DIY Theoretical-Using Laser Diodes

[WVTurtle]

I didnt really know where to put this post so here seemed good.

Anyone ever ponder using laser diodes for plant lighting? There are some pretty high powered blue and red laser diodes out there. Of course you wouldnt use these collimated into an actual laser "beam" but instead defocused for "flood" for plant lighting. Seems you wouldnt have to use near as many compared to conventional LED's. Thoughts?:list:

 

[Son of Hobbes]

I think you would be limited by the distance it would take for the divergence of the light to be great enough to make it worthwhile to use them. If you you focused a lens near the aperture for burning for your laser intensity, it would create a "throwable" disc against a solid surface instead of the focused beam. I don't know the first thing about spectrums of lasers though. On paper it sounds cool though Do you have a high intensity laser you could try out?

 

[WVTurtle]

I do have two 445nm however mine are set up has battery powered hand helds. Something for this use would really need a bigger heatsink and a fan for constant on use, and of course a power supply.

 

[Noods]

Cool. I'd give you the answers you need, but it'll be more fulfilling for you if you get there yourself.

:brow: Just Messing, Turtle. :smokebuds: You know what I'm playing at right?

 

[gradolabs]

I dig the premise of using lasers for grow lights. But they're expensive and the really powerful ones cut through materials you place close to the beam. So there's that... And you'll need to cover the whole spectrum, so different colored lasers contributing if you mean to provide all the light, that is. It might be easier in the beginning to go with a single color, red being the most beneficial for flowering and most likely the cheapest colored diodes. Then how will you evenly distribute the light onto the surface of the leaves, and how will you measure the efficiency of the light? Micromoles of PAR, candlepower, lumens, et cetera.... where are you gunna get your optics and whats your idea for assembling the kit? Its a good idea, and who knows, lasers might be the standard one day.

 

[zararsiz]

To use laser diodes for this purpose you’ll have to diverge the light using some sort of convex lens before it reaches the plants and while doing that, you’ll lose the laser power and eventually it’ll be the same as using tube lights or conventional LED’s for the purpose. It will be an interesting area for some practical research. Keep us posted if you work on it.

 

[cloud]

only way i could think about defocusing is projecting the lasers into a prism type glass any other way would just combine the beams

 

[CGR]

This is like my Spanish i can understand it but i cant speak it Coolio

 

[gradolabs]

Wanna really turn your head into mush, imagine lasers and fiber optic fields providing light to crops. Giant forests of electroluminescent fiber. Biodigital harmony brother.

Oh hells yeah.

 

[SCARHOLE]

They have amazing lazer light illlimuminators for rifles.
Its like cheep night vision, they illuminate very well for scoped shooting at night

I had thought of getting a barcode scanner gun that runs @ 660nm.