THE LASER BOX V2.1 (TLBV2.1)
(BLU-RAY VIOLET LASER)
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Somebody set up us the bomb.

The Laser Box V2.1 (TLBV2.1) (Blu-ray Violet Laser), retail $160.00
Built by: bandtled on Ebay
Last updated 06-18-09




(In reference to the small box I received from T.L. at 2:44pm PDT on 06-07-08):
{sung like the Foreigner song "Feels Like the First Time"}


This is a unique violet-emitting laser module made out of a Sony Blu-ray laser diode (from a HD DVD drive, to be specific) and is homebuilt into a translucent blue plastic case. It has both momentary pushbutton operation, and continuous operation via a small toggle switch. And it feeds from an ordinary 9v rectangular transistor radio battery (also known as a PP3 and 006P battery).

What sets this laser apart from other Blu-ray lasers currently available is...well, there are two things actually:
  1. It uses a 9 volt battery, not lithium cells.
  2. It has an adjustable-focus beam.
As I stated earlier, it uses a Sony Blu-Ray laser diode that is reported to output 150mW of laser radiation at 404-410nm (nominally 405nm) in the violet part of the spectrum. Because it is at the violet end of the spectrum, it will not be as visible mW-per-mW as blue, green, or yellow laser modules, but the color is absolutely gorgeous, and is very radiant and unusual for a handheld laser.

This laser is found in the Blu-ray DVD blower (or "burner" if you prefer; but I've used the term "blower" for years in reference to PROMs {Programmable Read-Only Memory} chips; because you "blow" them to program them).

This product is homemade, and will not be rated like a commercial laser.


SIZE



To get the laser to turn on, first be certain that there is a 9 volt transistor radio battery installed in it. If there isn't, then install one (see directly below), and THEN you can go hose something down.

Press & hold down the large black button at the top right of the upper surface of the laser's body to send a cornucopia of coherent violet photons cascading from the aperture (opening) on the front of the unit. Release the button to turn the laser off.

For continuous or hands-free use, locate the small toggle switch just below the button, gently flip it to the right, (and if necessary) press & release the large black button near this toggle switch.
Flip this toggle switch to the left to turn the laser off.

You can set it down unattended for continuous operation and have it remain quite stable, thanks to those four rubber "feet" on the bottom.

Beam focus can easily be adjusted by turning the small black ring around the laser's aperture. Counterclockwise brings the focus closer to the laser; clockwise brings the focus farther away from the laser. Be careful when turning it counterclockwise; if you keep turning it, the lens will physically come off, and a small metal spring (this holds the lens in place) could fall out.

When you aren't using the laser, press the included rubbery lens cap over the laser aperture.
This helps keep the lens clean, so hair, dust rabbits, etc. do not get in there and foul it.


Here are two photographs showing the blue lens cap in place.
(left or top): Lens cap in place; laser off.
(right or bottom): Lens cap in place; laser on.



To change the battery in this Blu-ray laser module modification, locate the two screws in the upper portion of the laser's body, unscrew & remove the two screws with a small or small/medium phillips screwdriver, and set them aside.

Gently lift off the top piece. I say "GENTLY" here because if you reef on it too hard, you can break the wires leading to the switches.

Carefully disengage the expended 9 volt battery from the unicomplex...er...uh...the battery snap, and dispose of or recycle it as you see fit.

Snap a new 9 volt battery onto the snap, orienting it so the smaller contact on the battery goes to the larger connector on the snap, and vice versa.

Gently place the battery back into the body, orienting it so it fits snugly into the bottom of the case like the old one was.

Place the upper part of the body back on, insert, and gently tighten those two screws you removed earlier.

Current usage measures 90mA on my DMM's 4A scale.
This is a pretty high load to place on this type of battery; therefore, battery life will be limited at best.
This particular laser only outputs full power down to 8 volts.
9 volt transistor radio batteries are often comprised of six AAAA cells; which have a capacity of 625mAh (milliamp-hours) (in alkaline chemistry anyway).
To put it in terms everybody can understand, this laser is a dry cell hog (battery pig).

***VERY IMPORTANT!!!***
All future iterations of this laser will feature a constant current, constant voltage driver that will function properly down to just 1 volt - effectively sucking every last electron from a 9 volt battery!!! (Well, not *EVERY* electron, but you get the idea.)



This is a laser module, not a flashlight meant to be thrashed and abused. So I won't throw it against the wall, stomp on it, try to drown it in the {vulgar term for feces}bowl or the cistern, run over it, swing it against the concrete floor of a patio, use a large claw hammer to bash it open in order to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannoņata (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), a handheld wand that Langston Lickatoad uses, or a pack-of-cards-sized instrument that Fergy Fudgehog uses; and the cannoņata (also located at Piņata Central) is only used to shoot piņatas to piņata parties away from picturesque Piņata Island), send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analysis, or inflict upon it punishments that a flashlight may have inflicted upon it.

This is a directly-injected laser though, who's active components are the driver 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 modules. 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 Blu-ray laser because it's a precision optical instrument.

The laser diode is a gain-guided MQW (multiple quantum well) multimode unit.

The beam emerges from this laser larger in diameter than is usual for pointer-style lasers, but the beam "waist" (the smallest beam diameter) occurs much farther away than I can measure. When the optical assembly is adjusted to the smallest size at a distance ("infinity"), the beam diameter is smaller than it is at the laser aperture at ~18 feet (the longest distance I can readily and fairly accurately measure). It's even smaller than it is at aperture at a distance of 49 feet - reflecting off an ordinary mirror on the other side of the living room!

***EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!***
This laser is a CDRH Class IIIb instrument (it outputs more than 5mW so I cannnot legally call it a "pointer", and the photons generated by it are much higher in energy than the photons generated by a red laser module of equivalent power (besides, it's powerful enough to burn, destroy, and leave wrinkles everywh...O WAIT!!! WRONG INFOMERCIAL!!!), so you definitely do not want to shine it into your eyes, other people's eyes, pets' eyes, for that matter, the eyes of any person or animal you encounter. Eye damage can occur faster than the aversion or blink reflexes can protect them, regardless of what species' eyes you irradiate with this laser. So just don't do it.
And fer chrissakes (and for heaven sakes and for Pete sakes and for your sakes too) do not shine this laser at any vehicle, whether ground-based like a motorcycle, car, or truck, or air-based like a helicopter, airplane, or jet. And if you shoot it at a person in the dark and he turns out to be a police officer, he may think he's being targeted, unholster (pull out) his gun, and hose you down with it. Specular reflections (such as from mirrors, window glass, tile, silverware, steel shelving, etc.) are also dangerous to your eyes and the eyes of anybody else in the vicinity.

EXTREMELY, VERY, SUPER DOOPER IMPORTANT!!! I know I just said this, but it bears repeating: You MUST NOT shine it in your eyes, not even when the unit's battery has pooped out and it is below lasing threshold!!!!!!!!! You will have bright, long-lasting (several days!!!) afterimages if you do!!! The human eye was not designed for wavelengths much below 420nm in the blue-violet region of the spectrum.

The laser diode used in this device is capable of delivering 150mW, but it is significantly underdriven here (to 112.80mW with collimating assembly in place and focused to infinity) so it will be a happy diode and live a long, comfortable life.
When the laser was left at an ambient temperature of 87°F (30.5°C), power output with the collimating assembly removed was measured at 137.20mW.

On the underside of the front of the unit (the part where the laser aperture is) can be found a laser warning sticker. It does appear rather generic in nature, but it does appear to be for a Class IIIb laser instrument - which this laser is.

The lever/rod for the toggle switch appears to be made out of plastic, not metal, so please handle it relatively gently or it may break off and then you'll be SOL - especially if the rod broke while the switch was in the "on" position.

When its beam is focused to a point, this laser will cause a painful burning sensation on a finger within a second or two.

From an email from this laser's creator, comes this:

Not sure if you'll want to run it for long periods of time, as it gets really hot after 5 minutes. Since I don't have spec sheets for the diodes I don't know their limits. But some specs for similar diodes say 158°F (70°C). I've measured around 110°F (43.3°C) on the module before, though I'm not sure of the internal temp. Maybe they can withstand the heat over long periods of time, or maybe not. I'll have to do some thermal experiments sometime. I tried to heatsink it the best I could.

You'll also probably notice it go through batteries like crazy, since it's drawing 3 times more power. Once the battery sags below 8 volts the output will slowly drop. That's because the diode would like to run at ~5 volts and the current regulation circuit wastes ~3, totaling ~8 volts needed. I've also noticed a pretty high beam divergence when it heats up requiring a refocus.



Photograph of the unit with the green GITD lens cap on; shortly after irradiating it with this laser.
Unlike its predecessor, I left the desk lamp on for this photograph and still obtained acceptable results.


This is a wonderful little laser, and to use "1337 5p34k" ("leet speak"), "this laser ROXORS!!!"
If I could award a star rating on non-commercial products, I'm certain I'd award this product five full stars!!!



Beam photograph of this unique laser (narrow beam) on the test target at 12".
Beam artifacts & spiking do not actually exist; they were created by the camera.
Beam image also bloomed ***SIGNIFICANTLY***; beam is a lot smaller than this in reality!!!

That white & blue color does not really exist; the spot appears to be a very deep royal purple to the eye.
Digital cameras have a tough time at these wavelengths.

And yes, I know that the colors purple and violet are two different critters, but the phrase "royal violet"
would not make very much sense; however, most everybody knows what "royal purple" looks like.
Purple is a mixture of red & blue; violet is a spectral color, encompassing wavelengths of ~390nm to ~410nm.

Measures 112.80mW (!!!) on a laser power meter specifically designed for this purpose.



Same as above; only photoflash was used to help mitigate blooming.



Beam photograph of this unique laser (medium-wide beam) on the test target at 12".
Again, that white & blue color does not really exist; the lighted area appears to be a very deep royal purple to the eye.



Beam photograph of this unique laser (collimator removed) on the test target at 12".
I'm not certain what those dark areas at the lower left & lower right of this photograph are, so please do not ask.
They are also visible to the eye, not just the camera.

Once again, that white & blue color does not really exist; the spot appears to be a very deep royal purple to the eye.



Beam photograph on a wall at ~10'.
Again, that white & blue color does not really exist.

Near the lower right is a calendar my sister gave me.

And those faint green spots are from a Laser Stars unit.


All of my fluorescent articles I'd normally attempt to photograph have been packed away for a move to take place in late-June 2008.



Photograph of the beam spot at ~200'.
The albedo of this structure is approximately 0.50.
It was taken at 4:56am PDT 06-08-08; zoom was 4x for this photograph.
As you can see, the laser's focus wasn't quite at "infinity"; the beam spot appears a little large.

Once again, that white & blue color does not really exist.



Photograph of the beam spot at ~200'.
The albedo of this structure is approximately 0.35 (less reflective than the structure the beam photograph above was taken on).
It was taken at 8:34pm PDT 06-09-08; zoom was 4x for this photograph.

Once again, that white & blue color does not really exist.



Photograph of beam in moderately heavy fog.
Taken in north Sacramento CA. USA at ~5:45am PST on 11-22-08.



Photograph of a green-handled screwdriver.



Same screwdriver; handle fluorescing in this laser's 407.5nm NUV radiation.



Phosphor disc; I had attempted to "write" the initials "CJ" on it with this laser.
The letters are ill-formed because I had a rather poor angle to the disc when "writing" on it.



Beam from this laser in snowfall.
Photograph taken at 7:04am PDT 03-15-09 in Federal Way WA. USA.



Photograph of the warning label on the underside of the unit.
It reads:

DANGER
LASER RADIATION
Avoid direct
exposure to beam



Photograph of the laser's "guts".



Photograph of an oscilloscope screen, showing that this laser is CW, not pulsed or quasi-CW.

The small "wiggles" you see on the screen are from some other source;
they existed *BEFORE* the PV cell was irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the Blu-ray laser diode in this product.
Wavelength (peak value) appears to be ~407.5nm, which is within specification for this laser diode.


Spectrographic plot
Same as above; though the spectrometer's response band was narrowed to a range of 395nm to 415nm.



Spectrographic plot
Same as above; though the color was stripped.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer's response narrowed to a range of 404.0nm to 407.0nm.
Peak wavelength appears to be 405.67nm.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the white part of the eyes of a Patrick Star plush when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the white part of the shirt of a SpongeBob SquarePants plush (stuffed critter) when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the teeth of a Plankton plush when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Fluorescence of the tie of a Mr. Krabs plush when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the pink body of a Patrick Star plush (stuffed critter) when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a uranated* glass marble when irradiated with this laser.

*"Uranated" - infused with a uranium compound (one of the oxides I believe), *NOT* piddled on.
Commonly referred to as "Vaseline glass" because it has
a distinct pale yellow-green color when not being irradiated.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a pink Glow Ring.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a blue Glow Ring.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the body of an LEDTronics L200-TPP-180D pink LED when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the phosphorescence ("afterglow") of a GITD necklace after being irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the outer casing of a Dorcy Marshalling Wand when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the orange lens cap that was included with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the green lens cap that was included with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the light blue lens cap that was included with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a green Glow Ring when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the Tritium Torch when irradiated with this laser.

Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a piece of green "glow glass" included with this laser when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the outer casing of a Tektite Mark-Lite Fire Fly when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of the outer casing of a Eflare HZ530 Beacon when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a bottle of glow powder after being irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of a tritium "EXIT" sign when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the fluorescence of an Ikkakumon plush when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the "feet" of a Wormmon plush when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of fluorescence of a piece of green acrylic when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Fluorescence of the outer casing of the AB Moonbeams Nightlight when irradiated with this laser.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of fluorescence of the pink body of an interactive Guilmon when irradiated with this laser.

I used an Ocean Optics USB2000 spectrometer for all spectrographic analyses.
Spectral line halfwidth appears to be 1.65nm.

USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis w/collimating assembly removed.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis w/collimating assembly removed (x-axis).



ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis w/collimating assembly removed (y-axis).

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

Both of these also appear to show some beam defects that did NOT
exist in a previous analysis that was performed in mid-June 2008.


Images made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.

WMP movie (.avi extension) showing the product burning a mousepad.
This clip is approximately 2.699 megabytes (2,739,394 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than fourteen minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.


WMP movie (.avi extension) showing the product irradiating & spinning the vanes of a radiometer.
This clip is approximately 3.609 megabytes (3,645,396 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than eighteen minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.

WMP movie (.avi extension) showing the vanes of a radiometer incandescing when irradiated with this laser.
A green filter (Roscolux #2004) was held in front of the camera lens for this clip.
This clip is approximately 0.939 megabytes (946,438 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than four and a half minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.

WMP movie (.avi extension) showing the laser causing a balloon to "destruct".
The only sound you should pay attention to is that of the explosive decompression of a balloon.
This clip is approximately 0.652 megabytes (682,256 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than two minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.

I cannot provide these clips in other formats, so please do not ask.


And here's a photograph of an Exveemon plush with this laser. Exveemon is blue, and has a weapon called a "Vee Laser".
Veemon, digivolve to...EXVEEMON!!!
{shouting} VEEEEEE LASERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

The Vee Laser isn't blue, but Exveemon himself is,
so I believed it appropriate for this web page.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was originally purchased on Ebay on 02-25-08 and was received on the afternoon of 02-27-08; it was then retrofitted with a new laser diode for much higher output power in June 2008 (the upgrade was received on 06-07-08).

The creator of this laser's first name is Tom; you may about the laser if you wish.

On 06-08-08, with at least several minutes use on the included battery (an Energizer with an expiration date of March 2012), power output measures 111.9mW (collimator on), and 137.5mW (collimator off) with an ambient temperature of 81°F (27.2°C).


UPDATE: 03-02-09
Power output was measured at 99.10mW (collimator on), and 122.70mW (collimator off).
Ambient temp. 73.0°F (22.8°C).
These measurements were taken on the morning of 02-22-09 with a new store brand 9V battery installed in the unit.
So, power output has decreased, but not by all that much considering the "on-time" I've put on this laser.


UPDATE: 03-28-09
I noticed that this laser was not all that more intense (to the naked eye) than this laser, so I installed a known-new battery (purchased new on 03-26-09)...same thing. So I whipped out ye 'ole laser power meter and took a measurement...23.80mW (with collimator in place) and 31.90mW (with collimator removed)...so I guess the Blu-ray laser diode really *IS* whirling down the {vulgar term for feces}bowl.
The battery tested 100% on a ZTS Pulse Load Multi-Battery Tester™, so I can rule that out.


UPDATE: 06-18-09
I have packaged up this laser for return to its creator for repair.
I removed the Bat-A-Ree...er...uh...BATTERY (there I go thinking about the metal band Metallica again!) to save weight. The battery is not necessary in order to boost structural integrity; the unit has a rather thick construction that should hold up just fine in the mail system.





PROS:
***VERY*** bright violet beam (well, "bright" for violet light that is!!!)
Collimating assembly is easily adjustable to change laser's beam focus
Includes lens cap to help protect the lens during storage and transport
Well-constructed; appears to be at least reasonably durable


CONS:
Just the usual for lasers which do not affect rating anyway - otherwise none I have yet to find


    MANUFACTURER: N/A
    PRODUCT TYPE: Violet-emitting laser module
    LAMP TYPE: Sony Blu-ray laser diode
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Variable from very narrow spot to medium spot
    SWITCH TYPE: Momentary pushbutton on/off, continuous on/off toggle
    CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
    BEZEL: Metal; laser diode & optics recessed into it
    BATTERY: 1x 9 volt transistor radio battery
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 90mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Light splatter/weather-resistance only
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: 1x 9 volt transistor radio battery, GITD rubber lens cap
    SIZE: 3.2" L, 1.5" W, 0.9" D
    WEIGHT: 3.05oz (with alkaline battery)
    WARRANTY: N/A

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Product is homemade and will not be rated like a commercial laser





The Laser Box V2.1 (TLBV2.1) (Blu-ray Violet Laser) *






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