JBTexas
0
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
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Mid to late 70's, I got interested in holography. Mainly from articles in Scientific American, etc. Also - just always generally interested in lasers - I think I read a biography on Maiman once.
So a bought a HeNe from Edmund Scientific. I was stationed in Augsburg, Germany at the time.
Guess what it was like to build and run a homebrew holography lab on an army base, IN the barracks? My commanding officers have ALWAYS considered me a bit nutz... radio amateur, shortwave listener... Junk all over the place (but neat and clean, organized). I had comms equipment... for me, that was a bit of "taking my work home with me", I was a SIGINT'er.
I was among the first computer hobbiests (first computer was a Southwest Technical Products 6800 system... 8 bit... buss speed / computer speed = 2 Khz). Mass storage = audio cassette tape, 300 baud. This was late 70's.
Later...
1998 or so bought a cheap red laser pointer from radio shack. On impulse + Cat Toy. At some point I made the mistake of putting it in the top of a closet WITH the batteries inside. 3+ years or so... innards = green goo.
Recently - Laserglow Lyra B-5 5mw green pointer (4-5mw). It be very purty.
Just about an hour ago:
From OLike, ordered a 200mw green Gatlin laser, extra battery/charger, and a tripod. :drool:
Eventually I want to get into DIY'ing.
=====
@ T-J;
At one time, at Fort Hood (back in the early 70s) they were talking / experimenting(?) with the concept of portable / practicle personal ruby laser weapons.
I am not sure how far they got... (it was kind of classified, but I was a JROTC at the time and overheard things on a field trip).
But instead of a Big 'Ole Battery in a backback, huge power cable, and xenon lamps, this thing would have used "flare cartridges". I imagine some kind of magnesium chemistry... cartridges that would be loaded into a mirrored "flash chamber" next to the ruby rod.
So a bought a HeNe from Edmund Scientific. I was stationed in Augsburg, Germany at the time.
Guess what it was like to build and run a homebrew holography lab on an army base, IN the barracks? My commanding officers have ALWAYS considered me a bit nutz... radio amateur, shortwave listener... Junk all over the place (but neat and clean, organized). I had comms equipment... for me, that was a bit of "taking my work home with me", I was a SIGINT'er.
I was among the first computer hobbiests (first computer was a Southwest Technical Products 6800 system... 8 bit... buss speed / computer speed = 2 Khz). Mass storage = audio cassette tape, 300 baud. This was late 70's.
Later...
1998 or so bought a cheap red laser pointer from radio shack. On impulse + Cat Toy. At some point I made the mistake of putting it in the top of a closet WITH the batteries inside. 3+ years or so... innards = green goo.
Recently - Laserglow Lyra B-5 5mw green pointer (4-5mw). It be very purty.
Just about an hour ago:
From OLike, ordered a 200mw green Gatlin laser, extra battery/charger, and a tripod. :drool:
Eventually I want to get into DIY'ing.
=====
@ T-J;
At one time, at Fort Hood (back in the early 70s) they were talking / experimenting(?) with the concept of portable / practicle personal ruby laser weapons.
I am not sure how far they got... (it was kind of classified, but I was a JROTC at the time and overheard things on a field trip).
But instead of a Big 'Ole Battery in a backback, huge power cable, and xenon lamps, this thing would have used "flare cartridges". I imagine some kind of magnesium chemistry... cartridges that would be loaded into a mirrored "flash chamber" next to the ruby rod.
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