Question for anyone with an interest in laser pointers.

TheBigCheese

TheBigCheese

TheBigCheese

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Hi guys

I've got a set of laser pointers red, green and blue, whilst the red and green look great when projected on the wall the blue looks rather fuzzy.

Can anyone tell me if I've got a faulty pen or if blue pointers do just look fuzzier than the others?

Thanks!
 
You mean there are actually people with an "interest" in laser pointers?
Are these collectables?
If so, what is making these ones such a good collection?

Sorry if I'm being a little silly here.
I own a laser pointer, but then part of my job involves training and it can be useful to have one now and again.

I just didn't see the point of buying collections of laser pointers - one certainly does the trick for me.
Anyone else out there "into" laser pointers?

Maybe it's a new craze I wasn't aware of.
 
The very short wavelengths of blue light are much harder for the eye to focus on, so bright blue points often appear a little blurry. That could probably happen with a laser pointer, not sure, don't own any and never seen a blue one.

Or your laser is duff.
 
stoofa said:
...
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...eh?


daz said:
Don't you need a license for green and blue wavelengths?
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No, there are no specific laws regarding laser pointers in the UK but anything greater than 5mW shouldn't be sold to the general public...the 50mW+ videos you see on the web worry me. :(


grumpysculler said:
The very short wavelengths of blue light are much harder for the eye to focus on, so bright blue points often appear a little blurry. That could probably happen with a laser pointer, not sure, don't own any and never seen a blue one.

Or your laser is duff.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the post grumpy, that's what I'm currently mulling over...have to do some research into it.
 
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stoofa said:
I just didn't see the point of buying collections of laser pointers - one certainly does the trick for me.
Anyone else out there "into" laser pointers?
Click to expand...

People collect stamps and other useless tat, yet you seem surprised that people collect laser pointers which are actually useful?
 
Energize said:
People collect stamps and other useless tat, yet you seem surprised that people collect laser pointers which are actually useful?
Click to expand...

Yes!
I can understand the collecting of stamps.
There are literally hundreds and thousands of them from all over the world.
Some rare, some common, some very valuable.

I can understand collecting coins, once again hundreds of thousands of them from all over the world.

But laser pointers?
They have one legitimate use - pointing at things on a board when training etc.
They have a few not so legimate uses.
I just cannot see the "fun" in collecting something which looks identical with the exception of the colour of the laser.

Most collecting I can understand, this one....nope.
 
stoofa said:
But laser pointers?
They have one legitimate use - pointing at things on a board when training etc.
They have a few not so legimate uses.
I just cannot see the "fun" in collecting something which looks identical with the exception of the colour of the laser.

Most collecting I can understand, this one....nope.
Click to expand...

"Legitimate use" is irrelevant, do you use old stamps or Roman coins? That isn't what collecting is about.

There's so much more to the electronics and physics then just looking a different colour anyway.
 
have you ever dazzled a chopper pilot? i saw it on 'police, camera, action' a few years back it was fairly amusing watching a green beam flying around a cockpit while the coppers freaked out.
 
_Jimlad_ said:
have you ever dazzled a chopper pilot? i saw it on 'police, camera, action' a few years back it was fairly amusing watching a green beam flying around a cockpit while the coppers freaked out.
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I can't imagine why they would be freaked out by a lazer being shon in their eyes. what wusses.
 
It was front page news here when some man shone one at the police helicopter. They tracked him down and sent more coppers to his house and he told them his nephew had done it. Only admitted the truth when it all went to court. :D

I've never been on the receiving end of one so I don't know what all the fuss is about? Are they really that powerful they shine up and blind pilots? It's not as bad as being dazzled by car headlights is it?
 
it seemed a little harsh as it was more a irritation than a danger, anyone who crashes a chopper because of that should not be flying, silly boy for doing though as i guess it does pose some danger :)
 
There are some laserpointers that seem to be sold commercially that can do permanent damage to peoples eyes. A lot of them are not powerful enough with the right wavelength to get by someones blink reflex but that is the only thing that stops most of the rest still doing serious damage to people.

You recover after a few seconds from being dazzled by headlights, you'll never recover from being dazzled by a powerful enough laserpen.

"If the laser is sufficiently powerful, permanent damage can occur within a fraction of a second, literally faster than the blink of an eye. Sufficiently powerful in the visible to near infrared laser radiation (400-1400 nm) will penetrate the eyeball and may cause heating of the retina, whereas exposure to laser radiation with wavelengths less than 400 nm and greater than 1400 nm are largely absorbed by the cornea and lens, leading to the development of cataracts or burn injuries."

The power of the laser will tell you how much damage it can inflict, the wavelength determines what kind of damage it will cause.
 
Anim said:
There are some laserpointers that seem to be sold commercially that can do permanent damage to peoples eyes. A lot of them are not powerful enough with the right wavelength to get by someones blink reflex but that is the only thing that stops most of the rest still doing serious damage to people.

You recover after a few seconds from being dazzled by headlights, you'll never recover from being dazzled by a powerful enough laserpen.

"If the laser is sufficiently powerful, permanent damage can occur within a fraction of a second, literally faster than the blink of an eye. Sufficiently powerful in the visible to near infrared laser radiation (400-1400 nm) will penetrate the eyeball and may cause heating of the retina, whereas exposure to laser radiation with wavelengths less than 400 nm and greater than 1400 nm are largely absorbed by the cornea and lens, leading to the development of cataracts or burn injuries."

The power of the laser will tell you how much damage it can inflict, the wavelength determines what kind of damage it will cause.
Click to expand...

scary stuff, blinded in the blink....err before the blink of an eye.
 
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