[ashish] sent in this one via the tips line. It’s a project to create a laser based RS-232 link. It’s based on cheap laser pointers, a MAX232 and a photo-resistor to receive the signal.
down already, damn
Posted at 12:12 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by blackman
here is the crappy google cache (no pics)
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:5qi98i9sFIoJ:www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lakes/7156/laser.htm+www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/7156/laser.htm&hl=en&gl=au&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a
Posted at 12:16 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by bender386
wow only up for about 20 minutes and its bandwidth is exceeded i think his host is almost as bad as this http://www.nouptime.com/index.php
Posted at 12:36 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by dak
I’m saying this as nicely as possible, but wasn’t it obvious this would happen when linking to a geocities site?
PS love the site, been reading a long time (but i think this is my first comment)
Posted at 12:37 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by Shibathedog
archive.org has a mirror with pics.
archive.org got the whole page with pics:
http://web.archive.org/web/20051223212034/http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/7156/laser.htm
Posted at 1:12 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by Liganic
1997: When red laser pointers cost $70. Now you can get a tiny one (with naked woman tip) at a gas station for $10.
Posted at 1:54 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by Mike
archive.org works. Well..here’s a similar project I found: http://www.tkk.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/laserlink.html
I hope this site doesn’t go down in 20 minutes!
pm sumitgood@gmail.com and I will host the files/images.
Regards.
Chris.
Posted at 3:52 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by Chris
do you know ronja project?
http://ronja.twibright.com/
Posted at 6:15 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by joe
Back in the late ’90s I built a laser link based on a design by a guy in Melbourne (Derek Weston’s UPN-LT, you can still find it with google). Roughly similar, except that it used IrDA protocols (and modulator/demodulator chip) instead of running async serial directly over the optical link. I gather they had a small city network going there for a while using these transceivers. Unfortunately the big difficulty in laser comms is aiming, not modulation. There are more things than you think that can put your link out of alignment. You really need some sort of self-adjusting optics to do this for any length of time.
Posted at 6:17 pm on Jan 29th, 2007 by Wim L
EXE for the C code shown in this project:
http://www.qsl.net/n9zia/wireless/laser/laser_data/index.html
Posted at 6:30 pm on Jan 29th, 2007 by ...
This guy has a simple analog laser pointer setup:
http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/light/light.html
I’ve built it and it transmits sound quite well. It could also make for a good start for data transmission. For higher data rates, I think a photodiode might be a good idea.
I’ve found places (can’t find the link right now, sorry) that sell laser diodes with collimating lenses for under $3 each, although all you get is the diode, the lens, a small thermalsink that the laser’s mounted on, and a resistor soldered onto the laser leg. But they make for a cheap laser spotlight, when you get about 20 of them and drill a bunch of matching holes in a bit of metal for them to all press into.
Posted at 9:54 pm on Jan 29th, 2007 by randomdreams
Okay. Now, do it with ethernet!
Posted at 8:39 am on Jan 30th, 2007 by Mr. Spork
This is cool. We made something like this for our TI-85’s using a laser LED back in the day so that we could transfer programs without linking with a cable. One of the other students tried to turn us in for cheating but the professor was so impressed that he said that if we could come up with something like that we knew enough to pass his exams anyway so he let it go.(it was an electronics class.)
Keep up the great work
Posted at 9:08 pm on Jan 31st, 2007 by Matt
Oh! Forgot to mention it. Try bouncing it off your sister’s(or whoever’s window) when she’s on the phone to her boyfriend with no modulation input and just output it straight to an audio amp. Oh wait, no don’t do that its illegal. :p
fuzzy
P.S.
By the way, we used a cheap set of mini binoculars with our sensor at the focal point mounted in our xciever box, we just cut the binoculars in half to make two trancievers.
Posted at 1:57 am on Feb 1st, 2007 by Matt
Parts ordered. ;)
Posted at 2:05 pm on Feb 1st, 2007 by MightyTwin
hey matt
im interested in your above projects
if you have any website with info about those projects I would appreciate to see it. if not, contact me to the following email address so we can have further conversation : hackaday@hushmail.com
thx in advance
Posted at 4:10 pm on Feb 1st, 2007 by bob
anybody know what would be required to change this circuit to work with usb on each end?
Posted at 1:04 pm on Feb 5th, 2007 by tim
Hah. Both the hex shmitt trigger ic, and the rs232 driver arrived today. And guess what: The rs232 ic was shipped from Germany in a envelope, pretty banged up.
But the shmitt trigger arrived from texas, usa, by priority air mail, in a big arse box! Wonder who lost the most to satisfy a non-paying customer…
Posted at 10:24 am on Feb 12th, 2007 by mightytwin
Now this is cool. A shame it’s for rs232, really.
But if someone designs something like this for the usb-protocol, I’m in!
Posted at 10:29 am on Feb 20th, 2007 by Rebel smash
is there a USB adaptation of this?
Posted at 9:06 am on Jan 13th, 2009 by Doktor Jeep
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wow, this is up for a couple hours and its already exceeded bandwidth? anyone got a mirror?
Posted at 12:04 am on Jan 29th, 2007 by frodus