Tiny violet laser "engraver" - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jeremy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 08:40:02 am
content: Hey all,Just sawthis onepop up in my email and I thought it might be interesting for some others. Would be interesting to try it out as an experimental maskless photoexposure device. Unfortunately I'm currently not in a position to be able to do this myself.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 09:16:28 am
content: That's cool. Except, in the pics, the closeup of the laser head shows it's attached to the carriage by hot melt glue.Uh... there might be a problem there?Hacked CD player head transports.... well I guess if it works.

author: jeremy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 09:20:21 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on December 09, 2014, 09:16:28 amYes, I noticed that. Probably sort of aligned the focus and then glued it into place. Would be fine if they didn't use such a hygroscopic and flexible adhesive...But for less than $130, I'm not sure what you can expect.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 11:14:37 am
content: Quote from: jeremy on December 09, 2014, 08:40:02 amMake very sure that youand anybody else within line-of-sightare protected from seeing that laseror reflectionsThat has the capability of instantly blinding you or innocent bystanders or passers-by. Saying "oops, sorry" won't help.If you blinded me then I would do all in my power to see that you did not pass on your genes.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 11:22:15 am
content: Coupled with the fact one of the images say "Larser" instead of "Laser", fills you with confidence!I am not sure what those glasses would do either if it did get you in the eyeballs.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 04:01:16 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on December 09, 2014, 09:16:28 amWell, if it's truly doing 300mW optical the laser diode's probably dissipating about 700-1000mW (and that's a big 'if'--given typical V/I curves for laser diodes and the USB power plug I'd guess it's maxing out at closer to 100mW optical and ~350mW thermal), so with that big aluminum block it shouldn't get any where near warm enough to soften the glue in normal use. It also looks like they're driving the LD directly from the supply rails with a darlington array, so who knows if it'll last long enough for the glue joints to wiggle out of wack or fail from fatigue. Transient protection is for chumps.Mechanically, the glue probably isn't a bad match for the overall rigidity of the rest of the mechanics...

author: jeremy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 04:03:37 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on December 09, 2014, 11:14:37 amThat might be a bit difficult(Oh, you really set yourself up for that one!)

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 10:06:26 pm
content: This has been discussed before.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/extra-cheap-engraver-how-crappy-is-it/It's most likely made from Bluray burner components.300mW is quite a lot when focuses into a small area. As least being a visible wavelength it makes it slightly less dangerous as you can tell when it's on.

author: atferrari
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 11:54:05 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on December 09, 2014, 10:06:26 pmEncouraging."Yes, I am positively sure that what blinded me was that (blue - violet - red - your choice) LED. I saw it when turning on".Braille with fries for table 4!!

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2014, 12:07:25 am
content: Wait until you see what the guy prints with it....WATCH IT.... WATCH IT.....Ok, WAIT... it's coming... WATCH IT .....I guess they are trying to tell us what they are doing to the customer of this device???

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2014, 11:11:15 am
content: I love the "Blue laser 300MW ..." - it probably needs own nuclear block to supply those 300 megawattsAnd the violet flashes in the camera - lovely safety demo!If you aren't wearing laser protection glasses around this, you will be blind from the specular reflections from the surface before the engraving is done. Why isn't the damn thing enclosed?! I would be surprised if this isn't confiscated at the border as "dangerous goods" by the customs if someone actually attempts to sell this in Europe.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2014, 11:56:22 am
content: Quote from: atferrari on December 09, 2014, 11:54:05 pmBut at least you have a warning. You can see it's on so know not to look into the beam. If it was IR or UV, then you wouldn't be able to tell it's on. With a visible laser, your blink reflex also provides some level of protection, even if the laser is so powerful it'll blind you before you can blink, it still can provide some level of protection against diffused/reflected radiation.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2014, 02:44:27 pm
content: Why do you continue to put lipstick on a pig?Quote from: Hero999 on December 10, 2014, 11:56:22 amNot if you are a passer-by; you probably won't even know there is a laser, let alone where it is.Besides, the reflections can come from any direction.Quote... in the same way as gluing a cushion on a car would protect a pedestrian in a 40mph collision - not at all.QuoteNot much protection, whereas it is easy to get adequate protection if it is fully enclosed by an opaque box with PSU safeties that cut the power if the lid is opened.These devices areunnecessarily and stupidlydangerous. Why bother to try to justify them?

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2014, 04:06:12 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on December 10, 2014, 02:44:27 pmI agree, where did I justify them?All I said was at least it's visible radiation. It could be worse.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_safety#Laser_radiation_hazards

author: dans2530
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 12:19:31 pm
content: Haha, i actually made one of these ages ago. It was a good learning experience with linux cnc and steppers. Without including the laser diode and driver, the whole shebang cost $20.Here is my one, at least i thought of covering up the camera lens with a cheap pair of laser glasses. The good pair i had on myself.

author: jeremy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 12:32:00 pm
content: thats cool! Where did you get your laser/driver combo? How hard was it to focus? Any idea of the spot size?

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 12:49:18 pm
content: All this reminds me of the nutter self named "photoinduction" he played with a powerful laser and burned holes in all manner of furnishings in his living room, then turned it on the CCD of the video camera and fried that.Powerful lasers are for those trained in laser safety and not inexperienced users, much the same as using X-Ray equipment.The colour of the light concerns me for a different reason to those already mentioned...... bystander sees laser running and .....ooooooh look at that pretty mauve light........ uhhhhh whats happened, I see black dots everywherePowerful lasers are scary in the wrong hands. But then so are many other items in life. My concern is that the real risks may not be understood by the user and adequate safety precautions are not in place when the unit is used.This is a good tool for someone wanting to get a Darwin Award honorary mention...... you don't kill yourself but you present less of a risk to yourself and society when blindThose who understand lasers would design an intrinsically safe unit just like respected manufacturers of commercial versions. People do have the right to risk their own health, but not that of others.Aurora

author: dans2530
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 12:53:51 pm
content: I got the diode off eBay, it is a 1w 445nm and the driver is a micro flex drive v5. From memory it was about $100 all up for both of those. The parallel port breakout was the 3rd most expensive part at $8. LolAt a guess the spot size is about 0.1mm, but pretty much the spot was dependant on the feedrate you used to move the laser over the workpiece.Those dvd drive carriages could position pretty quickly too!I didnt use it much as it really is dangerous without an enclosure. I dont know what power level the guy in the other video was running at but mine looks a bit more powerful, even through the laser glasses.

author: dans2530
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 01:09:49 pm
content: Quote from: Aurora on December 17, 2014, 12:49:18 pmI agree with you there, especially if he is selling this item as it wouldnt pass any safety standards.Me personally, i never made an enclosure, i just took many steps to ensure that it couldnt harm me or others.When i was experimenting, i made sure the door was locked so noone can get in, and i had the laser goggles on before ANYTHING was powered up, and only after the laser was put away and covered up did the goggles come off and door unlocked. I sure as hell didnt want to cop an eyefull of blue laser, nor anyone else!I also removed the driver from the laser itself so that it couldnt be turned on by anyone else.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 07:40:59 pm
content: Time to hunt up some dead DVD drives then.

author: arekm
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 13, 2015, 08:44:41 am
content: ... orhttp://www.banggood.com/40W-CO2-Carbon-Dioxide-Laser-Tube-Laser-Cutter-Part-p-958940.html40W