Laser Glow Board

Why wax poetic:

It's a glow in the dark board. You can draw on it with lasers.

It is like a remote self-erasing Etch A Sketch.

Step 1: Parts

• Glow in the dark tape or paint (I used this tape from Amazon)
• 405nm UV laser

Step 2: Build

Cut the tape into strips. Put the strips on a board or wall or anything; it doesn't really matter.

Step 3: Draw

For tight clean lines hold the laser against the board and draw on it like you would with a pen. It can also be drawn on from across the room, but the lines are all squiggly.

The second video shows a prototype, where I used two different brands of glow tape with two different half-lives. This is what causes the stripe pattern.

Comments

[AaronN45]

This is great! I am trying to order a UV laser online but can't tell if it needs to be an actual UV laser which seems to be pretty expensive, or just a violet colored laser which is quite affordable. any help?

[SHOE0007]

Hmm 355 nm Q switched and 256 nm Nd Yag triple and 4th frequency dividers (crystals) are very expensive min 5000 dollars to 50 grand. It depends on what you doing. If you want to do dye lasers than 337.1 nm (Nitrogen laser) or Q switched 355 nm lasers if you can afford it may be worth it. A cheap but decent 200 mw 405 nm is recommended for hobbyists that just want to play with lasers. Oh make sure you wear the proper safety glasses for the specific laser.

[SHOE0007]

Ebay sells good 405 nm lasers make sure they are retuiable and have a fan and a heatsink. Most operate 20 min on, 3 min off. I use 100-200 mw lasers 405 nm for dye stuff. Cool Instructable.

[Jeph Diel]

awesome! I was expecting something complicated but this is totally doable! good job!

[SA-DIY]

AWESSOOMMEE!!! I would love to make it but I don't have a uv laser point *sniff*. Anyway Great Job !! :)

[sandman205]

Look on ebay. I got a pack of 3 (red/green/blue) for like $9 shipped. The blue is actually more of a uv color and lights up highlighters like a black light!

[Treker2]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!