Home-Made Collimator

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In this Page, I will show you how to make an Homemade Collimator for your laser!
A laser collimator is basically a laser beam adjuster.
You could adjust the beam of your laser to as thin as hair(great for burning).
Or you could adjust it to go as far as possible, also known as the mRad(the laser beam's divergence).

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Also visit my friends Home-Made Water Proof Laser Case Instructable:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-made-water-proof-laser-holder
I gave him my idea for the project, :)
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For more questions please PM me.
You can also find the original here: http://www.lasercommunity.com/lc_view_project.php?aid=16

To visit a laser forum press:
http://www.lasercommunity.com
To buy a High-Quality Laser visit:
http://www.wickedlasers.com
Posted by Laser Community member: Vic

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Step 1: Materials Needed

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$C:\Users\vw\Desktop\Laser\diagram1_161.jpg$

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Things needed:
-Concave Lens, ---About the size of your Laser(Look at pictures)
-Convex Lens, ---About the size of your Laser(Look at pictures) Should fit into large tube snugly with room for movement.
-Pen/Lead Pencil ---about as thick as your laser(Look at pictures) Convex lens should fit into larger tube.
-Fire Source ---(To heat knife)
-Knife ---(To Cut the "Pen/Lead Pencil")
-Epoxy Glue, ---ask a hardware store for the best glue for glass)
-File

For more questions please PM me.

Posted by Laser Community member: Vic

BlessedWrath says: Nov 28, 2007. 6:13 PM

I'm not sure where the instructions are in this tutorial. I see a few hints at a few particular actions, but no step-by-step. For the complete beginner, I would suggest more than a few short sentences and 90 identical pictures of a laser pointer.

vcw (author) in reply to BlessedWrathNov 28, 2007. 9:54 PM

You don't see the Step 1, Step 2, etc... Icons? Next to the Intro, and "View all steps on one page: icon

BlessedWrath in reply to vcwNov 29, 2007. 9:52 AM

I see icons, but that's about it. Where are the lenses? How are they inserted? How are they kept in place? I see at least six pictures of a completed collimator, but nothing that illustrates how to put the peices together, or anything that shows the inside of the device.

rynyip in reply to BlessedWrathDec 2, 2007. 3:53 PM

(removed by author or community request)

BlessedWrath in reply to rynyipDec 3, 2007. 1:03 PM

For a person who insists on abbreviating a three letter word, you hardly have any right to question my intellect. Go over it again, and actually read what I wrote. The pictures do NOT show the inside of the device. They show a completed device. Once you have graduated from kindergarten, we can speak again.

rynyip in reply to BlessedWrathDec 3, 2007. 4:43 PM

("I'm not sure where the instructions are in this tutorial."), ya...and YOU were saying....?

BlessedWrath in reply to rynyipDec 4, 2007. 12:45 PM

That comment has no basis in reality. If you want to communicate something to me, you're actually going to have to say something that makes sense. This is the only time I will repeat myself. This tutorial does not clearly illustrate how to insert the lenses. It is vague. It is confusing to me. This means that it does not explain things well enough that I can undestand it. How many other ways can I say this? How can I dumb it down enough that you can understand me? Maybe I should go destroy a few brain cells, so that I can properly communicate with you.

rynyip in reply to BlessedWrathDec 4, 2007. 8:29 PM

first thing, dude, ur on your computer quit that elegant ways for your speaking and type like normal ppl do, ok? and number 2.. what the hell r u talking about, "How can I dumb it down" and number 3 go get a sn and IM ppl so u get y ppl abbreviate a 3 letter word. then, i guess now "I can properly communicate with you."

BlessedWrath in reply to rynyipDec 5, 2007. 1:40 PM

First, and foremost, the use of a computer makes no excuse for blatant and intentional ignorance. I will not EVER submit myself to the destruction of the English language; not for you, or for anyone else. Second, I have long since given up on attempting to explain any sort of intelligent thought to you. You are obviously beyond it. Third, I had fully intended to respond to your final point, but since I could not decipher it, there's hardly any point to respond to. This is it. I'm taking this off of my automatic notification system, and completely rejecting any further commentary. Any reply you make will fall on deaf ears. You have proven yourself to be an unreasonable person, that you have nothing of value to say to me, and that you have many, MANY, years yet to go before you can throw off the infantile temper tantrums toward which you seem so susceptible. Furthermore, I humbly request the Moderators delete this entire discussion from this thread, so that it will not distract other readers from what little information they might learn from it. You, sir, are on my watchlist. Where your name appears, I will know to expect the most horrendous, stubborn, and unreasoning ignorance humanly possible. Good day.

ddalleinne in reply to BlessedWrathDec 7, 2011. 10:47 AM

small penis

MadBricoleur in reply to BlessedWrathJul 12, 2009. 10:20 PM

Dang, BlessedWrath, you are awesome. You possess the ability to conjure the most intelligent, logically correct, burning retorts. :D Great for you :D I hope I will argue like you someday!

hcold in reply to BlessedWrathDec 12, 2007. 3:05 PM

I love mind clashes.

Evyllity in reply to BlessedWrathDec 9, 2007. 9:04 PM

lol it's Horatio Hornblower

rynyip in reply to BlessedWrathDec 8, 2007. 10:34 AM

wow, ok, srew that, i have no freaken idea wtf u are talking about

Bradart in reply to rynyipDec 14, 2007. 1:46 AM

I'm pretty sure he's right, rynyip. This: "and number 3 go get a sn and IM ppl so u get y ppl abbreviate a 3 letter word. " is probably the single most ignorant question i have ever heard. Words really can't describe how i feel about what you said. Aside from the fact that the internet has obviously pulled a 180 and actually served to make society even more stupendously unintelligent than it normally is, I find it embarrassing to have all the animals of the earth look at me and know that you and I belong to the same species. In fact, now that i think about it, how are you a member of the same species as I am? Furthermore, what are you doing with a membership to a website that teaches people things. I myself have a screen name (read SN). I am 20 years old. I can still type like i have a brain. Now, I'm noticing this: "We have a "be nice" comment policy. Please be positive and constructive with your comments or risk being banned from our site." And I'll risk the ban by saying only this: Rynyip, either pick up a book (and read it, not chew on it) or learn to disappear from places where grown-ups are talking.

rynyip in reply to BradartDec 14, 2007. 5:30 PM

(removed by author or community request)

heavy.metal.nguyen in reply to rynyipDec 15, 2007. 6:39 AM

Wow, that was incredibly stupid. You called him an extraterrestrial because he is stating a point and gives much more defence than you could. And I take the following statement from you, "ur dumb dude." Well I agree with Brarart and BlessedWrath. But, I make abbreviations everynow and then, but I never go as far as you did. And if you do want to talk like that. Go get on an instant messaging site.

Bradart in reply to heavy.metal.nguyenDec 18, 2007. 1:43 AM

Thank you, heavy metal. Also, i forgot to mention that ONLY the internet is coded in html. Computers could not run on html because it is much too simple. Furthermore, the internet is also coded in css, perl, java, javascript, actionscript, and ajax. Tell me the last time you used an html tag while replying to an instructable, rynyip, and i'll tell you the last time you should have just shut up and drank a bullet.

Bradart in reply to rynyipDec 14, 2007. 10:52 PM

Wow. You are profoundly idiotic. Writing HTML instead of "Hypertext markup language" is a lot different than writing "u" in place of "you". Lets talk for a minute about how you contradict yourself by saying extraterrestrial instead of ET. Should we not abbreviate everything it is possible to abbreviate? Your argument, much like your intellect, is wearing incredibly thin. Another problem with your argument is the fact that when i use the internet, i don't code in HTML. I type. I am not required to write programming tags every time i turn on the damn thing. Maybe you're just throwing in that extra step, in which case you would be wise to abbreviate everything because you're wasting time writing tags that are completely unnecessary. Come to think of it, are you also saying that everything goes down to its rudimentary language? in that case, everything is in fact longer because each letter is in fact written in binary. On that note 00110 10101 00011 01011 00000 11001 01111 10101

Joanassie in reply to BradartMar 17, 2008. 6:24 PM

dude not very good, putting profanity in binary.

Big Bwana in reply to BradartMar 7, 2008. 12:07 PM

Dam and I always thought HTML was "How To Meet Ladies"

stonebreakerm in reply to Big BwanaSep 26, 2008. 3:35 AM

No HTML=How to Make Landmines

MerganserMan in reply to stonebreakermJun 22, 2009. 10:27 AM

Ha, that's a good one!

The nerdling says: Jul 26, 2011. 5:07 PM

does the sled ting in the dvd player have a collimator on it? if it does i will use that

vcw (author) in reply to The nerdlingSep 12, 2011. 5:26 PM

The sled from the DVD player does have lens in it, but those lens may not be right for collimation.

The nerdling in reply to vcwSep 12, 2011. 7:29 PM

all of the lasers i have taken out have coveres with lenses inside in the same order as your collimator so i think they have collimators

vcw (author) in reply to The nerdlingSep 12, 2011. 10:00 PM

Yes, those lens are correct for focusing the laser light onto the discs, they may not work for adjusting to a distance.

The nerdling in reply to vcwSep 13, 2011. 1:12 AM

ahh ok

Dreistein says: Jun 28, 2011. 6:44 AM

can u use this to make a laser burn?

vcw (author) in reply to DreisteinSep 12, 2011. 5:27 PM

This device could possibly make your laser burn items, if your laser has the right power output for the desired item for burning. This device will not make your laser burn, if that's what you're asking also.

dxsword45 says: Oct 7, 2010. 7:59 AM

hmm.... i wanna ask.... what it really use for?
did the tools and what we need easy to get? how the tools do?
thank you~

vcw (author) in reply to dxsword45Oct 7, 2010. 12:52 PM

use to make beam thinner and go farther, tools are on the page.

redlizard5 says: May 6, 2010. 3:36 PM

how can u tell the difference between the lens

vcw (author) in reply to redlizard5May 10, 2010. 1:38 AM

Between concave and convex lenses?
If these lenses are at a greater index of refraction than it's surroundings, then for concave lenses, when light passes through them, the light will diverge(spread apart); and for convex lenses, light will converge(intersect then spread apart).

greymatter21 says: Apr 24, 2010. 2:14 PM

i only got 1 question:
where would i get a concave lens from?

vcw (author) in reply to greymatter21Apr 24, 2010. 3:07 PM

You can get them from disposible cameras, old cameras, binoculars, telescopes, etc..

greymatter21 in reply to vcwApr 25, 2010. 8:10 AM

kool thx.

Colonel88 says: Dec 20, 2009. 6:14 AM

Wicked Lasers is overpriced. I donut wanna buy a 80 5mW laser that I could buy in the dollar store. Making my own now from a DVD...

baatrhnearbtyon says: Dec 8, 2009. 10:42 AM

I’m going to try to make a big laser from scratch, would this still work if it were up-scaled(I mean really up-scaled)?

vcw (author) in reply to baatrhnearbtyonDec 8, 2009. 10:32 PM

Ya, it would work, you'd just need lens that are up-scaled too

baatrhnearbtyon in reply to vcwDec 9, 2009. 1:55 PM

Ok cheers, the beam itself will probably be either infrared or Ultra-violet (probably ultra-violet) and (if it works) will probably fry everything in its path, is there a formula you predict the optimum measurements? Instead of trial and error.

vcw (author) in reply to baatrhnearbtyonDec 10, 2009. 9:26 PM

You'd need precise measurement tools to use formulas, it would be better to use trial and error.

baatrhnearbtyon in reply to vcwDec 11, 2009. 1:57 PM

ok cheers

leey1 says: Jul 21, 2009. 4:42 PM

please make more clear!!!!!!!

vcw (author) in reply to leey1Jul 24, 2009. 6:44 PM

What do you not understand?

Noodle god says: Feb 21, 2009. 1:51 AM

Wicked laser go buy some bad quality lasers for overpriced prices that are underespec and we censore our forums (lasercommunity) and never reply to your questions yahh!!

struckbyanarrow says: Jan 4, 2008. 4:32 PM

where do i get cocave and convex lenses!!!!!!!!!????

lasermaster3531 in reply to struckbyanarrowAug 10, 2008. 6:58 PM

vcw just said where twice!!! try to read like a normal person, please.

lasermaster3531 in reply to lasermaster3531Aug 10, 2008. 6:59 PM

make that thrice

vcw (author) in reply to struckbyanarrowJan 4, 2008. 6:26 PM

You could search the Internet. I used lens from an old digital camera. Try to find a cheap used/broken digital camera from ebay and take it apart for the lens. The lens from my digital camera were also high quality.

sona352 says: Jun 9, 2008. 5:53 AM

can u clearly explain this step or send me pics to my mail............ minutestomidnight352@gmail.com

vcw (author) in reply to sona352Jun 9, 2008. 12:25 PM

Just put a concave lens in front of your laser and a convex lens in front of the concave lens, then move your conv away and towards the concave lens and find the best measurements.

Dr_Acula says: Dec 5, 2007. 10:04 PM

Do you know if this is precise enough to keep a beam parallel for long distances. I've got a laser pointer and the beam is nice and thin as it comes out, but 100 metres away it has diverged to 15cm wide. The beam is almost parallel but not quite and I would imagine the lens alignment would have to be precise - maybe with one person 100 metres away shouting back the beam width. Have you done any experiments along these lines?

berky93 in reply to Dr_AculaApr 24, 2008. 5:07 PM

a beam can never be perfect. that would mean it has a divergence of 0mRad, or it doesnt expand at all as it goes out. the lowest mRad I've seen in a laser is 1.0, my phoenix has a mRad of about 2.5. but with a lens you could probably adjust a laser to have a mRad of like 1 or

berky93 in reply to berky93Apr 24, 2008. 5:25 PM

lol scratch that - phoenix lasers have way less mrad - my memory must be fading. an average laser probably has somewhere from .8mRad to 2.0mRad. with a lens I've managed to reach like .4mRad

theRIAA in reply to Dr_AculaDec 6, 2007. 7:35 PM

if you use metal threads and have a hole that you can stick a pencil or wire in to adjust it for accuracy (because it is long and can make little adjustments) ... or who knows, maybe this is fine i think there can be a little angle, it doesn't have to be dead center through the lenses

Dr_Acula in reply to theRIAADec 6, 2007. 8:39 PM

How about mounting the lens in something bigger like a block of wood then having the lead screws on the side of the block? One could then get higher accuracy. I also read somewhere about using a telescope - focus it on a distant object then place the laser at the point where your eye was and fire the beam back through the telescope and it will focus on the point you were focussed on. I can't find the reference but it makes sense. Off to ebay to look for cheap telescopes/binoculars..

theRIAA in reply to Dr_AculaDec 7, 2007. 2:33 PM

i dont know if that would work, a laser just shoots in a (relatively) strait .5mm line forward, an eye has a (auto adjusting) lens with light that meet at a single point. if you used a telescope, most of the laser power would be cut away... i think

Dr_Acula in reply to theRIAAJan 12, 2008. 3:34 AM

Monocular telescope finally arrived yesterday and it works. It is possible to focus to a point at minimum 30 metres to maximum infinity. At infinity focus the beam comes out about 20mm wide but stays that width 100m away. This compares with a bare laser pointer which comes out at <1mm and diverges to 300mm at 100m. A lot of power is lost in the telescope but because the light ends up focussed, when set to focus at 100m the light at the point ends up much brighter. I am going to start building a long range communicator with the receiver a metre or so of pipe (?90mm) painted black on the inside to block out sunlight. Will post once it is working.

Dr_Acula in reply to theRIAADec 12, 2007. 7:56 PM

I found a link http://forum.physorg.com/index.php?showtopic=268 Leaving aside the semantics of dispersion vs divergence, there is a good description of how to do this with a telescope. I've just ordered a telescope off ebay - will do some experiments hopefully next week.

vcw (author) in reply to Dr_AculaDec 5, 2007. 10:22 PM

I haven't done any measurements with the divergence, but there is a big diffrence when using it. If you would want this collimator to be precise, you would need the screws to be extra small, and it would take quite some time doing it alone.

tlogsdon in reply to vcwDec 13, 2007. 11:16 PM

so, can you attach this to the front of a regular, red, laser pointer and use it to, say, pop a balloon?

MadEyeBall says: Feb 14, 2008. 5:11 AM

Were can I find proper lenses to do this? did you buy them or salvage them from somewhere?

vcw (author) in reply to MadEyeBallFeb 14, 2008. 3:15 PM

THe lens I used were from an old digital camera.

stevenj123456 says: Feb 13, 2008. 2:22 PM

were did u get the lenses

vcw (author) in reply to stevenj123456Feb 13, 2008. 4:13 PM

I got my lens from a old digital camera.

keltinator.com says: Jan 28, 2008. 2:23 AM

(removed by author or community request)

vcw (author) in reply to keltinator.comJan 28, 2008. 11:36 AM

It's a Wicked Laser Fusion, 125mW $500

thomasedisonjr says: Dec 4, 2007. 8:01 AM

Lasers can be very dangerous and can blind someone. This should be made very clear! While your Instructable may be fun for some, due to the potential for injury, especially to children, I cannot recommend it. I will give you credit for your imagination though.

DirectorsCUT says: Dec 3, 2007. 1:38 AM

nice, on instructables a lot more people will see it than on lasercommunity. Good job moving it

FathomBoy91 says: Dec 2, 2007. 4:11 PM

Its cool that wicked might tweak ur design and make a lens cap 2!!

check out mine and the best of luck to u
Personal Wicked Laser Light Show

technopenguin says: Dec 1, 2007. 4:32 PM

Can't you just use a saw to cut the plastic?

vcw (author) in reply to technopenguinDec 1, 2007. 5:07 PM

You could do that too.

technopenguin in reply to vcwDec 1, 2007. 7:49 PM

Well, now I'm saying "duh" to myself LOL.

bgugi says: Nov 29, 2007. 2:31 PM

ummm... where am i supposed to get the lenses... (i feel like an idiot)

vcw (author) in reply to bgugiNov 29, 2007. 10:46 PM

The lens I used were from my old digital camera.

trooperrick says: Nov 24, 2007. 7:30 AM

nice, on instructables a lot more people will see it than on lasercommunity. Good job moving it

FrenchCrawler in reply to trooperrickNov 27, 2007. 1:04 AM

That's not why he moved it... their site is having contest on Instructables. Not a bad idea to board the bandwagon and win a $300 wicked laser. Too bad I don't have any lasers.

trooperrick in reply to FrenchCrawlerNov 28, 2007. 2:34 PM

I know that too, but I was thinking in the bigger picture of people who don't know about lasercommunity, I entered an instructable too, I'm not sure how people think about it though....

T3h_Muffinator says: Nov 26, 2007. 4:52 PM

Cool! I'm going to have to make one of these =)

By the way, is there something going on @ lasercommunity or wicked lasers that brought you lasercommunity members over here? Just wondering...

FrenchCrawler in reply to T3h_MuffinatorNov 27, 2007. 12:58 AM

http://www.lasercommunity.com/search.php
http://www.lasercommunity.com/the-instructables-challenge-win-a-elite-series-laser-t16043.html?highlight=instructables

T3h_Muffinator in reply to FrenchCrawlerNov 27, 2007. 1:40 AM

o.O Why isn't this posted on I'bles?!

vcw (author) in reply to T3h_MuffinatorNov 27, 2007. 2:36 AM

Why isn't this posted on what?

T3h_Muffinator in reply to vcwNov 27, 2007. 3:28 AM

Why isn't that contest posted on Instructables...

FrenchCrawler in reply to T3h_MuffinatorNov 27, 2007. 7:40 AM

Because it's their site contest... I don't know if Eric knows about it or not.

FrenchCrawler in reply to FrenchCrawlerNov 27, 2007. 7:40 AM

I would think that if Eric knew, he'd let everyone on the site know about it.

FrenchCrawler in reply to FrenchCrawlerNov 27, 2007. 8:03 AM

I just PM'ed him to see if he knew. Either way he'll probably post something in the forums to let the community know :)

T3h_Muffinator in reply to FrenchCrawlerNov 27, 2007. 3:55 PM

Any news?

FrenchCrawler in reply to T3h_MuffinatorNov 28, 2007. 1:49 AM

Here's Eric's reply: "Holy cow! That's awesome! I hadn't seen it yet. Heck, I'll even run some ads for those guys on the site!" See, he didn't know otherwise the Instructable community would have been all over this contest too :)

T3h_Muffinator in reply to FrenchCrawlerNov 28, 2007. 3:34 AM

Indeed! Welp... I better figure out where to get started on this contest....

vcw (author) in reply to T3h_MuffinatorNov 26, 2007. 5:12 PM

Visit and join the forum to find out! :)

Bongmaster says: Nov 26, 2007. 2:56 PM

now this is what i was looking for to help me with my dvd laser pointer i made today :D i just have a temporary setup for the lense atm.. but this looks to be a good basis for a more permanent solution :) thnx for sharing at just the right moment :D

Solaryellow says: Nov 23, 2007. 8:06 PM

Cool and unique. Will definately build one for my laser too. Oh the joy of being able to burn and pop things with a laser.

hehe hi says: Nov 22, 2007. 10:29 PM

cool!

Andrew69 says: Nov 22, 2007. 4:57 PM

omg this is awesome

Andrew69 says: Nov 22, 2007. 4:31 PM

Wow what is this?

vcw (author) says: Nov 22, 2007. 4:06 PM

You could use a "Dr. Grip", they look good. The one I ued was a old Pilot fat lead pencil.

punkgroupie says: Nov 22, 2007. 3:21 PM

i cant find a pen that would fit on the tip of my laser...what brand and model did u use for ur collimator?