Recent content by playludesc

Yep, to give a slightly more thorough answer, voltage is voltage. As long as the added voltage of all the batteries you're using/have stacked in the tube are roughly the same, your diode will be fine. The other numbers you reference (mAh), designate how long the battery will last before it...

If I were planning to pick up a guy suspected of possessing a high-powered laser, I would probably choose a vehicle painted in a color more reflective than black. Just saying... :P

Right. I think what the guys at Lockheed and MIT are trying to do is fundamentally different from what is necessary for this project to function at an effective 100w with a nice energy density. That being said, what ricktrent4 did was some knife edging, basically following this diagram...

So, are these folks talking about combining different laser beams perfectly? Like absolutely perfectly? Like "reading a disc/interplanetary communication" perfectly? Do we need that kind of accuracy for an idea like this? Won't the beams still transfer their net total of energy if we get...

Probably the most helpful comment so far. Definitely going to have to look into diffraction gratings more deeply, but I don't like the sound of that word "diffraction". (Most of you will probably discover that I'm currently a total novice in this field. If it seems like if I've only spent 3...

So... You're saying that beam collimation is important if we want this to work? I mean, you're right, that's a lot of watts for very little results, but I think we can do better with our device. The approximate energy density of the laser you mentioned is something like 150 W/cm^2. If we...

Thanks for your response Sigurthr! This is exactly the kind of feedback/discussion I was hoping for. Like I said, even I don't think this is a particularly great idea, but I really want to bounce it around and see how practical a device like this might be. I feel like cheaper might be...

Alrighty, I made an intro post in the welcome forum, I hope it gives you guys a good idea of who I am and why I want to get into the laser hobby! http://laserpointerforums.com/f37/new-member-interested-long-range-burning-93793.html

At the risk of being cliche, I figured I'd just come right out and say it: I've always been a function-over-form kind of guy and I think the most interesting aspect of lasers is the ability to transfer directed energy at range without all the fury and noise of firearms and flamethrowers. I...

All jokes aside, I'm sorry for jumping the gun with my post. I spend most of my time on forums where talking about improvised weapons is expected and encouraged and I might have blended cultures a bit too much here. Additionally, I've never worked with lasers before (outside of playing with my...

First-time poster here, so excuse me if I commit an LPF faux pas or two, but I have a few questions about the (in)feasibility of using a 20 diode array of 5-6w modules to create a 100-120w device. That being said, please accept the following as a hypothetical thought-experiment about the...