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Using a simple laser pen pointer, a few misc parts, and about 15 minutes, you can make a simple laser communicator that converts a sound source into light that travels across a room, and back into sound with very little quality loss.
Steps
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QuestionDo I have to have the transformer?Community AnswerYes, for impedance dropping to change from 1000 ohms to 8 ohms. A mismatch will cause no audio.
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Tips
- Make sure your laser pointer does a dot instead of a shape, like an arrow.Thanks
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Warnings
- WARNING: Any laser pointer may damage your eyes if you look directly into the beam.Thanks
- Laser safety glasses that are appropriate for the kind of laser you'll be using are recommended.Thanks
- Class III lasers are extremely dangerous to the eyes and Class IV Lasers can set things on fire in addition to causing severe eye and tissue damage. This would include any visible laser that puts out more than 5mW (that's 0.005 watts) Common laser pointers do not fall in to these categories, nor would this circuit likely be able to power such high powered lasers. Regardless, treat all lasers with respect, like you would a firearm, and keep them pointed in a safe direction at all times, away from eyes, reflective surfaces, and flammable materials.Thanks
- Infrared lasers can be especially dangerous, since their output is nearly invisible, but are still capable of inflicting serious eye damage. Do not look directly in to any laser, even if the output appears to be very weak. Infrared lasers are also inappropriate for this experiment since they do not qualify as "cheap" and would be nearly impossible to point correctly.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
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For the Transmitter:
- A cheap laser pen pointer
- A battery holder that holds the same voltage as the laser needs. (Often 3 cells)
- A transistor radio or sound source
- An earphone jack that fits your sound source
- A transformer of the type known as an audio output transformer. It consists of an 8 ohm coil and a 1000 ohm coil. (Radio Shack 273-1380)
- Some clip leads (wires with alligator clips on the ends) to put it all together. At least one of the leads should be the type with a long, slender point (to connect to the inside of the laser)
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For the Receiver:
- A small solar cell (Radio Shack 276-124) or photo resistor + battery (as shown below)
- A mono microphone jack that will fit the phono input of your stereo
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