Comments on: DIY Star Trek phaser pops balloons and makes a cool noise

By: Jorpho

Jorpho — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Precisely! A good number of years ago there were how-to videos for building something like this using the diodes from a blu-ray drive or a DVD burner – balloon-popping and all. (Of course, the DVD burner uses a red laser and doesn’t look half as nifty.)

I have no idea if those videos are still around; as has been stated, these things are really quite hazardous.

By: Galadriel Kramington

Galadriel Kramington — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:49:00 +0000

This was made by Jay Robertson, who kindly wrote instructions and also sells an almost-complete “kit” so you can have your own.

Here’s that video as posted by the original maker of the phaser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6iiNs4J5VM

Hoax? He was featured in Popular Science for it last summer:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f48/popular-science-phaser-article-64568.html

Kit:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f64/fs-star-trek-phaser-hot-option-individual-parts-46946.html

Tutorial:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/tutorial-12x-star-trek-phaser-mod-46886.html

By: Kingazaz

Kingazaz — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:53:00 +0000

No, they’re not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc5vgi9zbM

By: Ben Rosenthal

Ben Rosenthal — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:27:00 +0000

I’m actually betting married, which is why he’s hiding in the garage with his toys……if single he’d be doing this in his foul batchelor frog pad :D

By: Ray Perkins

Ray Perkins — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:44:00 +0000

By: Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:29:00 +0000

Props for the sound effect.

By: flickerKuu

flickerKuu — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:49:00 +0000

Nope. The dark color of the balloon helps it burn quicker, like something black in the sun. You can do this with as little as a 10mw laser – they used to sell some green ones you could crank up that high. This has nothing to do with weird gasses inside a balloon. What a pain it would be to put those gases in anyway… If you look on the net you will find plenty of balloon popping or match striking laser videos.

By: polyg0n

polyg0n — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:45:00 +0000

Ugly bags of mostly water!

By: Pat Eisel

Pat Eisel — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:56:00 +0000

just in time for prom! assuming it won’t set off the metal detector. can you make that thing out of soap?

By: jwkrk

jwkrk — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:43:00 +0000

Quite possible to pop a balloon. Also, I’d be concerned about eye damage simply from viewing the spot (not even directly aimed at your eye)…intense blue light can accelerate macular degeneration.

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/sciencentral/2674-eye-damage-from-blue-light-video.htm

http://laserpointerforums.com/f38/bluray-lasers-eye-damage-52747.html

By: Wingnut

Wingnut — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:28:00 +0000

So you noticed the balloon was black too.
Heartless white vulcans…

By: asmodeus82

asmodeus82 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:50:00 +0000

I’m pretty sure if you take the laser from a blue ray burner you can pop a balloon with it.
Physicist friend told me.
Hell I’m pretty sure you can do it with a DVD laser.

By: HenryPootel

HenryPootel — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:52:00 +0000

How can you pew pew this? Where is your evidence!

By: Donald Petersen

Donald Petersen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:49:00 +0000

Hoax? If the balloon was filled with hydrogen and chlorine gas, the UV light emitted by lighting a strip of magnesium across the room would set it off. I suspect that’s what happened here, rather than the laser actually burning a hole through the latex.

By: Diogenes

Diogenes — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:52:00 +0000

The Mylarians reply: We’re silver and you’re phazer is blue, whatever you beam at us we reflect back at you! We laugh at your puny weapon! Go frighten the softies on Latex 5. “

By: Joshua Stearns

Joshua Stearns — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:43:00 +0000

Can you say hoax?

By: Jonathan Carpenter

Jonathan Carpenter — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:25:00 +0000

You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!

By: Joseph Francis

Joseph Francis — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:22:00 +0000

If you took the time to understand them you’d know they are actually good people simply defending themselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKp7akCjiF4

By: John Smith

John Smith — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:05:00 +0000

Al Sharpton is not going to like this.

By: Red Pill Junkie

Red Pill Junkie — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:49:00 +0000

Ok then. It’s still a safe bet though –that balloon nemesis is single I mean ;)

By: ocker3

ocker3 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:16:00 +0000

yeah, but that’s not common

By: nheasley

nheasley — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:54:00 +0000

Away team, set phasers to “startle!”

By: yasin sezer

yasin sezer — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:17:00 +0000

Wooow! Great weapon :)

By: Red Pill Junkie

Red Pill Junkie — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:15:00 +0000

It’s interchangeable, apparently. I’ve looked ;)

By: Ben Bradley

Ben Bradley — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:11:00 +0000

It’s all fun and games until he points it at a mirror.

By: Atvaark

Atvaark — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:44:00 +0000

Can it pop white balloons? :p

By: Doctor 13enster

Doctor 13enster — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:44:00 +0000

It’s his right hand…

By: cleek

cleek — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:43:00 +0000

if it’s hot enough to pop a balloon, i’m 10,000% sure i would not be aimlessly waving it around in my garage. there are all kinds of hyper-flammable solvents lurking around on my shelves!

By: Lucas Wallace

Lucas Wallace — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:39:00 +0000

Did you guys learn nothing from the bird man?

By: koko szanel

koko szanel — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Remember to protect your remaining eye while playing with DIY Star Trek phaser