@bg0821 It works because CO2 lasers are high gain/power lasers. You can therefore throw away a lot of energy, and still have enough to show. The stunts I do would be difficult or impossible with most other low gain gas lasers, like helium neon or argon ion.
I read your website on how to make these lasers, but you seemed to have left out the power specifications and operating pressure information. I would like to try to make a small compact CO2 laser for use in an alarm system. How would you go about making a laser that invisible to the human eye, small, compact and can deliver a laser pulse for sustained periods of time. Would you use air cooling or water? What kind of power supply would I need?
@yellowmetalcyborg My web pages are all under construction. My power supply is a 15kV, 60mA sign transformer. I reduce the pressure until the tube ignites, and then keep it there via needle valve adjustment. No gas tank or regulators. Just DIY gas supply in a balloon.
CO2 is not good for burgler alarm - not practical. Long wavelength is expensive to detect & transmit. You need low power diode laser - like laser pointer, except with near infrared output (TV-Remote control wavelength range).
One more question, what kind of camera are you using? Will a regular digital camera work? Or do you need a special CCD camera?
I wasn't planning on making a practical burglar alarm, I just wanted to make a working laser in my free time as a hobby, sure I can buy a laser diode, but there's no fun in that.
@yellowmetalcyborg I'm just using an ordinary camera. The camera really has nothing to do with being able to photograph/video tape the effects caused by the powerful beam (burning, melting things). Some digital cameras can 'see' near infra wavelengths, like those produced by some diode lasers and TV remotes. But you need a FLIR thermal infrared camera in order to see the CO2 wavelengths. They are quite expensive (at least as I speak).
Agree totally about the diode - fun is in making/building.
@magx1 So then, how come your regular camera picks up mid-infrared wavelengths from your Laser? I know that digital CCD receptors respond to near infrared wavelengths, (TV remote diodes and such) but the predominant wavelengths of CO2 lasers are around 11µm which are far longer than near infrared wavelengths. Do the helium and nitrogen gases emit high energy infrared radiation when ionized? Because otherwise the beam would be invisible to both humans and regular CCD's.
@yellowmetalcyborg When the CO2 laser beam is focused onto a target, the surface becomes white hot. This is incandescence, the same thing that occurs with an incandescent light bulb filament when the light is turned on. The actual laser beam is totally invisible. All you see is it's effects. The beam will not pass through normal transparent materials, like glass and plexiglas. When unfocused, the beam causes a red hot glow (like a hot cigarette) on wood and paper targets.
@magx1 So the light coming from the tube itself (not the beam) is that light invisible, semi-invisible or very visible to the naked eye? I've never seen one of these before so that's why I'm asking all these questions.
@yellowmetalcyborg The tube produces visible light. This is incoherent (non-laser) light. It actually produces both visible and invisible light. The laser beam just happens to be invisible. When operating, the tube resembles a neon sign (except not as bright, and more blue/grey as opposed to orange). Passing high voltage through most low pressure gases will produce incoherent light. It's just a side effect, and it is entirely seperate from the laser output obtained in gas lasers.
The beams from both are highly divergent. They're both about the same close to the front of the laser head. However, the copper cast a very 'scratchy' reflection compared to the mirror. So the beam is much more divergent with the copper pieces.
A laser made with these, will not burn things at a distance. The beam spreads out too much. You need a real output coupler in order for the beam from this laser to have low divergence, like the beams from normal gas lasers.
how bout that even polished copper works..
bg0821 1 year ago
@bg0821 It works because CO2 lasers are high gain/power lasers. You can therefore throw away a lot of energy, and still have enough to show. The stunts I do would be difficult or impossible with most other low gain gas lasers, like helium neon or argon ion.
magx1 1 year ago
I read your website on how to make these lasers, but you seemed to have left out the power specifications and operating pressure information. I would like to try to make a small compact CO2 laser for use in an alarm system. How would you go about making a laser that invisible to the human eye, small, compact and can deliver a laser pulse for sustained periods of time. Would you use air cooling or water? What kind of power supply would I need?
Thank you for responding.
yellowmetalcyborg 1 year ago
@yellowmetalcyborg My web pages are all under construction. My power supply is a 15kV, 60mA sign transformer. I reduce the pressure until the tube ignites, and then keep it there via needle valve adjustment. No gas tank or regulators. Just DIY gas supply in a balloon.
CO2 is not good for burgler alarm - not practical. Long wavelength is expensive to detect & transmit. You need low power diode laser - like laser pointer, except with near infrared output (TV-Remote control wavelength range).
magx1 1 year ago
@magx1 Ok.
Thank you.
One more question, what kind of camera are you using? Will a regular digital camera work? Or do you need a special CCD camera?
I wasn't planning on making a practical burglar alarm, I just wanted to make a working laser in my free time as a hobby, sure I can buy a laser diode, but there's no fun in that.
Best regards.
yellowmetalcyborg 1 year ago
@yellowmetalcyborg I'm just using an ordinary camera. The camera really has nothing to do with being able to photograph/video tape the effects caused by the powerful beam (burning, melting things). Some digital cameras can 'see' near infra wavelengths, like those produced by some diode lasers and TV remotes. But you need a FLIR thermal infrared camera in order to see the CO2 wavelengths. They are quite expensive (at least as I speak).
Agree totally about the diode - fun is in making/building.
magx1 1 year ago
@magx1 So then, how come your regular camera picks up mid-infrared wavelengths from your Laser? I know that digital CCD receptors respond to near infrared wavelengths, (TV remote diodes and such) but the predominant wavelengths of CO2 lasers are around 11µm which are far longer than near infrared wavelengths. Do the helium and nitrogen gases emit high energy infrared radiation when ionized? Because otherwise the beam would be invisible to both humans and regular CCD's.
yellowmetalcyborg 1 year ago
@yellowmetalcyborg When the CO2 laser beam is focused onto a target, the surface becomes white hot. This is incandescence, the same thing that occurs with an incandescent light bulb filament when the light is turned on. The actual laser beam is totally invisible. All you see is it's effects. The beam will not pass through normal transparent materials, like glass and plexiglas. When unfocused, the beam causes a red hot glow (like a hot cigarette) on wood and paper targets.
magx1 1 year ago
@magx1 So the light coming from the tube itself (not the beam) is that light invisible, semi-invisible or very visible to the naked eye? I've never seen one of these before so that's why I'm asking all these questions.
yellowmetalcyborg 1 year ago
@yellowmetalcyborg The tube produces visible light. This is incoherent (non-laser) light. It actually produces both visible and invisible light. The laser beam just happens to be invisible. When operating, the tube resembles a neon sign (except not as bright, and more blue/grey as opposed to orange). Passing high voltage through most low pressure gases will produce incoherent light. It's just a side effect, and it is entirely seperate from the laser output obtained in gas lasers.
magx1 1 year ago
@magx1 Ok.
Thank you.
Merry Christmas!
yellowmetalcyborg 1 year ago
I may have missed you saying, but did this work better than the first surface mirrors?
jeriellsworth 1 year ago
@jeriellsworth
The beams from both are highly divergent. They're both about the same close to the front of the laser head. However, the copper cast a very 'scratchy' reflection compared to the mirror. So the beam is much more divergent with the copper pieces.
A laser made with these, will not burn things at a distance. The beam spreads out too much. You need a real output coupler in order for the beam from this laser to have low divergence, like the beams from normal gas lasers.
magx1 1 year ago