Coolest Looking Laser Hosts?

[buffo]

Could be trolling, could be serious... I honestly can't tell.

In case you are serious about building this laser (despite several warnings above explaining what a bad idea it is), then your best bet is to look on laserpointerfourms.com for answers. There are many people there who are well-versed in the construction of hand-held lasers.

While some members here on PhotonLexicon also build their own hand-held lasers, we do try to keep safety in sharp focus. And with safety in mind, your idea of building a 2 watt hand-held sounds, well, rather reckless - to be perfectly blunt about it. And that's not something that most people here want to be involved in.

Adam

[daguin]

He's just naive and in the wrong forum. I'll pop him a PM.

Peace,
dave

[badger1666]

He's just naive and in the wrong forum. I'll pop him a PM.

Peace,
dave

yep show him lpf he will cream his pants over there at host options

[Sparkles]

Thanks again daguin! I have been shown the error of my ignorant ways. I shall decease and desist my naive trolling of this forum.

Safety:
1. freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.
2. the quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss.

I have every desire to learn all I can about the risks involved in this hobby and minimize or eliminate them through diligent implementation of safety practices.

I am still learning, and I will keep learning.

To those of you with the non-flame posts:

[Stuka]

Thanks again daguin! I have been shown the error of my ignorant ways. I shall decease and desist my naive trolling of this forum.

Safety:
1. freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.
2. the quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss.

I have every desire to learn all I can about the risks involved in this hobby and minimize or eliminate them through diligent implementation of safety practices.

I am still learning, and I will keep learning.

To those of you with the non-flame posts:

Good to hear you've got safety in mind!

Having said that -
What use would you possibly have for a hand-held 2-watt laser?

That amount of laser power belongs in a projector with proper safety features, galvos, and a decent computer interface!

That would definitely keep the "wow" factor lasting a lot longer, and a LOT safer!!

[White-Light]

Yep building a projector is much safer and the entertainment lasts much longer than a couple of weeks of balloon popping or tape burning.

If you must build a pointer stick to lower powers and even then be aware that even a small laser pointer can do damage:

http://www.laserist.org/2009-07_Belgian-incident.htm

Eye damage to 2 people by others in the crowd with pointers estimated at only 200mw+, or 1/10th the power you're proposing.

From the article;

he irradiance of a 200 mW laser pointer at 3 meter distance would be 1020 mW/cm2, or 20 to 100 times more powerful than the laser light show laser. The

[buffo]

I shall decease and desist my naive trolling of this forum.

Well, in fairness, you can't be naive and a troll at the same time. In order to troll effectively, you really need to understand the subject at hand. So if you really are naive, then no harm, no foul. Everyone has to start somewhere...

It's just that, from the tone of your initial posts, it did sound as if you were disregarding the safety advice of others, which is why I initially wondered if you might be trolling us. It seems my suspicions were incorrect, however. Thus, I'd like to retract my statement that suggested you might be a troll.

I have every desire to learn all I can about the risks involved in this hobby and minimize or eliminate them through diligent implementation of safety practices.

Good! That's a great start. There is a lot of information available here on PL, and there are many people who can give you good advice on how to proceed.

The problem is that your project is by itself inherently risky. A 2 watt hand-held laser is a very dangerous item. To build such an item safely, you'd first need a healthy understanding of the risks associated with laser light, plus a set of laser safety goggles rated at a minimum of O.D. 4 to protect your eyes.

You'd also need some very good machining skills, since you'll either have to knife-edge two beams together, or combine them using a polarizing beam-splitting cube. Either solution is going to be very difficult to fit into a hand-held housing of any sort, requiring custom mounts and some really fine detail work to get everything aligned correctly.

Then too, even if you are successful in constructing a 2 watt hand-held, the *use* of such a laser is fraught with danger. At that power level, the direct beam is capable of causing instant, permanent damage to the retina, even at great distances. Furthermore, the reflection of that beam off shiny surfaces will be equally destructive at considerable distances. Finally, even the specular reflection off a light-colored wall can be enough to injure your retina at distances usually experienced indoors.

Then too, there is the burning risk. 2 watts of power can start fires fairly quickly, even at long distances from the aperture. This is especially true with dark-colored materials. 2 watts will also cause serious burns to exposed skin. By the time you feel pain, you've already got a burn.

For all of these reasons, building a 2 watt hand-held laser is considered by most people to be an advanced project at best, and a reckless project at worst. For certain it's not something a beginner should attempt. (This is why some of the replies to your posts above seem a bit stern; they're trying to steer you away from what is a very risky and dangerous project.)

Adam

[allthatwhichis]

Safety aside... I want one in a 4 D cell Maglite. as I said before somewhere; just in case someone uninvited gets inside my house and past my dog... while I am home. I got no problem blinding and beating an intruder.

[hakzaw1]

Buffo has given you some excellant advice-- take it to heart.

[Stuka]

Safety aside... I want one in a 4 D cell Maglite. as I said before somewhere; just in case someone uninvited gets inside my house and past my dog... while I am home. I got no problem blinding and beating an intruder.

A.45 cal 1911 auto loaded with +P hollow points would be cheaper and more reliable...and most models these days can be fitted with a laser