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DVD Laser Flashlight Hack!! 245mw!! watch!

metacafe.com — Turn a MiniMag flashlight into a burning laser pointer!! 245mw's of hot laser power!

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  • RipRapRob, on 10/10/2007, -34/+0"This video is being processed and will be available soon", and yet, 6 diggs? Buried!
  • nymphetamine, on 10/19/2007, -1/+121The guy sounds very enthusiastic about his lasers.
  • dupeduperson, on 10/19/2007, -1/+152Help me. I want one. This will go great on my shark.
  • Slackersrule, on 10/19/2007, -2/+92Disclaimer:

    YOU MUST TALK LIKE I DO FOR THIS TO WORK!
  • iNunchuk, on 10/10/2007, -5/+82who else thought his voice was cool?
    • Neiby, on 10/10/2007, -10/+9I thought it was really ***** annoying.
      • ByronT, on 10/10/2007, -2/+18You're just saying that because you're jealous.
    • airwalkery2k, on 10/19/2007, -0/+34Dude, I'd take a Infomercial voice-over guy like this one over the usual squawky pre-teen voice any day.
    • Protonz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2You get to recognize his voice from all his videos that make it to digg. I much prefer his style to the fishing one what just puts blurry text on the screen. I think his voice is a great hook.
  • facelogic, on 10/19/2007, -2/+37coming soon to retina's everywhere
  • johnkoer, on 10/10/2007, -13/+5I love the fact that one of the steps was BUY A LASER!
    • CeeJayDK, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I guess you missed that one of the other steps was, to replace the laser diode in the laser pointer you bought, with one that is 49 TIMES more powerful !
  • aclements, on 10/10/2007, -14/+1I call BS. There is a reason that there are electronics behind those diodes.
    • psygnisfive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17Behind the disk drive diodes? Well yeah.. it could be that they're reading and writing data to CDs and DVDs..
      • Krumm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Not just modulation, but also to limit current - this hack will give you a few minutes of fun before it burns out completely.
        The third pin, that he ignored, is usually a photo-diode feedback to let the driver circuit limit the current.
        Nice easy tutorial for a few minutes of fun, but I think a "don't look at it, or try to tattoo yourself" wouldn't have gone amiss.
        • MadOtaku, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Damn science! Making fun things possible then taking them away again!
        • psygnisfive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1All you'd need to do is cool the diode to prevent burnout.
  • edvas, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2damn, for me the Metacafe player says: Buffering NaN%
    • Exab, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Refresh the page, and click play again, works for me.
  • Clearz, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3Do you think this would work with a CD burner. I have tons of them lying around.
    • Urusai, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Those are infrared, and probably lower power as well.
    • Felekar, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Only one way to find out. But I think it should.
    • fluffyllemon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2According to the guy that made the video, "you need a burner and it has to be a DVD burner. CD readers do not have the correct diode and cd burners use Infrared diodes, not red ones."
    • Rooster99, on 10/10/2007, -0/+19Yes it would work. No you would not see anything, as it is Infrared. However, it would still pop balloons and light matches at close range. However it is ***** dangerous too, as IR does not travel in a beam like a laser, it is more like a torch beam, in that it spreads out over distance. This means that you have a powerful invisible laser, without any practical means of knowing exactly where it is pointing. That makes it really dangerious, because at the power levels those lasers will run at (150mw+) it will be really, really easy to do eye damage. At those levels, at close-ish range, the damage will be done to the eye, before the eye's blinking reflex kicks in. This becomes a huge problem when inexperienced people are playing with IR diodes, wire it up, turn it on and then they think its not working. So they look into diode, place it right infront of the eye, and turn it on to see if its working. While it isnt that bright, they just blasted their eye with over 150mw of IR, for more than a few seconds.

      So in short - DONT MAKE A LASER POINTER OUT OF THE INFRARED DIODE IN A CD BURNER! You will probably just hurt yourself or someone else, and it really isnt that great.
      • mastercheif, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10that is......***** ASWOME!!!
      • shaun1018, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15How come your wise warning only makes me want to build an invisible death ray of my own?
  • D3koy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+81Ok, next shopping list for Wal-Mart:
    -A dozen Mini-Mags
    -A dozen DVD burners
    -A dozen laser assembly things
    -A Big lens to turn 12 lasers into one super laser!
  • sb76117, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1blah. hes talking fast to save time. and im so taking apart my computer and doing this
  • Markers, on 10/10/2007, -0/+35I'd love to build one of these but I have this weird feeling I'd permanently blind myself trying to set things ablaze.
  • AlpineStars777, on 10/10/2007, -3/+42Pinky: "Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"
    The Brain: "The same thing we do every night, Pinky - Try to take over the world!"
  • DaleoftheUK, on 10/10/2007, -0/+37On most DVD-burners I know it says something about danger from the laser, radiation all that kinda thing.

    Then again who care when I can pop balloons!
  • cavie2002, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Hey isnt that the voice from the annoying americus diamonds commercials???
  • joltjake, on 10/10/2007, -2/+18It seems to me that with the 40 bucks you'll spend on the dvd burner, couldn't you just buy a powerful laser?
    • Rinnt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14You would think so, but I guess that isn't the case. http://www.wickedlasers.com/ has a slightly similar laser (as far as power goes) for over $300. Besides, there is a small level of satisfaction in knowing you built your laser =)
      • ihate2reg4u, on 10/10/2007, -1/+16That's when you know you are a true Jedi.
    • davidrools, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4the ones that can pop balloons and light paper on fire cost around $400+ They've gotten a lot cheaper lately. They used to be in the $2000 range.
    • narc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They sell the laser with protection goggles ... but when you wear them, how can you see the beam of your $2000 balloon popping laser ? I don't get it.
  • kestrel127, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9Add one of these to your shopping list: http://www.wickedlasers.com/Goggles-16-1.html
    • Rinnt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Good point. Eye protection when dealing with lasers cannot be stressed enough! Just make sure your goggles work with the laser nm.
    • davidrools, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4definitely. $40 for your eyesight is a bargain.
  • gafasiesornivek, on 10/10/2007, -14/+2I wish this guy would turn his 'powerful burning laser-pointer' on himself and see how that works. His voice is hella-annoying.
    • skasata, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13so are ppl who say hella. dugg down.
  • gafasiesornivek, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3Dear kipkay, please take your spam smack and smoke it.
  • JesseJ, on 10/10/2007, -1/+39DANGEROUS!

    You will go blind! You will get sued. I would NOT do this. I can't recommend that to anyone, just please play with knives instead!
    • seGGy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16I was thinking the same thing: SO DANGEROUS!

      Just look at the final results for evidence. Lights things on fire and pops balloons. You know what this means? It will first light your eyes on fire then blow them up.

      On a more serious note, yes, this will cause you to go blind. Some dumbass kid will do this and ruin his life.
      • wisam, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4It would certainly not blow your eyes up, but you will go blind for sure.
        That being said, I'm shocked there wasn't a big CAUTION note on this video.
    • eggo, on 10/10/2007, -2/+24People dumb enough to point a "burning laser" at their eyes don't deserve to see.
      • Flammadeao, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I wouldn't be so worried about someone pointing it at their eyes, more that they would get it in their eyes inadvertently through a reflection
    • Rooster99, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Ive had both my DVD laser, and my Wickedlaser 55mw greeny for over a year. Ive pissed a lot of people off but only when its been safe to do so. Like shining it right infront of them when they walk. Or shooting it over their house at night time and watch/listen to them freak out and try and figure out where that laser beam is coming from. Just do a few basic things and you will be fine.
      1) Dont shine at airplanes/helicopters. If you do, you will quickly find out why you shouldnt.
      2) Dont shine it actually on people, or at or near their face. I find 1/2-1 meter infront of them on the ground, drives people crazy!
      3) If the police show up, just put it away and walk away. They will probably take it from you, and you will have to go to court to get it back. Even if you have done nothing illegal, police will flip out because it seems dangerous.
      4) In general, avoid any situations where it may reflect off glass or something similar and shine into people's eyes, oncoming traffic etc.
      5) If it seems like a dumbass idea, then it probably is. Better to keep your laser then loose it because you were being an idiot with it. My 1st day with it, I had 1/2 the neighborhood outside the front of my block of units looking for the ***** with the green laser. Apparently they wanted to take it from me. Be warned!

      See you would have to be an idiot to actually do some damage with the thing. Just play nice, and no-one gets hurt.
    • buadach, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I used to work in a Theatre with a 10W (that's 10,000mW) Argon green / blue water cooled laser that I could light a cigarette off but nobody got injured as it was treated with a little bit of respect. Don't be such a health & safety nerd.
    • anonatron, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Kids don't
      play with
      too many
      knives
    • wicketr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4:sigh

      Next video to come out: "How to make fire using a stick, string, and tender". Someone will complain that some kid will shove the stick in their eye instead. Marks story as dangerous.
  • EvilFerret, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Hmm....I've actually been thinking about buying a nice laser to play around with, but since they're so damn expensive for a toy (I'm sure there's tons of practical uses behind them, but for me it would be a toy)....I just can't convince myself to pay hundreds of dollars for one. I wish the video was a little slower so he could go into greater detail on the steps, but overall it's good to know I could make one myself extremely cheap.
  • Torx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Would make a great personal defense tool. When your attacker is down from getting roundhoused in the face, pull out the laser and melt his eyes.
  • kestrel127, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Annoying voice or not, the dude has earned over 45k on that website
  • Rinnt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6I've actually taken some time to experiment with this after reading this digg article: http://digg.com/mods/HOW_TO_Make_a_DVD_burner_into_a_High_Powered_laser_2

    If any of you try this, definitely try to invest in some laser rated safety goggles. If you're like me and too cheap, you can use a web cam to "look" at the operation of the laser. Remember that even the reflecting dot can potentially cause eye damage if you hit a shiny surface.

    Another thing, and maybe it was just me, but I had a hell of a time trying to extract the diode. Took me a long time to disassemble the drive, and I still haven't figured a safe way to get the diode out of the heat sink. The diode is fragile and sometimes it is built right into the sink.

    You can (as I did) find a drive for free on freecycle. That can save about $40.
  • prabjot, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5http://www.instructables.com/id/EWM4YR2F4WY1LQ2/

    Detailed instructions!
  • ihate2reg4u, on 10/22/2007, -2/+40One word:
    ANTS!
    • LordSlashstab55, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9oh GOD yes
    • wicketr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Are wasp nests flamable? I could really have fun with those bastards in my backyard. mwhahaha!
    • rollingstone21, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Sure as hell would beat the old magnify glass any burning!
  • BobbyMC, on 07/21/2008, -0/+26Sometime tomorrow we're gonna have an article on Digg about a pioneering stoner who decided to impress his friends with his new toy by lighting a bowl with nothing but laser power. In the process the laser makes the slightest contact with the bong chamber and refracts in all directions, blinding everyone in the immediate area.
  • linkin2, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2I swear if someone point at me with this, I will go get my bazooka.
    • CaptainWeasel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6good luck trying to find it once you're blind
  • macbwizard, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9I want to try this with a laser from a blu-ray burner
    • MachoGrande, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Please do! While you're at it, can you send me some MacPro RAM?
      kthxby
  • Morphinity, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1It's not a ***** hack.
  • beerBeGood, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0The only problem with the one he made in the video is that you have to take the batteries out to turn it off.

    Anyone else notice this?
    • aznrevlazn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6you don't need to remove the batteries, you obivously have never owned a mag
  • AvidPreatorian, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2I pray kids don't watch this one.
  • supermanred, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Great for camping to start fires... be careful though keep away from children. They WILL go blind if they point it at their eyes (or your eyes)...

    Not for idiots, so keep the batteries OUT of the damn thing!
    • L0g1X, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I rather just use matches. But I appreciate your effort to rationalize the use of this laser pointer.
  • angrycat, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1Dugg for cat.
    • stiankarlsen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Man... are your priorities ***** up...
  • markthebum, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1could this take the place of a lighter? and is there any smaller flashlights you could do this with?
    • shibbyo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I think it absolutely could. I suggest everyone build one of these and point it at their own faces when lighting cigarettes at social gatherings.
      • LaserCo, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1hey both of you, I will post this twice, I built one of these much earlier than this guy did with a more powerfull diode. Ive used it as a lighter quite a bit! There is a video of it in action unfortuanately it ended up in the news section and not the video section, though I plan on resubmitting it to proper location in a few days or weeks, check it out it! It bounces of a ciggarette lighter and throws up awesome patterns onto my screen as it melts the plastic
    • LaserCo, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1hey both of you, I will post this twice, I built one of these much earlier than this guy did with a more powerfull diode. Ive used it as a lighter quite a bit! There is a video of it in action unfortuanately it ended up in the news section and not the video section, though I plan on resubmitting it to proper location in a few days or weeks, check it out it! It bounces of a ciggarette lighter and throws up awesome patterns onto my screen as it melts the plastic. This guy's laser will burn out very quickly, I a member of a laser forum and because of him we had hundreds of missinformed people thinking it is a 1/2/3 process - or simple.
  • Coolone84, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I'm curious as to how this would work with a blu-ray burner.
  • NikoKun, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I wonder how much of my eye's have been destroyed... by stupid laser toys as a kid... @_@
    *sigh* I can only imagine how much better my sight would be if I never played with those... -_-

    Nevermind the fact that THIS thing could blind you perminantly in under a few seconds...
  • Hewbie, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1hope this guy get sued when jr. blind himself/ or family/ friends :/
  • o0adam0o, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I wasnt sure if this was a "How to" or an upcoming movie.
  • diversionmary, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man
  • exnoosher, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Last time I checked, dvd laser diode or the mag lite was not on the prohibited list as a carry-on item on airplanes...

    http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm
    • LaserCo, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1I got mine past the metal detectors at a concert with an "oh, its just my flashlight", my style is not a maglight but a different style though, better actually, I have a video of it onliine here.
  • hakz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I thought this guide was cool for about 20 seconds until i actually thought about it and realised I will probably go blind or blind someone else if I built this
  • hyunseob90, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I bet flashlights are going to be restricted in airports.
  • grexeo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Just a warning to anyone thinking of trying this: These lasers are NOT I.R. filtered and can cause damage to your eyes even if you don't look directly into the beam.
    • LaserCo, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1What I.R.? , you are thinking of a different laser tecnique, this is pure red with nothing else.
  • imbob, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1how can i make a light saber?
  • wagimin, on 04/08/2008, -0/+0cool stuff


    http://myblogmart.com/
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