Greetings from the forum's newest member!

[CloudyThursday]

Hello Gang,
Let me start by introducing myself and saying the entire bunch of you guys are awesome.

Name's Jack from Pennsylvania, USA. I'm 22 and love any and all things science. (My true loves are chemistry and anything to do with space) Was in undergraduate school for Chemical Engineering but due to financial reasons I have had to put those dreams on hold while I save $ to continue my education. I am currently an over the road truck driver and other than a weekend or two a month I'm living on the road.

I am an eagle scout and love camping/hiking, I'm an avid disc golfer, snowboarder, paintballer, tech enthusiast and video gamer...

I also have a deep love of nature. I'm not the hippie tree hugger type who protests big oil and smokes pot ...(I do love the herb though) I'm just someone who thinks we as a whole species (by nature of being intelligent beings capable of destroying our wonderful planet) should be doing way more to curb pollution/environment destruction. But I digress... lasers is the reason I am here.


Lasers are fascinating pieces of technological achievement that is a testament to what is possible when the human mind is put to work. They are also just plain cool. (AM I RIGHT?)
I wish to dive headfirst into this hobby and not look back. If there are any veterans reading this I have a few questions for you if that is ok?
I have read the stickies geared towards people new to the forum and a couple others that had the most views.
That being said I still plan to spend the better part of the next week finishing all the preliminary reading but it would be convenient if I got just a few simple ones out of the way.

HOW LONG did it take for you to learn the basics of lasers (what seemingly complicated specifications actually mean, how the components of a laser come together to actually make a laser and how they work, fair price points for both fully built lasers and components for DIY projects) I know I can get all that information here with some searching and don't expect to become a master overnight but can I expect to be able to pull off a custom 200 mw 532 mW within a year?

What got you into the hobby?

Searching "How lasers work" or "best starter lasers" comes up with a plethora of results MANY very old at 3 or 4 years sometimes older , probably still very relevant and will read them all to absorb their knowledge but what are YOUR personal must read threads containing literature on the anatomy of a laser. Just your favorite or top one will work. I don't need you to give me everything or hold my hand through the whole learning process. I just feel like this hobby is a building built from the ground up on the basics, but I cannot find the ground floor (starting point).

Thanks in advance for anything and everthing.

Jack. P.S. any redditors here?

 

[alennn]

Hey Jack! Welcome to the forum!

 

[NightExplorer96]

Hey Cloudy!

Welcome to LPF!

-Alex

 

[IsaacT]

Welcome to the forum! Okay, let me see if I can answer some of the questions.

1. How long did it take you to learn the basics of lasers?
Not too long. I had been interested in lasers and understood the way they generated light since 7th grade(11 years ago? Maybe 12). The hard part for me was understanding how drivers worked. Electrical circuits are not my strong suit, so learning how to create a simple LM317 based driver was the first thing. I never make my own circuits anymore, but I am very glad I learned. It taught me a lot about how electricity works and that is handy for completing challenging builds.

2. Fair price points for lasers?
Typically you can expect to pay a premium over just the cost of parts. Some people use 30%, so it just depends. Under that rule of thumb, if the parts cost 100 dollars you can expect to pay 130 or so. Different for each person and each laser though.

3. Component cost?
DTR sells complete laser modules at GREAT prices. CLICK THIS LINK
Other things you need? Check out my thread on where to buy things HERE.

4. 200mW 532nm Laser within a year?
DPSS lasers are harder to do simply because there are not common heatsinks or hosts being made for them. If you can find an all inclusive modular 532nm laser with everything built into it, you can make those a lot easier. I joined the forum in August of 2010, and I built my first 532nm laser in March of 2013.

5. What got you into the hobby?
When I was in 7th grade I wanted to come up with a way to actually build a laser. Foolish and naive? Yes. But it did make me study lasers for hours everyday, absordbing everything I read so that one day I might have all the knowledge and theory and ideas to build what I wanted most. My fascination with lasers grew out of that. When I got to high school, I stopped researching them constantly and went about my life. In 2010 though, I saw some lasers on thinkgeek and did some searching to see how far my old passion had come. I eventually saw an ad for the Arctic laser and looked up reviews and that brought me here. The rest is history.

6. Must read threads?
How laser diode drivers work

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Other than that, welcome to the forum! If you want to check out my personal laser journey, I have a chronological list of every laser I have bought and almost every single one I have ever built. My first 445 isn't in there, but it didn't last long. The thread is linked in my sig or in this paragraph.

It has been a long, fun, ramen filled ride. Don't expect to hold onto your money. There are things you will need to buy.

1. Digital Multimeter
2. Diode Press (contact flaminpyro)
3. Heatshrink tubing(flaminpyro)
4. Silicon Wire(flaminpyro)
5. Some sort of Vice or Bench Press
6. Soldering Iron(make it a decent quality one or you WILL kill components)
7. Rosin Core Solder. (60/40 is a good ratio to buy)
8. Solder Flux(flaminpyro)
9. Batteries - 16340 and 18650 mainly.
10. Fog Machine - makes beam viewing much more enjoyable
11. balloons - you want to pop them right?
12. Safety Glasses. You want one for your 405nm-532nm wavelengths and one for your 632nm-700nm wavelengths.

I probably forgot some stuff, but those are the essentials.


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If you ever need anything or have any questions feel free to contact me. I always respond pretty quickly because I check the forum 20+ times per day.

Cheers,
Isaac

 

[hakzaw1]

Awesome INTRO Jack!! glad to have you aboard--0 many members up that way and 'Philly'is the home of Laser (Dr)Sam-- keeper of the laser bible Sam's FAQ-- its a huge amount of info given to use from more than 50 laserists -- and a good place to check out often as its way too large to ever read it all--- consider making SELEM in Aug- several from Pa. drive(in order to bring BIG lasers ) there for a weekend of awesome private laser shows and much much more (YTUBE 'SELEM Laser')-- go to one SELEM event and you will come home wanting to do your own LEM--

+5 rep bump for the super intro -- get ready to have lots of fun but a thin wallet--

all this stuff is VERY addicting--

hak

adding to Isaac's list IF you can afford:

adjustable Power supply
ESD wrist band- (and your soldering station MUST be grounded to also avoid static #1 diode killer)
LED lit 'helping hands'
cardboard laser show glasses
dummy load


try to NOT use those cheapies Li-Ion batt chargers- they are UNSAFE!!
get a smart or intellegent charger like the NiteCore
'Csshih' has a store and i sell some also (at very small profit) 15$ for the i2


The last charger =you will ever need to buy and 100 % safe- 'knows' what batts you put into it and each side has its own circuit- so you can charge any batteries anytime- and even leave them in the charger overnight- doing that with a cheap charge can end badly -- so do THAT IF YOU MUST --DO IT IN A PLACE SAFE FROM FIRE..

*******************

Good & easy projects that all around you will find facinating are:
LUMIA
Spiro
Liquid sky
and Tunnel EFX--

just add music and fire up that fogger!!

(but never store long periods with fog juice in it- flush with 1/4 cup of distilled water and your fogger will have a long lifetime-
meanwhile sticks of incense will help as well as making sure all 'air movers' are OFF_ for good Liq Sky and tunnel you do NOT want the fog/smoke 'dispersed'- you will want that 'whispy' efx - and place source of fog /smoke close and below the laser source.

avoid direct laser shots to your camera- some say never use your expensive one -- your lens is like a magnifying glass in the sun-- nuff said??

a list of stuff you need to fully understand

pin outs
duty/rest cycling
reverse polarity
back reflection into laser damage
DPSS
Direct diode lasers
ESD ( read whats at pangolin.com on this subject)
dichro mirrpors
front surface mirrors
waveplates
knife edging
TEC and other 'active cooling'
correct technique for cleaning lenses and other optics
'First Contact'
diffraction gratings
BSCs
PBSs
AR coating
divergance( & how to measure)
Beam expanders
LEMs

and there is much more

read the stickies in any section where you have questions-

if they do not contain the answers use the forum or 'section' search ( & be ready to try different search terms)
google your search
try at SAM's Laser
reach out to a LPF friend
AND Only then- make a new thread with your questions and place it into the correct section..
dont get me wrong

i love to see a really new question--it always gets +rep bump from me!!

but we get tired of answering those that have been asked
so many MANY time before-

I am sending a link (to you) to my forum buds that live in PA-- all great guys and helpful too.

IF you want to add a gas laser to your collection- see what Sam has to sell at 'Sam's Laser classifieds' - he give a life time warranty- and just getting to meet a 'legend' makes it worth the drive to pick up in person- tell him Len (hakzaw) sent you!! I had Sam autograph my yellow HeNe laser i got from him at SELEM 2011- its my fav gas laser and only ~6mW--

V/R hak












Just make sure all your watchers stay safe- make safe zones and instruct them to stay within them-- wear your eye protection when setting things up -and after you too are within the safe zone thay are not needed--

 

[CloudyThursday]

alennn & Tha Greenlander thanks for the warm welcomes.

wannaburnstuff, thanks for your very detailed responses to my immediate questions! I have much to read and keep me busy over the next week and I'll probably not be too active while I try to wrap my head around it. (I'm pretty good at being self taught. I taught myself calculus and up to chem two college level by my first year of high school just through reading text books in my free time at summer jobs.) I hope it just comes intuitively. Cross my fingers.

Hakzaw thanks for your approval I try to be as succinct as possible but always end up writing a freaking novel....:banghead: thanks for the ideas on laser opportunities in my area. Also im a truck driver driving the 48 states do I'm literally everywhere I'm the country. One thing I love about my job is the different areas I get to see regularly, especially the "middle of nowhere" areas with a view of the stars that is unparalleled to any view you can get in a city (part of the reason I would like a laser is for stargazing purposes)

Happy LPF'ing

 

[alennn]

No problem mate, I see that you once again found your lost hobby, just like me.

 

[Encap]

Great introduction of youself---well done!

Have a look and read in the Safety and Legal Issues section. Most important as very dangerous is easliy available to anyone without restriction.
Unfortunately many do not until there is a problem or eye injury.

Lasers are great fun, the pure wavelengths and the distance the beam can travel are spectacular and a beautiful sight, especially at night outdoors.

Good luck!

 

[CloudyThursday]

Have a look and read in the Safety and Legal Issues section. Most important as very dangerous is easliy available to anyone without restriction.
Unfortunately many do not until there is a problem or eye injury.

Thanks for the concern, keep up with education of new members, I'll check it out.

 

[hakzaw1]

DOOD!!

wow your job may be perfect for doing LEMs--(Laser Enthausists Meets)

some last 24 hours and more- the biggest/best has now grown to four full days
(SELEM) <search that when you can.--

Not sure BUT at least 6 LEMs per year in many states--

IF you can be in Newton N. C. the weekend of Aug 13th- 18th even if its only for a day-
well worth the effort -- very laid back'laser party' but with serious good laser shows all in private and many 'kinds' of music---cool doorprizes--- some seminars on lasers- demos by companies- projectors and lasershow software- if you like lasers in any way go to a LEM!!-- PM if you want to hear more-- Len

 

[hakzaw1]

Great introduction of yourself---well done!


Lasers are great fun and the pure wavelengths and the distance the beam can travel are spectacular and a beautiful sight, especially at night outdoors.

Good luck!

Nice!! - very well said-- worth repeating-- hk:wave: