three questions bout lasers

[flashburn72]

First. with all the new restrictions on lasers is there another place to get the cheap green lasers in the states?
Second. will a red 16x dvd burner laser give a visiable beam in the daytime?
Third. Is there a danger with ir with this type of laser?
Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Kenom]

1. Radio shack $40 for 5mw
2. No
3. Red lasers don't produce IR.

 

[picrthis]

First. with all the new restrictions on lasers is there another place to get the cheap green lasers in the states?

Trust me, there are NO new regulations on Lasers in the USA; they have been on the books for many years, however there has been a measured amount of enforcement.

 

[markus_i]

...

3. Red lasers don't produce IR.

Aehmmm.... up to a point. Ok, a DVD laser is at the far red end of the spectrum with 650 nm (which gives it just about the worst visibility per mW for a visible laser). Just don't try this with a CD laser. While these still produce a visible red light (no, you definitely shouldn't try to see it, believe me), their main emission is at 780 nm - i.e. infrared.

Bye
Markus

 

[Kenom]

Aehmmm.... up to a point. Ok, a DVD laser is at the far red end of the spectrum with 650 nm (which gives it just about the worst visibility per mW for a visible laser). Just don't try this with a CD laser. While these still produce a visible red light (no, you definitely shouldn't try to see it, believe me), their main emission is at 780 nm - i.e. infrared.

Bye
Markus

Same with a 808nm Ir diode. They are visible as red to the naked eye, but what you don't see is what burns out your eyes.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Actually, you *ARE* seeing the laser's main wavelength in both cases (the 780nm and 808nm lasers) - the human eye can see wavelengths that long - although only just barely. The 808nm laser would appear a deep, very dull, dim cherry red; the 780nm laser (theoretically of the same power) would appear a similar color, just a small amount brighter.

Most scientists set the longer wavelength range of human vision at somewhere between 700nm and 740nm - though like I just said, longer wavelengths (up to ~850nm) are visible to most people.