Laser display systems: Do we see everything?

Abstract

Today, laser display systems can be bought very cheaply. Whereas not so long ago, the only “affordable” laser displays (>£200/$300) would typically be purchased by an amateur Disc Jockey for parties, today £40/$50 systems are readily available to the general public. These systems can be purchased from a range of local shops or over the internet, especially around holiday times such as Halloween, Christmas, and New Year. When buying such a product, users expect it to comply with the appropriate laser safety product/safe use standards, either IEC 60825-1:2014 [Safety of Laser Products—Part 1: Equipment Classification, and Requirements (International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneva, 2007)] or ANZI Z136.1:2014 [American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers (Laser Institute of America, Orlando, FL, 2014)]; however, as the authors are all aware from experience with laser pointers, this might not always be the case. So, can the authors assume that low cost laser displays always meet the standards? Or do the authors get more than the authors expect—not only for power and emitted wavelengths but also strobing of the laser patterns displayed. This paper considers a number of low-cost laser display systems and compares measured parameters with the information provided by the manufacturer.Today, laser display systems can be bought very cheaply. Whereas not so long ago, the only “affordable” laser displays (>£200/$300) would typically be purchased by an amateur Disc Jockey for parties, today £40/$50 systems are readily available to the general public. These systems can be purchased from a range of local shops or over the internet, especially around holiday times such as Halloween, Christmas, and New Year. When buying such a product, users expect it to comply with the appropriate laser safety product/safe use standards, either IEC 60825-1:2014 [Safety of Laser Products—Part 1: Equipment Classification, and Requirements (International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneva, 2007)] or ANZI Z136.1:2014 [American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers (Laser Institute of America, Orlando, FL, 2014)]; however, as the authors are all aware from experience with laser pointers, this might not always be the case. So, can the authors assume that low cost laser displays always meet the standards? Or do ...