Overstock Sale @ Wicked Lasers
Posted in Random at 4:59 pm
Wicked Lasers is having an overstock sale! Some of the things they are offering are pretty good deals. If you’ve thought about buying a high power laser before, now is the time to do it! Their sale is only good through the end of January!
From the page”We are holding a clearance sale for a limited time only! If you’ve ever thought of getting an awesome Wicked Lasers laser, now is the perfect time! Get great deals and save big…really BIG! Save as much as 50% off on some items! This offer is only good from January 14, 2008 to January 31, 2008.”
Check it out! http://www.wickedlasers.com/laser-tech/overstock_sale.html
Sonar II Burner
Posted in Laser Photos, Random at 7:38 am
Wow, the guys at Wicked Lasers really know how to make a cool gadget. They have managed to squeeze 60mW out of a blu-ray laser diode and fit it all in a nice little package. I would love to have one of these things! Lighting a match with a green laser is cool, but other people can do it. If you had one of these, you would make all other blu-ray pointers look like toys. Especially the home made ones.
To the best of my knowledge, Wicked Lasers is the only company that offers professionally built blu-ray pointers like this. I’ve heard some horror stories of people trying to do this themselves as well as crap that people have gotten off eBay. I have never heard of anyone managing to get 60mW though!
More photos and specs after the jump.
Different types of lasers
I found a great resource for laser types. Check out the full list after the jump.
Gas lasers
| Laser gain medium and type | Operation wavelength(s) | Pump source | Applications and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helium-neon laser | 632.8 nm (543.5 nm, 593.9 nm, 611.8 nm, 1.1523 μm, 1.52 μm, 3.3913 μm) | Electrical discharge | Interferometry, holography, spectroscopy, barcode scanning, alignment, optical demonstrations. |
| Argon laser | 454.6 nm, 488.0 nm, 514.5 nm (351 nm,457.9 nm, 465.8 nm, 476.5 nm, 472.7 nm, 528.7 nm) | Electrical discharge | Retinal phototherapy (for diabetes), lithography, confocal microscopy, pumping other lasers. |
| Krypton laser | 416 nm, 530.9 nm, 568.2 nm, 647.1 nm, 676.4 nm, 752.5 nm, 799.3 nm | Electrical discharge | Scientific research, mixed with argon to create “white-light” lasers, light shows. |
| Xenon ion laser | Many lines throughout visible spectrum extending into the UV and IR. | Electrical discharge | Scientific research. |
| Nitrogen laser | 337.1 nm | Electrical discharge | Pumping of dye lasers, measuring air pollution, scientific research. Nitrogen lasers can operate superradiantly (without a resonator cavity). Amateur laser construction. See TEA laser |
| Carbon dioxide laser | 10.6 μm, (9.4 μm) | Transverse (high power) or longitudinal (low power) electrical discharge | Material processing (cutting, welding, etc.), surgery. |
| Carbon monoxide laser | 2.6 to 4 μm, 4.8 to 8.3 μm | Electrical discharge | Material processing (engraving, welding, etc.), photoacoustic spectroscopy. |
| Excimer laser | 193 nm (ArF), 248 nm (KrF), 308 nm (XeCl), 353 nm (XeF) | Excimer recombination via electrical discharge | Ultraviolet lithography for semiconductor manufacturing, laser surgery, LASIK. |
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Laser Slide Projector
Posted in Random at 6:57 am
This is an interesting post - the inventor uses a laser as a point light source for a projector. Essentially, a lens is used to increase the beam divergence. A slide is inserted between the slide and the laser and the result is a large, sharp image projected. It is monochrome but neat…
How to “write” with your laser
Posted in Random at 9:49 pm
This author has some helpful tips with how to write using laser light and a digital camera. I’ve tried this with limited success. For something like this, a lower-power laser works best. I’ve foudn that something like a Nexus overpowers the timed exposure on the camera.
Gadgetell reviews WL vs Dragon
Posted in Random at 12:04 am
Gadgetell has a side by side comparison of a Wicked Lasers Elite series versus a Dragon Lasers product. The review is a little light on details but the Dragon lasers product seems to be a CNI product whereas the Wicked Lasers product is much more custom looking. Based on aesthetics alone, I would go with the Wicked Laser.
While I can’t vouch for their products personally, I have head of some issues with reliability regarding the Dragon Laser products. Again, I have never used them personally so take it for what it’s worth.
Wicked Lasers Reference Series
Posted in Random at 2:49 pm
Wicked Lasers just released their Reference Series of lab-style modules. These things put out an incredibly amount of power (1W green, 500mW red, 200 mW blue). I haven’t been able to get my hands on one yet, but based on the specs online, these things look pretty cool.
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Win a WL Nexus
Posted in Random at 8:25 pm
ARS Geek has details on a contest to win a WL Nexus - be sure to enter by December 21!
Go here for more information http://www.arsgeek.com/?p=3007
