rather amazing.

Posted at 1:16 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by brian redbeard

@alaysias
The diode could be centered incorrectly, but it is likely to be shopped..

Posted at 1:26 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Jack

there’s something cool to do with the bad one I will be pulling from my PS3

Posted at 1:36 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Tim

Post a video to prove it looks that cool for real

Posted at 1:47 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Sean

I wanna light sabre!

Posted at 1:58 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by luke

You can tell it’s shopped mainly because LIGHT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY!

there isn’t enough smoke in the pic for it to be reflecting off of that many particles. No matter how powerful the laser, it doesn’t end up looking at that. If you click some of the links at the bottom of his page you can see some REAL high powered lasers and what they SHOULD look like.

Posted at 2:00 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by jay

Looks like yoda’s lightsaber.

Posted at 2:04 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Hirudinea

It is photoshopped, beamshots don’t work that way, nor look like that. However, something like this is possible, and I’m willing to bet money that people have built something like this already.

Head on over to the Laser Pointers Forum(http://laserpointerforums.com/), and look around for some cool, genuine, laser stuff!

Posted at 2:10 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by ThunderBird

The image seems overexposed. That would account for the brightness of the laser & the general blurriness of the image.

Posted at 2:22 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Zach Banks

Video?

Posted at 4:43 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Spork

it is always amazing to see that blueray laser are red !
But nobody would ever by a redray mauvie isn’it ?

Posted at 5:01 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by timour

I made the laser. The picture is not ’shopped’. It is the result of some smoke in the air.

By the way, this is how it looks to the eye. (with smoke) Some cameras do not capture the true color of a violet ‘blu-ray’. Mine does.

The diode is from an LG GGW-H20L 6X burner. With my 405-G-1 glass lens modification, I am getting 268mW’s.

I have an 8X build that the diode is taken from a Pioneer BDR-230 drive. It is giving 375mW’s, and is even brighter and more powerful. But it is not in a Key Chain host…
Jay

Posted at 5:03 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Jay Robertson

are you talking about absorbed power or radiated ?

Posted at 5:07 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by timour

Correction… The 8X is from a Pioneer BDR-203 drive, not 230…
Jay

Posted at 5:09 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Jay Robertson

It is the output power of the laser…

Measured on a calibrated and accurate Coherent PowerMax 5200 meter with a PM3 thermal sensor.

This laser will light matches from over 20′ away and easily pop balloons from over 30′.
Jay

Posted at 5:11 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Jay Robertson

they are generally rated at 250mw output, but in pulse mode !

Posted at 5:12 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by timour

At LPF, we learn to push all of the diodes we build into lasers! :)
Jay

Posted at 5:14 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Jay Robertson

totally real.
not shopped, not faked. jayrob is the man.

Posted at 5:15 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by marks47

at the price of a very short life ?

Posted at 5:15 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by timour

We have been using these GGW 6X diodes for a couple of years now… I have found that 180mA’s to 190mA’s is a good place to be. This is not pushing them too bad. Some diodes are more efficient than others.

The diode that I chose for this key chain build, is a ‘freak’ diode that is putting out more power at that current range than normal. It is set at 183mA’s. Normally, this is about 220mW’s with the 405-G-1 glass lens. But this one is giving me 268mW’s! :)

I still have my first successful 6X build that I built about a couple of years ago. It is at the same current. (approx.) But I don’t use them heavily. I like to use a 1 minute on / 1 minute off duty cycle.

Anyway, people are pushing these diodes much higher. I use a fairly conservative current setting with my builds. I like them to last…
Jay

Posted at 5:29 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Jay Robertson

@luke

you know the military will not disclose any information on light saber technology. They claim its a national securety issue… but i think they were just being a%#@*%&@!

Posted at 5:44 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Vash_SIN

This sounds like a great way to accidentally blind yourself.

Posted at 6:13 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by Jim

You are correct, you must use extreme caution. For close up burning, you should also have proper eye protection for 405nm…

A direct shot to the eye will cause instant damage.
Jay

Posted at 6:16 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by jayrob

I’d like to point out that jayrob is a very well respected member of laserpointerforums.com, he’s been doing this for years on end. He’s made custom modifications for dozens of flashlights to accommodate a laser module and sold them to hundreds of people. He’s probably the first person to source an AR coated glass lens suitable for bluray lasers and he’s custom modified a lens nut to hold it. He was one of the very first people to buy a 6x bluray burner only to tear it apart for its diode. He has the utmost respect of the members of LPF, and I can testify his pictures are not faked. Some cameras pick up bluray differently than others, and the addition of smoke to the air *greatly* increases the visibility of the beam. Beamshots like these aren’t uncommon. While I can’t say I’ve seen a bluray beam look as vibrant as that in person, 405nm is right on the verge of the eye’s ability to see ultraviolet, so it varies from person to person. also I don’t own a smoke machine. Either way I can guarantee there’s no photoshoppery involved in that picture.

Posted at 10:06 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by pseudolobster

That is not Photoshop, that is what 6X Blu-ray diode looks like when you have a smoke machine. With an 8X the beam is even brighter. No one is going to be blinded because we wear protective eyewear and know the dangers of high power lasers.

Posted at 10:15 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by kikbot

When you post these projects, it would be a good idea to warn folks up front about the danger.
They see red pointer used, and they don’t realize the difference in danger level.
What CDRH classification would that blueray laser be? Class 4?

Regards

Posted at 10:49 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by jay m

I agree that it should have been mentioned… I am so used to posting projects like this in laserpointerforums.com, which is strictly a laser forum where most people already know the safety precautions.

This would be considered a class 3B laser.
Jay

P.S. Thanks for the support guys!

Posted at 11:05 pm on Jun 25th, 2009 by jayrob

All you morons saying Jay shooped this are idiots.

Anyone who has ever thought and researched into DIY lasers knows Jay’s name…

What Jay does is simply amazing. Ive bought heatsinks and other products from him before, and let me tell you now that what he can achieve is nothing short of amazing.

-el taco of LPF

Posted at 12:13 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by eltaco

Wow Jayrob that is one sweet tiny build!
And to jay and ThunderBird – as already stated by several members Jayrob is extremely trusted, experienced and a pioneer in portable laser development. People like him are the driving force behind the largest online laser community, LPF.

Posted at 12:20 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Jaseth

Jayrob is an innovator his builds are solid and if you ever have dealings with him you will undoubtedly find him to be extremely helpful and knowledgeable,
i have one of his heatsink/host combos with a blu-ray diode installed and can say this is absolutely NOT shopped, blu-ray + smoke = win!

Ways – LPF

Posted at 2:26 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Ways

Holy crap… hackaday comments seem to have migrated away to some where else… and been replaced by youtube comments…

Posted at 2:28 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Louis II

Lol, jayjob clusterfuck right in hurr!!

Posted at 4:34 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Helpmeoutguyz

I’ve never used a Jayrob-built laser, but have used his build kits and accessories. I can vouch 100% on Jayrob’s innovation and talent with portable lasers.

Check out LPF and you’ll see his name all over.

Posted at 6:18 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Crossfire

Jay is awesome. None of this is photoshopped and it is all 100% real.

-Iskor12 @ LPF

Posted at 8:56 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Iskor12

There goes the neighborhood…

Wow! Thanks for all the support guys! :)

With blu-ray, it is true that without smoke, the beam is nearly invisible. But with smoke, it is very bright. And the more powerful the laser, the brighter it is.

Here is a video from about a year ago, of a low powered blu-ray laser that I built (80mW’s). Well, I guess 80mW’s is not really ‘low power’…

Anyway, this shows how even at 80mW’s, the beam will be seen as soon as just a little smoke from the matches that it lights hit the beam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29rmzOsaMI8&feature=channel_page

But for the close up beam shot from this Key Chain 268mW laser, the area is filled with light smoke from a smoke machine. Making the beam very visible!
Jay

Posted at 10:44 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by jayrob

“light doesn’t work that way”,

Guys, laser photography works differently. Cameras are very good at picking up what we can’t see. The photo is not shopped, it is real.

Posted at 10:53 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Meatball

smoke machine ppl, smoke machine. it is DEFINATLEY not shopped. smoke makes the beam more visible becouse the light is reflecting off of the water molecules. don’t post if you don’t know!

Posted at 11:03 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by Lazorman

Hey check out this video from a customer of mine who used one of my 405-G-1 glass lens modifications in his PHR build. This is probably less than 150mW’s.

It is an amazing video of how even a PHR diode can easily light white ‘flash paper’!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD0DKn7l4xc&feature=channel_page
Jay

Posted at 11:07 am on Jun 26th, 2009 by jayrob

damn nice! i want to see a laser gun now just to see if its possible… if you can do this with a pointer Jayrob then what can you do with a nice roomy si-fi gun chasse?

Posted at 12:16 pm on Jun 26th, 2009 by Vash_SIN

I have not personally built a laser/phaser, but if I did, I would go for a green module. A green beam is very visible in the dark without smoke.

Here is a video of a nice phaser mod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5FaUFdiPVQ&feature=related
Jay

Posted at 12:33 pm on Jun 26th, 2009 by jayrob

I have personaly bought Jay’s lenses and I will vouch for his quality of workmanship and attention to detail, if Jay says is’t a real picture and not shopped then you better believe that !!! anyone who says other wise knows not what he talks about…

Peace Pyro…

Posted at 1:33 pm on Jun 26th, 2009 by Flaminpyro

I would have to agree that Jay is very talented in Lasers and his work is nothing short of brilliant and that comes from personal experience. Do your homework before bashing someone of this caliber.

Posted at 2:38 pm on Jun 26th, 2009 by gecko991

Sorry, but I’m too busy laughing at the *idiots* posting that this is fake. You guys are precious.

Posted at 2:36 am on Jun 27th, 2009 by Marty

It’s gotta be said…

WARNING: Do not look into beam with remaining eye.

Posted at 11:44 pm on Jun 27th, 2009 by Mephistopheles

Yes… I just updated my Hack N Mod article to mention the safety precautions…

Even direct reflections can cause eye damage with this much power. Proper eye protection for 405nm wavelength is recommended.
Jay

Posted at 12:20 am on Jun 28th, 2009 by jayrob

Hey Jay! I Cant believe you made it onto Hackaday! the influx of members at LPF has shot up drasticly due to your 3 publications J.

Congradulations and never stop inspiring us with your incredible work!

~Tyler

and heed his warning about eye protection… it is not a joke. even a flake of dandruff or something stupi like that could send a shot of light right to your retina…instantly destroying it permanently…. i’ve heard horror stories about blu-ray lasers and stupid people lol

Posted at 9:02 am on Jun 29th, 2009 by DarkArmyOfOne

Wow I never heard of something as small as a flake of dandruff reflecting and causing damage, but for sure, caution is needed.

Just to mention more about beam visibility with 405nm… You can see the beam in the dark, and at this power, you can easily see the beam reaching out into the night sky. In daylight, or room light conditions the dot is easily seen, but you need smoke to see the beam.
Jay

Posted at 10:13 am on Jun 29th, 2009 by jayrob

i think i may have a nice set of eyes… because i can see my PHr’s beam in the roomlight with no smoke, maybe theres allot of particulates in my air here though, i live in the mountains, and the City of Asheville NC has the highest pollen count in the country! no joke, look it up.

maybe that contributes… also the air here is VERY dense with moisture most of the day, i know u can see lasers better in the fog, but even mid day here you can see the beam on my PHR if your not facing the sun anyways.

but like jay sais, everyone percieves 405nm light differently, i know a person who cant see it at ALL…weird, so maybe i just have a PHR that puts out close to 410nm light, as i can see it very well with no smoke, its either in the high end of the UV light spectrum, or its the area i live in.

what do you think J?

Posted at 7:49 am on Jun 30th, 2009 by DarkArmyOfOne

I know that for sure there are longer wavelength diodes than others. I have a PHR at 117mW’s that is as bright ‘visually’ as one of my 6X builds. (250mW’s)

Of course it does not compare with the burning power. But to the eye, it does compare. I’m sure your diode is one of the longer wavelength diodes. And definitely, anything in the air, moisture, pollen, or any other particles, will add to the visibility…
Jay

Posted at 8:44 am on Jun 30th, 2009 by jayrob

Thx jay,i was pretty sure it was a combination of both factors.

LOL and “thunderbird” wouldnt know a laser beam if it punched him in the face lol, photoshopped.

you’ve got to see the humor, because WE know the truth! lol

Posted at 11:50 am on Jun 30th, 2009 by DarkArmyOfOne

Really… in defense of those who thought the picture was photo shopped, if you are not familiar with the latest developments in DIY lasers, then it would be easy to conclude that it may be ’shopped’.

I have since updated my Hack N Mod article to mention that the picture is using smoke. And is you look at the video that I linked of an 80mW build lighting matches, you can see that even at that power, the beam shows up nice with just a little smoke from the matches and stuff.

This picture of my 268mW Key Chain blu-ray build, is with a light smoke completely filling the area. Plus, it is a close up picture of the beam. (true 405nm violet color as well)
Jay

Posted at 5:11 pm on Jun 30th, 2009 by jayrob

I have a 6mp camera that exadurates the blu-ray beam like ALLOT. then i have another that it looks the same visualy and photographicly.

im assuming due to filters of somekind maybe some cameras pick up 405nm light more “cleanly” than others.

i completely understand why they would have said that now… thinking back… if i had stumbles across that photo 5 years ago, i would have either been like…WOW!!!!…. OR just like thunderbird.

i guess there is a very small portion of the world that has even layed eyes on a REAL blu-ray laser.

i had never even SEEN a photo of one until i stumbled across your pocket mini and 405-G1 threads ^_^ thats why i joined LPF actualy, remember?

Peace J

Ty

Posted at 8:03 am on Jul 2nd, 2009 by DarkArmyOfOne

@jack;
the beam is not shopped.most likely there is smoke in the room.

Posted at 12:59 pm on Aug 22nd, 2009 by blue lasers

Nice Jay,

Jay you helped me build my 8x BDR-203 blu-ray in an MXDL flashlight body and its amazing! I can’t verify for certain what its output power is as I don’t own a laser meter, but I’m told as mine is built is should be outputting over 350mW. Just wanted to lay rest some of the doubters here. Yes the beams do look that bright and intense, this pic is however “heightened” by the fact that there is smoke in the air. But rest assured the blu-ray lasers over 100mW are quite impressive especially so in a dark location.

Posted at 7:50 pm on Aug 27th, 2009 by itw3ak

Thanks for the support guys!

I did mention in the article that the beam shot is with smoke…

I am so used to posting in a strictly laser forum, that I forgot that other public forums may not realize how far DIY lasers have come!

Probably most don’t realize that you can light a match easily at 20′ distance with your build when focused properly…
Jay

Posted at 8:23 pm on Aug 27th, 2009 by jayrob