[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by Paul Hatchman

SNIP
No. We use the AS/NZS 2211.1:2004 standard. An introduction can be found here http://www.griffith.edu.au/ots/Contr..._20feb2006.pdf

But I'd wait a bit until we see the actual legislation....

Cheers.

Thanks Paul. A quick look suggests that the two standards are broadly similar.

It seems to me that part of our problem is that the Class IIIb category covers a pretty broad range (two orders of magnitude - 0.005 to 0.5W) and we are near the bottom of the range. I don't think a 5mW laser is bright enough for our purposes but 10mW is probably OK and 30mW is plenty. (I'd be quite happy to hear other opinions about that.) So perhaps what we need is the lower limit of Class IIIb to be raised.

Would it help if the lasers were pulsed? They would likely be just as usable but perhaps less hazardous. Does anyone know if that is possible and at what cost - both $$ and performance.

David