Estimating strength of laser pointer

[BishopBlade]

Hello,

Laser noob here, but I recently picked up a cheap green laser off of eBay and since then have developed a large interest. Anyhow, I was curious to find out if it was possible to find out a rough estimate of how much power this laser outputs, in mW?

It is 532nm and is rated 5mW, but I suspect that it is overspec. Some things the laser can do:
* Clearly visible beam at night
* Sting my skin from ~15 ft. (note that I have a medium tan)
* Pop balloons (red, black, purple, dark blue)

If it's possible to get an estimate based on this, help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zeebit]

http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/what-if-i-don-t-have-lpm-82018.html

 

[BishopBlade]

http://laserpointerforums.com/f70/what-if-i-don-t-have-lpm-82018.html

Okay, thanks. I guess I can just go by without knowing, and send it to another member if I'm really desperate.

 

[ryanr256]

Okay, thanks. I guess I can just go by without knowing, and send it to another member if I'm really desperate.

Without actually measuring it with an LPM, there is no way to know the power. Guessing is not knowing.

I have two 532nm eBay pens. One metered at 33mW and the other at 40mW. I'm not saying yours are in that range though. But, most of the eBay pens are over-spec and put out more than 5mW.

Oh, and be careful because my 40mW 532nm is about 35mW of IR which is not good for the eyes. Again, I'm not saying yours will be like mine. It's a crap shoot and until it's metered there's no way to know.


Oh, please get yourself some goggles to protect your eyes. I don't think your arms are 15ft. long so you must be standing in front of the laser. Not a very good idea. It sounds silly to suggest goggles for a small, cheap device but you only get one set of eyes in a lifetime and these lasers can do damage faster than you can blink.


-Bob

 

[mortuus]

be careful using those green cheapos from ebay.. they must leak insane amount of IR since they dont have filter which is very bad for your eyes.

 

[KRNAZNBOY]

Sting your skin from 15ft? I'm not so sure about that, unless you paid over $75...

:beer:
-Matt

 

[Saducees]

The mind can play wonderful tricks.