EEVblog Electronics Community Forum

Electronics => Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff => Topic started by: cthree on July 08, 2013, 04:36:57 pm

Title: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: cthree on July 08, 2013, 04:36:57 pm
In a moment of impulsive weakness I purchased 30x 6mm 5mW red laser diodes on eBay for $8 last night and now I'm trying to come up with some ideas for what to do with them LOL. I'd love to hear any ideas anyone has for fun projects I could build. Cat toy? Disco lights? Hmmm...
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: fcb on July 08, 2013, 04:49:39 pm
DIY : https://lasers.llnl.gov/
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: cthree on July 08, 2013, 04:58:58 pm
DIY : https://lasers.llnl.gov/

Like that but on a larger scale  O0
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: Jebnor on July 08, 2013, 05:07:50 pm
The same thing we do every night Pinky... Try and take over the world!
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: KTP on July 08, 2013, 05:18:47 pm
Scale model NIF?

edit:  heh heh I see after clicking links that was everyone else's idea as well.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: kfitch42 on July 08, 2013, 06:36:09 pm
30 Sharks?
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: SeanB on July 08, 2013, 07:01:47 pm
I work with a woman whose first name is Pinky............ She is pretty bright, and nobody's idiot.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: Jebnor on July 08, 2013, 08:44:32 pm
I work with a woman whose first name is Pinky............ She is pretty bright, and nobody's idiot.
I was only referring to laboratory Mice. Your coworker is safe from any intimation of being daft.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: westfw on July 09, 2013, 05:48:09 am
http://hackaday.com/2011/11/11/youll-shoot-your-eye-out-with-this-laser-filled-tennis-ball/ (http://hackaday.com/2011/11/11/youll-shoot-your-eye-out-with-this-laser-filled-tennis-ball/)
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: Psi on July 09, 2013, 06:54:32 am
lol, you think you have a problem finding a use for 30 lasers

Try finding a use for 700!

Side note: If anyone is in Auckland NZ and wants a tray of free lasers, let me know.

(http://psi.abcom.co.nz/700lasers.jpg)
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: SeanB on July 09, 2013, 06:15:59 pm
I had a similar problem years ago with 12V 2VA encapsulated transformers. Down to one box now though.
Title: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: ddavidebor on July 09, 2013, 07:36:33 pm
lol, you think you have a problem finding a use for 30 lasers

Try finding a use for 700!

Side note: If anyone is in Auckland NZ and wants a tray of free lasers, let me know.

(http://psi.abcom.co.nz/700lasers.jpg)

Sell them on ebay.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: cthree on July 11, 2013, 03:07:35 am
I'm thinking about some sort of alignment tool? Like a borescope but I don't own a gun so that's sort of pointless.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: NiHaoMike on July 11, 2013, 04:05:03 am
lol, you think you have a problem finding a use for 30 lasers

Try finding a use for 700!

Side note: If anyone is in Auckland NZ and wants a tray of free lasers, let me know.

(http://psi.abcom.co.nz/700lasers.jpg)
Drive the lasers from a FPGA (high frequency PWM for each channel, cheap lasers that only have a resistor as the driver are better for this), bounce them off a spinning mirror, and you have a laser TV!
Title: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: ddavidebor on July 11, 2013, 09:22:15 am
You're a fucking genius!

With all respect i mean.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: jpb on July 11, 2013, 09:29:43 am
Setup one of those Mission Impossible security system (though with visible lasers it would be rather less effective).

Or perhaps setup as an array you could do 3D photos/scanning and attach to a 3D printer.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: mikeselectricstuff on July 11, 2013, 12:12:12 pm
http://vimeo.com/marshmallowlaserfeast/forest (http://vimeo.com/marshmallowlaserfeast/forest)
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: cthree on July 11, 2013, 05:03:49 pm
http://vimeo.com/marshmallowlaserfeast/forest (http://vimeo.com/marshmallowlaserfeast/forest)

Now that's more like it!  Cool project.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: TerraHertz on July 12, 2013, 03:34:56 am
http://sunnnyali.tumblr.com/post/54524127381/protesters-in-egypt-pointing-lasers-at-military (http://sunnnyali.tumblr.com/post/54524127381/protesters-in-egypt-pointing-lasers-at-military)
Protesters in Egypt pointing lasers at military helicopters.

The more people attending protests with lasers, and the more powerful the lasers, the better.
I've always wondered how things would go, if 100,000 people all pointed 100mW lasers at one spot.

Nevermind the National Ignition Facility. Many nations these days need their own Nitwit Ignition Facility.

Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: nukie on July 12, 2013, 04:03:27 am
Any story behind these?

lol, you think you have a problem finding a use for 30 lasers

Try finding a use for 700!

Side note: If anyone is in Auckland NZ and wants a tray of free lasers, let me know.

(http://psi.abcom.co.nz/700lasers.jpg)
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: TerraHertz on July 12, 2013, 04:21:20 am
lol, you think you have a problem finding a use for 30 lasers

Try finding a use for 700!

Side note: If anyone is in Auckland NZ and wants a tray of free lasers, let me know.

(http://psi.abcom.co.nz/700lasers.jpg)

Good heavens! What's the story behind ending up with 700 lasers you don't want?

What colour & power are they, and do they work? Divergence? What's the voltage drive requirement? Can they be modulated?

What would you want for them? An art project immediately springs to mind.
Though it might be a problem getting them through customs into Australia. Not sure if they banned importation of 'lasers' in general for private use, or just finished laser pointers.
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: Psi on July 12, 2013, 09:11:04 am
They're all red. I don't know the power exactly, but they're likely 1-5mW. 
The ones with wires have a little switchmode boost converter onboard so they're able to run from a single 1.5V cell. The others need 2V+

They were in a box of bulk electronics on a local auction site for NZ$100 and it looked like a good deal


Here's what was in the box
(http://psi.abcom.co.nz/electronics.JPG)
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: Corporate666 on July 12, 2013, 10:08:44 am
Step 1: build this
Step 2: world domination
Step 3: adoration of the women
Title: Re: What to do with 30 lasers?
Post by: TerraHertz on July 12, 2013, 10:32:47 am
It bugged me that the Death Star 'weapon dish' and firing SFX were so stupidly ill-matched. Come on guys, I expected to see the fabric of space-time being torn to bits. Instead we got some dumb and probably very cheaply done green lines. And so what was the dish for then?