I need a guide star laser? Long distance beam.

[Vision]

I would like to build or acquire something that would reach and be seen from very far away.

Similar to those concert lights:

https://www.farralane.com/swisslas-pm-4000g-pure-diode.html

I don't mind paying that price for it buuuuuut maybe I could build something more effective. A dozen NUBM44-V2 combined? I don't know. I'd like some advice.

Basically I want a personal guide star laser, purely for hobby reasons. I'd like both a portable and a "better" non portable one if possible?


Thanks a lot.

 

[lasersbee]

What is a "guide star laser" ??

Jerry

 

[CurtisOliver]

So you are not actually after a literal laser guide star but instead one of the brightest lowest diverging units money can lay its hands on. NUBM44’s are powerful but 450nm is not the brightest wavelength. NUBM44’s have terrible raw divergence too. Sticking with knife edged 520nm arrays are the best way to go.

 

[BowtieGuy]

What is a "guide star laser" ??

Jerry

This is what I think of when somebody says "guide star" laser.

 

[CurtisOliver]

Laser guide stars use high power lasers to produce artificial stars for guiding telescopes. 589nm is the Sodium line, so when you shine a high power 589nm into the atmosphere it excites the sodium layer in the mesophere producing the artificial star.

 

[Encap]

I would like to build or acquire something that would reach and be seen from very far away.

Similar to those concert lights:
https://www.farralane.com/swisslas-pm-4000g-pure-diode.html

I don't mind paying that price for it buuuuuut maybe I could build something more effective. A dozen NUBM44-V2 combined? I don't know. I'd like some advice.

Basically I want a personal guide star laser, purely for hobby reasons. I'd like both a portable and a "better" non portable one if possible?


Thanks a lot.

Anything is possible in imagination, not so in the real world.

Why? Is a question nobody has asked. Why the "need"? Do you have any real world purpose or use in mind ?

Any of your choices would be a bit much to use in your basement and you are not going to be able to legally use it anywhere outdoors or even indoors where it can be seen by the public without an FDA Variance so...
Plus any of the choices would be extremely dangerous in the hands of anyone without the proper training---ie: taking Laser Safety Officer courses and becoming certified that you know what the real story is re: lasers and their uses, Laws, rules, and regulations as well.

The link you gave is about a 4W 532nm laser a DPSS laser not a direct diode laser and a 445nm to be as bright as that would need to be 10X as powerful meaning 40Ws. There is no way to combine 12 NUBM44_V2 diodes into a single beam.
Lasers do not work that way except in imagination. See: https://laserpointerforums.com/threads/reference-guide-how-to-combine-lasers.77449/

You can buy a 532nm DPSS lab type laser from a CNI distributor anywhere with output anywhere between 100mW and 20W see example and prices here: https://www.ultralasers.com/lasers-series.php?cat=3

You can buy a personal laser guide star from CNI for about $45,000 as of 2015 maybe a little more now maybe not. see product data sheet here: http://www.cnilaser.com/PDF/HPL-589.159-Q.pdf
"Specifications:
Model:HPL-589-Q
Wavelength (nm): 589.159±0.001
Operating mode: Q-switched: AOM (Acousto-Optic Modulation)
Single pulse energy (mJ): 1.2mJ@5kHz
Pulse duration (ns): ~150
Peak power (kW): 8
Rep. rate (kHz): 4~6, adjustable
Average power (W): 1~6@5kHz, typical
Ave power stability (over 4 hours): <3%, <5%
Warm-up time (minutes): <15
Beam divergence, full angle (mrad): <3.0
Beam diameter at the aperture (mm): ~10.0
Beam height from base plate (mm): 90
Cooled method : Water Cooled
Operating temperature (℃): 15~35
Power supply (220/110VAC): PSU-HPL-Q(8U)
Expected lifetime (hours): 10000
Warranty period: 1 year"


As I mentioned in 2015:
"I just receive back a quote for the CNI Laser Guide Star (LGS) system HPL-589.159-Q/0.2~1.2mJ/1~6W LD PUMPED ALL-SOLID-STATE AOM Q-SWITCHED LASER with HPL-PSU and water chiller for cooling laser---complete system --price was not as high as I thought it might be.

The lowest cost version, bottom of the range, price for 1 piece, CNI, HPL-589.159-Q/0.2~1.2mJ/1W with PSU and water chiller, 589nm +/ - 0.001nm, < 10% stability, is $44,000.00US FOB CNI factory/China.
Price/cost increases from there based upon mW of output power and % stability --the system is available in output powers from 1W to 6W and stability specs of <3%, <5%, and < 10%.
Interestingly, the CNI LGS system while expensive, it is not too expensive--is a very affordable system for University and College Observatories and other people and places that have a need or desire to have one. It is not hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars, it is very affordable by comparison about what an average mid priced car costs. Tens of thousands of dollars is very different from the tens of millions of dollars Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory spent creating the first 589nm Yellow Guide Star System "

 

[Light superglue]

For that money I would better make a device from a NUGM03 block similar to what I have been doing starting from a NUBM44 block.

It was not yet thought to be portable (just for lab use) but with proper heatsink, cylindrical correction of all beams, knife-edging and PBSing combo to get highest energy beam with lowest divergence allowed by the laws of optics from a NUBM44 pack...
There (and in preceeding threads) is the discussion of engineering solutions behind:

A better packed 40W beam from 7 parallel beams

Hi This thread as another continuation of that one called "Gatling laser": https://laserpointerforums.com/threads/laser-gatling-getting-8-corrected-parallel-beams-from-nubm08-block.103840/ but here my next project will be to correct 7 collimated beams from an intact NUBM44 block with closed...

laserpointerforums.com

With green block all Ball lenses would have to be removed and replaced by G-2 or G-8 collimators, so those will be open can LDs at the end and not sure how long will they survive if kept at full power. But the block itself might be the cheapest part of the setup.
Otherwise this can be made with closed can greens.

Unfortunately this is very slow work. Almost all the pieces I am using had to be custom made.
Neither sure if it would reach 90 km distance like an astronomy 5 digits sum worth yellow "Guide star laser"...

Laser guide star - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Encap]

Needless to say, there are a lot of real world considerations to take into account in doing anything like what the OP is indicating that go far afield from a daydream about a powerful laser among them: actual use and purpose, cost , time to accomplish, FDA Laws, rules and regulations, other legal aspects, safety, resale value, technical knowledge and capability to make any envisioned system, whether or not it would actually accomplish the envisioned in actual practice/use, resources and so on---a whole lot of who, what, when, where . why and how need to be addressed and to be answered prior to embarking on such a quest.

As mentioned above anything is possible in imagination, not so in the real world.

 

[Vision]

Needless to say, there are a lot of real world considerations to take into account in doing anything like what the OP is indicating that go far afield from a daydream about a powerful laser among them: actual use and purpose, cost , time to accomplish, FDA Laws, rules and regulations, other legal aspects, safety, resale value, technical knowledge and capability to make any envisioned system, whether or not it would actually accomplish the envisioned in actual practice/use, resources and so on---a whole lot of who, what, when, where . why and how need to be addressed and to be answered prior to embarking on such a quest.

As mentioned above anything is possible in imagination, not so in the real world.

Thanks for the options! No purpose or use at all. Just want something different. I think I'll start with what Light superglue and
CurtisOliver suggested and then maybe move to the 20W Ultralaser.

 

[Encap]

Real world not daydream world. Look before you leap. Good luck with whatever.

" can be seen really far away"---how far is that? A 1W 445nm laser was seen by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station at 210 miles up---is that far enough?
Thread about 1W blue laser seen by International Space Station astronaut in orbit 210 miles up above the ground in Texas where a group flashed it at the ISS see : https://laserpointerforums.com/thre...h-the-space-station-with-1w-blue-laser.72271/

See: thread: https://laserpointerforums.com/threads/what-laser-has-the-best-beam-divergence.105734/#post-1571938

 

[paul1598419]

Laser guide star always bring to mind high powered Na line 589nm lasers. Depending on the divergence you are willing to accept, I think a 2 watt 532nm lab laser or maybe even higher power would work best for your purposes. Above 2 watts they get pretty pricey.

 

[NightExplorer96]

Someone on the forums is selling their 50mW 589 for a pretty good price. Might be worth a look

-Alex

 

[Vision]

Laser guide star always bring to mind high powered Na line 589nm lasers. Depending on the divergence you are willing to accept, I think a 2 watt 532nm lab laser or maybe even higher power would work best for your purposes. Above 2 watts they get pretty pricey.

I think I might get the 5W 532nm from Dragon laser, seem to have better pricing than others.

 

[Alaskan]

If you are not in a hurry, there is a 10 watt 520-525 nm laser pointer in process of being engineered which can have lower divergence than that 532 nm Dragon Laser unit, if a beam expander is added.

The Green Gargoyle 10.08 W @ 520nm

It works, but I like Robert/RCB's battery placement version more because it has a handle which is easier to hold as well as easy battery replacement. Only thing is, I don't know how long it would be, maybe too long, and that is why you are not going that direction? I believe you can shorten the...

laserpointerforums.com

 

[Vision]

If you are not in a hurry, there is a 10 watt 520-525 nm laser pointer in process of being engineered which can have lower divergence than that 532 nm Dragon Laser unit, if a beam expander is added.

The Green Gargoyle 10.08 W @ 520nm

It works, but I like Robert/RCB's battery placement version more because it has a handle which is easier to hold as well as easy battery replacement. Only thing is, I don't know how long it would be, maybe too long, and that is why you are not going that direction? I believe you can shorten the...

laserpointerforums.com

Oh now that is nice! No hurry at all! That sounds interesting. I'm definitely waiting.

 

[Encap]

Good idea wait and see how and if the unit Alaskan and CD imagine and are attempting to realize and actually works as as imagined and what the duty cycle will be.

There are some CNI MGL-N 10W 532nm lasers on eBay from Techhood for about $5,000 probably could be negotiated lower---same with Dragon also
A few considerations:
Hope you know that it takes 4X the output to double the visual brightness of a given wavelength so a 4W 532nm is double the brightness of a 1W and distance the beam is visible and overall visibility is going to be similar---not dramatically different just brighter
Where it would be a lot different is being measured by a Laser Power meter.

Would be a shame to pay a lot and turn it on 4 or 5 times and say" yeah it makes a green light"so what"? Expensive toy to be bored with it quickly if using it to do nothing in particular that requires the output. If using it with other people in the area willingly or not--other than alone in your basement/house with laser goggles so you can't see it-- it is going to endanger people other than you and there are the laser use laws, legal liability, and safety aspects have to be considered and contended with as it would be way beyond safe "toy" joke type thing.
Would instantly blind either you or someone else for example.
All the details of what needs to be, legally, safe use, and safety-wise, involve and depend on what you are going to actually do with it.

Would guess you want to avoid laser-wise speaking, appearing like an adult would appear with flippers, scuba gear, assault rifle, and combat knife in a 8 inch deep 6' diameter inflatable plastic kiddie pool , so....