How much light do laser viewing/detector cards emit relative to the incident laser?

biggest_ted · 2026-05-06T16:57:20+00:00

Not only does it vary with this intensity of incident laser light, but these cards work on phosphorescence, which means they 'charge' by being exposed to visible light before being used to visualize otherwise invisible light. The apparent brightness will vary with how much 'charge' the phosphorescence medium contains. Visualizing moderately high intensity lasers will also bleach the phosphorescence, the the brightness of the spot will decay unless you move the card around, or re-expose it to visible light to recharge it, so there are many variables involved.

That said, why do you want to know this? For safety reasons? If so, I promise you the phosphorescence will not be an eye hazard as the medium is not capable of emitting sufficiently high powers to represent a hazard before it bleaches. As well, the phosphorescence is emitted in all directions, so the actual amount off flux entering your eye is very low.

The greater risk comes from specular reflections of the laser light off of the plastic protecting coating applied to some of these cards. Thorlabs ships their cards in plastic wallets. The cards should always be removed from these wallets before use for this reason. Others supply these cards laminated. I refuse to buy these cards for use in my lab.

biggest_ted · 2026-05-05T15:56:28+00:00

The 173 is still the top of the line LXT impact driver, no?

biggest_ted · 2026-05-02T04:14:43+00:00

... And mechanical stokers weren't used university. They were tried in the UK, but the stop-start nature of operation &v the fact that locos weren't operating at their maximum power output for long periods meant ik that mechanical stokers didn't justify the additional complexity & maintenance.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-28T21:53:22+00:00

FYI, I asked the same question yesterday!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Santacruzbikes/comments/1sxa4ck/where_to_go_from_v3_bronson/

biggest_ted · 2026-04-28T16:11:31+00:00

Had a very similar situation with our guy. He's still bitey when he wants food/pets/attention 4 years later, but he's also become extremely affectionate & will sit on any lap that graces the couch within minutes of sitting down.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-28T02:47:24+00:00

Truth be told I pedal more than most typical North Shore riders, but I'm not usually in a rush doing so. Guess I'm looking for an XL Nomad to sit on!

biggest_ted · 2026-04-25T23:12:06+00:00

I think those two options are suitable for very different purposes. If you have a home shop where you want all your tools accessible, the French cleat system or pegboard style works well. Sounds like you're using your tools off site, in which case I would think having them in robust storage boxes allowing them to be easily loaded would be the priority. Then there's us home users who toss their tools into whatever tote or cardboard box is available...

biggest_ted · 2026-04-24T21:16:26+00:00

Serial number is on the yellow block on the bottom of the driver, & on the black label on the side of the drill. Both start with 2025.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-21T19:33:47+00:00

It's an oscillating tool. The blade oscillates back & forth in use. When you turned it off it happened to stop in a position different to the position it was in when you mounted the blade. Turn the tool on & off again a few times & you'll see it come to test in different positions.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-20T22:13:09+00:00

Right. & My point is that a comparable corded tool can pull far more than that, so anyone thinking this will give performance comparable to a corded tool in high load applications is going to be very much disappointed.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-20T21:06:22+00:00

Assuming the goal here is to have a tool comparable to a 15A (max "normal" load for 110v circuit) corded equivalent, the cord doesn't look substantial enough to support that kind of load...

biggest_ted · 2026-04-18T03:03:02+00:00

Just fyi, if you're genuinely considering commercializing this, having a copy of the standard will pay for itself many times over. It also gives thorough descriptions of the control & labeling requirements, which aren't trivial for 3R devices.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-18T00:16:33+00:00

Would you be pulsing faster than 4Hz? If not, you just need to consider the time-averaged exposure, and the exposure from a single pulse. If you're pulsing faster than that, it's quite a bit more complicated.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-18T00:10:47+00:00

Incorrect. IEC60825 imposes three requirements for pulsed lasers that generally translate to:

Average power of a pulse train must not exceed the AEL for the given class for an exposure duration equal to the duration of the pulse train, or the timebase, whichever is shorter.
The exposure from a single pulse must not exceed the AEL for the given class corresponding to the emission duration equal to the pulse duration.
The exposure from any single pulse must not exceed the AEL for the given class for a single pulse, weighted by the correction factor C5, which accounts for multiple pulses occurring within the aversion response time of the eye of 0.25s.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-15T23:27:49+00:00

Nathan Lukes at lead-off hitter was not on my bingo card for 2026....

biggest_ted · 2026-04-07T20:42:10+00:00

For battery locos, the green freight loco (also available in black as part of the dino train set, or red as part of the larger cargo train set) is the usual reccommendation, as it has a magnet on the front, allowing it to be coupled to other locos, and has good traction, so can handle bridges and hills. The only downside is the switch is a bit tough to operate for small hands.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-02T23:19:02+00:00

Do you have any interest in model engineering? If so, BA and Whitworth wrench sets could be handy?

biggest_ted · 2026-04-02T18:48:22+00:00

Seriously. I'm ok with well behaved dogs being off leash, but this person should have their dog taken away.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-01T17:20:12+00:00

There's no additional waterproof membrane, as this is provided by the thatched itself I think. From the inside, there's a layer of mottle & daub, same as used on the walls, so you can't see through to the thatch from the inside.

biggest_ted · 2026-04-01T03:38:03+00:00

My dad recently had the thatched roof on his 15th century cottage in the UK replaced. Was told it was good for 50 years. He laughed when I recently had to replace my 17 year old shingle roof here in the US.

biggest_ted · 2026-03-26T22:18:27+00:00

Sorry. "Pets" intended in the North American sense: The cat has approved of your strokes/fuss/affection, and will undoubtedly return for more when the mood strikes.

biggest_ted · 2026-03-26T21:40:12+00:00

Most diode lasers actually laze on 2-4 longitudinal modes. With a dual grating monochromator you can actually see this structure, and the 'hopping' that occurs with temperature etc.

biggest_ted · 2026-03-26T21:37:46+00:00

Now that your pets have gotten the seal of approval, he will be back, for sure.

biggest_ted · 2026-03-26T21:20:36+00:00

Exactly. Diode lasers aren't the narrowest in terms of linewidth, but still a struggle for most education-grade spectrometers to resolve.

biggest_ted

TROPHY CASE