Theoretical Maximum Power for Portable Laser

[ohada]

It's true but maybe the thread's author wanted to discuss only about continous wawes :thinking:

I meant a continous handheld laser powered by one or two AA sized batteries.

But it turned out to be an interesting discussion, I'm glad.

 

[Cyparagon]

Let's assume a AA battery can provide 2A (which it probably can't... I don't know). The most efficient laser is an IR diode @ about 50%, so 2W is about the max you can get from 2XAA as far as I can see.

 

[iwannapony]

20w is less pew pew and more BANG BANG. but on a more sciency subject. couldnt you have multiple layers of metal in heatsinks such as aluminum copper then silver (but not specifically in that order) to cool something more powerful.

 

[oic0]

One thing to think about, capacitors dont have to mean pulsed. Or rather, the pulse can be longer than what one thinks of as a pulse to the point where it seems more like a duty cycle. Heck, imagine a survival laser that charges all day from solar power and gives you one 5 second shot to kill an animal. Better not miss

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

Guess it would eventually look like this...

but does it play showtunes?

You can get 18650-sized batteries that are capable of continuous 30A discharge, btw. Backpack isn't necessary unless you want longer runtime