Optics Accessories

Neodymium YAG is a type of crystal used as the primary lasing medium for certain high-power lasers. A lasing medium is the material through which a normal beam of light passes; as the beam exits...

Infrared is light that has a wavelength longer than visible red light. The ranges of infrared include near infrared, mid infrared and far infrared, spanning wavelengths from about 710 nanometers...

There are many different types of light bulbs available, so many that it can be confusing to choose the right light bulb for the job. However, the kind of bulb that is used can make a noticeable...

Valve trains are devices that are used to control the flow of air or liquid in and out of a closed system. Pressure regulators are a self-controlling form of valve train that control the flow of...

Fluorescent light bulbs are becoming more popular because they use less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs. However, the negative effects of fluorescent bulbs must be understood...

Goniometer is an instrument that measures angles and allows for objects to be rotated to a particular angular position. In 1669, Niels Stensen identified a very important characteristic of...

8mm projectors have not been made for many years, and so those still in use have suffered from neglect and lack of care. This can make them work erratically when turned on and can damage the film...

As the world becomes increasingly concerned about energy resources, new and more energy-efficient technology is being developed and enhanced. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are an example. Lowering...

First, the laser diode is constructed. This is the portion which will actually radiate light once activated. A rectangular length of clean, inert plastic is prepared. Atop it is laid a series of...

The letters LED stand for Light Emitting Diode. The important thing to remember about LEDs is that they produce light when a current flows through them in only one direction. They do not work the...

We use lasers every day in supermarket checkout lines, CD players, and to transmit most telephone signals, medicine, industry, and defense. So lasers helped us in doing a lot of things. If you are...

Generated from the constructive interference of scattered light, holograms are three-dimensional representations of physical objects. To holographically capture an object, shine a primary light...

LED is an acronym for light emitting diode. LED lights are used in many modern-day electronics, from flashlights to computers and many other items. These lights have become less expensive to...

Flashlights are designed to be portable sources of light for use both in the home and on the go. The bulbs used in flashlights vary, and there are three primary types of bulbs, including...

Alkaline is the adjectival form of the noun alkali and it refers to elements that have an oxidation number (the charge on the central atom) of +2. Alkali is an ionic, basic salt of an alkaline...

NiMH batteries can be recharged and used multiple times. These batteries are easy to charge at home with an NiMH battery charger. Learning to use the charger is simple and can be done in just a...

Digital watches can help you keep track of time, and additional features commonly found on digital watches, like alarms and chronographs, make digital watches all the more helpful. Learning to...

For years, pundits have used the rise of portable computing to predict the death of the written book. However, the high price of these so-called readers coupled with a lack of compatible reading...

Light radiates from its source randomly and equally in electromagnetic waves. Light polarization most often occurs because of reflection. Polarizing filters are used in photography and science to...

A diamond tester of several years' age is no match for today's variety of diamond simulants and synthetics, especially since those simulants have all the chemical properties of a real diamond. A...

Magnetism is a force that is created when objects are attracted or repelled by one another. A magnetic field is the area around a magnet. The larger the magnet and the closer an object is to the...

Barcodes are an easy way to track packages, manage inventory and define prices for thousands of items. Barcodes also provide a way to set up an automatic sorting system for businesses.

Those extra bright, blue hued headlights heading toward you on the highway are xenon bulbs. While far more expensive than regular halogen lamps, xenon headlamps in autos last up to three times...

Wavelets are mathematical functions that are used to focus data into different frequency components, based on space and scaling. Essentially, it is the study of analysis according to scale. They...

A laser pointer is a small device that shines a distinct spot of light onto the surface of an aimed-at point. It is usually small enough to fit on a key chain. Sometimes a laser pointer has the...

There are a number of factors that will affect the lifespan of batteries in a flashlight. These include what type of batteries they are (whether they're A, AA, AAA, or 9 volt), how big the...

Laser pointers that fit on your keychain are usually small and pack a low punch in nanometers, which is the distance you would be able to see the laser clearly in complete darkness. The average...

A flashlight's shaft houses its circuitry and power source. Batteries, both rechargeable and disposable, are used to power the flashlight's bulb. Power travels from the batteries, along a series...

An LED is a light emitting diode that rests on a semiconductor material (aluminum gallium arsenide). The LED bulb has no filament, so it won't burn out like an incandescent light bulb. The...

Sony Vegas 6 is the sixth version of the company's popular video editing program. Vegas is used by both consumers for home movies as well as small companies and videographers who need an...

The ability to see through certain objects has long been a dream doctors, the military, and safe crackers. Thanks to one of the greatest inventions in medical history, the X-Ray Machine (or, more...

The use of hallucinogenic drugs in the 1960s and 70s gave birth to the idea of light shows. These shows used psychedelic effects to produce swirls of color and light that were intended to make a...

Laser pointers are small devices that emit a beam of light that projects a small, colored dot onto a surface. The main application of a laser pointer is to call attention to specific areas during...

The first cameras allowed people to take limited views of the local landscape. The panoramic camera, with lenses that can rotate from 110 to 360 degrees, solved this problem in the 19th century....

Transduction happens when DNA from one bacterial cell is transferred to another. One way this happens is through a virus. The virus takes the DNA from a bacteria and keeps it stored until it comes...

If you need to wire LEDs for a project there are some things to know. LEDs, also known as light emitting diodes, can be very useful because of the amount of light emitted with only very little...

A colorimeter is an apparatus designed to pass light through a solution to measure its absorbance. This absorbance data is frequently utilized to determine concentrations of unknown solutions....

Laser cutters are being used more and more in today's work force due to the growth of technology. Since there is a greater demand for products made with laser cutters, small businesses and big...

Bar codes represent series of numbers. A bar-code scanner can then read the number into a computer, and retrieve price and information about the item or product. Bar-coding is used in many...

For many people, their knowledge of black light is related to black light posters, which are designed to glow in the dark. However, black light has many more uses, in industries as varied as...

Scanning negatives can be tricky business. Successful scans are dependent on reliable software, a few scanning techniques and above all a good scanner. It's also important to consider the scan's...

With America still at war and conflicts around the world its important to provide our troops with the latest and greatest in military technology, both lethal and non lethal. A powerful green laser...

Photocells are sensors that detect light. There are countless reasons why they are useful and more beneficial than standard lighting. First of all, they are small, which means they are easy to...

Ever since the introduction of the LED [light emitting diode] to the general lighting industry, we have been witnessing more and more diverse applications of their use.One of the first has been...

A photocell's resistance changes as its face is exposed to varying levels of light. When there is no light, the sensor may look like a large resistor. However, as the light level increases, the...

Photocells are types of resistors that react to the amount of lighting they are exposed to. When any kind of light reaches the cell, their electric current flows more freely. When it is dark,...

Knowing how to use S-Video can make your Internet and television viewing easier. If you have a theater system, you want the S-Video cable to plug into the TV from the base system so you get the...

Laser pointers produce light radiation, which in turn produces heat as well. If the laser is powerful enough the beam can be used to not only light matches but actually start fires, melt plastic,...

Many people fear vision can be damaged by even the weakest lasers, such as those used in DVD drives. Of the four classes of lasers commonly used, two are officially considered harmless and two...

Handheld scanners come in two basic formats. One can be used for the scanning of barcodes such as those used at a supermarket. The other can used to scan or copy documents.