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From: magore@watdcsu.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: High Power IR-LED's
Message-ID: <3887@watdcsu.waterloo.edu>
Date: Fri, 25-Sep-87 11:55:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.3887
Posted: Fri Sep 25 11:55:29 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Sep-87 16:04:17 EDT
References: <291@uhmanoa.UUCP> <1015@unh.cs.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: magore@watdcsu.waterloo.edu (Mike Gore, Institute Computer Research - ICR)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 22

In article <1015@unh.cs.cmu.edu> agn@unh.cs.cmu.edu (Andreas Nowatzyk) writes:
>You can buy IR-laser diodes in the 7 to 25 W (right watt!) range 
[order info deleted]
...
>In any event, such a diode is downright dangerous: high power IR can harm the
>eye even if you can't see it. It is also not easy to drive such a device:
>you need to deal with fairly high current and such diodes tend to be rather
>sensitive.

	Yes dangerous is right! Note that about a 5/1000th of a watt
of laser IR that is well focused can do _very_ serious damage to an eye
and that about a 1/5th of a watt can start paper on fire if the beam
is well focused ! [ Running full on - not pulsed mode of course ]

>-- 
>   --  Andreas Nowatzyk  (DC5ZV)

Best Regards,

# Mike Gore 
# Institute for Computer Research. ( watmath!mgvax!root - at home )
# These ideas/concepts do not imply views held by the University of Waterloo.