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Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 7th, 2011, 8:21 am
by foreverphysics
blue cobra wrote:Does anyone know of a good source for a class 2 green laser?
Ebay. You can get anything from there. Just, y'know, do a little background research on the laser you're planning to buy so it doesn't turn out that it's a piece of trash.
And if I learned anything from my teammate, class 3a lasers are actually better for use in Optics. Just saying.

Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 7th, 2011, 10:46 am
by rfscoach
foreverphysics wrote:blue cobra wrote:Does anyone know of a good source for a class 2 green laser?
Ebay. You can get anything from there. Just, y'know, do a little background research on the laser you're planning to buy so it doesn't turn out that it's a piece of trash.
And if I learned anything from my teammate, class 3a lasers are actually better for use in Optics. Just saying.

You can use class 3a for practice, but they are not allowed in competition.
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 7th, 2011, 12:21 pm
by smartkid222
blue cobra wrote:Does anyone know of a good source for a class 2 green laser?
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2767643
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 7th, 2011, 12:55 pm
by chalker7
Those are really expensive. On amazon you can find a ton of them under 15 dollars, some even less than 5. Just search green laser and browse to find one that looks good.
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 7th, 2011, 5:29 pm
by JSGandora
Is duct tape allowed as a type of tape for securing the device? I don't see why not, but I just want to make sure.
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 8th, 2011, 7:05 am
by chalker
JSGandora wrote:Is duct tape allowed as a type of tape for securing the device? I don't see why not, but I just want to make sure.
Did you mean to post this in the Optics forum? Perhaps you meant to put it in the Keep the Heat / Thermodynamics forum? If not, what device are you referring to?
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 8th, 2011, 3:17 pm
by JSGandora
Ooops, sorry. I don't know how I posted this onto the optics thread. It was meant to go on the Thermodynamics thread. I'll post it there.
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 10th, 2011, 9:04 pm
by buzzbuzz
Anybody think the cardboard sleeves that are supposed to be on the mirrors will cause problems? I don't think they will allow for very accurate angle measurement. Hopefully most supervisors choose to use some other opaque material, like a sticky note.
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 11th, 2011, 3:46 am
by Flavorflav
buzzbuzz wrote:Anybody think the cardboard sleeves that are supposed to be on the mirrors will cause problems? I don't think they will allow for very accurate angle measurement. Hopefully most supervisors choose to use some other opaque material, like a sticky note.
I hope not. Removing a sticky note is much more likely to move your mirror. I've seen it done with pieces of manila folder which didn't reach the ground, and that appeared to work pretty well.
Re: Optics B/C
Posted: November 11th, 2011, 6:01 am
by chalker
Flavorflav wrote:buzzbuzz wrote:Anybody think the cardboard sleeves that are supposed to be on the mirrors will cause problems? I don't think they will allow for very accurate angle measurement. Hopefully most supervisors choose to use some other opaque material, like a sticky note.
I hope not. Removing a sticky note is much more likely to move your mirror. I've seen it done with pieces of manila folder which didn't reach the ground, and that appeared to work pretty well.
You all should check out my official 'tips and tricks' document on the soinc.org Optics page (
http://soinc.org/sites/default/files/SO ... 110918.pdf) It shows how to make a simple cover out of old business cards. We spent a lot of time this spring trying to come up with a system that is easy to make, easy to use, and has minimal impact on the ability to utilize tools and such to measure.