Slashdot Mirror
How To Turn a Mini Maglite Into a Laser
Lucas123 writes "Using the laser from a DVD burner, this instructional video shows you how to create a hand-held laser that is powerful enough to light a match and pop a balloon. There's some soldering involved and the Maglite's bulb housing needs to be drilled out to fit the new laser diode, but with some basic skill, most people could do this. Just plain cool." Update: 07/09 12:23 GMT by KD : Warning, the device that results from following these instructions will blind you if you look into it.
As one of the comments stated, pointing this at a reflective surface could really be bad if the beam is reflected back into your eyes. A long time ago a friend told me about how he was watching a Blue Oyster Cult concert, complete with a laser show, through binoculars and one of the beams caught him in the eye and he said it really hurt. Especially being magnified. Seriously, this little gem may not add recipients to the Darwin awards, but it has a lot of potential for misuse. Why does Slashdot post these questionable and dangerous things? A glance at the comments should convince you that at least one nuthead geek would build it and end up blinding his little sister.
Clearly, there needs to be a warning label:
"DO NOT LOOK INTO LASER WITH REMAINING EYE"
On this device and instructions.
Do not stare into beam with remaining good eye.