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nero_design
Wicked Lasers God
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 1463
Picture(s): 98
Movie(s): 1
Location: Australia
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 Posted: 7/16/07, 7:33 AM Post subject: SONAR BluR |
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This is the Sonar beam with a short blast of fog juice in the same room. The color is actually a little more vivid than this.
When I showed my friends an colleagues the Sonar, they were inittially very excited about the new color. A laserist whom I work with was simply grinning from ear to ear although his 40-60Watt lasers are mostly invisible wavelengths so perhaps this was the reason he was so happy to see the violet dot. My wife's reaction was to say "Oooh! Pretty!" although my best friend was fonder of the blue from the Spyder BX laser and felt that the brighter dot would be more useful to me. A couple of hours later and even he was admitting that the Sonar color with it's intense violet color and dot, made him envious. A girlfriend of ours who is obsessed with the color purple was enraptured.
Capturing the laser as the eye sees it is difficult at best. It's made particularly difficult when the camera overblows (blooms) the image and cannot register the correct colors. This image shows how most cameras register the Sonar dot and compares it to how the human eye sees the dot.
Don't get me wrong, the dot on the Sonar is very unusual and although it's about as bright as a 2mW red, it's more than capable of catching the attention of anyone nearby. Outside in the night air I was amused to see that its beam was visible in the sky although it's tendency to fade rather than taper off at a sharp point like many other lasers makes it unsuitable for starpointing when compared with other lasers. Seriously, you can't find a cooler laser color than the Sonar and why would you want to use it for Starpointing in the first place?
As you can see here (above), the Sonar is pulsed and not Constant Wave (CW). This is obvious when I fire the Sonar at my television screen. Also, the phosphors on the CRT screen react to the Sonar leaving afterglow streaks on the television screen in the dark. The dot appears white on my television but the pulsed action (strobing) is only visible if the lasers is waved back and forth quickly. In normal use, it behaves like a pointer of any other type.
This earplug is reacting to the Sonar spectrum and is fluorescing. I have some very interesting pictures on the way to show this interesting effect. Now bearing in mind that the Sonar is pulsed, this makes it unsuitable as a pet toy. Do NOT use it as one. The power spike from a pulsed laser can be very effective in tissue damage so pointing it into your eyes us also a bad idea yet the wider dot at the aperture probably reduces the chances of an accident up close.
The original packing foam shows both a blue and violet dot from the Spyder BX and the Sonar. The dot is over-blown simply because the camera's sensor is being overwhelmed. In reality, the white area of the Sonar dot is a lavender-violet with a hot spot the size of a pinprick (also lavender).
The Sonar prefers Lithium 123A batteries (123) which give a lot of output time. So far I have not been able to drain the first set of batteries in a couple of days (just checked them on a battery tester and they're still 100%). I suppose that this could be due to the pulsed nature of the laser which reduces power drain, reduces overheating and makes for a more efficient diode.
This shot encompasses the Sonar, the Spyder BX, Spyder GX and the latest Pulsar 125. The beam visibility is strongest in the green and then blue, followed by the red and violet.
A fog machine was used to enable the beam shots. This makes the beam particularly visible although the effect of the Sonar in a lit room with smoke is stunning. The color is a vibrant violet and no other color comes remotely close to it.
The dot appears different on different surfaces.
For example, if I direct the Sonar beam towards a cinema screen (I have a huge one at work), the dot is a perfect blue colour and might as well be a 40mW blue laser at 473nm. If directed at black or brown surfaces, the dot has a peculiar "ghosting" effect which includes a false "double" image as if you're looking at the beam cross-eyed. This is due to the human eye having trouble registering the 405nm wavelength. The further away the dot is from a person (say 50 feet), the more likely it is to appear as a large violet dot. But if you squint your eyes, the large dot suddenly reveals a hot core (which is a brilliant violet as well). White cottons and various white paper make the dot much brighter and gives it a bright blue hue Fluorescent materials and surfaces trigger a bright color change to the dot and it may turn white or green.
For people with an interest in fluorescent minerals, the Sonar is as useful as a UV torch although the beam is so much more concentrated that it may even surpass other tools when it comes to a restricted beam. I'm awaiting the arrival of a shipment of Uranium Glass which I believe will react strongly to the Sonar beam and will report in when I've taken some shots although it will be hard to surpass the shots on the Wicked website of the same. The Sonar beam also triggers fluorescence and color change in various chemicals and liquids as well.
Beam does not visibly fluctuate and is slightly oval in shape (typical of the diode used) and the reliability is thus far 100%. Power usage is extremely conservative. The machined case is very nice with a metal momentary on/off switch and easy to obtain batteries. The metal is lightweight making the laser easy to wear.... I have chosen to carry it in a nylon belt pouch that normally ships with the INOVA torches (pics to come).
Having seen a few home-made violet lasers using similar chips, I can only conclude that the Wicked Laser version (being the first on the market that I'd seen) is going to be better machined and constructed simply because of the professional aspect and approach to the conversion. You can find pictures online showing the lab-techs at Wicked assembling one of the Sonar units and aligning the beam optics. I think if I had to shell out the money for a BluRay laser, it wouldn't involve the hazards of static electricity and my own inferior electronics skills.
Highly recommended to the enthusiast.
_________________
Regards,
Marco Nero
* Laser Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/pro1wickedlasers
* Always use appropriate laser-safe eyewear when using higher powered lasers. |
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fuzion
Fusion Laser
Joined: 17 Nov 2006
Posts: 447
Picture(s): 61
Movie(s): 4
Location: uk, bristol
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| Posted: 7/16/07, 8:32 AM Post subject: |
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WOW great pics as allways nero
I really want a sonar looks amazing
Regards
Fuzion
_________________
LASERS I HAVE:
 (very powerful burns all close to 300mw)(divergence = 0.75Mrad)
 (wow its awesome blue kicks ass) 
 < Free (thanks wicked) x 6
 (cool burns great with caps)
 (WOW AMAZING LASER AND ITS VIOLET  )
 < Sonar II burner kicks ass 97MW peak output!
5mw from another laser company- wow cool laser
The Torch burn all in sight omg wow
SONAR II Review http://www.lasercommunity.com/post184477.html?highlight=#184477
Reference series blue Review very soon UPDATE been very busy l8ly will post up asap
Big review coming soon will tell you what of when i can! |
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twisted transistor
Wicked Lasers God
Joined: 07 Jan 2006
Posts: 1303
Picture(s): 272
Movie(s): 43
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| Posted: 7/16/07, 9:56 AM Post subject: |
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b e a utiful
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 nice, I highly recommend these. |
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NightVision
Fusion Laser
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 384
Picture(s): 73
Movie(s): 10
Location: The Netherlands
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| Posted: 7/18/07, 9:39 AM Post subject: |
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Good review, Nero, thanks... Very interesting to read, and I enjoyed the wonderful pictures! 
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 WL cap set,
 WL optics set,
 and red and green
 laser shades user
View my laser PICTURES and VIDEOS here |
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soulbow
Elite Laser
Joined: 16 Sep 2006
Posts: 196
Movie(s): 2
Location: USA
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| Posted: 8/03/07, 5:31 AM Post subject: Re: SONAR |
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| nero_design wrote: |
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I think I've asked this before, but do you have any desktop sized versions of that image?
1280x1024?
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60mw Phoenix
80-100mw Fusion
Pulsar 125
I am a laser enthusiast. |
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Raul-Wesche
Fusion Laser
Joined: 06 Jul 2007
Posts: 330
Picture(s): 31
Movie(s): 22
Location: Martinez Ca
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| Posted: 8/03/07, 6:02 PM Post subject: |
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| awsome pics |
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nero_design
Wicked Lasers God
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 1463
Picture(s): 98
Movie(s): 1
Location: Australia
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| Posted: 8/03/07, 7:52 PM Post subject: Re: SONAR |
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[quote="soulbow"]
| nero_design wrote: |
I think I've asked this before, but do you have any desktop sized versions of that image?
1280x1024? |
The original Picture is probably around 3000 pixels wide but I will look at supplying it as a desktop shortly if people want it. It has been downloaded from the camera and transferred to an external drive for archiving so I'll need to take a look for it.
_________________
Regards,
Marco Nero
* Laser Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/pro1wickedlasers
* Always use appropriate laser-safe eyewear when using higher powered lasers. |
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uber_mike
25mW Classic Wicked Laser
Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 52
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: 8/04/07, 6:35 AM Post subject: |
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| Dang man you must have a good job to get all those lasers! haha! I am extreamly jealous... |
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mathyou9
Fusion Laser
Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 262
Movie(s): 1
Location: Salt Lake City
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| Posted: 8/04/07, 9:19 AM Post subject: Re: SONAR |
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| nero_design wrote: |
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Nice; I love your use of the model Saturn V 2nd stage. 
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It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. --Carl Sagan |
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soulbow
Elite Laser
Joined: 16 Sep 2006
Posts: 196
Movie(s): 2
Location: USA
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| Posted: 8/04/07, 8:03 PM Post subject: Re: SONAR |
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[quote="nero_design"]
| soulbow wrote: |
| nero_design wrote: |
I think I've asked this before, but do you have any desktop sized versions of that image?
1280x1024? |
The original Picture is probably around 3000 pixels wide but I will look at supplying it as a desktop shortly if people want it. It has been downloaded from the camera and transferred to an external drive for archiving so I'll need to take a look for it. |
Thanks. It's a great picture.
_________________
60mw Phoenix
80-100mw Fusion
Pulsar 125
I am a laser enthusiast. |
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FLGale
25mW Classic Wicked Laser
Joined: 13 Aug 2007
Posts: 28
Location: The Dungeon
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| Posted: 8/16/07, 3:53 PM Post subject: |
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| mmmmm...... lasers........... me want me want....... |
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ARabidSquid
Modified 10mW Greenie
Joined: 03 Mar 2006
Posts: 12
Location: Monterey, California
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| Posted: 8/19/07, 2:20 AM Post subject: |
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thats odd that the camera sees it differently
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I was uh.. checking the specs on the inline for the rotary... girder... Im retarded |
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jacob
Elite Laser
Joined: 20 Jul 2007
Posts: 221
Picture(s): 34
Movie(s): 82
Location: dunedin, FL
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| Posted: 8/19/07, 5:29 AM Post subject: |
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| NICE!!! |
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theipodpeople
25mW Classic Wicked Laser
Joined: 04 Aug 2007
Posts: 29
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| Posted: 8/20/07, 10:44 PM Post subject: |
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| im getting the SONAR`1 |
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cellis4766
4.99mW Green Laser Toy
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 9
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| Posted: 8/21/07, 2:39 PM Post subject: |
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| NICE Color! Great Pics |
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