High Power Laser Pointer

[RUUUUUN]

Light sabers are more practical than pyro.. So while you are on the rampage against "ultra dangerous lazors OMGZZZ!!!!1111111" step back and think for a sec... Lasers are just as cool/legit as pyro...(cooler if you think about the fact that you can wipe out an army of hemocytes with a semi decent UV laser....(hemocytes from I am Legend.. not the cell..))

 

Laser's can by used in just as much practicality as pyro, I have seen some pretty awesome light shows from a coupla decent lasers, a few lenses, a coupla good mirrors, and some smoke.

 

How is someone being a dumbass and putting a shell down their pants any different than blinding someone with a laser (aside from the blood)... Using your line of logic pyro is WORSE than lasers because more dumbasses have access to fireworks than to strong enough lasers....

[skyisthelimitinc]

I don't know if this would actually word. Has anyone tried it?

There is a crappy advertisement at the beginning of the video. Be patient, it's not long.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-a...aser-flashlight

 

 

Hello

 

This method kipkay show, works like a charm, i made one almost 2 years ago and it still ignites fp, fuses and BP after so long, but i think since i dont use any form for transistors, the laser diode will slowly die, but i guess it wont happen anytime soon.

[a_bab]

Well, I didn't say lasers are not cool. I use them myself and I've got quite some, for another hobby I'm involved with (holography).

 

It's just a matter of personal taste, I guess. While you have to be really dumb to toss a shell into someone's pants (although shit happends), a powerfull laser can blind anyone with a flick of the wrist. If I'd be to use a laser to light up stuff, I'd go for the (almost invisible) 808 nm one rather then a greenie, which WILL live blind spots on your eyes for minutes (totally impractical in the dark) if you ignite something with it.

[ActionTekJackson]

Well, I didn't say lasers are not cool. I use them myself and I've got quite some, for another hobby I'm involved with (holography).

 

It's just a matter of personal taste, I guess. While you have to be really dumb to toss a shell into someone's pants (although shit happends), a powerfull laser can blind anyone with a flick of the wrist. If I'd be to use a laser to light up stuff, I'd go for the (almost invisible) 808 nm one rather then a greenie, which WILL live blind spots on your eyes for minutes (totally impractical in the dark) if you ignite something with it.

 

Oh, definately. I have a 200 mW green myself. Can't use it for more than a few minutes. I'll get up some drawings of a safety device that would prevent blinding and blind spots, even from flicking the wrist. IR lasers would be nice for sure.

[Purpley]

Ok, I've got a new infatuation with lasers and being able to use it to melt things or ignite matches. So far as I understand any laser 200mW or higher will do this. I've done some reading and supposedly it is possible to convert various types of laser pointers to high power by simply removing resistors or simply finding the right laser. Much information is a little hard to come by, this is the best info I've found DVD Drive to High Power Laser I tried this but I must have damaged the laser whilst removing it. My question is can I get a cheap laser pointer and change it to high power (IE burning things quality) and how? My main goal really is to make one that can ignite fuse, thus eliminating the need for a lighter and no more breezy day hassles. Anyone help?

 

As far as reaching 200 mW and above with a 5-10 mW laser that is impossible. What you can do with leds though is pulse them which means add more current than listed but quickly decrease the current. This allows it to go much much brighter than normal but it might be different with laser diodes. Pulsers are fairly easy to make and a quick google can give you many results.

[getnany]

Make sure you have lots of patience if you end up ordering from Wicked. I ended up canceling an order after 4 months wait. A friend stuck the wait out,and got the blue "Arctic". Unfortunately he lost his job, and I bought his laser. Works well, pops balloons, melts black elect. tape, lights cigarettes and fuses. They are $299, plus ship.

Good Luck

This place and the forums are a great place to visit.

 

http://www.wickedlasers.com/

[Pyro1]

Developments by Burton inc in laser technology

 

very cool stuff indeed , mid air focusing.

 

burton inc

 

 

Paul.

[NightHawkInLight]

Yikes, that's pretty cool but I don't know that I would want those lasers spinning around my living room. I wonder how long it will take to develop a 3D display in air for consumer use and what technology it will be based on. Looking forward to it.

[FrankRizzo]

Yikes, that's pretty cool but I don't know that I would want those lasers spinning around my living room. I wonder how long it will take to develop a 3D display in air for consumer use and what technology it will be based on. Looking forward to it.

 

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/11/latest-concert-craze-in-japan-holograms/

[Pyro1]

http://www.ritholtz....apan-holograms/

 

Although quite cool , its only a screened projection, looks good on a stage or somewhere that you can errect large transparent screens. or somewhere that a type of water screen can be used, like here

water dragon

 

a laser sky rocket flying above the audience or a shell that bursts right above your head or a whole firework display in full colour useing one of burtons True 3D plasma technology lasers would be fantastic, once its a bit more developed that is. i bet the japanese will incorporate these lasers into a real firework display in the near future.

cant wait to see how the technology advances over the next few years.

im sure it would have military uses aswell.

 

Paul.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Pyro1

[KillaX]

I own the Wicked laser ARCTIC and a custom build. The arctic will not give you a fine point, so things will take longer to ignite. I made my DIY with a kit from JayRob at laserpointerforums. I ended up paying about a total of $200 for my 1W blue laser. I use this laser to light my fuses, and sometimes my mixtures. I have ignited flash powder from 20ft away...It's rather cool to stick a fuse inside a sealed bottle, ignite it from the outside, and have explosive powder inside get ignited and explode

 

You can get an arctic...I havn't tried it but im sure it will light a fuse up close, but proooobably not at a distance unless you coat it black to add that extra thermal heat. Good luck! Be aware of the many dangers of these lasers...NEVER use them without glasses, the blue flash-back in a room can cause eye damage...and reflections will nearly instantly blind you. WL claims it can blind an unaided eye at 200 meters in 0.1 seconds. How do we know? Well, we don't...But seeing it can burn hairs off your arm like a razor, I'd believe it.

[NightPainter]

I own a S3 Spyder III Arctic which is a 1000 mW output blue laser.

http://www.wickedlasers.com/images/products/s3_series.jpg

 

I purchased it with the intention of lighting fireworks.

However after fully realizing how dangerous it can be to use I have decided that I will Not be lighting fuse with a 1w laser. The chance of the beam reflecting back into the crowd was not worth the risk. If someone was crazy enough to try it I hope they would take a lot of care to eliminate all reflective surfaces.

 

After some research I can safely incorporate it into my show using a diffraction grating.

 

http://www.dragonlasers.com/catalog/photos/products/DGRBF.jpg

[asilentbob]

On the topic of high voltage...

 

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/sparks.html

 

Granted this is most likely graphite coated powder.

[TranslucentDragon]

I wouldn't buy from wicked lasers unless you wanna wait (more than) a few months. Just putting that out there cause they take forever to complete an order.

 

But going back to how to make a high power laser to light fuse:

One of the first comments was that you can't stick a laser diode from a DVD burner into an open supply of power. That is COMPLETELY correct. You need a current regulator (such as the LM317) to keep the current at a stable level. The reason laser diodes keep gobbling power until they blow out is due to the fact that as the laser consumes more power, it gets hotter, thus needing more power, thus getting hotter, etc until it takes too much power, burning out your diode, making it unusable, and having to spend the time to make a diode shaped casket and a funeral in your backyard for little 250mW burnt out red diode, next to all of your other dead diodes. If using battery power you don't have to worry voltage changes as a battery gets old because it remains mostly the same (its not gonna make that much of a difference although a new battery will cause the diode to be slightly brighter than an old one).

 

I would just buy a diode that's already been fitted into a module and hook that up to a current regulator circuit for the current you need for your diode. Put that in a project box and you're good to go.

 

Please note that I got all of this information from laser pointer forum so they do have a wealth of information.