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What kind of safety precautions should I take when working with a laser I've taken out of an old CD-RW burn drive? I'm making a small laser writer/printer to write on wood. Should I wear glasses? Encapsulate the laser somehow? I don't know the strength yet of the laser, but it's from a standard CD-RW drive.

PeterJ
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bogen
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  • An earlier question asked about a less powerful laser, but the general principles still apply: Don't just consider normal operation, but also be sure to take account of anything that could plausibly go wrong. – The Photon Feb 16 '14 at 23:51

1 Answers1

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CD RW lasers are generally classified as class 2 when used inside the CDRW case. Protective eye glasses for the specific wavelength are recommended when working with such devices. Also, since you are driving it with a different circuitry, that classification might not be relevant anymore, as the power levels will most likely change.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_safety

(Added clarification regarding the CDRW laser)

Lior Bilia
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