Ultra cheap 5mW lasers

[gb_astro]

Hi all.

Just wondering if anyone has tried one of those ultra cheap 5mW lasers on ebay?
I am after something for very occasional hand held use, so as long as the beam is just visible I would be happy.

Thanks,
gb.

[Davros]

I have one used on the scope occasionally for pointing the dob. It does the job but goes through batteries fairly quickly. They dont particularly like cold weather either, but they do the job.

[dannat]

there was something on the news the other night about the thousands of laser pointers customs is seizing..you would be lucky for it to get through..need to organsie your license first depending on state

[wavelandscott]

I have not tried any of them off of e-Bay but would strongly suggest that you understand the local restrictions on importation and use...

[gb_astro]

Ok guys, thanks for the warning, might stay local.

gb.

[leinad]

From memory ebay wont even allow you to place an ebay purchase if the seller is not in Oz.

[hulloleeds]

I have recently had a laser pointer seized by customs.

I didn't fully read up and assumed that by "permitted for astronomy use" it meant I could import. Wrong. Nasty letter ensued.

You can get permission to import one and if you're budget conscious it would be considerably cheaper (I didn't see any associated costs with getting permission bar postage).

I can understand, given the trouble that is associated with import of these items, but to mark up a $20 pointer to domestic price of $150 is a bit rich for the consumer, in my opinion. Still, I assume that at $150 the "idiot buys for non legitimate use" level is minimised.

Oh and one other thing. Even going below the maximum permitted power is not a sure thing. Customs will test the output of every laser and whilst I had been extremely mature in selecting a reasonably low powered laser, the test result just ended up being way higher than what I paid for anyway.

China sellers will send to AU. They don't care. They get their money, anyway.

[Starkler]

Be aware that the manufacturing of GLP yields a high percentage of duds that dont pass standards of output level and stability and are discarded as rejects. Many of these end up on secondary markets like ebay.

I know because I bought one a couple of years ago. Its pretty much useless.

If you're not buying it from a store that will back its products you're taking a big risk.

[JethroB76]

I dont know how true, but I remember reading that the cheapies can come minus important filters which can make them more dangerous ie. the wavelength they output.

[bobson]

AOE is selling laser pointers:

http://www.aoe.com.au/miscellaneous.html

They have up to 40mW for $149 dollars
5mW ones for $109 dollars

Now, how strong do we really need for just pointing at the stars?

Thanks

bob

[erick]

5mW is sufficient for reasonably dark skies and 6-8 people standing close to you. Big city suburban skies or a larger group of people, I'd go 20mW. Remember to obey State/Territory laws.

[bobson]

Thanks Eric!

cheers mate

[Poita]

For personal use in the backyard, the 1mw green laser I have seems stupidly bright and more than enough. I can't imagine a 20mw one!?!

[Shark Bait]

I had a look at the link in your other post. It is that same place that Suzy got hers from. I also purchased a green laser pointer from them. For $10 it works and is a bargain.

If you don't mind the risk of damaging the module you can tweak the pot to increase the output, making the beam a little brighter. I did it to mine and it is a noticeable improvement. It will probably reduce the 5000 hr diode life by half, but it is a simple mod.

[Astro_Bot]

Depends how light polluted your skies are. For suburban Brissie, replete with haze, streetlights and a neighbour's spotlights, 20mW is pretty handy.

[alistairsam]

I bought two of the 1mw ones from ebay from oz sellers and they work very well in suburban skies. $9 each posted.
I use it on my scope to aid pointing and can easily see the beam. 1mw is not too bright but does the job very well, so didn't see the need for a higher powered one with all the risks involved.

[mithrandir]

How far are you from a large town Peter?



In my part of Sydney 5mw is barely visible. 10mw works pointing out things for small groups. 30mw is probably a bit much but is certainly easy to see.

[brian nordstrom]

:) I have had a 5mw now for about 5 years , and it has not missed a beat ( touch wood ) , and the only problem is , as already said here is that they dont like getting cold :D .
In NZ that was a problem but I kept it in my top pocket and all was good .
Here up north that ain't a problem and the beam is plenty bright enough for people to see .
As said be careful on local laws , and as always dont be stupid with it .:shrug: .
We will all be OK with this ,if that was the case .:question: .
But yea 5 mw is plenty and buy local .
Brian.

[Poita]

My backyard is surrounded by lights, I have a streetlight out the front, and the town pool across the road that is lit up like a football field unfortunately.

[iTrooper]

I picked up a cheap 1mw off eBay, just finding it tricky to remove the laser from the casing so I can have a go at squeezing out a bit more brightness so others and myself can see the laser more clearly.

[bobson]

These guys in Egypt have plenty of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfagq8PjpM

[BlackWidow]

I have posted this before. Thier is a simple way of getting a higher power Green Laser. I have purchased about 5 green laser modules from EBay. They always get through as they are a part and don't operate until they are placed into a tube. Purchase a couple of real cheap low power red lasers ad swap the module in them for green ones. Just make sure you don't get the thin body red laser as the green use a fatter tube.

I have a couple of 60 Mw and a couple of 80 Mw and a 100 Mw. I find the 60mw plenty and got a little carried away
, but I will always have a spare.

Thier is always another way of doing things, and after all I love my hobby and find this a better tool for aligning with stars than using an optical device. Even more so now I am getting older with back troubles.... Oh the pain. LOL


Hope this helps

Mardy

[iTrooper]

Hey guys, I just did some reading, and the NSW Police Website (donno about other states) said that if you're a member of an APPROVED Astronomy group, you LEGALLY have the right to buy lasers above 1mw without the need of a permit.

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/services/firearms/permits/prohibited_weapon_permits/?a=136099

[BlackWidow]

There are different situations in each State. In SA we can purchase them as long as we are members or the Astronimical Society of SA or the Mars Society..

The issue is that Customes does not function on state law, but on Federal Legislatin. This is why they will stop the importation regardless of of your local State laws...

Just what it is

Mardy

[killswitch]

Thanks for the info. I would like to try one as a finder and pointer.

Can you link some examples of the fatter tube cases and diode to match it?

[BlackWidow]

This is the size style you need on E- bay. 380623305950 Item number:

The just search Green Laser Module and your set. Just make sure you get the module with the spring on the bottom for the battery connection like this one 120964461706 Item number:

If the module does not fit into your tube nice and tigh just use some metal shim or foil to hold it in place as it earths it to the body of the tube. The spring is the positive. It's really simple and anyone can do this. Save lots of money. I have been using my first one for 2 years now with no problems and its still nice and bright.




Mardy

[iTrooper]

If anyone has managed to import one of the 30mw or better as a "Module" I would LOVE to hear about it here, cuz we'd give it a go too.

[AG Hybrid]

I just imported 2 50mw laser modules from China for $36. Took like a month for delivery though. Delivery was however, free.
PM me for more info.

[iTrooper]

Wow, that's impressive AG, so..........how bright are they?

[AG Hybrid]

Apparently, when you put enough voltage through them they emit infrared light as well as in the green light in the light spectrum making them viable for scientific experimentation in laboratories. But I don't put near enough voltage through them with 2 AA batteries.
In regards to brightness at the highest settings I can get? Imagine Luke Skywalkers light saber except it stretches for a kilometer or so. I've turned it's output down enough to make a nice clear beam for pointing out stars and objects to people without blinding everyone in the near vicinity.
To get the actual laser going all you need is a AA battery pack and a soldering iron. I made a hand held housing out of some plastic pipe and a emptied out a texter marker. I painted it with chalk board paint to eliminate any stray light that may compromise night vision at eye level.

[killswitch]

After seeing Adrians light sabre last night i am thinking of making one.

I already have one of these handy USB powerbanks (http://media.kogan.com/tcache/01/ce/01ce4f573b6ce7ae2fac31cac81c832d.jp g) from Kogan (5v, up to 2A output, 6600mah).

I am thinking of buying a 50mw 3-5v laser module like this (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/532nm-30mw-50mW-Green-Laser-Line-Module-Diode-Locator-3-5V-Glass-Lens-/400502054175?pt=US_DJ_Lighting_Sing le_Units&hash=item5d3fc85d1f) and terminating the wires into a USB plug, so it can be a modular attachment to the powerbank. The on and off button is on the powerbank itself

Ive already made a USB fan from an old cpu cooler and it works just fine with the powerbank.

[Star Hunter]

OK, here's a question someone might be able to answer re Green Lasers.

How strong in Mw capacity would a green laser have to be, to be seen on dark, moonless nights with no LP, 10 or more meters away from the person holding it?

cheers,

JaBar

[iTrooper]

I'm thinking anything 30mw or more would be easily seen.

[killswitch]

I believe the visibility is also limited on the dust and moisture in the air. During a foggy night, its like jedi wars.

But the 50mw will sure do it.

[iTrooper]

I'd prefer a 1.21gw laser myself, but we can only dream ;)

[axle01]

I went a bit overboard and got a 200mw module off eBay (50mw would have been ok and cheaper) then mounted it in a heat sink then bolted it to a 3" dovetail wired in a on/off switch and a 3.7v 18650 battery.

I am waiting for a 12v to 3.7v converter then I will add a cigerette socket and run it off my battery pack.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/120800474518?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX: IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

To adjust the direction I mount the dovetail to a Vixen X-Y guide mount that I would normally have a finder scope mounted to.
http://www.astroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-007D.

I will post some photos ASAP.

[iTrooper]

Please let us know how you go with getting it through the Nazi like Customs checkpoint.

And do you have a link to this eBay laser you brought, we'd love to see it.

[Satchmo]

Laser modules are not covered by the laser pointer importation ban.

I have imported a total of 9 watts of laser power in my RGB laser projectors - won't be pulling out the laser diode modules to do anything silly any time soon :)

[iTrooper]

Wow that's awesome Mark, well at least I can give it a go at ordering the diode modules since we obviously will never be able to import anything that looks like a pen in this country.

[axle01]

No problem with customs, came straight to my letter box, I think it's because it was just a laser module and not a complete laser pointer.
Just looked for the link from my eBay purchase history but can't find it but I have since purchased one from
http://myworld.ebay.com.au/aptlightingworld?_trksid=p2047675.l 2559

And you must get one with a driver like this

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/High-Quality-LAB-200mw-532nm-Green-Laser-module-diode-suitable-for-standard-host-/330876154653?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d09c1731d&_uhb=1

You will have to bypass the switch with this one, easy with a small piece of wire and soldering iron.

[iTrooper]

A bit of an irony cuz that fits inside a laser pointer, so it wouldn't take much to remove the 1mw laser & driver I have inside my current pointer and throw this one in instead, and voila, a Death Star Laser you can use to take down the moon lol

[killswitch]

My 50mw laser finally arrived today. Ive resoldered from the laser board into a USB plug. Velcro'd it to my USB power bank and works quite well, very strong.

Without the powerbank, its not a battery powered/handheld laser per se therefore not illegal.

The laser came with a lens that projected patterns, took that out.

[iTrooper]

So I take it Customs didn't get all nazi on you importing that eh?

You're from Western Sydney huh? what part? I'm in Penrith, I'd love to drop by and see a demo of that laser in action, might pick one up and do what you did as well.

[killswitch]

Nope not at all, box was still stealed. Took 3 weeks delivery from HK.

If you come to the next meet at Katoomba id be happy to show you. Theres a few others there with DIY lasers too

[iTrooper]

Never been up Katoomba way, when's the next meet?

Loved to see how you wired up the USB as well (wouldn't want to fry it first go).

[killswitch]

Its usually the closest Saturday to a new moon. See (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=108696) this thread.

The USB is very easy to wire up. Strip a USB cable and take the black and red wires and match it to the existing wires on the lasers board. Solder and heatshrink.