How to make a laser at home. Homemade powerful laser

Do-it-yourself laser on video

Warning!

Let's find out.

Cooking.

This is a necessary minimum for the manufacture of a simple driver model. The driver is, in fact, a board that will output our laser diode to the required power. It is not worth connecting the 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.

We do.

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.

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

We try.

Looks terrible, but it works!

Aesthetics.

This is an option with minimal cost - 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.

Need to remember.

The word “laser” or “laser” is an abbreviation for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.” In Russian: - “amplification of light by stimulated emission”, or an optical quantum generator. The first laser, which used a silver-coated ruby ​​cylinder as a resonator, was developed in 1960 by Hughes Research Laboratories, California. .Today, lasers are used for a variety of purposes, ranging from measuring various quantities to reading coded data. There are several ways to make a laser, depending on your budget and skills.

Steps

Part 1

The laser needs a power source to operate. Lasers work by exciting the electrons of the active medium of the laser with an external source of energy and stimulating them to emit light of a certain wavelength. This process was first proposed in 1917 by Albert Einstein. In order for the electrons (in the atoms of the active medium of the laser) to emit light, they must first absorb energy by moving to a higher orbit, and then give this energy in the form of a particle of light when returning to the original orbit. This way of introducing energy into the laser active medium is called “pumping.”

Channel passage of energy through an active (amplifying) medium. The amplifying medium or active laser medium increases the intensity of light due to the induced (forced) emission emitted by electrons. The amplifying medium can be any structure or substance listed below:

Installing mirrors to hold the light inside the laser. Mirrors, or resonators, keep light within the working chamber of the laser until the desired level of energy is accumulated to be emitted through a small hole in one of the mirrors or through a lens.

• The simplest resonator or "linear resonator" uses two mirrors placed on opposite sides of the laser's working chamber to generate one output beam.
• A more complex "ring resonator" uses three or more mirrors. It can generate multiple beams or a single beam with an optical isolator.

1. The use of a focusing lens to direct light through an amplifying medium. Along with mirrors, the lens helps to concentrate and direct the light so that the amplifying medium receives as much light as possible.

   Part 2

   Construction of the Laser

   Method One: Building a Laser from a Kit

   1. Purchase. You can buy in an electronics store or buy online "laser kit", "laser kit", "laser module" or "laser diode". The laser kit should include the following:

      • Driver schema. Sometimes sold separately from other components. Choose a driver circuit that will allow you to regulate the current.
      • laser diode.
      • The adjusting lens can be glass or plastic. Typically, the diode and lens are bundled together in a small tube. These components are sometimes sold separately without a driver.

   2. Assembling the driver circuit. Many laser kits are sold with an unassembled driver. These kits include the PCB and related parts, and you have to solder them according to the supplied diagram. Some kits may have the driver assembled.

      Connect the control unit to the laser diode. If you have a digital multimeter, you can include it in a diode circuit to monitor the current. Most laser diodes have a current in the range of 30 to 250 milliamps (mA). The current range from 100 to 150 mA will give a fairly powerful beam.

      • You can give more current to the laser diode to get a more powerful beam, but the extra current will shorten the life or even burn out the diode.

   3. Connect the power supply or battery to the driver circuit. The laser diode should glow brightly.

   4. Rotate the lens to focus the laser beam. Point it at the wall and focus until a nice, bright point appears.

      • Once you have adjusted the lens in this way, place the match in line with the beam and rotate the lens until you see the match head begin to smoke. You can also try popping balloons or burning holes in paper.

   Method Two: Building a Diode Laser from an Old DVD or Blu-Ray Drive

   1. Get an old DVD or Blu-ray burner or drive. Choose devices with 16x write speed or faster. These devices have laser diodes with an output power of 150mW or more.

      • The DVD drive has a red laser diode with a wavelength of 650nm.
      • The Blu-ray drive has a blue laser diode with a wavelength of 405nm.
      • The DVD drive must be in good enough condition to burn discs, although not necessarily successfully. In other words, its diode must be good.
      • Do not try to use a DVD reader, CD reader and writer instead of a DVD writer. The DVD reader has a red diode, but not as powerful as the DVD burner. The laser diode in the CD burner is quite powerful, but emits light in the infrared range, and you will get a beam that is not visible to the eye.

   2. Removing the laser diode from the drive. Turn the drive upside down. You will see screws that will need to be removed before you can separate the drive mechanism and pull out the diode.

      • Once you take the drive apart, you will see a pair of metal rails held in place with screws. They support the laser kit. Unscrew the guides to remove them. Remove the laser kit.
      • The laser diode is smaller than a penny. It has three metal contacts in the form of legs. It can be placed in a metal shell with a protective transparent window or without a window, or it can be not closed by anything.
      • You have to pull the diode out of the laser head. It may be easier to remove the heatsink from the assembly first before attempting to remove the diode. If you have an anti-static wrist strap, use it while removing the diode.
      • Handle the laser diode with care, especially if it is an unprotected diode. If you have an anti-static container, place the diode in it until you begin to assemble the laser.

   3. Prepare the focusing lens. You will have to pass the beam from the diode through a focusing lens to use it as a laser. You can do this in one of two ways:

      • Using a magnifying glass as a focusing lens. Rotate the lens to find the right place to receive the focused laser beam. If necessary, this will have to be done each time before using the laser.
      • Buy a low power laser diode, such as a 5mW laser diode assembly with lens and tube. Then replace it with a laser diode from a DVD burner.

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 is able to 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 must 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. So that the future laser can be conveniently used, connect power to it and to give it an impressive look, you can use the flashlight case. 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 laser fixing, 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 way 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 safety 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?

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

Instruction. How to make a laser?

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

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 batteries 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.

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.