Bushman

Hows about mounting a 532nm green laser on the front of the bike, pointing 1 degree downwards.....the effect would be a brilliant line of green way ahead of the bike, and would be low enough that it would'nt blind the drivers. This would be especially effective in rain, fog and heavy snow, as those conditions really highlight a laser beam.

thoughts? (please note i have already said ANGLED downwards 1 degree, so it WOULD NOT blind drivers..all they would see would be a long line of green)



this is what it would look like...

https://www.wickedlasers.com/load_pic...5aab0bbba7.jpg
one could also use a red laser on the rear, again angled downwards slightly.

agarose2000

Whoa man...I don't know about that - looks wicked cool, but I think the driver's will be so fixated on your laser that they'll forget to brake in the process of getting a closer look...plus you'll probably get a lot of "community watch" phone calls to the cops about a new terrorist cell that's practicing on the street with new bike-laser guided rifles.

Neat idea though; would definitely get attention! What's wrong with a few bright back rear blinkers? The simple and cheap MARS blinker is really good in the dark; I use one, and when I see the occasional biker with that thing, I always think, "damn that's a nice rear blinker!"

edzo

nope. you will crest a hill someday and blind somebody

and if you stop you could melt something

agarose2000

But I do think they may work quite well in hellacious rain ...

Bushman

ok, hows about dropping the laser degree downwards some more, say to a point of about 5 feet in front of the bike? you would have to be pulling a pop a wheelie over the hill crest for someone to even be blinded....

AGArose, nothing wrong with blinkies, i have twin SHark 1 watts on the fornt, and a Dinotte red on the rear , I'm just thinking outside of the box.......i read an article on how the US military is using HUGE green lasers to light up vehicles , instead of searchlights, from over 10 miles away.

znomit

You would probably not see the line of green, just the spot on the ground.

The car drive would be thinking "WTF is that green spot" as he ploughs into you.

However...
Ive wondered if it would be useful to project a LINE onto the road about 20feet in front of the bike to highlight any objects you might run over... sort of like a contour line.
Just stick a glass rod in front of the laser to accomplish this.

divergence

Still no good. When the beam hits any reflective object in the road -- broken piece of car mirror, metal bolt, or, to a lesser extent, glass fragments -- you'll have a pretty much full-strength beam pointed in a random direction.

Zero_Enigma

To the OP. I like this idea. However I would probably helmet mount the laser with a removeable strap so in the day time it does not look as dorky when you take it off. At night, no one really cares how the setup looks as they seem to focus on the light brightness and lights at a distance.

Being helmet mounted and pointed down on an angle for the OP's obvious reasons to not blind people I would think if the lasers on/off button was easy to work with gloves on and sensitive enough to work without fiddling around to turn it on you can tunr it on as you're approaching a intersection to sweep left and right before entering it then once you past the intersection turn it off so you 1. save power 2. I find it is excellent o use at intersections to beam that 'blind' rushing right turn lane on some streets that drivers come off the highway won't really see you.

Just an idea. Your mileage and tweaking may vary.

Bushman

^ ya i see what your getting at.....

Frankenbiker

It's an interesting idea. However, pilots have had their planes targeted by lasers and complained about being blinded. So, if an incident occurs in your town, even though you are simply an innocent rider, expect to attract attention by local law enforcement. Additionally, your state laws may require "approved" lighting on a bicycle. Once again, it will be attracting the attention of local law enforcement if a driver calls in to report being "blinded" by a cyclist with a laser and could result in a citation.

Halloween

Bushman, no matter what these other naysayers say, I'd like to try out your idea...

So, could you give us some specs and sources for your green lasers?


Oh, yeah...

In the second photo, you seem to have lost your bicycle...

Bushman

I have'nt decided on a laser yet....(those are photos off of a site) my initial interest in green lasers was for Search & Rescue, to assist being located by pointing it straight up into the night sky, or by pointing to a landmark, vitcim etc (very clear line of line of sight). Some of the lasers out there are getting smaller and smaller, but are gettign brighter and brighter.....

then i though about using them for the bike

agarose2000

OOoohh...good idea about the search & rescue, if they're strong enough. That's a really intersting idea about having a line of sight back to your origin, although you'd probably need some airborne smoke or dew to have the beam visible.

Zero_Enigma

Check online. I've seen some 10 mW lasers that are day visable. However not sure what cells you need to power it and how long they last in stamina. I think DealExtreme.com has it.

Bushman

this is the unit i have been eyeing, visible for over 30 kms at night:


https://greatlandlasers.com/index.php?howtheywork=yes

https://www.chinookmed.com/index.cfm/...TOKEN=23150600

or

https://greatlandlasers.com/index.php?faq=yes#

this is the effect i'm after:

TimothyF

this is the effect i'm after:

Thant's really amazing! Is that simulated? Where did that pic come from?

barndoor

I purchased one of those lasers a few months ago from www.z-bolt.com

It cost about $90.00 but it is one of the brightest lasers I've EVER seen...I think it'll go 25,000' or so....

You can't see the beam in broad daylight,only a dot, but at dusk and dawn the beam is clearly evident and at night is nothing short of spectacular. *pronounce last word ala Grant Peterson*

jeff-o

Note that in a lot of these night shots, the beam effect is exaggerated due to the long exposure time. I don't think you'd have as much success in real life.

And yeah, I think that the danger of blinding oncoming (or even following) motorists is very high.

Bushman

thats a laser in a snowstorm, pic form wicked lasers i do believe.

Bushman

even my little red laser pointer has a very pronounced beam at night, esp in cool weather with moisture in the air.

jeff-o

True, I have a red laser myself. But is that really more noticeable than a few Superflash blinkies?

mjzraz

I would like to see some photos in real life in a bike application - Can anyone with one of these lasers stick it on the bike temporarily and photograph it at dusk and at night with or without other lighting?

Looks cool to me - I would probably be more interested in a pair or rear downward facing red lasers to "paint" a buffer zone behind me, at an angle to maybe have the beam shine on the ground 6 feet behind me or so.

jeff-o

I've seen something like that done before, a down-pointing laser was used to draw a 4-foot line on the pavement about 12" to the left of the rider, as a sort of mobile bike lane. There was a picture and everything but I can't seem to find it now!

Zero_Enigma

Holy crap! That's $250 USD (assuming USD) for that laser. O_o;;

jeff-o

The green one? Yeah, not cheap, either...