Check out our new Motivator component!
Well, not exactly. According to Michio Kaku, physicist, string theoeretician and author of several dumbed-down-so-you-can-understand it science books (Physics of the Impossible is his latest, and a great read, btw!), we are decades away from creating handheld particle beams that will anihilate anyone who gets in your way. But don't let that deter you - there's a lot of smart and clever backyard scientists who share the dream and have come up with some pretty cool stuff like handheld burning lasers and focusible solar deathrays. Here's a couple of fairly easy DIY projects that are a step in the right direction and should keep you entertained on a dull weekend.
With the advent of cheap DVD burners came a flood of parts for them - including the laser diodes inside. These diodes can be harvested from an old DVD burner or found on the web, and when properly driven (by an easy to build circuit) and focused can light matches, melt plastic and pop ballooons. Many build these lasers into hosts like regular LED flashlights, but a simple project box - though not as elegant - will suffice for most. Head over to http://www.laserpointerforums.com/ , where there are a number of resident experts to get you started. I'll wave the safety flag before you begin and let you know that powerful little red lasers like these can and will burn your cornea, so make sure you get some laser goggles before you start messing with them.
Another gee-whiz device that can be used for nefarious means is the Fresnel lens. The lens uses concentric circles to focus sunlight into a beam powerful enough to melt concrete and copper, boil water in a matter of seconds and well, build one and see! Fresnels allow you to take toasting ants with a magnifying lens to the graduate level and beyond. They are used in lighthouses and also in rear-projector TV's - a tv repair shop is a potentially good, free source. I bought mine on Ebay, but no matter where you get it they are one kick ass guy toy. Here's a great tutorial to get you started:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Giant-Fresnel-Lens-Deathray-An-Experiment-in-Opti/
My fresnel arrived yesterday, and I had little time to test it out before the sun went down. But I did get it to incinerate the box it came in within about 30secs, and set a pile of leaves on fire in under that. Mine is 31"x21" and the specs say it can generate 1700F! I'll get it under the noon sun today and see what it will do.
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"You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!"
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Spike,
The fresnel lenses have been around a while, I've seen some working in my Dad's lab grinding lenses. Not real great optics with them, they were useful mostly because they reduced weight versus the big Mr McGoo lenses (high +), or coke bottle lenses (high -)... and really didn't catch on in eyewear applications because the optic quality wasn't so great. Not too sure what the refractive qualities on lenses will do to laser light versus reflecting mirrors... the whole thing between refracting versus reflecting telescopes? Your neighbors didn't like the pistol shooting...wait til they get a load of your deathray lasers!!!! LOL