work application

[kobane]

hi guys /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif

i'm sure many here are satisfied customers of wicked lasers?

main point of this post is simple...

have a thought of getting a basic laser pointer for work usage. you know, i wanna show exactly a fellow colleague where this particular component is, but it's too far to reach, so.... viola, a laser pointer.

my intention is to get their wicked basic (5mW), which kinda suit my budget at the moment. but i just need some pictures of the beam output, so i can know if it really suits my application? any pictures in the day and in the dark (preferably both /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif) would be excellent.

pardon me of my ignorance if there's a similar post somewhere here, and the picture gallery in their webbie seems to be on their more powerful/higher end products?

anyone can "point" me in the right direction? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

efforts appreciated!!!

 

[bootleg2go]

A 5mw in the daytime would not show any beam at all, you would see the spot it produces though. At night it will produce a beam the a person standing within a few feet of you will be able to see, but it won't be that bright unless your in very dark conditions.

Jack

 

[Raccoon]

You may want to reconsider the purpose of this purchase. Are you trying to show off to your collegue your 21st century laziness (could you fetch me that over there)? Or is there a practical purpose behind this use?

A visible beam in a well lit room will be difficult at outputs under 30-50mW. A beam at 30mW or greater should not be used casually, especially indoors where reflection hazards exist. You could lose an eye (or weaken it significantly).

If you want a simple 5mW green laser to produce a green dot indoors, still a VERY cool thing, you may want to buy one from AtlasNova. They're the powerful end of unmodified laser pointers, and a good bang for your buck.

Beam Shots are pointless as they require camera tricks anyway.

 

[bootleg2go]

I agree with you on needing 30-50mw minimum, even more if there is little humidity or dust in the air. I live in Colorado where it is very dry and not much dust, probably very much like New Mexico, and I've got a PGL-III that puts out over 220mw easy and in the daytime indoors in a well lit open floorplan, I can barely see the beam; but when we get a rainstorm and the humidity goes up near 100%, the beam really lights up.

Jack

 

[ACMarina]

To just point something out, you don't really need to see the beam, do you?

 

[kobane]

Raccoon,
i just started off working in the aviation business. there are times when there's a physical component on an aircraft (on ground of course, not an airborne one) that's totally out of reach until we can get hold a raisable platform. so till we could get our hands on one, the only way to point to that specific item would be the use of a laser pointer (or a very bright flashlight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

you made a mention of Atlasnova. can i presume their 5mW is of higher quality (beam output and hardware), cos of the higher price tag?

ACMarina,
no visible beam is required really, but that would be REAL cool while we're at it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Raccoon]

Heh, you wouldn't happen to be a baggage handler or loading supervisor, would ya? I could see a laser being useful to point out which container needs to be removed by the handling agents.

Yes, AtlasNova is of higher quality components than most lasers, but the price is comperable to lasers of lesser quality. You can read more about AtlasNova (aka Arnold Beland, abeland1) and their lasers on these forums. One of the most respected distributors here.

 

[paulr]

People use normal sub-5mw red lasers (typically more like 1mw) for that all the time. It's not necessary to make a visible beam in the air. It's enough to just put the red spot on the object you're pointing at.

 

[Raccoon]

Agreed. I would have suggested he buy one of AtlasNova's 635nm red-orange lasers for $22 instead. But I'm sure he's looking to impress his friends with something green.

 

[ACMarina]

I've had some (very limited) situations where I couldn't see the 635nm beam during highly bright situations. Of course, when things are that tough I don't bring the fragile greenie along anyway, so I don't know if it would have helped or not. .