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FrozenGate by Avery

Wanting to buy a laser for my friend.






iJoris said:
I think i look for a other webstore because that site charges about 40$ of shipping:wtf:
Click to expand...

Yea, international shipping isn't cheap. If you want another site which has some good green pens for cheaper check out laserbtb. Be aware their pointers are over-spec though, so use caution :)

Link:
laserbtb

-Alex
 
iJoris said:
I dont exactly understand what there mean with the diffrent sorts :LP 515nm 532nm 1-150
What is the 5mW?

/iJoris
Click to expand...

Ok. laserbtb offers two version of green pointers:

A 515nm version which is direct diode(no IR is used to create light) and the color will seem more bluish than 532nm. The other version which they label as "pointer *output power*" is the 532nm version, which is what you want. As you see they do not offer a 5mW version of 532nm, the closest to it is a 10mW version which will have a more visible beam than 5mW at night :)

-Alex
 
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Tha Greenlander said:
Ok. laserbtb offers two version of green pointers:

A 515nm version which is direct diode(no IR is used to create light) and the color will seem more bluish than 532nm. The other version which they label as "pointer *output power*" is the 532nm version, which is what you want. As you see they do not offer a 5mW version of 532nm, the closest to it is a 10mW version which will have a more visible beam than 5mW at night :)

-Alex
Click to expand...

Okay awesome!
And should select IR filter like this: http://i.imgur.com/10usDIw.png
/iJoris
 
VM & PM sent
advantage from buying within The netherlands- ---no customes and less cost

If you or your friend are good with 'kits' Odicforce.com in UK sells the best- very easy to assemble- and while having a laser is cool--- when you tell people you 'built' it they WILL be even more impressed- and it will have more value to you- may keep you from just handing it off to someone who wnats to 'play' with it as lasers are NOT toys and IMO giving one to a person who knows no better is reckless- When I am asked to show a handgun- i unload it first- when it is a laser i say 'sure' I then remove the ammo (batteries) and feel fine about another 'playing' with it-- the only safe laser there is -- one that does not lase. They always ask why I do that and when i use the handgun example thet tend to automatically give the laser more respect and in most cases I load the laser and allow them to 'use' it in a carefull manner ONLY. One would no more point a gun at someone foot as they would at someones head- so laser dots should NEVER touch any part of any living thing. never-

hak

There are only two kinds of LPF members-
Those that use lasers ONLY in a safe manner
and those who don't BUT should.
 
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hakzaw1 said:
VM & PM sent
advantage from buying within The netherlands- ---no customes and less cost

If you or your friend are good with 'kits' Odicforce.com in UK sells the best- very easy to assemble- and while having a laser is cool--- when you tell people you 'built' it they WILL be even more impressed- and it will have more value to you- may keep you from just handing it off to someone who wnats to 'play' with it as lasers are NOT toys and IMO giving one to a person who knows no better is reckless- When I am asked to show a handgun- i unload it first- when it is a laser i say 'sure' I then remove the ammo (batteries) and feel fine about another 'playing' with it-- the only safe laser there is -- one that does not lase. They always ask why I do that and when i use the handgun example thet tend to automatically give the laser more respect and in most cases I load the laser and allow them to 'use' it in a carefull manner ONLY. One would no more point a gun at someone foot as they would at someones head- so laser dots should NEVER touch any part of any living thing. never-

hak

There are only two kinds of LPF members-
Those that use lasers ONLY in a safe manner
and those who don't BUT should.
Click to expand...
Wow thanks for your detailed answer!
Is it hard to make a laser from a kit by yourself?
And i agree that you should not lend it to everyone.

/iJoris
 
No it isn't too hard. Just need a soldering iron and some solder, an antistatic wriststrap, and some patience.
 
Go for one of the green Laser 301 or SD-303 or similar lasers on Ebay. You can't really fix them when they die, but I've never had one die so it hasn't been a problem. (ETA: Never had a 532nm die, that is... the 405nm's seem to be 50/50 chance of prematurely going LED.) Last I checked they were under 20 dollars but I've seen them from 15 to 25 dollars. I suggest these lasers as a good first laser because IMHO most people just want to dick around with it for a while, and will soon get bored and/or lose the thing. If that happens, not much is lost. If your friend gets into it and wants more, he should register here and see what's possible.

AVOID buying ones that include batteries! 1) The batteries will be CHEAP CRAP, see my sig for the thread about that. 2) The batteries will just cause shipping / customs issues, so avoid. Order some quality cells stateside and skip that hassle.

The IR component of the beam can be tens of mW, however it is not particularly relevant EXCEPT in one specific circumstance. The typical short wavelength laser safety glasses will stop the green beam component just fine, however they will pass the IR beam at full power, as if the safety glasses were not even there. So, in a situation (such as adjusting a mirror, or setting up a laser display) where safety glasses would save you from the green beam, you'll still be open to eye damage from the IR.

If you want protection from both green and IR, your safety glasses must be specifically rated for both green and IR. If your glasses don't state this, you must assume that they will not block IR.

In other circumstances the IR beam is completely irrelevant, you can forget it exists. The IR beam has a somewhat higher divergence than the green beam but otherwise the two are collinear. Thus, if you're not getting hit with the green, you're not getting hit with the IR.

Actually I lied, there is one other time where the IR matters - if the green laser stops working, don't look into the aperture while pushing the button, trying to see what's wrong. When these things break, it's usually the crystal set that dies, not the pump diode. The pump diode can be 100's of mW in power; if you look into the aperture under that circumstance, bad results will follow.

Make sure your friend is responsible and that he won't aim at things he shouldn't.

Good luck, be sensible and safe, and have fun :)
 
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