Ralph J. Coppola --- r_j_coppola<at>hotmail.com

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Feature

In June’s Backscatter, Mark Valentine commented about finding a link to T.E.A (Transversely Excited Atmospheric Pressure) lasers in May’s Wanderings column.

For those of us who are unfamiliar with this type of laser, the T.E.A. doesn’t require a vacuum, exotic gases or optics so therefore it’s probably the simplest laser for the DIY’er to construct. All you need are some goodies from your local hardware store plus a few other odds and sods.

Nyle Steiner builds simple homemade T.E.A. lasers. Nyle uses the dye from High-Liter markers and laundry blueing as UV indicators.

Watch one of Nyle’s T.E.A. lasers in action on YouTube

Here is an informative Power Point presentation on the construction of a T.E.A. laser

Lasers at the Joss Research Institute

The June 1974 The Amateur Scientist Column describes a T.E.A. laser --- “An Unusual Kind of Gas Laser That Puts Out Pulses in the Ultraviolet”

In the October 1974 The Amateur Scientist, Paul R. Burnett suggests a simple procedure to extract fairly pure nitrogen from the air.

And as an extra --- Stephanie Maksylewich shows us how to harvest a High-Powered Laser from a junked DVD burner. (Not a CD burner!)

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of stripping down a DVD burner try looking through the selection of stuff at StoneTek Electronics.

Follow the forum discussion on DIY Red Burning Lasers (DVD Diode)

This laser information page contains a tremendous amount of laser related links. The many topics include safety, building your own and conducting experiments to mention just a few.

The Laser Community is a forum for laser enthusiasts to gather and discuss all topics relating to lasers.

101 + Ways to Use a Laser --- Edited by: Herb Gottlieb

Wanderings

How many of you are aware that SAS maintains an archive of Hands on Projects that were extracted from TCS?

While we are on the subject of archives, you can browse through the previous Wanderings Columns (29 Mar ’02 --- to --- 09 Dec ’05). For later ones you’ll have to go to the TCS Back Issues Page.

Last month, I mentioned that I “cut my teeth on” the RCA 1802 microprocessor. For those of you who are interested check out the COSMAC ELF web site.

The late Klaus Halbach of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory discovered the Halbach Array, an interesting permanent magnet configuration that concentrates magnetic flux on one side of the array and cancels it on the other.

The Open EEG Project has plans and software for DIY EEG devices.

Isabella’s DIY PPM and pH meters bring some lab instruments into the range of the amateur. See her other site for some possible additions.

Here are Pete Kosel‘s Successful Designs for Inexpensive PVC Flutes

Have a listen to Raphi Giangiulio's Homemade Pipe Organ.

Perhaps, if Charles Babbage had access to LEGO or Meccano kits the evolution of the computer would have taken another direction. For example see what Andrew Carol, Tim Robinson and Graham Jost have accomplished with these “toys”.

·       Andrew Carol’s Difference Engine: Building A Calculating Machine Using LEGO Pieces

·       Tim Robinson's Meccano Computing Machinery

·       Graham Jost’s Babbage Difference Engine No. 1 built with Meccano

Not content with building little village scenes, Jonathan Brown has turned his attention to some Serious LEGO.

Tie another one on!

Daniel J. Geduld has an Amateur Microscopy Blog, but like so many other amateur science sites, it has not been updated since Feb. ’06.

Using the PC’s parallel port, is probably, the easiest way to communicate with the “outside world”. Neil Fraser has written several programs to simplify these tasks. Please see his Parallel Port Monitors.

Neil's Open-Source Software Collection

Neil’s collection of interesting DIY hardware projects.

Do you have a pile of old CD’s that you were planning to throw out? If so, The Tesla CD Turbine may be of interest to you. It’s a little DIY turbine made from recycled CD’s and super magnets.

Phoenix Turbine Builders Club is an open source Tesla Turbine Developers Forum

A CD Tesla Turbine Project by Sean Doyle

Build a Build a 15,000 rpm Tesla Turbine using old hard drive platters

A Tesla CD Turbine With Scary Steampunk Laser PumpkinCutter Attachment

Rocketry.org is your comprehensive online experimental rocketry resource

Pulse Jets.com calls its self “the home of the world’s most active forum for home made jet engines of all types”.

CAPOW (Cellular Automata for Electric Power simulation) is a flexible and easily programmable Windows application for simulating and analyzing one-dimensional and two-dimensional cellular automata.

The Molecular Workbench is free open-source software for creating interactive simulations (including molecular, mechanical and discrete-element simulations.

Google SketchUp 6 is a free software package that you can use to create, export and present 3D models.

This site shows you how to construct Nomogram for various functions.

Koichi Hirata gives us an Elementary Knowledge of Metalworking

Stephen P. Hansen’s web site, the Bell Jar, dealing with all things relating to vacuums is announcing the start up of The Vacuum Technology Forum.

A real-time, online checklist program, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds.

The Amateur Entomologists' Society promotes the study of entomology (an interest in insects), especially amongst amateurs and the younger generation.

Tim Koeth built a 12−inch cyclotron while he was an undergrad, at Rutgers University.

The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists from around the world provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their evolutionary history (phylogeny), and characteristics.

The Encyclopedia Of Life is the beginning of our exciting journey to document all species of life on Earth.

The Earth Impact Database comprises a list of confirmed impact structures from around the world.

Solar Cycle Prediction --- Predicting the behaviour of a sunspot cycle is fairly reliable once the cycle is well underway.

Predicting the Size of the Solar Maximum

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is the UN’s voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

Climate Change: The Skeptics

World Climate Index

Arctic Climate Research at the University of Illinois

The Cryosphere Today

Compare Daily Arctic Sea Ice

Selected Mineral Identification Guides from the Internet

Norman Yarvin’s Usenet Archives will provide hours of browsing. Perhaps, you might even find something useful.

Advice for amateur mathematicians on writing and publishing papers

Globalspec is an engineering search engine.

Natscience.com is a multi-disciplined science forum.

How many viewers visit SAS.org?

The Kids Room

Science Fairs are geared toward the young scientist and engineer. But, what about the rest of us? Skills Canada is the “fair” for those interested in the trades. You know --- the ones that do ALL of the work ;-) The “brains” may design it but it takes the “trades” to actually build it ;-)

The Royal Society of Chemistry publication, Education in Chemistry, has a column by Colin Baker, of Bedford School. His Exhibition Chemistry Series provides spectacular chemistry demonstrations, designed to capture the student's imagination. The demonstrations are easy to prepare, safe to dispose of and they work. Select a back issue of Education in Chemistry from the archive, on the left, and search for Exhibition Chemistry. Most of the features are of restricted access but fortunately, Exhibition Chemistry is “open”.

Done with that pizza? Don’t throw the box away! Instead, use it to build a Pizza Box Solar Oven and cook your next pizza.

Learn How to Fossilize Your Hamster

Matthew O'Brien’s Science Demonstrations Site attempts to make science fun for everyone.

Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center sponsors an annual ROV Competition. This is a good time to start designing your entry for next year’s competition.

Suppliers

Being listed here does not constitute an endorsement by SAS or me of any information, product or service.

Speedy Metals Online offers a wide selection of various types of metals with NO MINIMUM ORDERS !!!

The Peltier Device Information Directory contains sources for these solid state thermoelectric cooler/heater modules.

The February, 1994 Amateur Scientist is about Making a Mirror by Spinning a Liquid. I wonder if Envirotex Lite would be a suitable substitute for epoxy.