Have ya'll seen this?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

Too cool - just saw where it screws onto the back of a Mini-mag

Man - I need to become a dealer for these guys

Dan

 

[recercare]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

Wow!!

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

I got one, roughly around $90 iirc with the shipping and handling..
I was surprised to find that the body is "ruggedly made" of plastic. The '6 volt battery' is a very small Everready 28L -- by the size of the Flare I was hoping I could get 2 123's in it but, no, most of the space inside is taken up by a 1 1/2" plastic plug with o-rings around it, to aid in waterproofing, I guess.
I was intrigued by the claim it would 'light up' distant objects with 3M reflective tape on them. A quick test in my dark living room was disappointing - nothing like "lighting up" at all...to be fair I will do another test of this tonight, outside, at a distance...
The red line of the RescueLaserFlare is somewhat dimmer than the $28 2-N cell 'red round dot' model, ( which is also about half the RecueFlare's size - don't have the model # handy) that Greatlandlaser also sells ...lastly, the cap for the light emitting end of the RescueFlare is a plastic, friction fit, not screw-on...
Can you get noticed with it from a distance at night? From an airplane? I don't know. I tried flashing the clerk at the post office (where I had immediately torn the package open) but that was through a couple panes of glass and she didn't seem to notice...maybe a good thing...I will try the 3M reflective test tonight...

 

[lightlover]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

It looks real cute, but what a price,
$89.95

Telephony, couldn't you achieve the same "fan" effect they claim by just carefully defocusing a $2.50 red laser ?

How much continious do you get from a 3 button cell laser ? So then it's just a case of waterproofing it somehow ......

Jahn

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

Man,

That's dissapointing to hear - I was getting the idea (from the add) that you could signal the space shuttle with it. Oh well.

BTW - how do you defocus a laser?

Thanks!

Dan

 

[hotfoot]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

I read the 'equipped to survive' review of this product and it was very interesting, although it may be a little disappointing to owners. a bunch of guys got into the night sky and testing everthing from this laser to an AA mag for range/visibility and rescue practicality, so its a very applicable and credible test. It still is a nifty product too and I've always considered a laser pointer to be a good tool in any survival kit. Just the usual $0.02...

 

[Graham]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Javahed:

BTW - how do you defocus a laser?

Thanks!

Dan<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

On most laser pointers I've seen, you just pull the end off where the beam comes out, and you should be able to see the collimator lens mounted in a brass screw-in fitting. By screwing this in or out you can change the focus of the beam, making it wider or narrower at a certain point. Of course, this depends on the design of the laser pointer. I have seen some where the collimator seems to have been fixed in place and can't be adjusted..

Graham

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

Graham,

Thanks a bunch for the info

Dan

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

Here's the Rescue Laser review url from equipped.com - thanks hotfoot! wish I read it before I bought! The RescueLaser says '5mw' on it's label, but I see it is actually lower power than that from the review ; http://www.equipped.com/rescuelaser.htm
....I went out with the RescueFlare just now and tried lighting up the 3M reflective material, and it did work, well, even...I was
about 75 feet away -- later, tomorrow, I will leave a piece of reflective material on yonder hillside, and see how it works at several hundred feet...

..and here's where I got the brighter 2N cell 5mw $28.00 red dot laser; http://store.yahoo.com/thelaserguy/index.html

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by *something ridiculous ?:
It looks real cute, but what a price,
$89.95

Telephony, couldn't you achieve the same "fan" effect they claim by just carefully defocusing a $2.50 red laser ?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No you can't, at least not with an ordinary lens; but you *can* do this by taking apart an old fashioned "hand scanner" and cutting breaing off, or otherwise removing a piece of the transparent cylindrical rod lens you'll find on the scanner's emitter piece.
Some fax machines have a linear array of green LEDs instead of a fluorescent bulb and they too are equipped with such a rod lens.

Affix this piece onto the business end of any laser pointer, align it so the least amount of divergence is produced, and glue into place.
Clean the piece of rod lens beforehand and handle it with lens tissue or clean T-shirt material during installation to reduce "noise" in the resulting beam.

This effectively turns the laser dot into a flat, fan-shaped beam. You don't want the divergence to be too high or nobody will see your beam once you're more than a mile or so out. The goal is to widen the beam just enough so the subject will see it without your having to *precisely* nail them between the eyes with it. That figure is probably in the neighborhood of 5° to 10° on the major axis, and none (0.05° or whatever the laser divergence already is) on the minor axis. I am not sure what the divergence on the pre-made unit is though, as I haven't seen one.

A piece of a thin round glass stirring rod (chemistry, glassware) would also achieve the same effect as the rod lens from a scanner's line source, and may result in a more ideal divergence characteristic.

A clear plastic cap could be devised to protect the lens from getting knocked off if necessary.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Have ya\'ll seen this?

http://greatlandlaser.com/

The Rescue Laser Flare™ (RLF) is a completely waterproof laser built in a rugged housing. An easy removable cap protects the lens from dirt. The momentary contact switch is protected by another cap, which screws off, thus protecting the laser from inadvertent operation.
The Rescue Laser Flare™ operates one 6-volt lithium photo battery (Duracel® PX28L or Everready® L544), which is easily replaced by the user. The switch cap incorporates a loop for lanyard attachment and the barrel is knurled for increased grip when wet. It has been designed to satisfy the needs of boaters, pilots, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts who require a long range, waterproof signaling device. As in all Greatland Laser products, the light output from the RLF™ is visible for up to 10 miles and generates no heat.

I want I want I want!!!

Have fun!

Dan

 

[L.E.D.]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

There is really no such thing as a "TRUE" laser because of how light radiates outwards. There is no laser that would stay in phase and alligned forever.

 

[007]

Re: Have ya\'ll seen this?

I have a friend who has one of so-called "rescue" lasers. BTW my 635nm red "focusable" (yes you can turn the head end of it and focus from a thin to rectangular beam) key chain laser, from the Laser Guy $32, beats the living $%#& out of the rescue flare. I think they are marketing a product "creatively" - maybe the advertising person use to work for ENRON

IMHO a green laser is what I'd consider a real rescue light. Those dudes can be seen bigtime from miles aways -- just tap out SOS and someone will damnsure see it. it!

James