Laser Circle

[ttjarrett]

Hi All,

I am a complete novice when it comes to lasers, however I have come up with an idea that requires a laser and I thought someone here might be able to help me out.

I am looking for a small battery powered laser that can project a circle. The laser will be positioned around 1 meter from it's target surface and will need to project a circle of approximately 1 meter in diameter. The strength of the laser beam will not need to be overly high, though the projected circle must be visible on the target surface in direct sunlight. I live in Australia, so the laser must pass our laws as well.

I have read a bit about diffraction gratings and have done a heap of Googling, but I can't find what I'm looking for. It would be much appreciated if someone here could point me in the direction of a laser I can purchase.

 

[Polonium210]

You wouldn't have to use a defraction grating, it could be as simple as a laser reflected off a spinning mirror on a small electric motor. Just a thought.

 

[Flaminpyro]

Howdy and Welcome to the Forum :wave:

The diffraction grating would be your best choice for making a circle but
for sure a spinning motor will do the job also it's just harder to set up than
putting a diffraction grating in front of your lasers lens.

I would tell you to look at the Aixiz web site http://www.aixiz.com/
as I do believe they have the grating you are looking for

As far as being a legal powered laser and being able to see it in day light in
Australia I doubt that is going to happen, maybe with a green laser :thinking:

Once you spread the beam around in a circle <1mW is not going to be very bright :cryyy:

 

[ttjarrett]

Flaminpyro, thank you for your suggestion of Aixiz. They have a circle lense kit that looks like it's exactly what I need.

My next challange is to work out if a <1mW laser will be strong enough. I wonder if the beam being spread from a single point to a circle makes any difference here in Australia if the laser is >1mW? It's something I will have to look into.

Generally, do small laser modules (such as the ones Aixiz supply) require a driver or can they be connected directly to a power source?

 

[Reefer]

Any diode is going to need a driver to limit the current, otherwise you will burn the diode up.

The modules are just a tube and lens.

 

[Flaminpyro]

You are Welcome

I couldn't tell if you were saying you do small laser modules that require a driver or if you wondered if the Aixiz modules required a driver ???

I would suggest looking at the description of the laser module on the Aixiz site, I have not looked but I think you will find every thing there, they are a pretty good place to shop for laser parts

Flaminpyro, thank you for your suggestion of Aixiz. They have a circle lense kit that looks like it's exactly what I need.

My next challange is to work out if a <1mW laser will be strong enough. I wonder if the beam being spread from a single point to a circle makes any difference here in Australia if the laser is >1mW? It's something I will have to look into.

Generally, do small laser modules (such as the ones Aixiz supply) require a driver or can they be connected directly to a power source?

 

[lasersbee]

Flaminpyro, thank you for your suggestion of Aixiz. They have a circle lense kit that looks like it's exactly what I need.

My next challange is to work out if a <1mW laser will be strong enough. I wonder if the beam being spread from a single point to a circle makes any difference here in Australia if the laser is >1mW? It's something I will have to look into.

Generally, do small laser modules (such as the ones Aixiz supply) require a driver or can they be connected directly to a power source?

The Green (532nm) Laser Modules on the site that FP posted only
require a DC Power Source to function properly. The driver is already
built in as the descriptions state..

I can't see a 532nm 1mW laser beam spread over the circumference
of a one (1) meter circle visible in daylight and even less so on a sunny
day.

Any diode is going to need a driver to limit the current, otherwise you will burn the diode up.

The modules are just a tube and lens.

Read above.....


Jerry

 

[weeba2kv]

Any diode is going to need a driver to limit the current, otherwise you will burn the diode up.

The modules are just a tube and lens.

:gun::gun::gun::gun:

 

[ttjarrett]

The Green (532nm) Laser Modules on the site that FP posted only
require a DC Power Source to function properly. The driver is already
built in as the descriptions state..

I can't see a 532nm 1mW laser beam spread over the circumference
of a one (1) meter circle visible in daylight and even less so on a sunny
day.



Read above.....


Jerry

Thanks Jerry, that's very helpful regarding the built in drivers on those lasers.

If the 1mW isn't bright enough, how much power do you think would be required to have the circle visible on the target surface in bright sunlight? Would 5mW be high enough?

 

[Crazyk187]

Circle lens kit for 12x30mm AixiZ modules, AixiZ

Just found that I doubt it will help you but there you go

 

[Lase]

Where in Australia are you located?

Lase

 

[ttjarrett]

Where in Australia are you located?

Lase

Hi Lase,

I'm located in Canberra.

I have been thinking about my idea, and although a full circle projection would be perfect, if I was unable to project something like this in bright day light, a circle pattern of dots would also work.

 

[Ablaze]

1mw would be quite dim. I suggest getting about 15mw of green for your project. I think if you buy the laser in parts you can get it shipped to you.

You can find 15mw green lasers lots of places. You could buy a diode rather than a pen from a lot of places, including ebay.

 

[qumefox]

Your going to be hard pressed to get a 1 meter circle at a range of 1 meter using a diffraction grating. If a circle is all you need, you can simply glue a mirror turned at an angle on the shaft of a small motor and shine the laser on the spinning mirror... which will output a circle.

Also, I believe you can order laser modules from DX and they'll ship to australia. Just not complete lasers.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/20mw-532nm-green-laser-module-3v-11-9mm-26887

 

[lasersbee]

1mw would be quite dim. I suggest getting about 15mw of green for your project. I think if you buy the laser in parts you can get it shipped to you.

You can find 15mw green lasers lots of places. You could buy a diode rather than a pen from a lot of places, including ebay.

The Problem with that is that the standard 15mW Green Laser
on eBay is a DPSS type... and not a single green Laser Diode.


Jerry

 

[Ablaze]