MAKE rockstar Kipkay first put a Blu-Ray laser diode into a Star Trek phaser toy back in 2007. Hack N Mod’s Jay has added an illuminated safety switch, a large heat sink, and a custom focusing adapter at the tip. The laser operates at 320 mA and gives 465 mW of power, and is, to be fair, quite dangerous for the eyes. Definitely not a toy. Even though it’s, um, built into one. [via DVICE]
18 thoughts on “Blu-Ray Star Trek laser pops balloons across a room”
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Seriously, you are pointing a fricken laser beam at a chrome tap, crystal glasses, I don’t know how many reflective surfaces…
The laser has enough power to pop a balloon, what do you think it is going to do to your eyes.
How much insurance does Make magazine carry anyway?
Wear some laser goggles please and take a look at ANSI Z136!
would you weld without a shield?
wire a 220 socket with the power on?
use a table saw without a blade guard?
run a drill press with your eyes closed?
smoke while making your own dynamite?
Not really bothered with the device itself, just the lackadaisical approach to safety.
I vote for an issue of make all focused on safety in the “lab” (where lab is the workshop, the kitchen, and everywhere else we’re doing experiments.)
His writeup says: Proper eye protection for 405nm wave length is recommended. And extreme caution needed when using. I would recommend storing it in a lockable case so that it cannot be accessed by just any person or child…
Eye Protection: (405nm)
http://store.oemlasersystems.com/ind…91239ce0cbfdb4
Stop complaining and enjoy…
>would you weld without a shield?
Yes, well to tack anyway
>wire a 220 socket with the power on?
Yep.
>use a table saw without a blade guard?
Hell yeah.
>run a drill press with your eyes closed?
No prob, once I’d done the setup.
>smoke while making your own dynamite?
Dynamite yeah, gunpowder no.
>Not really bothered with the device itself, just the >lackadaisical approach to safety.
This thing scares the crap out of me. If it were in my house I would treat it just like a handgun.
>I vote for an issue of make all focused on safety in the >”lab” (where lab is the workshop, the kitchen, and >everywhere else we’re doing experiments.)
Usually I’m a “safety third” kind of guy, but building something genuinely dangerous into a toy gun is a bad, bad idea.
Also: DO WANT!
Jake, am counting down to the steampunk ray-gun version now!
Sort of related but if you use one of those really high power LEDs they used for lighting these days and focus the light with a lens does that give you enough power to burn things. Obviously only at the focal point (like a magnifying glass and ants) but that could be useful for various things.
Well, yes, I do weld without a shield all the time, what I call ‘blink-welding’. And the guard on my table saw is more dangerous if it’s on.
History has shown us that if you have the intelligence and disipline to make such a weapon, you generally have learmed the responsibility that comes with it. It’s when you toss handguns into a monkey cage when all heck breaks loose.
Oh damn! I totally want to toss handguns into a monkey cage now! :P
Honestly, it’s the building it into a toy that gets to me. I can respect guns as tools but I have a visceral reaction to toy guns of all sorts.