Tony - Laser Pointer Warmer

[Ian]

Maplin do a similar thermostat to the one I showed you at DSC but it's a kit. How's your soldering?

[Tony G]

The nearest I got to soldering was walking passed the TA centre in Grove Park,

Tony G

[Ian]

so what you're saying is, Ian could you pick one up and put it together for me

If so, not a problem mate

Of course, if that's not what you meant, let me know...

[Tony G]

Sorry,

I thought you said soldiering

Tony G

PS Ian, truthfully very, very little experience in soldering.  

[Tony G]

If you could do that, it would be greatly appreciated. Let me know the cost and I'll sort you out.

Thanks again

Tony G

[JohnP]

What's all this about then...? RU planning on wrapping a heater of some description around your laser pointer....

[Ian]

yup, I built a little box of tricks to do just that on a cold night. The one on my side-by-side plate can't easily be put in my pocket.

Tony's gunsight has the same problem.

[Tony G]

John,

At DSC Ian and I were talking about the cold weather and how it affects the laser pointers, as they need time to warm up, and seeing that instead of a finderscope for the WO I have the gun laser fitted, I thought I could do with another gadget, and Ian showed me a mini heater that he made with thermostat and a little, little red light thing, and may I say it looked very professional. The ordinary laser pointers don't have this trouble due to them being kept in the operators pockets and so are constantly warm.
And so this is where this thread has developed from.

Tony G

[Tony G]

I'll have to learn to type quicker as I tend to write a couple of sentences, and someone seems to post the same comments about 10 minutes faster.

Tony G

[JohnP]

umm.. Interesting - Can you post your design for the heater Ian... Is it using heater tape or regular resistors...

John

[Ian]

From memory, it's a 68ohm 5 watt resistor. I wanted something that would warm the pointer reasonably quickly then switch off, hence the thermostat...

[Mike]

Manufacture them and sell them to Ian King and Bern.

[Ian]

the thought has occurred

[Tony G]

Ian,

If there is any way I can help, just let me know.

Tony G

PS ...........Ian, did you say you needed some armoured flex, or cable????????

[JohnP]

Tony - I still have the roll - if you need it back let me know - I only need to cut a short length off...

Cheers,  John

[Tony G]

John,

I think it was Ian that was asking, but if you cut what you need and see approximately how much is left and let Ian know, if it is to short then I'll have a word with someone and see if I can get some more.

Tony G

[JohnP]

Tony Mate - the things you make me do....

OK - I just unreeled the whole thing in my garden - there was actually 35m - I've cut off 7.5m for myself so should be about 27.5m left...

Ian let me know if you want it...

John

[Ian]

hmm, not sure that'd be enough. Hang fire for the time being, I think I'm OK with 12V in the shed.

Thanks anyway.

[Tony G]

I've cut off 7.5m for myself so should be about 27.5m left..

hmm, not sure that'd be enough.

If we ever have problems with space at Tuesnoad for DSC, I now know where there is a (large) section of countryside where we can all go.

Tony G

PS..............I know where you learnt to fly those kites of yours now!

[Tony G]

Ian,

you made it yet!!!!!!!

Tony G

[Ian]

you got a bad weather forecast then mate? You won't need it below 15degC

Nope. But working on it...

[mickw]

To save using a thermostat, could you just use an output from a dew heater ?  Assuming that you've got one.
You could still use the resistor as the heater

[Ian]

The dew heater just needs to heat the air above the lens a bit higher than ambient, hopefully past the dew point.

The laser point needs to be maintained at around 20degC to work at all. So I use a beefed up heater and a thermostat to stop it from overheating. I could look at a continuous running one, but it'd take an age to warm up, or get rather hot after a while.

[Tony G]

Ian,

Will it have one of those little red lighty things on it 

Tony G

[Ian]

only when it's working mate

[Ian]

interestingly, the little red light comes on when the heater doesn't. That'll teach me to use a different thermostat circuit. So on yours Tony, the red light means the laser pointer is ready to use

Just for clarity, that's "on yours", not "up yours". See I've definitely watched too many carry-on movies.

That's one of life's big mysteries. Everyone went mad for Babbs, but the other blonde one was better looking. Maybe she didn't get her norks out often enough...

[JohnP]

Ian Mate - sounds like you are loosing it.... have you been working too hard or something...??? John 

[Tony G]

Ian,

Hattie Jaques was a platium blond, but dyed her hair for the films,(alledgely) is this the other blond you are on about, if so you are a strangely weird kind of person in your own way, but I still think very highly of you no matter what things seem to rock your boat.
I would not say anything derogatory about your tastes, as you still have the laser heater. 

Tony G

[Ian]

actually it wasn't Hattie I was thinking about, but interestingly she was married to John Le Mesurier. And then left him for another bloke... I suppose it was before the time of the widespread installation of central heating.

Googling like mad, I've found her name's Angela Douglas. And I was right, she didn't get them out as much, she was only in four carry-on films.

[mickw]

Hattie Jaques nekid 

"In space, no-one can hear you scream"