SCI 1st video of a Wicked Lasers 1W blue in action

Mr. Mason

Mr. Mason

Inactive
Looks like at least one person got theirs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-SduY4A2kE

FYI... shipments on most orders have been delayed ANOTHER two weeks while wicked makes some "changes" to get around legal hassles... Wicked sent out this email last week...

Due to the overwhelming popularity and media coverage of the S3
Arctic laser, we are implementing an electronic switch upgrade to
the laser for all customers, free of charge. This upgrade will
enable the following functional and safety features on your S3
Arctic laser:

1) Adjustable Power Mode : Low power and high power modes are now
selectable. Laser's default power mode is low power mode.

2) Adjustable Wave Mode : Pulse mode and constant wave modes are
now selectable. Laser's default wave mode is pulse mode.

3) Secure Lock/Unlock Mode : The laser can now be locked and
unlocked electronically to prevent unauthorized usage. Laser's
default secure mode is locked mode.

4) Training Lens : A replaceable training lens will be installed on
each laser that reduces the power output by 80% to prevent
accidents for new users. Once training is completed, user may replace
the training lens with the included standard lens for maximum power.

Because our customers' safety and well-being is our highest
concern, we feel it is our social responsibility to implement these
features free of charge. This enables new users as well as
experienced users to use our products with extra protection.

As one of the world's leading laser manufacturers, we feel as
passionately about our customer's safety as advancing laser
technology and paving the path towards the future.

We expect to begin shipments of the new S3 Arctic by July 15th,
2010, in 2 weeks time.
 
O

OddOne

< Yes, I do look like that.
That video was uploaded by Wicked Lasers themselves.

As for the changes, I think they did good with starting the device up underdriven and with a power reduction optics assembly preinstalled - the last thing we all need is to be hit with blinding levels of laser light because some knucklehead wasn't aware of how to use his newly acquired laser.


Amusingly enough, what started this whole mess off was Casio releasing the JA-A130 video projector, which uses 24 laser diodes and a stack of power LEDs instead of traditional high-brightness incandescent bulbs. Someone gutted one and stripped out the laser diodes, and once it was apparent that the severely underdriven diodes could handle substantial currents and produce insane power outputs, the race was on to secure and cannibalize the projectors. Since one projector costs about $800 and nets 24 of 'em, that works out to about $33.33 per diode, and this is why Wicked Lasers can offer a <1W laser for $200.


Interestingly, that specific projector has suddenly become tough to find and I wouldn't be surprised if Casio pulls it off the market because of what's going on with them. Casio inadvertently created the first market flood for cheap class-4 lasers and I doubt that'll sit well with their legal department.
 
RCSAR

RCSAR

Veteran Member
"24 laser diodes and a stack of power LEDs instead of traditional high-brightness incandescent bulbs"

Are not LEDs power savers over the high-brightness incandescent lights?

The genie is out of the bottle.
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
RCSAR said:
"24 laser diodes and a stack of power LEDs instead of traditional high-brightness incandescent bulbs"

Are not LEDs power savers over the high-brightness incandescent lights?

The genie is out of the bottle.
Click to expand...

If what you need is a LOT of light in a tight spot, diode lasers are even more efficient than LEDs. Lots more efficient. It all goes back to point source rules and the inverse square laws. If you have a point source that spreads out in all directions, every time you double the distance away, you divide the power by 4. Three times more distant, 9 times less power.

With a laser, the divergence is minimal (1.8 IIRC on these lasers), that means that at 100 meters, a 1mm laser beam turns into a 17.9mm dot. Try that with any flashlight, no matter what optics you put on it.

It's all about power density, and lasers keep that density fairly well over distance. They are horrible at area lighting (except in certain circumstances), but very good at putting power out at a distance.

Loup
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
etc said:
Well, you might be surprised.

It cannot out-throw a laser but: The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=228031
Click to expand...

They are just using the same collimator system that diode lasers use to make the beam low divergence.

They did the same thing with a 100W halogen light and ended up with a beam so concentrated that likes to make things burst into flames. They went one step further and added a lightpipe 1:9 magnifier (in reverse) to neck the beam down by a factor of 9, and ended up with a beam that warps aluminum.

If they ever decided to tighten it down to the few millimeter diameter area with lenses, it would make this laser look like nothing. Just like a big 1 foot (or 4 foot) Fresnel lens, it's all about concentration and collimation.

Loup
 
O

OddOne

< Yes, I do look like that.
LoupGarou said:
I'm trying to find out who is making the diodes and source them out.
Click to expand...

Same here - only a handful of LD makers are producing blue-end LDs in commercial quantities so my first thought was Nichia, who are listing a 445nm 1w LD now.

I'm wondering if Casio's having them made in-house or through some child company.

Either way I'd like to get my hands on one to test whether it can be used to ablate the copper off a blank PC board. If so, I have a CNC circuit board mill project that'd benefit greatly from using a laser instead of a spinning engraving bit. :D
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
I doubt that Casio is going to stop making these projectors or the diodes any time soon, they are the hit of the century over across the ocean, since they don't produce anywhere near the heat, live 10-20 times longer than the bulb based units, and have a LOT sharper colors.

The same laser is used in all of Casio's XJ-### series, including the more powerful Casio XJ-A240 and XJ-A145U (2500 Lumen)

And it's not just Wicked Lasers that is playing with these 445nms:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f65/445nm-a130-lens-comparisons-51456.html
http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/fs-18650-build-kit-easy-assembly-445nm-blu-ray-red-43857.html

Loup
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
I'm actually thinking about getting one of the Casios.

I figure 9 of them, along with a good lens system )combiner/collimator) and one of my dual stage TEC coolers ought to get some real beam power...

Loup
 
O

OddOne

< Yes, I do look like that.
LoupGarou said:
I'm actually thinking about getting one of the Casios.

I figure 9 of them, along with a good lens system )combiner/collimator) and one of my dual stage TEC coolers ought to get some real beam power...

Loup
Click to expand...

Ummm, yeah, I'd say so... :shkr:

Anyway, I'm considering trying to get in on a projector buy-and-gut to get some diodes, so if you decide to do the deed lemme know what you'll want per for a couple. :D
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
OddOne said:
Ummm, yeah, I'd say so... :shkr:

Anyway, I'm considering trying to get in on a projector buy-and-gut to get some diodes, so if you decide to do the deed lemme know what you'll want per for a couple. :D
Click to expand...

I'm looking into it now, I want to see if there is a difference in the laser array in the 2000lumen and the 2500lumen ones, and if it is cost effective to get one over the other.

_____

Imagine what happens when you tie a few in with a few servos, 5 PIR sensors, a ZigBee radio, and one of these:
http://www.cmucam.org/

Loup
 
FarOut

FarOut

Inactive
When we see a thread in Unexplained about a UFO being knocked out of the sky by a mysterious blue beam we'll know who's responsible. :D
 
O

OddOne

< Yes, I do look like that.
FarOut said:
When we see a thread in Unexplained about a UFO being knocked out of the sky by a mysterious blue beam we'll know who's responsible. :D
Click to expand...

big_yag_rod.jpg


Who needs blue when you can drop 7,000 joules' worth of IR? :D

(Or, translated from lasernerd-speak, enough energy to vaporize a clean hole in a manhole cover from any distance you'd care to try.)
 
FarOut

FarOut

Inactive
Lots of posters were worried about the blue laser reflecting off something. What reflects infra-red wavelengths?
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
FarOut said:
Lots of posters were worried about the blue laser reflecting off something. What reflects infra-red wavelengths?
Click to expand...

Gold is one of the best reflectors of IR, but all sorts of surfaces reflect that you would not think of also reflect well. Color doesn't always do what you might think with IR, for example, while green leaves reflects red rather poorly, it reflects IR real well. Some black nylon reflect IR very little, others reflect it very well.

Best thing to do is look at the possible surfaces with a night vision system.

Loup
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
With two rather random delays so far, and some odd e-mails, I'm wondering if:
  1. They bit off more than they can chew, and didn't plan on the numbers of orders that they got.
  2. They are severely worried how they are going to get them through US Customs and on to the individual customers.

I'm not placing bets on when or IF anybody ever gets their's.

Thus the reason I am looking into the Casio route. I have already found a "local" source for them. And I already have accounts at both most Laser manufacturers and wholesalers, as well as most optics labs, manufacturers and wholesalers, so the lens and other optics needs are just a phone call away.

But I will give WL as much time and chance as possible.

Loup
 
FarOut

FarOut

Inactive
Oh great. So if OddOne shoots his infra-red trans-galactic gargle-blaster at a tree with its leaves moving in the wind it will give thousands or random, moving reflections. Probably set the whole neighborhood on fire. OddOne, I think I'll stay away from your area. Like a couple of parsecs.

P.S. Mr Space Aliens I promise not to shoot lasers at your flying saucers (unless you try to abduct my dog, then you're laser toast).
 
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