Laser Pointer Lens Attachment

Here is the prototype for an invention of mine, a kind of kaleidascope laser pointer lens assembly. Basically, it's two rectangularly etched diffraction gratings (similar to those found in so-called "rainbow glasses") placed in the path of a laser beam. The first difraction grating is placed directly in front of the laser. The second is mounted on a rotating piece in front of the first. The beam is split into a rectangular pattern by the first grating, then each of the split beams is split again by the second grating, which can be varied in angle. It's kind of a neat effect.

The laser pointer itself is kind of nifty. It contains a spring mounted mirror assembly, which translates any movement or vibration into movement of the laser beam. This assembly can be moved in or out of the beam path with a simple turn of a knob. A simple design (a tiny mirror glued onto the end of a spring, similar to that found in a ballpoint pen), but pretty ingenious. You can find laser pointers like this one for as little as eight bucks if you shop around (I found mine at a local gun show), or as much as fifty, at Edmund Scientific. No respect for that place at all. If you need science supplies, try Arbor Scientific. They seem to have much better prices, unlike the obsolete "only game in town" mentality Edmund seems to have. But I digress.

Here you can see the rotating grating portion of the lens assembly removed from it's mount. The mount is actually a screw-in heat sink. If you look closely, you can see "THERMALLOY" printed on the sink, apparently the brand name. As you can see, different types of gratings (once I order more from Arbor) can easily be added. I'll probably add more pictures of the results when I find some interesting ones.

Speaking of, following are some pages showing some pictures of the kaleidoscope in action. Fair warning: there are several pictures on each page, so be prepared for long downloads.

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