AMERICAN SCIENCE & SURPLUS RED LASER POINTER

American Science & Surplus Red Laser Pointer, retail $3.70 (www.amazon.com...)
Manufactured by: (Unknown)
Last updated 02-13-11




(In reference to the padded envelope I received from Amazon.com at 3:47pm PDT on 02-10-11):
{sung like the Foreigner song "Feels Like the First Time"}


The American Science & Surplus Red Laser Pointer is...what else...a red-emitting directly-injected diode laser. That is, it produces red laser radiation directly, without the need for messy, fragile nonlinear crystals like those green laser pointers and the amberish-yellow and blue ones as well. It uses two AAA cells -- the same power source used in most other "pen-style" laser pointers and laser modules.

It is advertised to output 5mW of laser radiation at ~650nm.

It comes in a handsome brass body with a black finish and gold colored bezel, tailcap, and pocket clip.


SIZE



To get the laser to turn on, first be certain that there are a pair of AAA cells installed. If there isn't, then install them (see directly below; they're included), and THEN you can go irradiate something.

Press & hold down the button on the barrel for as long as you want or need the laser spot, and release pressure on the button to turn the laser back off.



To change the batteries in this laser pointer, unscrew the laser near the "business-end", throw the upper portion into the dustbin (garbage can), tie off the bin liner (plastic garbage bag), carry it to outdoor wheelie bin (wheeled garbage can), throw it in, slam the lid down, and wait patiently for garbage day so that the dustman (garbage man) empties the wheelie bin into his dust lorry (garbage truck)...O WAIT!!! THAT'S THE GOOD PART!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the two used AAA cells out of the barrel and into your hand, and dispose of, recycle, or recharge them as you see fit.

Insert two new AAA cells into the barrel, nipple-end (+) positive first. This is the opposite of how batteries are installed in most flashlights, so please pay attention to polarity here.

Screw the front portion of the tube back on, and be done with it.


Unable to measure current use due to how this laser was constructed.



This is a self-contained laser , and not a flashlight meant to be carried around, thrashed, trashed, and abused - so I won't try to drown it in the toliet tank, bash it against a steel rod or against a concrete porch, let my mother's big dog's ghost or my sister's kitty cats piddle (uranate) on it, run over it with a 450lb Celebrity motorised wheelchair, stomp on it, use a small or medium ball peen hammer in order to bash it open to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannoņata, drop it down the top of Mt. Erupto (I guess I've been watching the TV program "Viva Piņata" too much again - candiosity is usually checked with a laser-type device on a platform with a large readout (located at Piņata Central {aka. "Party Central"}), with a handheld wand that Langston Lickatoad uses, or with a pack-of-cards-sized device that Fergy Fudgehog uses; the cannoņata (also located at Piņata Central) is only used to shoot piņatas to piņata parties away from picturesque Piņata Island, and Mt. Erupto is an active volcano on Piņata Island), send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analysis, or perform other indecencies on it that a flashlight might have to have performed on it. So this section of the web page will be ***SIGNIFICANTLY*** more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight.

This is a directly-injected laser though, who's active components are the inverter circuit, the laser diode, and the collimating lens. So it should withstand accidents better than a DPSS (diode pumped solid state) laser - the type of laser assembly found in yellow (593.5nm), green (532nm) and blue (473nm) laser pointers. These lasers have several additional components (crystals, filters, etc.) in the optical train, and you can knock them out of alignment by doing little more than looking at them the wrong way. And if any of these components are knocked out of whack, you'll no longer get your yellow, green, or blue laser beam.
Though you still do not want to intentionally drop your red-emitting laser because it's a precision optical instrument.





Beam photograph of this laser on the test target at 12".


Measures 3.6708mW on a Sper Scientific Pocket Laser Power Meter # 840011; using the AAA cells that were fuurnished with it.



Beam photograph on a wall at ~10'.


Those colored graphics toward the left are my "Viva Piņata" posters, and that clock on the right that looks like a gigantic wristwatch is my Infinity Optics Clock.
You may also be able to see two of my SpongeBob SquarePants plush (Squidward Tentacles and Patrick Star) and a Digimon plush (Greymon).


Spectrographic analysis
Spectrographic analysis of the laser diode in this product.
Wavelength appears to be ~650nm, which is within specification for the type of laser diode used in this laser.


Spectrographic analysis
Same as above; but spectrometer's response narrowed to a band between 645nm and 665nm.
This shows that the wavelength is in fact 656.85nm.

USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.



ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis with beam widened (x-axis).



ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis with beam widened (y-axis).

These charts show the somewhat ovoid beam profile;
this is consistent with directly-injected diode lasers.

Images made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.






TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased on Amazon.com on 02-04-11 (or "04 Feb 2011" or even "Feb 04 Twenty Double Sticks if you prefer), and was received at 3:47pm PST on 02-10-11 (or "10 Feb 2011" or even "Feb 10, Twenty Double Sticks" if you prefer).

I have decided to rate this wonderful little laser four stars!!!
If something happens down the road, I can always derate it if necessary.





UPDATE: 00-00-00






PROS:
Uses inexpensive and readily available batteries
The price is right!



CONS:
No CDRH-mandated laser warning label on laser itself or on packaging
Feels a bit on the "chintzy" side


    MANUFACTURER: Unknown
    PRODUCT TYPE: Red-emitting laser pointer
    LAMP TYPE: Directly-injected red-emitting laser diode
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Very narrow spot
    SWITCH TYPE: Momentary on/off button on barrel
    CASE MATERIAL: Brass
    BEZEL: Metal; laser & lens recessed into its end
    BATTERY: 2x AAA cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER- AND URANATION-RESISTANT: Light splatter-resistant at maximum
    SUBMERSIBLE: For Christ sakes NO!!!
    ACCESSORIES: Batteries, foam-lined cardboard storage case
    COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: China
    WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





American Science and Surplus Red Laser Pointer Pen * www.amazon.com...






Do you manufacture or sell an LED flashlight, task light, utility light, or module of some kind? Want to see it tested by a real person, under real working conditions? Do you then want to see how your light did? If you have a sample available for this type of real-world, real-time testing, please contact me at ledmuseum@gmail.com.

Please visit this web page for contact information.

Unsolicited flashlights, LEDs, and other products appearing in the mail are welcome, and it will automatically be assumed that you sent it in order to have it tested and evaluated for this site.
Be sure to include contact info or your company website's URL so visitors here will know where to purchase your product.


WHITE 5500-6500K InGaN+phosphor 
ULTRAVIOLET 370-390nm GaN 
BLUE 430nm GaN+SiC
BLUE 450 and 473nm InGaN
BLUE Silicon Carbide
TURQUOISE 495-505nm InGaN
GREEN 525nm InGaN 
YELLOW-GREEN 555-575mn GaAsP & related
YELLOW 585-595nm
AMBER 595-605nm
ORANGE 605-620nm
ORANGISH-RED 620-635nm
RED 640-700nm
INFRARED 700-1300nm
True RGB Full Color LED
Spider (Pirrahna) LEDs
SMD LEDs
True violet (400-418nm) LEDs
Agilent Barracuda & Prometheus LEDs
Oddball & Miscellaneous LEDs
Programmable RGB LED modules / fixtures
Where to buy these LEDs 
Links to other LED-related websites
The World's First Virtual LED Museum
Legal horse puckey, etc.
RETURN TO OPENING/MAIN PAGE
LEDSaurus (on-site LED Mini Mart)



This page is a frame from a website.
If you arrived on this page through an outside link,you can get the "full meal deal" by clicking here.