Holiday Lights and Laser Dangers

John Huntington’s Blog has covered a lot of holiday light displays over the years. Brooklyn’s Holiday Light Spectacular is the newest one covered on the blog. It tells about Holiday Light Spectacular display with nice pictures, and also gives details on technology behind the display.

If you want to do your own holiday light display then here are some links to interesting project ideas from around Internet: Control your holiday lights with a magic wand circuit allows you to turn on your holiday bulbs with a wave of the magic wand. DIY Christmas Light Suit project uses LabVIEW to perform sound analysis of a playing music and uses LabVIEW Interface for Arduino (LIFA) to drive various Christmas light strings based on the power level at various frequency ranges. Smart Christmas Tree Lights with JenNet-IP video plays with the idea that “What if every Christmas tree light had an Internet address?”. Don’t forget my older Christmas Lights blog postings.

dav1dp_christmas_tree_in_lights

Light shows are nice to watch, but the technology used in them be can dangerous. Blink-182′s Mark Hoppus’ Retina Damaged by a Show Laser posting tells about the potential dangers of light displays that involve powerful lasers. In video Mark Hoppus Presents: The World’s Most Powerful Touring Laser Blink-182‘s bassist and singer Mark Hoppus talks about how he suffered retinal damage during a show in Milwaukee. In the video, he does a pretty good job of explaining how the laser show process works in terms of protecting the audience and what went wrong in performance. That show used a very powerful 26W Lightwave Lightwave Prism Series laser show equipment (you have read right, that’s watts, NOT milliwatts you normally see in most laser specifications).

wrywry_scary_laser

Remember that this kind of laser damage to eye is usually permanent. Primary personal hazards of high-power laser exposure are skin burns, blind spots when the laser strikes the retina, and the worst case total blindness. Lasers have been coming back into vogue in recent years on touring concerts, so be careful if you happen to be near them or operate them. Remember Laser Safety. There is also a a growing concern over the increased potential risk of eye damage from high power LEDs as well because intense blue light can cause damage to the retina. Do not stare at lasers or very high brightness LEDs, because doing so may cause permanent damage to your eyes. Remember that lasers can also damage cameras and camcorders, and even video projector chips (DLP).

229 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    LASER LINK
    COMMUNICATOR
    http://www.radanpro.com/Radan2400/Laser/Laser%20Link%20Communicator.htm

    There’s something rather futuristic about talking ‘over’ a laser beam, which is what this inexpensive project allows. It will easily give a communication distance of several hundred metres, and with a parabolic light reflector, up to several kilometres. It transmits high quality audio and the link is virtually impossible for anyone else to tap into.

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    A Ball Lens For Optical Fiber Coupling On The Cheap
    https://hackaday.com/2022/02/21/a-ball-lens-for-optical-fiber-coupling-on-the-cheap/

    It’s fair to say that for most of us, using a fiber optic cable for digital audio or maybe networking will involve the use of an off-the-shelf termination. We snap the cable into the receptacle, and off we go. We know that inside there will be an LED and some lenses, but that’s it. [TedYapo] though has gone a little further into the realm of fibers, by building his own termination. Faced with the relatively high cost of the ball lenses used to focus light from an LED into the end of the fiber he started looking outside the box. He discovered that spherical glass anti-bumping balls used when boiling fluids in laboratories make an acceptable and much cheaper alternative.

    A ball lens has an extremely short focal length, meaning that this same property which allowed Antonie van Leeuwenhoek to use them in his microscopes is ideal for LED focusing in a small space at the end of a fiber. Chromatic aberrations are of no consequence for light of a single wavelength. It seems that the glass balls are uniformly spherical enough to do the job.

    https://twitter.com/tedyapo/status/1494875323204345863

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Computer Laser Show 12VDC. Sarja sisältää mm. 3 kpl Mabuchi FF-180PH moottoreita.
    http://www.bebek.fi/kauppa/lisatiedot.php?&tuote_id=16479

    Kit To solder yourself
    Motors 3 individually controlled reflecting motors
    Operating voltage 12 V/DC stabilised
    Power consumption 350 MHz (connection at the LPT 1 printer port). The enclosed software is intended for the operating system WIN 95 – 98. Laser is not enclosed (you may connect directly almost every spot laser 3 Volt, 50mA available on the market). Larger lasers require an own power supply. Many different laser figures can be projected onto a wall and be stored in the computer.
    Floppy disk included!

    http://www.kemo-electronic.de/en/downloads.php

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser to Fiber Coupler with Receptacle Instruction Video
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahDbh5UrwNc

    In non-contact style source couplers, an air gap exists between the fiber and the lens. This design is more flexible, allowing a wide range of lens types and focal lengths to be used. The distance between the fiber and the lens can be adjusted to compensate the changes in the source wavelengths or to intentionally defocus the laser beam to prevent arcing in high power laser to multimode fiber applications.

    Align Fiber Collimators to Create Free Space Between Single Mode Fibers | Thorlabs Insights
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gztPwrKodq8

    Two collimators, inserted into a fiber optic setup, provide free-space access to the beam. The first collimator accepts the highly diverging light from the first fiber and outputs a free-space beam, which propagates with an approximately constant diameter to the second collimator. The second collimator accepts the free-space beam and couples that light into the second fiber. Some collimation packages, including the pair used in this demonstration, are designed for use with optical fibers and mate directly to fiber connectors.

    Ideally, 100% of the light emitted by the first fiber would be coupled into the second fiber, but some light will always be lost due to reflections, scattering, absorption, and misalignment. Misalignment, typically the largest source of loss, can be minimized using the alignment and stabilization techniques described in this video.

    In this demonstration, the first fiber is single mode. The optical power incident on the second collimator, as well as the power output by the second fiber, are measured. When the second fiber is multimode with a 50 µm diameter core, alignment resulted in 91% of the power incident on the second collimator being measured at the fiber output. This value was 86% when the second fiber was single mode. Some differences in collimator designs, and their effects on the characteristics of the collimated beams, are also discussed.

    00:00 – Introduction
    00:41 – Characteristics of Collimated Beams
    02:32 – Reduce Degrees of Freedom
    03:46 – Baseline Power Measurement
    04:37 – Coarse Alignment Using a Multimode Fiber
    06:38 – Attach Single Mode Fiber to Second Collimator
    08:28 – First Alignment Approach: Misalign & Maximize
    10:02 – Second Alignment Approach: Misalign & Misalign

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser Diode to Fiber Coupling
    https://www.fiberoptics4sale.com/blogs/archive-posts/95046790-laser-diode-to-fiber-coupling

    The brute-force approach of simply butting an optical fiber almost against the laser diode allows for only about 10-20% coupling efficiency, or a 7 to 10dB coupling loss.

    This is partially because that the laser diode emission pattern is somewhat elliptical. Analytical expressions for such patterns have been used for both LED and LD (laser diode).

    So other coupling techniques were developed using various lenses to reduce the coupling loss.

    The coupling efficiency is very sensitive to the alignment.

    The mechanical stability of the coupling technique is also very important. It must have stability against mechanical vibrations and temperature fluctuation.

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser diode self-mixing: Range-finding and sub-micron vibration measurement
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUdro-6u2Zg

    A plain laser diode can easily measure sub-micron vibrations from centimeters away by self-mixing interferometry! I also show how this technique can be used for range-finding.

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.amstechnologies-webshop.com/huld-laser-diode-to-fiber-couplers-oz-optics-sw10522

    Coupling a LASER into a single mode fiber
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQvhbJbDG0M

    A demonstration of how to couple a laser in free space into an optical fiber.

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    About laser Listener DIY a laser bug
    https://www.laserpointerreview.com/about-laser-listener-diy-a-laser-bug-10457

    Spy novels I saw a long time ago, It means firing a laser beam onto the window,
    Then, the voice can be recorded according to the vibration of the returned beam.

    About laser Listener DIY a laser bug
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEga0jzpcws

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    A Ball Lens For Optical Fiber Coupling On The Cheap
    https://hackaday.com/2022/02/21/a-ball-lens-for-optical-fiber-coupling-on-the-cheap/

    t’s fair to say that for most of us, using a fiber optic cable for digital audio or maybe networking will involve the use of an off-the-shelf termination. We snap the cable into the receptacle, and off we go. We know that inside there will be an LED and some lenses, but that’s it. [TedYapo] though has gone a little further into the realm of fibers, by building his own termination. Faced with the relatively high cost of the ball lenses used to focus light from an LED into the end of the fiber he started looking outside the box. He discovered that spherical glass anti-bumping balls used when boiling fluids in laboratories make an acceptable and much cheaper alternative.

    A ball lens has an extremely short focal length, meaning that this same property which allowed Antonie van Leeuwenhoek to use them in his microscopes is ideal for LED focusing in a small space at the end of a fiber. Chromatic aberrations are of no consequence for light of a single wavelength.

    https://twitter.com/tedyapo/status/1494875323204345863

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Understanding Ball Lenses
    https://www.edmundoptics.eu/knowledge-center/application-notes/optics/understanding-ball-lenses/

    Ball lenses are great optical components for improving signal coupling between fibers, emitters, and detectors. They are also used in endoscopy, bar code scanning, ball pre-forms for aspheric lenses, and sensor applications. Ball lenses are manufactured from a single substrate of glass and can focus or collimate light, depending upon the geometry of the input source. Half-ball lenses are also common and can be interchanged with full ball lenses if the physical constraints of an application require a more compact design.

    https://www.edmundoptics.com/f/n-bk7-ball-lenses/12436/

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    PRO vs. DIY | Is my laser beam dump any good?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYI4nET5-fk

    Is my homebuilt laser beam dump any good compared to an expensive professional model? Or can I improve it by 3D printing a holder for a variable aperture? Let’s find out!

    One thing to keep in mind is that the pro model is a lot more compact. That’s probably a major factor for lab use

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser Driver Design Keeps Safety First
    https://hackaday.com/2022/05/29/laser-driver-design-keeps-safety-first/

    [Les] from [Les’ Lab] has designed a driver for laser diodes up to 10 watts, and decided to show us how it operates, tells us what we should keep in mind when designing such a driver, and talks about laser safety in general. This design is an adjustable current regulator based on the LM350A, able to provide up to 10 watts of power at about 2 volts – which is what his diode needs. Such obscure requirements aren’t easily fulfilled by commonly available PSUs, which is why a custom design was called for.

    Of course, safety concerns go beyond the driver’s features, and so does [Les], feeling that we should know what goes into operating a laser of such power. He explains the importance of choosing proper safety glasses for the wavelengths involved – what the various relevant numbers mean, and how to use these numbers to choose glasses actually able to protect you from going blind on accident. Mounting everything in a solid way is called for, too – you wouldn’t want the laser to accidentally move away from the path you want it to shine in, since even reflections can be quite dangerous.

    10 Watt Burning Laser Diode Power Supply and Laser Safety
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQhi3bTNnF4

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser device for neutralizing – mosquitoes
    https://hackaday.io/project/185652-laser-device-for-neutralizing-mosquitoes

    Low-cost device for control mosquitoes, weeds, pest etc.

    We present an innovative and effective method for remote monitoring of mosquitoes and their neutralization. We explain in detail how we leverage modern advances in neural networks to use a powerful laser to neutralize mosquitoes. The experimental low-cost prototype for mosquito control, which uses a powerful laser to thermally neutralize the mosquitoes. The developed device is controlled by a single-board computer based on the neural network and demonstrated experimental research for mosquito neutralization during which, to maximize approximation to natural conditions, simulation of various working conditions was conducted. We showed that a low-cost device can be used to kill mosquitoes with a powerful laser.
    https://github.com/Ildaron/Laser_control

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser device for neutralizing – mosquitoes
    Low-cost device for control mosquitoes, weeds, pest etc
    https://hackaday.io/project/185652-laser-device-for-neutralizing-mosquitoes

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The ABC’s of Awesome Lighting Terminology with Brad Schiller – Webinar
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg0BwkY9rsU

    Martin Professional Business Development Manager Brad Schiller shares his favorite lighting terms and explains their meaning, importance and history. Covering all genres of production, this webinar introduces some of the more obscure nomenclature from every letter of the alphabet.

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    THEATRICAL LIGHTING | Building a Complete Stage Lighting Rig
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAhIUUt9DRo

    In this video, learn how to use luminaires in a complete theatrical lighting rig for churches, schools, and theaters. Watch as we add key lighting; down, side, and back lighting; and cyc and effect lighting to build our lighting solution, and discover how the different fixtures work together. In a few short minutes, learn how to use static and moving head luminaires in a full, versatile entertainment lighting solution perfect for any education, house of worship, or theatrical application.

    Setting Up and Monitoring Power Distribution for Lighting and Audio with Richard Cadena – Webinar
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWQuOM0x3WU

    Reply
  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    CHINESE SCIENTISTS SHOW OFF LASER THAT CAN WRITE WORDS IN MID-AIR
    https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-scientists-laser-write-air

    Scientists at Hongtuo Joint Laboratory in Wuhan, China, have invented what sounds like a mysterious yet fascinating laser pen that can write in mid-air — an intriguing approach that could, theoretically, be an onramp to “Star Wars”-esque hologram technology.

    The South China Morning Post reported yesterday that the pen uses ultra-short laser pulses to strip the electrons from air particles and turn them into light-emitting plasma with sufficient precision to form words in mid-air.

    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3186095/chinese-scientists-unveil-high-powered-laser-can-write-air

    Reply
  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Inside a high power xenon Space-Flower light
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5oCjCujCyM

    This is a very retro light that uses a high power 3kW xenon projector lamp to blast out a multitude of intense beams of white light that rotate, expand, contract and pan back and forth.

    It used to be used a lot in the UK to attract attention to outdoor events by firing into the air so that the beams projected onto clouds.

    The base has two ballasts, a fan, a small transformer, control PCB and the pan motor assembly.
    It uses a potentiometer on the gear assembly for the pan system to detect position and movement. The DMX data input provides external control over speed of pan, beam rotation, beam expansion and the shutter. You can also set these to fixed values locally.

    A knob on the control panel lets you set the panning sweep range. In this case the unit was not responsive to most of the pan adjustment range with just a short pan-segment active at the extreme end. After validating the integrity of both potentiometers, and ensuring that the main detection one was being used within its range, I noticed that the pan adjustment knob’s connector had a calibration pot associated with it that was set at an extreme position.
    After noting the original position I adjusted it back slightly and the pan segment size increased accordingly. At the point the knob had full control and the pan was stopping just short of its end stop, the calibration pot was dead centre.
    I wonder if someone had screwed the calibration pot to an extreme position while trying to find another fault, or maybe done it deliberately to restrict the pan angle for some unknown reason.
    There were other signs of “unusual” repairs, including replacing a four way dip switch with a 12 way one wrapped in tape and mounted on the PCB at an angle to clear other components.

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    How To EASILY Make This $50 DIY LIGHT STAND! (Quasar Science)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huOHrxuXyNc

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    DIY RGB Light Tube The Right Way, Budget Quasar Science Alternative.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89KPLNyNmVU

    Quick, Easy, and Affordable Alternative to the Quasar Science Light Tube.

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Militaries Are Rushing To Get Anti-Drone Lasers Operational
    https://hackaday.com/2022/08/30/militaries-are-rushing-to-get-anti-drone-lasers-operational/

    Flying drones have been a part of modern warfare for a good few decades now. Initially, most of these drones were built by traditional military contractors and were primarily used by the world’s best-funded militaries. However, in recent conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere have changed all that. Small commercial drones and compact militarized models have become key tools on the battlefield, for offense, defence, and reconnaissance.

    With so many of these tiny craft buzzing around, militaries are scrambling for practical ways to shoot them down. Lasers might be just the ticket to do exactly that.

    Why Lasers?
    The Mobile Expeditionary High Energy Laser 2.0, or MEHEL 2.0, is a US-built anti-drone laser system that has been trialed on Stryker combat vehicles. It can be seen here as the tan unit fitted on top of the vehicle. Credit: US Army, public domain

    Shooting down drones, even the basic plasticky ones you get at Walmart, is a frustrating exercise. They’re tiny, and thus surprisingly difficult to see. They can also be difficult to detect, even if their radio emissions do help track them down.

    Reply
  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Cutting The Grass With Frickin’ Lasers
    https://hackaday.com/2022/09/02/cutting-the-grass-with-frickin-lasers/

    We techie types are quite often much more comfortable in front of a keyboard knocking out code, than out in the yard splitting logs for winter, and even the little jobs like cutting the grass are sometimes just too much like hard manual labour for our liking. The obvious solution is a robot mower, but they’re kinda boring, with their low-tech spinning metal blades. What we need is a big frickin’ laser. YouTuber [rctestflight] has been experimenting with using a 40W blue diode laser module to cut the weeds,

    Mowing My Lawn with a LASER!!!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTPHsouuGq4

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Crazy difference between 5W LASER and 5W LED!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUwP7SY0Ajs

    Do you know the difference between a 5 watt laser and a 5 watt LED? Sounds similar in power, but in this video I will demonstrate and explain the crazy difference!

    Reply
  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Testing Illegal Blue Lasers from eBay (and making them even stronger)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVWW-bmKwQ

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    3D Laser Array
    Make a laser array using servos
    https://hackaday.io/project/187536-3d-laser-array

    An array of 5 laser controlled by 10 servos. 2 180 degree planes of motion

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Scientists Create AI-Powered Laser Turret That Kills Cockroaches
    The technology is open-source and cheap to acquire, but its creator says it’s “a little dangerous.”
    https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy743w/scientists-create-ai-powered-laser-turret-that-kills-cockroaches

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bad Beams? | How divergent are lasers?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK8lzaFwUBg

    Laser beams are amazing to watch since they appear like a string of light. Not like a wash of illumination from other light sources.
    But does a laser beam spread out? Does it diverge – getting wider over distance? Let’s measure the divergence of my cheapest and most expensive lasers!

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    LaserProjector V2
    Battery-powered, ESP32-based laser XY scanner with auto-homing and wireless control
    https://hackaday.io/project/188046-laserprojector-v2

    LaserProjector V2 is a battery-powered, ESP32-based laser XY scanner using stepper motors to deflect the beam. It has auto-homing functionality, and can be controlled wirelessly (Wi-Fi & Bluetooth).

    Reply
  29. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Portable ESP32 RGB Lasershow Has All The Trimmings
    https://hackaday.com/2022/11/21/portable-esp32-rgb-lasershow-has-all-the-trimmings/

    Perhaps there was a time when fancy laser effects were beyond those without the largest of bank accounts, but today they can be created surprisingly easily. [Corebb] shows us how with a neat unit using an off the shelf RGB laser module and mirror module, driven by a ESP32 with software designed to make it as easy as possible to use.

    bbLaser – ESP32 RGB Laser Galvo Projector
    https://hackaday.io/project/188322-bblaser-esp32-rgb-laser-galvo-projector

    Hello everyone, this is Corebb~
    For a long time, I have wanted to make this vector laser projector (aka Laser Galvo Projector)

    Reply
  30. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser Projector Relies On Steppers Rather Than Galvanometers
    https://hackaday.com/2022/11/02/laser-project-relies-on-steppers-rather-than-galvanometers/

    Laser light shows have always been real crowd-pleasers. There’s just something about the frenetic movement of a single point of intensely bright light making fluid animations that really captures the imagination. Large-scale laser shows require a lot of gear, of course, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the fun yourself using something like this homebrew X-Y laser projector.

    LaserProjector V2
    Battery-powered, ESP32-based laser XY scanner with auto-homing and wireless control
    https://hackaday.io/project/188046-laserprojector-v2

    Reply
  31. Tomi Engdahl says:

    If you want to make neon light display yourself, this episode of Tested goes into good detail. https://youtu.be/QVZn7YaRMd8

    Reply
  32. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The Wicked Lasers LaserCube Ultra 7.5w- Unboxing and Walkthrough.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY99h7m8EIw

    I check-out the new and improved Wicked Lasers LaserCube Ultra 7.5w, indoors and out, mobile app and desktop- and talk about what I think it’s perfect for- protesting.

    Reply
  33. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laser Scanner Upgraded To Use PCB Motor
    https://hackaday.com/2023/02/22/laser-scanner-upgraded-to-use-pcb-motor/

    Rik]’s Hexastorm laser scanner project originally used a discrete polygon mirror controller+motor module from Sharp to spin a prism. But the scanner head was a bit difficult to assemble and had a lot of messy wires. This has all been replaced by a single board featuring a PCB-printed motor, based on the work of [Carl Bugeja]. The results are promising so far

    prism laser scanner
    bringing additive manufacturing to the next level
    https://hackaday.io/project/21933-prism-laser-scanner

    Reply
  34. Tomi Engdahl says:

    PROPERLY PIPE LASER LIGHT AROUND WITH HOMEBREW FIBER COUPLINGS
    https://hackaday.com/2022/12/09/properly-pipe-laser-light-around-with-homebrew-fiber-couplings/

    It’s a rare person who can pick up a cheap laser pointer and not wield it like a lightsaber or a phaser, complete with sound effects. There’s just something about the “pew-pew” factor that makes projecting a laser beam fun, even if it’s not the safest thing to do, or the most efficient way to the light from one place to another.

    We suspect that [Les Wright] has pew-pewed his way through more than a few laser projects in his lab, including his latest experiments with fiber coupling of lasers.

    Reply
  35. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Focusing on Laser Power Density
    March 2, 2023
    Many applications today take advantage of laser technology and the benefits derived from its power density, which is measured by the laser power divided by its beam size.
    https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/power/article/21261149/electronic-design-focusing-on-laser-power-density?utm_source=EG+ED+Analog+%26+Power+Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS230301126&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R

    Reply

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