Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucdavis!csusac!sactoh0!mahaun
From: mahaun@sactoh0.UUCP (Mark A. Haun)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Looking for cheap visible red laser diodes
Summary: Sorry, but you can't SEE these!  Don't want infrared...
Keywords: laser diode red
Message-ID: <2315@sactoh0.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 89 18:47:54 GMT
References: <2290@sactoh0.UUCP> <1237@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Organization: Sacramento Public Access, Ca. USA
Lines: 47

In article <1237@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>, adam@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Adam Glass) writes:
> mahaun@sactoh0.UUCP (Mark A. Haun) writes:
> > Does anybody know of a source for visible red laser diodes?
> 
> A local surplus store is selling them for $19 each. They have laser diodes
> from 7 to 25 watts. Since I know almost nothing about lasers, let me quote
> them:
>   "These Gallium-Arsenide injection diodes emit coherent infra-red
                                                            ^^^^^^^
>    radiation. The diode is built in a hetero-junction structure,
>    consisting of 3 distinct layers: N-type, P-type gallium asenide [sic]
>    and P-type gallium aluminum arsenide. Specs: 7 to 25 watts, lfm 40A,
>    Lth 1A, typical peak forward coltage @ Lfm 8 volts, @ 50 ma 1.2 volts."

I guess I should have made myself a bit more clear in my original
posting...  I'm looking for VISIBLE RED laser diodes that you can
actually see!  These infrared laser diodes have been around for a
long time (by the way, the 7-25W power spec must be a misprint --
maybe milliwatts?).

> Pardon my ignorance, but what neat things can you do with these
> low-power lasers?
> 
Well, how about these:

  1) cheap laser light show (bounce beam off mirror on speaker
cone).
  2) spotting device for any instrument that needs to be accurately
aimed or alligned.
  3) special effects (sweeping beams through artificial fog, etc.).
  4) cheap, battery-powered pointer (for lectures or other
presentations).
  5) small light beam for optical experiments of all sorts.

Give me an hour, and I could think of 50 more!

So does anybody know if these goodies are available yet?

I remember the magazine article I read about them in... it was Don
Lancaster's Hardware Hacker column in Radio Electronics, but I
don't remember the issue it was in.

-- 
(     Mark A. Haun  KJ6PC     )(    UUCP: ...ames!pacbell!sactoh0!mahaun     )
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