least visible) wavelengths well. White will bounce all wavelengths well.

In IR or UV things are not always as they seem in the visible spectrum. For example, if using a "night shot" camcorder, (near IR), clothing that's "black" in visible wavelengths (violet through red) might appear light, while some light colors appear dark. If you don't have a camcorder with this feature, just watch your "favorite" reality TV show* when they show nighttime footage, or a "bedroom scene", and compare the light/darkness of the outfit to what you saw under visible light.

*("Survivor: is best, because the contestants get stuck wearing the same grubby clothing for weeks on end, so you can be pretty sure the outfit you saw during the day is the same one at night...)

 

[Gazoo]

That's true. I tried it with a matchbook cover. It is white all the way through and my red will kill it, but I need to push it with 300ma's. If the matchbook cover was black all the way through, it would easily burn through with 100ma's. I sure will be glad when I get my meter so I will have a better idea of the actual output. Guessing is driving me nuts.. ;D

 

[AJ_Dual]

Well, the very first ruby lasers were measured in "Gillettes".

As in "how many Gillette razor blades could it punch through... ;D