A simple laser pointer. What can be used to make a laser cutter for metal. How to make a laser: an alternative way

23.06.2020

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Is it possible, and how to make a laser at home, with your own hands? Which of the male population, no matter whether boys or adults, has not once dreamed of assembling his own personal "laser sword", like the heroes of the "Jedi" in the movies? Remember laser pointers, which have gone out of fashion for a long time, their power, of course, can hardly impress anyone. But this, of course, does not mean that they cannot serve you in the end. Of course, a real, laser sword will not work out of them, but a laser of some power may well work out. To make a laser at home You will need the following items and tools:

soldering iron, wires
a DVD drive with a working laser (it’s easy to buy a cheap broken DVD on the market if you can’t find one at home)
flashlight (small, with two AA batteries)

Now you can get to work At the very beginning, you will need to somehow get the laser diode out of the DVD drive. This is a rather long and painstaking process that will take time and patience. Once you open your DVD, it will be easy for you to find the carriage running on two guide rails. Unroll the carriage very carefully. In this case, there will be a lot of small screws on your way, which you need to remove slowly, since the laser diode is very sensitive to shock and shaking. Therefore, after you finally remove it from the carriage body, hold it very gently and carefully. At the second stage, the native diode in the laser pointer is replaced with the diode you just removed from the DVD drive. This is required to make the laser more powerful. The problem is that the pointer uses a low-power laser diode, while the laser in a DVD drive will be a higher class. The laser pointer is usually unwound into two halves, of which the laser diode is installed precisely in the upper one. You will need to get her native laser diode, as well as the emitter. After that, you need to install a laser diode from the DVD drive there. It is best to put it on an adhesive base so that it stays firmly there. Now, in the third step, you will need to insert the now improved part of the pointer into a regular flashlight with a suitable body size. The upper part of the flashlight will then serve as a replacement for the diffuser removed from the pointer. Now the power from the batteries of the flashlight needs to be connected to the diode, thus your laser will be powered. The glass from the flashlight must be removed at the same time, because it will otherwise get in the way of the laser beam, refracting and scattering it. Finally, check the strength of your "laser installation", the power connection, and, of course, the polarity, the presence of batteries in working order and the tightness of the fastening of the individual parts of the flashlight. Now we can say that everything is ready and, if you did everything right, then your laser is able to light a match, burn through a plastic bag or even paper. It is always worth remembering that such a laser can pose a real threat to human health. So be very, very careful. Never let children play with this laser - it is not a toy. Children tend to look into the "flashlight" - and in this case, this curiosity can have very deplorable consequences, for which you yourself will never forgive yourself later!

Many people are aware of the possibilities of laser technologies and their benefits. They are used not only in industry, but also in cosmetology, medicine, everyday life, art and other branches of human life. However, not everyone knows how to make a laser at home. But it can be built from improvised materials. To do this, you will need a non-working DVD drive, a lighter or a flashlight.

Before at home, you need to collect all the necessary elements. First of all, you need to disassemble the DVD drive. To do this, all the screws that hold the top and bottom covers of the device are unscrewed. Next, the main cable is disconnected and the board is unscrewed. Protection of diodes and optics must be cracked. The next step is to remove the diode, for which pliers are usually used. In order for static electricity not to damage the diode, its legs must be tied with wire. Remove the diode carefully so as not to break the legs.

Next, before making a laser at home, you need to make a driver for the laser, which is represented by a small circuit that regulates the power of the diode. The fact is that if the power is set incorrectly, then the diode can quickly fail. As a power source, you can use finger batteries or a battery from a mobile phone.

Before you make a laser at home, you need to take into account the fact that the burning effect is provided by optics. If not, then the laser will just shine. As optics, you can use a special lens from the same drive from which the diode was taken. To correctly set the focus, you must use a laser pointer.

In order to build a regular pocket laser, you can use a regular lighter. However, before you make a laser from a lighter, you need to know the construction technology. It is best to purchase a quality incendiary element. It needs to be disassembled, but the parts should not be thrown away, as they will still be useful in the design. If there is gas left in the lighter, it must be released. Then the insides must be machined with a drill with special nozzles. Inside the body of the lighter there is a diode from the drive, several resistors, a switch and a battery. All elements of the lighter must be installed in their places, after which the button that used to light the flame will turn on the laser.

However, for the construction of the device, you can use not only a lighter, but also a flashlight. Before you can make a laser from a flashlight, you need to take the laser block from the CD drive. In principle, the structure of a homemade laser in a flashlight does not differ from the laser device in a lighter. It is only necessary to take into account the power supply, which almost never exceeds 3 V, and it is also desirable to build an additional voltage regulator. It will increase the life It is very important to consider the polarity of the diode and the stabilizer.

All the assembled filling must be placed in the body of the disassembled flashlight. Previously, not only the inner part is removed from the flashlight, but also the glass. After installing the laser unit, the glass is installed in place.

Who among teenagers and most adults, male, does not dream of building their own laser sword? Laser pointers have long gone out of fashion, their power is hardly capable of impressing anyone. However, this does not mean that they will not serve you in the end. A laser sword will not come out of them, but a quite powerful laser will turn out.

Instruction

To make a laser at home, you will need a laser pointer, a DVD drive with a working laser, a flashlight, wires and a soldering iron. You can buy a broken DVD at the radio market, if there is none on the farm.

In the first step, you need to remove the laser diode from the DVD. This is a long and painstaking process. When you open the DVD, you can easily find a carriage that moves along two rails. Unscrew the carriage carefully. You will have a lot of screws on the way, you need to remove them without haste, since the laser diode does not tolerate shaking and bumps. When you remove it from the carriage body, hold it gently and gently.

The second stage is the replacement of its native diode in the laser pointer with the one removed from the drive. This is necessary to make the laser more powerful. The fact is that inside the pointer there is a low-power laser diode, while in DVD the laser is a class higher. The laser pointer can be unwound into two parts. The diode is installed at the top. You need to get the native diode and emitter. After that, you need to install the diode from the DVD into the case of the upper part. It is best to put it on an adhesive base.

A handmade laser cutter is useful in every home.

In this case, it is necessary to take into account the following points: how best to place the diode, how to connect it to a power source, because the writing device diode requires more electricity than the main element of the pointer.

This issue can be resolved in several ways.

Therefore, the laser pointer is disassembled as carefully as the DVD burner drive.

The object is untwisted, then its body is divided into two halves. Immediately on the surface you can see the part that needs to be replaced with your own hands.

To do this, the native diode from the pointer is removed and carefully replaced with a more powerful one; its secure fastening can be done using glue.

It may not be possible to immediately remove the old diode element, so you can carefully pick it up with the tip of a knife, then gently shake the body of the pointer.

At the next stage of manufacturing a laser cutter, you need to make a case for it.

For this purpose, a flashlight with rechargeable batteries is useful, which will allow the laser cutter to receive electrical power, acquire an aesthetic appearance, and ease of use.

To do this, it is necessary to introduce a modified upper part of the former pointer into the body of the flashlight with your own hands.

Then you need to connect charging to the diode, using the battery located in the flashlight. It is very important to accurately establish the polarity during the connection process.

Before the flashlight is assembled, it is necessary to remove the glass and other unnecessary elements of the pointer, which can interfere with the laser beam.

At the final stage, the laser cutter is prepared for use.

The depth of material processing depends on the type of laser machine and the characteristics of the processed materials.

Today, three types of lasers are used: solid-state, fiber and gas.

The device of solid-state emitters is based on the use of specific types of glass or crystals as a working medium.

Here, as an example, low-cost installations operated on semiconductor lasers can be cited.

Fiber - their active medium functions through the use of optical fibers.

This type of device is a modification of solid-state emitters, but according to experts, the fiber laser is successfully replacing its counterparts in the field of metalworking.

At the same time, optical fibers are the basis of not only the cutter, but also the engraving machine.

Gas - the working environment of the laser device combines carbon dioxide, nitrogen and helium gases.

Since the efficiency of the considered emitters is not higher than 20%, they are used for cutting and welding polymer, rubber and glass materials, as well as metal with a high degree of thermal conductivity.

Here, as an example, you can take a metal cutter manufactured by Hans, the use of a laser device allows you to cut copper, brass and aluminum, in this case, the minimum power of the machines only outperforms its counterparts.

Drive operation scheme

Only a desktop laser can be operated from a drive; this type of device is a portal-console machine.

The laser unit can move along the guide rails of the device both vertically and horizontally.

As an alternative to the portal device, a flatbed model of the mechanism was made, its cutter moves only horizontally.

Other existing versions of laser machines have a desktop equipped with a drive mechanism and endowed with the ability to move in different planes.

At the moment, there are two options for controlling the drive mechanism.

The first provides movement of the workpiece due to the operation of the table drive, or the movement of the cutter is performed due to the operation of the laser.

The second option involves the simultaneous movement of the table and cutter.

At the same time, the first management model is considered to be much simpler in comparison with the second option. But the second model is still distinguished by high performance.

A common technical characteristic of the considered cases is the need to introduce a CNC unit into the device, but then the price for assembling a device for manual work will become higher.

HELLO DIMONOVTS!!!

Today, I will tell YOU how to make a powerful laser pointer at home.

To do this, we need 17 things:
1- faulty (dead) DVD drive, speed 16-22X (the higher the speed, the more powerful the laser in it is)
PRICE-50-300R
2- cheap Chinese flashlight (for 3 batteries)

PRICE-50R
3- cheap laser pointer "double-barreled" (laser pointer + LED flashlight)

[
PRICE-50R
4- soldering iron, power 40W (W), voltage 220V (V) with a thin tip.
5 - fusible solder (type POS60-POS61), pine rosin.
6 - a piece of one-sided fiberglass with dimensions of 35X10mm
7- ferric chloride (sold in radio stores) price-80-100R
8- tool (tweezers, magnifying glass, small screwdrivers, pliers, long nose pliers, etc.)
9- here are the terminal petals

(sold in any electrical store) cost from 10-35R
10 tube of super glue
11- alcohol (can be found in a pharmacy)
12 laser printer
13- page of any glossy magazine (necessarily glossy, smooth. You can also use photo paper)
14- electric iron (we take at home. Mom, sister, grandmother, wife, until they see)
15- radio components (you can get some from the dead drive itself, in particular the Schottky diode, resistors, capacitors)
list of parts and their value (ALL SMD PARTS, i.e. for

A laser pointer is a useful item, the purpose of which depends on the power. If it is not very large, then the beam can be aimed at distant objects. In this case, the pointer can play the role of a toy and be used for entertainment. It can also be of practical use, helping a person to point to the object he is talking about. Using improvised items, you can make a laser with your own hands.

Briefly about the device

The laser was invented as a result of testing the theoretical assumptions of scientists involved in quantum physics, which had just begun to emerge. The principle underlying the laser pointer was predicted by Einstein at the beginning of the 20th century. No wonder this device is so called - "pointer".

More powerful lasers are used for burning. The pointer provides an opportunity to realize creative potential, for example, they can be used to engrave a beautiful high-quality pattern on wood or plexiglass. The most powerful lasers can cut metal, which is why they are used in construction and repair work.

The principle of operation of a laser pointer

According to the principle of operation, the laser is a photon generator. The essence of the phenomenon that underlies it is that an atom is affected by energy in the form of a photon. As a result, this atom emits the next photon, which moves in the same direction as the previous one. These photons have the same phase and polarization. Of course, the emitted light is amplified in this case. Such a phenomenon can only occur in the absence of thermodynamic equilibrium. To create induced radiation, various methods are used: chemical, electrical, gas, and others.

The very word "laser" did not arise from scratch. It was formed as a result of the reduction of words describing the essence of the process. In English, the full name of this process is: “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”, which translates into Russian as “light amplification by stimulated emission”. Scientifically speaking, laser pointer is an optical quantum generator.

Preparing for production

As mentioned above, you can make a laser with your own hands at home. To do this, prepare the following tools, as well as simple items, which are almost always available at home:

These materials are enough to do all the work on the manufacture of both a simple and a powerful laser with your own hands.

Self-assembly of the laser

You will need to find a drive. The main thing is that its laser diode is in good working order. Of course, there may not be such an object at home. In this case, it can be purchased from those who have it. Often people throw away optical drives even if their laser diode is still working or selling them.

Choosing a drive for the manufacture of a laser device, you need to pay attention to the company in which it was issued. The main thing is that Samsung should not be this company: drives from this manufacturer are equipped with diodes that are not protected from external influences. Consequently, such diodes are quickly contaminated and subjected to thermal stress. They can be damaged even by a light touch.

The drives from LG are best suited for making a laser: each of their models is equipped with a powerful crystal.

It is important that the drive, when used for its intended purpose, can not only read, but also write information to the disk. Recording printers have an infrared emitter needed to assemble the laser device.

The work is in the following steps:

A ready-made DIY laser pointer can easily cut through plastic bags and instantly explode balloons. If you point this home-made device at a wooden surface, then the beam will immediately burn through it. When using, care must be taken.

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Today I am opening a series of articles on powerful lasers, because habrapoisk says that people are looking for similar articles. I want to tell you how you can make a fairly powerful laser at home, and also teach you how to use this power not just for the sake of “shine on the clouds”.

Warning!

The article describes the manufacture of a powerful laser (300mW ~ power of 500 Chinese pointers), which can harm your health and the health of others! Be extremely careful! Use special protective goggles and do not direct the laser beam at people or animals!

On Habré, articles about portable Dragon Lasers, such as Hulk, slipped just a couple of times. In this article I will tell you how you can make a laser that is not inferior in power to most models sold in this store.

First you need to prepare all the components:

- non-working (or working) DVD-RW drive with a recording speed of 16x or higher;
- capacitors 100 pF and 100 mF;
- resistor 2-5 Ohm;
- three AAA batteries;
- soldering iron and wires;
- collimator (or Chinese pointer);
- Steel LED lamp.

This is a necessary minimum for the manufacture of a simple driver model. A driver is, in fact, a board that will output our laser diode to the required power. It is not worth connecting a power source directly to the laser diode - it will fail. The laser diode must be powered by current, not voltage.

A collimator is, in fact, a module with a lens that reduces all radiation into a narrow beam. Ready-made collimators can be bought at radio stores. These already immediately have a convenient place to install a laser diode, and the cost is 200-500 rubles.

You can also use a collimator from a Chinese pointer, however, the laser diode will be difficult to fix, and the body of the collimator itself will most likely be made of metallized plastic. So our diode will be poorly cooled. But this is also possible. This option can be seen at the end of the article.

First you need to get the laser diode itself. This is a very fragile and small part of our DVD-RW drive - be careful. A powerful red laser diode is located in the carriage of our drive. You can distinguish it from a weak one by a larger radiator than a conventional IR diode.

It is recommended to use an anti-static wrist strap as the laser diode is very sensitive to static electricity. If there is no bracelet, then you can wrap the diode leads with a thin wire while it waits for installation in the case.

According to this scheme, you need to solder the driver.

Do not reverse the polarity! The laser diode will also fail instantly if the polarity of the input power is reversed.

The diagram shows a 200 mF capacitor, however, 50-100 mF is enough for portability.

Before installing the laser diode and assembling everything into the case, check the driver's performance. Connect another laser diode (non-working or the second one from the drive) and measure the current with a multimeter. Depending on the speed characteristics, the current strength must be chosen correctly. For 16x models, 300-350mA is quite suitable. For the fastest 22x, even 500mA can be applied, but with a completely different driver, the manufacture of which I plan to describe in another article.

Looks terrible, but it works!

Aesthetics.

You can brag about a laser assembled by weight only in front of the same crazy techno-maniacs, but for beauty and convenience it is better to assemble it in a convenient case. Here it is better to choose the way you like it. I mounted the whole circuit in a regular LED flashlight. Its dimensions do not exceed 10x4cm. However, I do not advise you to carry it with you: you never know what claims can be made by the relevant authorities. And it is better to store in a special case so that the sensitive lens does not get dusty.

This is an option with minimal costs - a collimator from a Chinese pointer is used:

Using a factory-produced module will produce the following results:

The laser beam is visible in the evening:

And, of course, in the dark:

Maybe.

Yes, I want to tell and show in the following articles how such lasers can be used. How to make much more powerful specimens that can cut metal and wood, and not just set fire to matches and melt plastic. How to make holograms and scan objects to get 3D Studio Max models. How to make powerful green or blue lasers. The scope of lasers is quite wide, and one article is not enough.

Attention! Don't forget about safety! Lasers are not toys! Take care of your eyes!

In every house there is an old worn-out technique. Someone throws it in a landfill, and some craftsmen try to use it for some homemade inventions. So the old laser pointer can be put to good use - it is possible to make a laser cutter with your own hands.

To make a real laser from a harmless trinket, you need to prepare the following items:

laser pointer;
flashlight with rechargeable batteries;
old, maybe not a working CD / DVD-RW writer. The main thing is that he has a drive with a working laser;
a set of screwdrivers and a soldering iron. It is better to use a branded cutter, but in the absence of a regular one, it may also work.

Making a laser cutter

First you need to remove the laser cutter from the drive. This work is not difficult, but you will have to be patient and pay maximum attention. Since it contains a large number of wires, their structure is the same. When choosing a drive, it is important to consider the presence of a writing option, since it is in this model that a laser can make recordings. Recording is done by evaporating a thin layer of metal from the disk itself. In the case when the laser works for reading, it is used at half strength, highlighting the disk.

When dismantling the top fasteners, you can find a carriage with a laser located in it, which can move in two directions. It should be carefully removed by unscrewing, there are a large number of detachable devices and screws that are important to carefully remove. For further work, a red diode is needed, with which the burning is carried out. To remove it, you will need a soldering iron, and you also need to carefully remove the fasteners. It is important to note that an indispensable part for the manufacture of a laser cutter cannot be shaken and dropped, therefore, it is recommended to be careful when removing the laser diode.

How the main element of the future laser model will be removed, you need to carefully weigh everything and figure out where to put it and how to connect the power supply to it, since the writing laser diode needs much more current than the diode from the laser pointer, and in this case you can use several ways.

Next, the diode in the pointer is replaced. To create a powerful laser pointer, the native diode must be removed, in its place it is necessary to install a similar one from the CD / DVD-RW drive. The pointer is disassembled in sequence. It should be untwisted and divided into two parts, on top is the part that needs to be replaced. The old diode is removed and the required diode is installed in its place, which can be fixed with glue. There are cases when it can be difficult to remove the old diode, in this situation you can use a knife and shake the pointer a little.

The next step will be the manufacture of a new case. To make the future laser convenient to use, connect power to it and to give it an impressive look, you can use the flashlight body. The converted upper part of the laser pointer is installed into a flashlight and power is supplied to it from rechargeable batteries, which is connected to the diode. It is important not to reverse the polarity of the power supply. Before assembling the flashlight, the glass and parts of the pointer must be removed, as it will not conduct the direct path of the laser beam well.

The last step is preparation for use. Before connecting, it is necessary to check the strength of the fixing of the laser, the correct connection of the polarity of the wires and whether the laser is level.

After completing these simple steps, the laser cutter is ready for use. Such a laser can be used to burn through paper, polyethylene, to ignite matches. The scope can be extensive, everything will depend on the imagination.

Additional points

You can make a more powerful laser. For its manufacture you will need:

DVD-RW drive, can be in non-working condition;
capacitors 100 pF and 100 mF;
resistor 2-5 ohm;
three rechargeable batteries;
wires with a soldering iron;
collimator;
steel LED flashlight.

This is the uncomplicated kit that comes with the assembly of the driver, which, using the board, will bring the laser cutter to the required power. The current source cannot be connected directly to the diode, as it will instantly deteriorate. It is also important to consider that the laser diode must be powered by current, not voltage.

The collimator is a housing equipped with a lens, thanks to which all the rays converge into one narrow beam. Such devices are purchased at radio parts stores. They are convenient in that they already have a place for installing a laser diode, and as for the cost, it is quite small, only 200-500 rubles.

You can, of course, use a case from a pointer, but it will be difficult to attach a laser in it. Such models are made of plastic material, and this will lead to heating of the case, and it will not be cooled enough.

The manufacturing principle is similar to the previous one, since in this case a laser diode from a DVD-RW drive is also used.

During manufacture, antistatic wrist straps must be used.

This is necessary to remove static from the laser diode, it is very sensitive. In the absence of bracelets, you can get by with improvised means - you can wind a thin wire around the diode. Next comes the driver.

Before assembling the entire device, the operation of the driver is checked. In this case, it is necessary to connect a non-working or second diode and measure the strength of the supplied current with a multimeter. Given the speed of the current, it is important to select its strength according to the norms. For many models, a current of 300-350 mA is applicable, and for faster ones, 500 mA can be used, but a completely different driver must be used for this.

Of course, any non-professional technician can assemble such a laser, but nevertheless, for beauty and convenience, it is most reasonable to build such a device in a more aesthetic case, and which one to use can be chosen for every taste. It will be most practical to assemble it in the case of an LED flashlight, since its dimensions are compact, only 10x4 cm. But still, you do not need to carry such a device in your pocket, as the relevant authorities may make claims. Such a device is best stored in a special case to avoid dusting the lens.

It is important not to forget that the device is a kind of weapon that should be used with caution and should not be directed at animals and people, as it is very dangerous and can be harmful to health, the most dangerous is the direction in the eyes. It is dangerous to give such devices to children.

The laser can be equipped with various devices, and then a fairly powerful sight for weapons, both pneumatic and firearms, will come out of a harmless toy.

Here are some simple tips for making a laser cutter. Having slightly improved this design, it is possible to make cutters for cutting acrylic material, plywood and plastic, and to engrave.

Man has learned many technical inventions by observing natural phenomena, analyzing them and applying the acquired knowledge in the surrounding reality. So man got the ability to kindle a fire, created a wheel, learned to generate electricity, got control over a nuclear reaction.

Unlike all these inventions, the laser has no analogues in nature. Its emergence was associated solely with theoretical assumptions within the framework of emerging quantum physics. The existence of the principle that formed the basis of the laser was predicted at the beginning of the 20th century by the greatest scientist Albert Einstein.

The word "laser" appeared as a result of the reduction of five words describing the essence of the physical process to the first letters. In the Russian version, this process is called "amplification of light with the help of stimulated emission."

According to the principle of its operation, the laser is a quantum generator of photons. The essence of the phenomenon underlying it is that under the influence of energy in the form of a photon, an atom emits another photon, which is identical to the first one in the direction of motion, its phase and polarization. As a result, the emitted light is amplified.

This phenomenon is impossible under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium. Various methods are used to create induced radiation: electrical, chemical, gas, and others. Lasers used in the home (laser disc drives, laser printers) use semiconductor method stimulation of radiation under the action of an electric current.

The principle of operation consists in the passage of an air flow through the heater into the hot air gun tube and, having reached the set temperatures, it enters the part to be soldered through special nozzles.

In the event of a malfunction, the welding inverter can be repaired by hand. You can read repair tips.

In addition, a necessary component of any full-fledged laser is optical resonator, the function of which is to amplify the beam of light by reflecting it multiple times. For this purpose, mirrors are used in laser systems.

It should be said that creating a real powerful laser with your own hands at home is unrealistic. For this, it is necessary to have special knowledge, carry out complex calculations, and have a good material and technical base.

For example, laser machines that can cut metal are extremely hot and require extreme cooling measures, including the use of liquid nitrogen. In addition, devices based on the quantum principle are extremely capricious, require the finest tuning and do not tolerate even the slightest deviation from the required parameters.

Required Components for Assembly

To assemble a laser circuit with your own hands, you will need:

Rewritable DVD-ROM (RW). It incorporates a red laser diode with a power of 300 mW. You can use laser diodes from BLU-RAY-ROM-RW - they emit violet light with a power of 150 mW. For our purposes, the best ROMs are those with faster write speeds: they are more powerful.
Pulse NCP1529. The converter outputs a current of 1A, stabilizes the voltage in the range of 0.9-3.9V. These indicators are ideal for our laser diode, which requires a constant voltage of 3V.
Collimator for obtaining an even beam of light. Now on sale are numerous laser modules from, including collimators.
Output lens from ROM.
Housing, for example, from a laser pointer or flashlight.
Wires.
Batteries 3.6 V.

To connect the parts, it will be necessary to determine which cable is phase, and where is zero and ground. This will help such a tool as.

In this way, the simplest laser can be assembled. What can such a handicraft "light amplifier" do:

Light a match from a distance.
Melt plastic bags and thin paper.
Emit a beam at a distance of more than 100 meters.

Such a laser is dangerous: it will not burn skin or clothing, but it can damage the eyes.

Therefore, you need to use such a device carefully: do not shine it on reflective surfaces (mirrors, glasses, reflectors) and, in general, be extremely careful - the beam can cause harm if it hits the eye even from a distance of one hundred meters.

Do-it-yourself laser on video

Have you decided to make something incredible using simple details? The laser is not considered a novelty in our time, but making it at home is not difficult. We will tell you how to make a laser yourself using a disk drive and a regular flashlight.

Attention! The laser power reaches up to 250 milliwatts. Before starting the experiment, take care of your safety and put on protective goggles (welder goggles). Never aim the laser beam at people or animals, especially at the eyes. The laser can injure a person.

In order to make a laser yourself, we need:

1. A device for burning DVD discs.
2. AixiZ laser pointer (you can take another one).
3. Screwdriver.
4. Flashlight.

How to find out the power of a laser diode?

You can determine the laser power by the characteristics of the write speed of dual-layer discs:

1. Speed 10X, laser power 170-200 milliwatts.
2. Speed 16X, laser power 250-270 milliwatts.

Instruction. How to make a laser?

Step #1. Unscrew and open the lid. We release and take out the carriage (the structure of the drive may differ, but each drive has two guides along which the carriage moves) and disconnect all cables.

Step #2. Having freed the carriage, we proceed to unwind the screws and parts to free the diode itself. The drive can have two diode lasers:

1. To read the disc (infrared diode).
2. To record a disc (red diode).

The right diode (red) has a board attached to it, use a regular soldering iron to release the diode.

Step #3. After a short process, we should get the diode in this form.

Many radio amateurs at least once in their lives wanted to make a laser with their own hands. It was once believed that it was possible to collect it only in scientific laboratories. Yes, this is true, if we talk about huge laser installations. However, you can assemble a simpler laser, which will also be quite powerful. The idea seems very complicated, but in fact, everything is not at all difficult. In our article with video, we will talk about how you can build your own laser at home.

Powerful do-it-yourself laser

DIY laser circuit

It is very important to follow the basic safety rules. Firstly, when checking the operation of the device or when it is already fully assembled, in no case should you point it at the eyes, at other people or animals. Your laser will be so powerful that it can light a match or even a sheet of paper. Secondly, follow our scheme and then your device will work for a long time and with high quality. Thirdly, do not let children play with it. And finally, store the assembled device in a safe place.

To assemble a laser at home, you will not need too much time and components. So, first you need a DVD-RW drive. It can be both working and non-working. It's not essential. But it is very important that it is a recording device, and not a conventional drive for playing discs. The write speed of the drive must be 16x. It is possible even higher. Next, you need to find a module with a lens, thanks to which the laser can be focused at one point. An old Chinese pointer may well be suitable for this. It is best to use an unnecessary steel lantern as the body of the future laser. The "stuffing" for it will be wires, batteries, resistors and capacitors. Also, do not forget to prepare a soldering iron - assembly will be impossible without it. Now let's see how to assemble a laser from the components described above.

DIY laser circuit

The first thing to do is disassemble the DVD drive. You need to remove the optical part from the drive by disconnecting the cable. Then you will see a laser diode - it should be carefully removed from the case. Remember that a laser diode is extremely sensitive to temperature changes, especially cold. Until you install the diode in the future laser, it is best to rewind the diode leads with a thin wire.

Most often, laser diodes have three terminals. The one in the middle gives a minus. And one of the extreme - plus. You should take two finger batteries and connect to the diode removed from the case using a 5 ohm resistor. In order for the laser to light up, you need to connect the minus of the battery to the middle terminal of the diode, and the plus to one of the extreme ones. Now you can assemble the laser emitter circuit. By the way, you can power the laser not only from batteries, but also from the accumulator. This is everyone's business.

In order for your device to assemble to a point when turned on, you can use an old Chinese pointer, replacing the laser from the pointer with the one you assembled. The whole structure can be neatly packed into the case. So it will look prettier and last longer. An unnecessary steel lantern can serve as a body. But it can also be almost any capacity. We choose a flashlight not only because it is more durable, but also because your laser will look much more presentable in it.

Thus, you yourself have seen that to assemble a sufficiently powerful laser at home, neither deep knowledge of science nor prohibitively expensive equipment is required. Now you can assemble the laser yourself and use it for its intended purpose.

Making a powerful burning laser with your own hands is a simple task, however, in addition to the ability to use a soldering iron, care and accuracy of the approach will be required. It should be noted right away that deep knowledge of electrical engineering is not needed here, and you can make a device even at home. The main thing during work is the observance of safety precautions, since exposure to a laser beam is detrimental to the eyes and skin.

The laser is a dangerous toy that can be harmful to health if used carelessly. Do not aim the laser at people or animals!

What will be required?

Any laser can be divided into several components:

luminous flux emitter;
optics;
source of power;
current power stabilizer (driver).

To make a powerful homemade laser, you will need to consider all these components separately. The most practical and easy to assemble is a laser based on a laser diode, and we will consider it in this article.

Where can I get a diode for a laser?

The working body of any laser is a laser diode. You can buy it at almost any radio store, or get it from a non-working CD drive. The fact is that the inoperability of the drive is rarely associated with the failure of the laser diode. Having a broken drive available, you can get the desired element at no extra cost. But you need to take into account that its type and properties depend on the modification of the drive.

The weakest laser operating in the infrared range is installed in CD-ROM drives. Its power is only enough to read CDs, and the beam is almost invisible and is not capable of burning through objects. The CD-RW has a more powerful laser diode, suitable for burning, and rated for the same wavelength. It is considered the most dangerous, as it emits a beam in the spectrum invisible to the eye.

The DVD-ROM drive is equipped with two weak laser diodes, which only have enough energy to read CDs and DVDs. The DVD-RW burner has a high power red laser. Its beam is visible in any light and can easily ignite some objects.

The BD-ROM has a purple or blue laser, which is similar in parameters to the DVD-ROM counterpart. From BD-RE writers you can get the most powerful laser diode with a beautiful violet or blue beam that can burn. However, it is quite difficult to find such a drive for disassembly, and a working device is expensive.

The most suitable is a laser diode taken from a DVD-RW disc burner. The highest quality laser diodes are installed in LG, Sony and Samsung drives.

The higher the write speed of a DVD drive, the more powerful the laser diode installed in it.

Drive disassembly

With the drive in front of you, first remove the top cover by unscrewing 4 screws. Then the movable mechanism is removed, which is located in the center and is connected to the printed circuit board with a flexible cable. The next target is a laser diode reliably pressed into a radiator made of aluminum or duralumin alloy. Before dismantling it, it is recommended to provide protection against static electricity. To do this, the leads of the laser diode are soldered or wrapped with a thin copper wire.

Further, two options are possible. The first involves the operation of the finished laser in the form of a stationary installation together with a standard radiator. The second option is to assemble the device in the body of a portable flashlight or laser pointer. In this case, you will have to apply force to bite through or cut the radiator without damaging the radiating element.

Driver

The power supply of the laser must be taken responsibly. As with LEDs, this must be a constant current source. There are many circuits on the Internet that are powered by a battery or battery through a limiting resistor. The sufficiency of such a solution is doubtful, since the voltage on the battery or battery varies depending on the level of charge. Accordingly, the current flowing through the laser emitting diode will deviate greatly from the nominal value. As a result, the device will not work efficiently at low currents, and at high currents it will lead to a rapid decrease in the intensity of its radiation.

The best option is to use the simplest current stabilizer built on the basis. This microcircuit belongs to the category of universal integrated stabilizers with the ability to independently set the current and voltage at the output. The microcircuit operates in a wide range of input voltages: from 3 to 40 volts.

An analogue of the LM317 is the domestic chip KR142EN12.

For the first laboratory experiment, the scheme below is suitable. The calculation of the only resistor in the circuit is carried out according to the formula: R = I / 1.25, where I is the rated laser current (reference value).

Sometimes, at the output of the stabilizer, a polar capacitor of 2200 uFx16 V and a non-polar capacitor of 0.1 uF are installed in parallel with the diode. Their participation is justified in the case of supplying voltage to the input from a stationary power supply, which can miss an insignificant variable component and impulse noise. One of these circuits, designed to be powered by a Krona battery or a small battery, is presented below.

The diagram shows the approximate value of the resistor R1. For its exact calculation, you must use the above formula.

Having assembled the electrical circuit, you can make a preliminary inclusion and, as proof of the circuit's operability, observe the bright red scattered light of the emitting diode. Having measured its real current and case temperature, it is worth thinking about the need to install a radiator. If the laser is to be used in a stationary installation at high currents for a long time, then passive cooling must be provided. Now, to achieve the goal, there is very little left: to focus and get a narrow beam of high power.

Optics

In scientific terms, it's time to build a simple collimator, a device for obtaining beams of parallel light beams. An ideal option for this purpose would be a standard lens taken from the drive. With its help, you can get a fairly thin laser beam with a diameter of about 1 mm. The amount of energy of such a beam is enough to burn through paper, fabric and cardboard in a matter of seconds, melt plastic and burn wood. If you focus a thinner beam, then this laser can cut plywood and plexiglass. But it is quite difficult to adjust and securely fix the lens from the drive due to its small focal length.

It is much easier to build a collimator based on a laser pointer. In addition, a driver and a small battery can be placed in its case. The output will be a beam with a diameter of about 1.5 mm of a smaller burning effect. In foggy weather or with heavy snowfall, incredible lighting effects can be observed by directing the light flux into the sky.

Through the online store you can purchase a ready-made collimator, specially designed for mounting and adjusting the laser. Its body will serve as a radiator. Knowing the dimensions of all the components of the device, you can buy a cheap LED flashlight and use its body.

In conclusion, I would like to add a few phrases about the dangers of laser radiation. First, never direct the laser beam into the eyes of people or animals. This leads to severe visual impairment. Secondly, wear green goggles while experimenting with the red laser. They prevent the passage of most of the red component of the spectrum. The amount of light that passes through the glasses depends on the wavelength of the radiation. Looking at the laser beam from the side without protective equipment is only allowed for a short time. Otherwise, pain in the eyes may appear.