Perhaps every lover of electronics and radio engineering at least once in his life dreamed of creating a laser with his own hands. Just a couple of decades ago it could only be done in a secret laboratory. However, thanks to progress and the general availability of components, it is now quite possible to create a laser from a regular DVD drive.
A laser, or as it is scientifically called, an optical quantum generator, is a special device that converts incoming energy into a narrowly directed beam. In the modern world, such products are most often used in space and manufacturing. However, every fan of “digging” into electronics can do it on their own, that is, at home with their own hands and without the use of special devices.
As mentioned above, a laser can be made from a DVD drive. However, you should not hope that its power will be similar to the Death Star weapon from Star Wars. A do-it-yourself optical laser is unlikely to cope with iron or wood. However, it will be quite possible for them to cut:
If you don't need a thread, you can use a laser from a DVD drive to:
In addition to the above options, you can create a wide variety of tasks with a laser made by yourself from a DVD drive. His potential is especially well revealed in the creative field.
To make a laser, you will need certain components. All of them are sold in regular electronics stores, so you don’t have to put in any extra effort. So, for production you will need:
As can be seen, to make a laser from a DVD drive, no complex components required.
As mentioned above, it is very important that the laser diode in the device is in working order. Therefore, it would not be superfluous to make sure of this. Otherwise, you will have to buy components from people selling spare parts.
You should also pay attention to the brand of the product. Devices from Samsung are not suitable for creating lasers. The reason lies in the absence of a special building, due to which the diode is especially susceptible to mechanical damage, contamination and thermal stress. It is quite possible to break it with a simple touch of your hand.
The best option is disk drives from LG. In addition to protecting the optical diode, crystals of various powers are installed in them. This allows you to know how much power the laser itself will have.
In addition to the performance of the diodes and the brand of the product, it is also necessary to take into account the type of DVD drive. Regular drive designed purely for reading information from the media. Therefore, to make a laser, you will need a recording drive that has an infrared emitter.
To summarize, there are 3 main requirements for a disk drive:
This process must be performed with extreme caution. If handled carelessly, you can not only damage the device, but also harm your eyes. The fact is that the laser can blind for some time and negatively affect visual acuity. Therefore, follow all the steps below slowly:
Some of the work is done. Now the homemade device must be provided with electric current. The power supply of a standard diode should be 3V, and the flow rate should be up to 400 mA. These values may vary depending on how fast the disk is written.
There are 2 ways of eating, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. However, each one is powered by a battery(s).
A distinctive feature of the first method is voltage regulation using a resistor. The laser does not require high power. Thus, the drive components the write speed of which is 16X, 200 mA will be enough. You can increase this value to a maximum of 300 mA, otherwise there is a possibility of damaging the crystal and forgetting about the homemade laser.
The main advantages of this method are the reliability of the product and ease of manufacture. The main disadvantage is possible problems with the placement of batteries.
It will be more difficult to create a laser using this option. In addition, the finished device is more suitable for stationary placement. The problem is in the driver (chip LM-317), which is a board for creating a certain power, as well as limiting the electric current.
As you can see in the diagram, to create a laser you will need:
Regardless of the environment as well as the power source, the driver will maintain 7V power.
The easiest way to make a homemade collimator is from a regular laser pointer. Even suitable the cheapest Chinese option. All that is required is to take out the optical lens from the “laser” (it is very noticeable).
The beam width will be greater than 5 mm. Of course, such an indicator is considered very large and cannot claim to be a laser. The stock collimator lens will help reduce the diameter to 1 mm. True, to achieve such a result you will have to work hard. The main thing is not to rush and not to lose composure.
Making a laser with your own hands is a very exciting process. It does not require any special components or large financial costs. Accuracy and a superficial knowledge of electrical engineering is sufficient. Once completed successfully, you can start using the device. The cutting laser easily bursts balloons, burns through paper and leaves marks on wood. However, when using, you should not forget about safety precautions.
When mentioning a laser, most people immediately recall episodes from science fiction films. However, such an invention has long been firmly established in our lives and is not something fantastic. The laser has found its application in many areas, from medicine and manufacturing to entertainment. Therefore, many people are wondering whether and how to make a laser themselves.
Depending on the specifics and requirements put forward, lasers can be completely different, both in size (from pocket pointers to the size of a football field), and in power, the working media used and other parameters. Of course, it is impossible to make a powerful production beam yourself at home, since these are not only technically complex devices, but also very difficult to maintain things. But you can make a simple, but reliable and powerful laser with your own hands from a regular DVD-RW drive.
The word “laser” comes to us from the English language “laser”, which is an abbreviation of the first letters of a much more complex name: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation and literally translates as “light amplification through stimulated emission”. It can also be called an optical quantum generator. There are many types of lasers, and their scope of application is extremely wide.
The principle of its operation is to convert one energy (light, chemical, electrical) into the energy of various radiation fluxes, that is, it is based on the phenomenon of forced or induced radiation.
Conventionally, the operating principle is shown in the following drawing:
When describing the basics of laser operation, everything looks complicated and unclear. In fact, making a laser with your own hands at home is extremely simple. You will need some components and tools:
The main part that needs to be removed is the laser from the DVD drive. This is not difficult to do, but it is worth knowing some nuances that will help avoid possible misunderstandings during work.
First of all, the DVD drive needs to be disassembled to get to the carriage on which the laser diodes are located. One of them is a reader - it is too low-power. The second writer is exactly what you need to make a laser from a DVD drive.
On the carriage, the diode is installed on the radiator and securely fastened. If you don’t plan to use another radiator, then the existing one is quite suitable. Therefore, you need to remove them together. Otherwise, carefully cut off the legs at the entrance to the radiator.
Since diodes are extremely sensitive to static, it is a good idea to protect them. To do this, you need to wind the legs of the laser diode together with a thin wire.
All that remains is to put all the details together, and the ROM itself is no longer needed.
It is necessary to connect the diode removed from the LED to the converter, observing the polarity, since otherwise the laser diode will immediately fail and become unsuitable for further use.
A collimator is installed on the back side of the diode so that the light can be concentrated into one beam. Although, instead, you can use the lens included in the rum, or the lens that the laser pointer already contains. But in this case, you will have to make adjustments to get the required focus.
On the other side of the converter, wires are soldered, connecting to the contacts of the case where the batteries will be installed.
This diagram will help you complete a laser from a DVD drive with your own hands:
When all components are connected, you can check the functionality of the resulting device. If everything works, then all that remains is to place the entire structure in the housing and securely fasten it there.
You can approach the manufacture of the case in different ways. For example, the body of a Chinese lantern is perfect for these purposes. You can also use a ready-made laser pointer body. But the optimal solution may be a homemade one made from an aluminum profile.
Aluminum itself is lightweight and, at the same time, very easy to process. The entire structure will be conveniently located in it. It will also be convenient to secure it. If necessary, you can always easily cut out the required piece or bend it in accordance with the required parameters.
When all the work is completed, it is time to test the resulting powerful laser. It is not recommended to do this indoors. Therefore, it is better to go outside to a deserted place. At the same time, it is worth remembering that the device made is several hundred times more powerful than a conventional laser pointer, and this requires using it with extreme caution. Do not direct the beam at people or animals; be careful that the beam does not reflect or get into your eyes. When using a red laser beam, it is recommended to wear green glasses; this will significantly reduce the risk of vision damage in unexpected cases. After all, it is not recommended to look at laser beams even from the outside.
Do not direct the laser beam at flammable or explosive objects and substances.
The created device, with a properly configured lens, can easily cut plastic bags, burn on wood, pop balloons, and even burn - a kind of combat laser. It's incredible what you can do with a DVD drive. Therefore, when testing a manufactured device, you should always remember safety precautions.
I think many people know that with a powerful laser you can burn wood, cut plastic and light matches from a distance, this is quite an interesting thing, so in this article I will tell you how to make a budget cutting laser, with which you can conduct interesting experiments, and also simplify the process assembling other homemade products.
Before you read the description of the assembly process, I suggest watching a video that clearly demonstrates the operation of such a homemade product.
In order to make a homemade cutting laser, you will need:
* DVD drive from a computer, writing speed must be at least 16X
* Soldering iron
* 3 capacitors at 10 microfarads
* Resistors 51 kOhm, 20 kOhm, 30 kOhm
* Pulse chip NCP 1529
* Battery with a voltage of at least 3.7 volts
* Switch
* 2.2 microhenry throttle
* Frame
* Foil PCB
That's all you need to create this homemade product, let's move on to step-by-step assembly.
Step one.
First, you need to decide on a DVD drive from your computer; someone probably has one lying around, and if not, then there are plenty of them at radio flea markets or computer parts stores.
From this drive we need only one element, namely a laser, which in such drives is usually responsible for writing information to a disk or burning it in another way. It is also necessary to take into account that optical drives that do not have the ability to write information to a disk are not suitable; we also include CD drives, in which the laser power is very low.
Once the drive has been decided, it must be disassembled. Having unscrewed the screws on the case, we get to the insides of the drive, here is the circuit and the very laser that we need.
Step three.
After checking the laser and the homemade driver, you need to make a housing for it or take a ready-made one.
Well, the homemade cutting laser is ready, which means it’s time to start testing it. This laser burns wood surfaces quite well, melts plastic and lights matches at a distance of one and a half meters, which I think is decent for such a small laser, as well as being easily accessible and inexpensive.
In literally all science fiction films and books, heroes used lasers to defeat the enemy. Laser beams flew out from their weapons, cutting and incinerating everything around them. But time passed and the laser became firmly established in everyday life, although not as a weapon. One example of their use is recording and reading CD and DVD discs. We will try to use these lasers as a formidable weapon that will destroy everything in its path.
We invite you to watch a video that will show you how to make a weapon at home, like one from children's cartoons.
To make a laser we will need:
- electrical tape;
- U-shaped box;
- CD rom;
- Battery 3.6 Volt.
We disassemble the drive to remove the laser head from it.
After removing the block, we proceed to removing the laser diode.
Please note that you need to protect the diode from static electricity. To do this, we shorten all his conclusions.
After cutting off the power cable, remove the diode in any convenient way.
The diode has three terminals, but we only need two of them.
The laser can be powered either from a 3.6 Volt battery or from a stabilized power source.
When working with a laser, you should use special red glasses.
Let's try to set something on fire. To no avail.
Let's turn again to the remains of the CD rum and pronounce the lens from there. We need to put everything into one body, otherwise we won’t achieve a good result.
We will use a U-shaped aluminum profile. It will serve as a housing for our laser weapons.
We isolate all solder joints and place everything in a metal case.
I want to warn you right away that I am not responsible for your actions! You do everything at your own peril and risk!
The other day I made a laser module for my own and here I’ll tell you how to make it yourself.
Some people don't believe it, but you can actually light matches, cut thin film, or burn plastic and wood with a laser from a DVD drive. So what we need:
I did not remove my laser from the original radiator. After removing the laser, let's start assembling the driver.
Let's put it all together. First, we drill a hole for the wires to the laser, then for the bolts securing the laser, and for attaching the lens. Where required, we cut the thread. We make a bar that will press the laser itself. Look at the photo for more details:
I think it’s clear why I didn’t remove it from the original radiator; I simply pressed it against the larger radiator with a bar. For better conductivity, I lubricated it with thermal paste. When soldering wires, do not remove the wire that closes the laser contacts before connecting to the driver.
We take the lens from the same laser head, the top one, which looks at the disk. I secured it to a PCB bush. We don’t put fingerprints on it or smear it with glue! The lens is afraid of glue vapors at the moment. Let's look at the photo:
We install, turn on the laser through the driver, and adjust the lens to get the minimum point. I get a point at a distance of 1 cm to the part and about 2 mm of the lens to the laser.
Well, here’s a photo of the finished module in operation on a CNC machine:
Of course, it doesn’t burn well on light wood, but if it’s a dark eraser, then it’s great. I'm doing this engraving:
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