What to do with a laser...

[SpudStuff]

I just won thislaser on ebay. It is 2-3 mW so not too powerful, but it looks cool as hell and has a good power supply. It was a good deal and I figure I can have some fun with it! But are there any cool projects I can do with it? I will be building a box with the laser, laser power supply, a 24 volt one to run that, and a input for wall power. I know I can shing it into the morinig for and see it for long distances.

[Hotwired]

That looks dam cool

Looks like a lab type laser that you nail to something then mess about with mirrors, lenses and gasses in front of.

That beam looks way better than the crappy stuff from a pointer

[SpudStuff]

This beam wavelength from this laser is 635 nM, the beam from a standard red laser pointer is 655 nM. This is slightly more orange. It was shown with a smoke generator there in the second picture.

[ProfessorAmadeus]

Can it pop balloons? I know that some lasers can do that.

[SpudStuff]

No, it is only 3mW. Depending on the wavelength, it usually takes ~100 mW to pop baloons.

[ProfessorAmadeus]

Oh. How much did you pay for it? You could make a wicked laser sight for a gun like your hybrid.

[pyromanic13]

only 3mw...umm bring it out when you have fires?

[pyromanic13]

what I do with my 5mw greenie is I shine it in my neighbors window, then we both turn on our radios and talk... btw shes a chick so that it sounds less gay.

[Flying_Salt]

Try shooting it through a magnifying glass? If it behaves the same way as the sun's light rays, it might get magnified.

[SpudStuff]

Yes you are right, but if you have a 0.0625" Beam and srink that down to a 0.03125" beam at perfect conditions you will double the power.
I paid a total od $60 for it. $51 for the laser and power supply and $9 for shipping.

[Alessandro]

I have a quite powerful 50mw 532nm green laser. It can do the basics such as pop balloons and cut through electrical tape or balloons. The fact that the human eye is 50 times more sensitive to the light from these types of lasers than the standard red ones, combined with its high output power makes it extremely bight indeed. It has a visible beam even in bright house lighting.

[ProfessorAmadeus]

How much did that one cost? Its awesome.

[SpudStuff]

You see the problem with thoes is the cost. They are almost 200 dollars! The diode cost ~$20 around here. You are paying for a shitty heatsink and a aluminim tube. If I wanted to I could get a 5 Watt diode for ~$75, that is a class VI B laser. You need a license to handle it.

[)DEMON(]

http://wickedlasers.com/index.php ,Heres the link, they are not cheap.

Nice laser Spudstuff, would make a nice cannon sight. I wish I had a green laser.

[SpudStuff]

Like i said. They are nice and all, but I'm not about to spend 400 dollars on a 1/8 gram piece of silicon. I have seen what goes into making them andd it isn't worth it.