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Is my Nexus working to spec?
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bladeturner
Modified 10mW Greenie
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Posts: 14
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 Posted: 9/12/05, 3:58 PM Post subject: Is my Nexu |
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Hello,
I just got my nexus (fast shipping!) and I also got the $60 10mW laser so I would have a basis for comparison. My problem, is my Nexus' beam is not visible in a lit room, and just barely visible in dark environments (I checked it in our darkroom). If I hold it very close (less than 2 inches) from black electrical tape, I will see smoke after 10-15 seconds, but after a full 30 seconds, still no hole. I can feel some heat if I hold it up to my finger, but I don't know if it has "open cut healing power" as shown on the main page. I'm using brand new Energizer E2 Lithium cells, which I though were supposed to be the best. Are the pictures in the gallery (I'm thinking particularly of the one on the table showing a clear beam) showing the beams an artifact of the photography process, or are other people easily able to see the beams on their Nexus'?
-Bladeturner |
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aka_deno
Nexus Laser
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 101
Location: Annapolis, Maryland USA
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| Posted: 9/12/05, 6:07 PM Post subject: |
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Try the other laser. lol maybe your using your 10mW pointer instead of the 95mW Nexus. lol sounds stupid but who knows. maybe your misreading the lasers and your using the 10mW thinking its the nexus  |
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Nexus
Wicked Lasers Master
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Posts: 756
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| Posted: 9/12/05, 9:39 PM Post subject: |
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It should be able to pop a dark colored balloon in a few seconds, and ignite a wooden or paper match, possibly the tape you are using is too thick.
Best Regards |
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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: 9/12/05, 10:48 PM Post subject: Beam Brigh |
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For you to feel ANY heat from a laser implies that it is outputting a high amount of energy so you know it's working.
Go outside at night (ONLY if local laws permit you to do this) and fire your beam straight up. If you can see the green beam clearly in the night sky (and you should), then your laser should be fine. Many of the shots taken showing lasers display environments which have been fogged up slightly (not a lot though... even 2 x lit and extinguished matches will generate enough particles to render the beam quite visible indoors) ... this is often done as a safety precaution since the lasers are very strong and it's good to know it's not pointing at an LCD monitor or a camera lens (as it might destroy CCDs and transistors etc! ).
I tried my NEXUS when it first arrived by aiming it at the ground (carpet) beneath my desk and the beam itself was visible (& translucent of course). For it to be visible under such conditions was an example of the strength of output. From the very side, the beam is not likley to be very obvious as per most lasers in smokeless environments. But you should see it if the beam is pointing away from you or towards you (watch your eyes). A <5mW beam should be barely visible if at all unless you are either outside at night or indoors with a couple of incense candles.
Here's what your beam should look like at night with NO fog etc (ie. Perfectly clear air):
http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/image/49175184
http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/image/49019395
And this is what it should look like with no smoke indoors:
http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/image/48977770
And this is what it should look like after you've used an incense candle to allow for more beam visibility (don't bother burning the candle for more than a couple of minutes or just allow it to burn about 1 inch).. any more is overkill with the NEXUS.
http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/image/49116363
http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/image/49019806
You can see the difference in beam strength here since there's a <42mW and a <25mW firing next to the NEXUS. I had allowed the room to clear since my wife doesn't like the smell of the incense stick for long periods. Even minute residue from the candle allowed for the true visible-laser-strength to be easily photographed. Now the shutter speed of this pic was 1/10 of a second so this is how the image looked to my eyes as well. Note that even the <43mW laser wasn't terribly visible by comparison.
http://www.pbase.com/nero_design/image/49116370
Now most importantly, it should be noted that many of the laser beams seen on the internet and at concerts or in Pink Floyd video clips are shot using smoke foggers... same as in the nightclubs. Same applies to all videoclips etc. Even the 40 Watt argon ion lasers used outdoors that can punch a hole through a Visa Card (don't ask!) are barely visible inless there's some "atmosphere etc" in the path of the beam. The green Wicked lasers above <70mW are about as visible as a 2-10Watt Argon laser in similar environments which is pretty amazing (bearing in mind that green is brighter to the eye than the blue).
So smoke etc can make green lasers look incredibly bright. I see a lot of pics on the net that look amazing butsome of the shots are either longer than usual exposures to make the beam stronger in the picture or they fake the brightness using Photoshop .I recently found a few images online showing green, orange and blue lasers together which were "Photoshopped"... the <2mW blue beam was the giveaway since it doesn't photograph like that, even in a smokey room. Even a <50mW blue DPSS is very weak beamwise. I took this image using a <5mW laser pointer (Leadlight brand)... looks impressive but if you look towards the bottom of the shot, you'll see the two glowing incense sticks used to make the smoke effect in the beam path. Be sure to use a "blower" (from the camera store) to blow any dust from your lens when using the more powerful (+>50mW) lasers in this way to avoid heating up the particles on the aperture if you're using smoke from a LOT of incense sticks etc. If you use your own breath instead of a blower, you may end up with a form of mud on your lens due to moisture etc.
Also, a lot of the tricks using balloons and electrical tape need to be examined more closely to see how they were achieved:
*Balloons need to be dark coloured and tightly expanded for max results.
*Matches need to be dark coloured or held close to the laser.
*A lot of matches have had a marker applied to give a darker "target" area.
*Electical tape should be thin.
*Try the thin plastic wrap from a packet of cookies or the liner from a garbage bin.
* Electical tape is thick and will smoke but the more reflective the surface, the slower the resulting burn will be.
The thinner and darker the material, the better and more spectacular the results. I tried a <110mW the other day and I lit a couple of matches before I was unable to repeat the experiment. This is often because the laser's output is much higher when used after a long break and when they heat up again, the power will drop to the levels stated on the label.
I've been tempted to attempt the "open cut healing powers experiment" but I suspect it is suited to the colour of blood and is going to sting like hell if I go through with the experiment. Anyone want me to try it for the camera?
Regards,
Marco |
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bladeturner
Modified 10mW Greenie
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Posts: 14
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| Posted: 9/13/05, 6:33 AM Post subject: |
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Okay, since my last post, two things have happened. The first is that i found someone in the Physics department here at the university (I work in Space Science) who had a meter. Output is to spec, so that is laid to rest. The other thing that happened, is nighttime. Wow, this thing is cool. Also, I've reseated my batteries, and that seemed to make a difference.
* Can cut through electrical tape (Check)
* Can pop a ballon (red, no dot) (Check)
* Can punch a hole in thick black card stock (Check)
* Can cause slight discomfort (ie searing pain) while closing a paper cut (Check, sort of couldn't finish)
What is more interesting though, is my 10mW is also quite visible at night, and in dim lighting. I've found the trick to seeing the beam on either laser, is to find an area where you can shine the dot away from your field of view, as the reflection is very bright.
Anyway, after ssing it in action last night, I've got a few people here and elsewhere who want me to order a couple for them, so expect a few orders from me later this week. (I think I'll be getting a few 15mW for Christmas presents this year too.) |
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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: 9/13/05, 10:44 AM Post subject: To: bladet |
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That's great. I was wondering why you seemed puzzled by your laser at first but daytime is definitely the worst time to be demonstrating a new laser like this. Glad to see your tests worked. I'm yet to try the balloon popping etc but I just managed to light two more matches by aiming the beam at the top of the match (looking down at the crown instead of shooting from the side).
/make that three matches
//three matches = 3 minutes of incense burning. Excellent! Much faster than waiting for the incense to fill a room when impressing friends.
Cheers!
Marco Nero
_________________
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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