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Thread: mw question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    7

    Default mw question

    up to what mw green is safe to use indoors

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central Florida
    Posts
    7,067

    Lightbulb

    That has to be the trickiest question I have seen all day...

    Safe for what? Rumor has it, The FDA says, anything higher than 4 or 5mW can be dangerous, i.e., powerful enough to damage your eye in less time than it takes for your eye to blink. As in, if your eye is hit, the laser causes damage to your eye, faster than your eye blink reflex can shut your eye. That is why you see lasers for sale that are 4.95mW that are considered "legal" with out a varience. This is also for any color. 100mW of red will do the same damage as 100mW of green, yello, or blu ray.

    Personally, any laser can be dangerous, but I would say for using a pointer in a school enviorment, 3mW of green is safe for indoors.

    Welcome to PL.
    Love, peace, and grease,

    allthat... aka: aaron@pangolin

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    7

    Default

    actually green is much worse because of absorption. I mean to say, What level is safe to look at the dot and have the dot a few feet away from you so that the reflection off the wall wont cause any eye damage. My friend has a 75 and I'm pretty sure its too bright.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Milwaukee WI
    Posts
    1,355

    Default

    Thats not really true... Green laser light (along with any type of green light) looks brighter for a given output, but it does not mean it is more damaging.

    A one watt laser pointed at a wall could be safe to look at the diffuse reflection - of course depending upon the situation. How far the laser is from the wall, the divergence of the beam, how far you are standing from the wall, what color the wall is painted etc.

    Quite honestly given the info you have provided, I, along with anyone else, would not be able to give you a definitive answer. But as a rule of thumb- if its anywhere near discomforting - it probably is dangerous.

    Just be safe- take precaution- and guard your eyes with your life! Oh an welcome to PL- its a great world of knowledge! I am sure if you stick around you will learn a lot of VERY valuable information!

    -max

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Toronto Canada
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    1,120

    Default

    Indoor.. What indoor?. There is a big range of indoors ranging from a washroom or a stadium.
    I hired an Italian guy to do my wires. Now they look like spaghetti!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    7

    Default

    ok ok true. I said a few feet away already, and i mean a white wall, and also what is safe to look at through some glasses? thanks for any help.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central Florida
    Posts
    7,067

    Lightbulb

    I look at my 300mW RGB dot on a white wall for an hour or so daily. For a good 10 to 15 minutes I warm the lasers up at full strength and a static beam that has to be over 500mW with 100% green. I have a small room also, I am about 10 feet from the wall... Nice tight beam at this distance.

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