Photo courtesy of SparkFun Electronics.

We recently got a batch of these neat little TTL-controlled laser modules in stock.  Needless to say, we did what what we always do when we get a new toy.  We played with it and took some pictures!  It was super easy to wire up, and it can be switched on and off with any TTL logic signal.  It draws a miniscule amount of current (26 mA on our meter).  It has a pretty good output, too.  Don’t expect to see it a mile away, but when we shined it at a white wall in direct sunlight at a distance of about 12 feet, it projected a bright, sharp dot.

American Twenty-five cent piece shown for size comparison.

The thing is freaking tiny, too.  Slim and sleek.

It’s as thick as a nickel!  Would have used the quarter from the last picture, but we couldn’t get one to stand on its edge.  Yep.  So far this post has cost me thirty cents.

As we’ve mentioned, wiring it up and controlling it is a cinch.  To use it with the Phidgets 8/8/8, we used the power and ground connections on one of the analog connectors and one digital output to switch it on and off.

Three wires are all you need.  Power, ground, and digital control.

Here’s our test setup.  Laser module is connected to the 8/8/8 with jumper wires from SparkFun.

Here it is.  The stuff.

 

Buy stuff from us!!!

TTL-Controlled Laser Module
F/F Jumper Wires
Phidgets 8/8/8

Tags: 8/8/8, lasers

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 6:41 pm and is filed under Displays / Lighting, Featured Projects, Front Page News, Hardware - Electronics, New Kits / Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.