Originally posted by NGC2736
I would think it would require some power greater than three or four "D" batteries, but it might be a very useful idea.

If you combined the whole laser-torch assembly onto a digital camcorder (most have a low-power IR illuminator and 'nightmode' function) you have a perfectly good lo-tech night-vision and weapon capability.

In terms of user-safety the laserbeam would be visible on the viewscreen, as would any anemy IR nightvision light sources, plus a low-power IR lightsource to illuminate for the camera

would give you a definate edge in an urban/city X-scenario

There are good guides on Laser safety available on net.

If you do try experiments with lasers, please use protective eyewear. AND MAKE SURE THAT THE EYWEAR IS SUITABLE FOR THE LASER YOU ARE USING. You need different goggles for IR and Nd:YAG Lasers.

Ps. I think i'll stick to the 6kW Nd:YAG lasers i have access to

! I'd have to agree on this one.

LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISION OF RADIATION!

**********************************************************

Extreme Caution should be used in this idea, reverse engineering a DVD burner to a Laser Weapon is extremely dangerous!

Treat this idea the same as you would a loaded gun!

Know what you are doing at all times.

DANGER MIRRORS REFLECT LIGHT!

DANGER LASERS HAVE FANTASTIC RANGE!

DANGER GASOLINE, AND OTHER FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS CAN IGNITE ON CONTACT.

WARNING YOUR EYES ARE VERY FRAGILE< IT ONLY TAKES A MILLISECOND TO BLIND YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE!

EXPLOSIVE ORBITAL RUPTURE COULD BE POSSIBLE.

USE OF ARC WELDING GOGGLES SHOULD BE USED BY ALL IN EXPERIMENTAL ZONE>

Great find, i needed a new project to work on, thanks.

ProTo

Originally posted by NGC2736

Well, that's just a tiny bit over my budget for toys I like.

Me too!!!!

Seriously, what makes the cost so high? Is the material it's made from that exotic, or is it the cost of the technology itself?

The U44 is a C02 laser the beam bounces off 7 different mirrors to get to the torch body. thats over 12 feet of tunnel the beam is traveling in. If the beam varies even a little it will touch the sides of the tube also known as bellows and start a fire. In fact that is exactly what happened a month ago. I think the cost is a combination of the tech and the material. to handle 40000 volts you can only use the best material. To think up how to handle 40000 volts takes the best minds.

And as a side note, could an array of smaller, and cheaper, units combine to form a higher powered "blaster"? (And how would you focus them all on a target? Hmmmmm? )

I would think that could be done but to be honest I wouldn't know how, but it seems doable to me. I have heard of beam splitters so there must be a combiner I would think.

[edit on 30-9-2007 by angryamerican]

I am pleased by the interest in this, thanks all. I have learned a bit so far, and for that I'm glad.

A lot off very good information has come up with this thread. I wasn't aware of how many folks had an interest in the subject.

I'm looking forward to hearing how the builds turn out. What problems were encountered, and how they were met.

And always, safety first!

Now these things we're looking at are the homade zip guns when it comes to laser weapons.

Google MTHEL, and see what the bad boys will have. Though it won't be very mobile. I'm betting there's a little brother to this that is mobile and yet deadly.

Hi, this is my first post here. I have a little experience with lasers. A long time ago I had ran a couple of different industrial welding and cutting lasers. One of which was a rather old (about 25 years old now) 5kw CO2 laser that sucked about 35000 volts. The beams on these things cannot pass through any substance without generating a lot of heat. The one I worked on had a glass hole on the bell housing where the laser exited. It had to be liquid cooled while in operation. When it exited the beam was about the size of a quarter (25 cents) and hot enough to melt the surface of a sheet of plexiglass in less then a second. The beam is much to hot to use glass lenses to focus it so it was bounced of a series of highly polished brass mirrors which where also water cooled. The last mirror was concave and focused the beam into a pinpoint that was extremely HOT. It could burn a whole in an inch of titanium in a matter of seconds. It’s the type of laser that could fire a sustained beam for a long time. The whole contraption was about the size of and SUV not including the power and electronics cabinets. I ran some other types of lasers that just fired pulses and where much smaller in size. But they where only capable of making very, very small pinpoint holes. It amazes me how lasers are shrinking in size. I have no doubt that we have the capabilities to build very powerful hand held lasers. They must already exist.
I will also stress the safety factory when messing with lasers. I got a few instant suntans when a beam got scattered by something hard in the metals I was welding. Always wear eye protection.

What kind of area-denial capability could you create with just a few of these laser-diodes and a disco-ball?

Originally posted by citizen smith
What kind of area-denial capability could you create with just a few of these laser-diodes and a disco-ball?

What a thought! Call it Medussa, because any way that you tried to approach it, you were likely to be hit.

but to run all the time, this would take a lot of power; at least if it were in the range to do fairly serious damage.