Gun-type host

[RedCowboy]

No we are just hobbyist, artist, experimenters and light show enthusiast, not weapons builders, not at all.

Darpa will build the laser weapons, we do enjoy talking about the technology and discussing concepts, but we do not build weapons, not at all.

Also note that visible spectrum lasers will not be used as tactical weapons as they pose too much risk of collateral damage, as I was discussing the other day in a different thread x-ray lasers and other directed energy wavelengths will be much more useful and effective.

 

[Skans]

Also note that visible spectrum lasers will not be used as tactical weapons as they pose too much risk of collateral damage,

A full auto AK-47 poses substantial risk of collateral damage, but that doesn't stop people from making it their weapon of choice. There really are only several factors in considering the development of handheld laser weapons: 1) Is there a more efficient method of producing collimated light than with diodes i.e. some undiscovered technology?; 2) What is the limit of power for a single laser diode?; 3) What is the limit of stored energy in smallish batteries?; and 4) How would you effectively disburse enough heat in a handheld laser weapon?

It seems to me that if you can disburse enough heat and provide enough battery power, then you might be able to squeeze an array of 5, 10 maybe even 20 7W diodes into a handheld device - 140Watts. What if you could make this 20 30W diodes, i.e. 600 Watts.

Battery power is already there, but will continue to get better - Ryobi has a compact 40 volt Li battery; Kobolt has an 80 volt 2 Amp battery - think what you could power with that!. I think the technology is already there to make a portable laser rifle based weapon using these batteries and an array of 5-7W diodes. I don't know if micro fans will be enough to keep it cool, but a small liquid pumping system might be feasible. Instead of huge heatsinks, you would make them with channels cut into them to pump air/liquid for cooling.

In 1883, Hiram Maxim invented a water-cooled machine gun that could fire for long times without overheating the system. I think in 2016, such a system might be able to be made more efficient and miniaturized for portable light-emitting weapons.

 

[RedCowboy]

This thread is for gun shaped flashlight housings to mount pointers, NOT FOR WEAPONS.

If you want to discuss the science of direct energy weapons then there are several threads for that, but understand we are not building weapons of any kind here, well in the gun thread people discuss building kinetic projectile weapons, but our direct energy weapons discussions are academic only.

The truth is it takes a hell of a lot of power and know how to do anything more than potentially dazzle or blind and as blinding is a war crime it is COMPLETLY OFF OUR MENU!

Dazzling weapons are too risky and a huge liability and no one here want's anything to do with that, it's a disaster waiting to happen and what dazzles a healthy 18 year old with good blood flow can permanently blind an older person, it's too risky, that's why strobe led lights with a specific flash pattern are used as " sick lights" but domestic police avoid laser dazzlers, they are too risky.

This is an old topic you can search and read about, I won't talk about it anymore, it's not something anyone wants to use in todays ..... mess, use a bright flashlight and pepper spray, but never ever a laser, you will end up in jail no matter what, a super soaker full of battery acid is not a self defense weapon and neither is any laser we deal with, they must never be used as such or you will be very sorry and locked in a cage.

For academic discussion LOOK HERE: http://laserpointerforums.com/f57/laser-weapons-97492.html

 

[Skans]

I apologize. I didn't know I was getting into something that was not permitted. Consider it dropped.

 

[RedCowboy]

:beer: Peace brother and safe lasing.