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Thread: video goggles

  1. #1
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    Mar 2008
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    Default video goggles

    Hello this is my first post so bare with me.

    I have recently been bitten by the Laser bug. And I have a strong desire to build one, however self preservation instincts are ever present, so I will not allow myself to build one until I have proper eye protection. I have gathered many plans for many different types of lasers so I will need a broad wavelength protection or multiples goggles. However an idea occurred to me to one night: why not bypass the need for broadband protection, via indirect viewing of the laser. This is where the video goggles come into play, I was planning on using a pair of “3d goggles” ( like the kind you have hooked up to a video game or a TV) and then have them connected to a camera which I will place in front of the goggles. However is seems a high powered laser would easily destroy the CCD of a digital camera. So where is my question, any suggestions?

  2. #2
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    Dec 2006
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    I recommend getting different pairs of goggles and using the correct pair for the application at hand. Fooling around with video stuff would probably be awkward.

  3. #3
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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by Pinged View Post
    I have recently been bitten by the Laser bug. And I have a strong desire to build one, however self preservation instincts are ever present, so I will not allow myself to build one until I have proper eye protection.

    Which laser (specifically) do you plan to build? If it's a DPSS green, then buy a set of goggles that block IR and green wavelengths. If you want to build a multi-line Argon, then purchase goggles that are rated for those wavelengths.

    Basically as you build each new laser, buy a set of goggles that will protect you for the specific wavelength(s) that the laser will produce. (FWIW, I own three different sets of googles.)

    When you finally have enough lasers to build an RGB projector, you have a choice. You can either buy goggles that are rated for RGB lasers (narrow absorption bands centered at 650 nm, 520 nm, and 480 nm, while allowing all other light to pass), or you can operate it with only one laser on at a time (so you can wear the correct goggles) while you align it.

    Obviously once you've got it put together you don't need to wear your goggles while watching it...

    E-bay is a good place to look for deals on goggles. Also, one of the members here (Bridge) sells goggles. In fact, I believe there is a group buy going on right now for goggles. I think Mliptack is heading it up. So you might want to check that out too.

    The video goggles idea is OK, but like Gary said - it would be very cumbersome. Also, you *can* ruin a CCD by hitting it with a laser. (You end up with dead pixels.) Not a big deal if it was a cheap camera and the only goal is to protect your eyesight, but if you're using your brand-new Mini-DV camera to do it - well, you might be a little pissed when you burn a bunch of spots in the CCD!

    In my experience, just a couple hundred mw is enough to burn a spot in a CCD.

    The only people I know that use the video camera idea are those folks that are messing around with *very* high power IR diodes. In that case the video goggles idea serves two purposes. 1) it protects your eyes, and 2) it give you a way to see the otherwise invisible beam. (CCD's will respond to IR.) But for visible light applications I think it's overkill.

    BTW - welcome to the forums!

    Adam

  4. #4
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    Mar 2008
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    When its all said and done I will build a CO2 laser with a faraday rotator around the lasing cavity. Aside from that I saw a monster of a diode on eBay that ran at 100 watts. I will also see if I can use some magnetic fields to manipulate the beam (you got to love Tesla’s theories). So as far as safety is concerned I don’t think there ever could be overkill.

  5. #5
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    Cool

    Is the CO2 laser the *first* laser you want to build, or your "dream laser" that you want to build one day?

    If you're ready to start the CO2 laser construction now, then go ahead and buy the goggles rated for 10,600 nm. But they'll be pricey. Also, remember that a CO2 laser is capable of creating more than enough power to cause thermal burns... So you need to be *extra* careful. Remember, the beam is invisible! And it's not just your eyes that will be at risk, but rather *anything* that gets in the beam path.

    Also, your video goggles would be worthless for a CO2 laser. The wavelength is way too long for the CCD to detect.

    Adam

  6. #6
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    Mar 2008
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    The CO2 is more like a “dream laser,” building a CO2 laser the first time through is overly ambitious, almost foolishly so. Currently I am student of electrical engineering and I wanted to wait until I get a few more course in before I started. Right now this is more like the brain storming stage where I have everything planned out(or at least I think I have it planed out) and then I’ll put the idea in a bin somewhere and pick it up later. The video goggle were more of a safety idea then an observation tool, I’ll have to come up with something else for that.

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