Lasers are fun and useful.

They can shine long distances, burn stuff, analyze chemicals, impress people,
and do a host of other awesome things. Why not build your own?
I've wanted to build a T! laser for a while now, and I've finally gotten the parts and the time. "ere is
the building process along with everything else useful I've found for building your own laser.
#irst, the necessary disclaimer$
I am not responsible for you, or anything you do. If you hurt yourself I may offer you
condolences, but please don't try to blame me for anything.
If you follow the safety advice given and use common sense, you should be fine.
!lso, I am obviously not the first person to come up with this idea. The sources I've used the most are$
%yle &teiner's pages 'http$((www.spar)bangbuzz.com(tealaser(tealaser*.htm+
The ,oss -esearch Institute 'http$((www..ossresearch.org(lasers(+,
&am's Laser #!/ 'http$((www.repairfa0.org(sam(lasercn1.htm+,
The 2rofessor's "omebuilt Lasers website 'http$((www.repairfa0.org(sam(lasercn1.htm+, and
Wi)ipedia 'www.wi)ipedia.org+
3efore following this instrucable, it would probably be a good idea to loo) at some of these e4cellent
resources.
3efore you start, there are some 0uestions you might have.
What is a TEA laser?
In short, T! stands for Transversely 4ited !tmospheric pressure laser. While a true nitrogen T!
laser uses a nearly pure nitrogen environment at atmospheric pressure as a lasing medium, the laser I
built uses plain old air which has enough nitrogen in it to lase. ! T! laser wor)s by using high5
voltage coronal discharge to e4cite nitrogen in the channel between the electrodes to the point at which
it lases. #or more details, a good e4planation can be found
here$ http$((671.67*.81.9:(people(mcsele(lasers(;echanism.htm 'The 2rofessor's "omebuilt Lasers
&ite+.
Why build a TEA laser?
<ther than the self5satisfaction of having built a laser, there are a handful of ways to motivate yourself.
#or one, building this laser can ac0uaint you with s)ills that are useful in other parts of life. =oing
pro.ects li)e this one forces you to thin) in a creative way and learn to solve different problems. ven
learning to wor) safely with high voltage electricity can be a stepping stone to other more awesome
pro.ects.
This particular type of laser can be built with stuff you have lying around at home, and it doesn't
re0uire special tools or s)ills to build. The only part that was tric)y to get was the power supply, which
I'll cover in a subse0uent step.
These are all the 0uestions that my tired brain could come up with. #eel free to submit your own and I
will try my best to answer them.
Safety tips:
55 =espite its simplicity, this laser could potentially be dangerous. ven though it probably won't be
capable of starting a fire 'unless something gets in the way of the spar) gap+, the pea) power can be
significantly more than that of a red laser pointer. The output wavelength is around 99* nm 'ultraviolet+
which means that you should ta)e precautions to avoid overe4posing yourself to >? radiation. !s with
all lasers, letting the beam get anywhere near your eyes is a very bad idea. &afety glasses are a must
when wor)ing with high voltage, and for this pro.ect >? bloc)ing welding goggles might be even
better.
55 This pro.ect deals with high voltage. That means that there are multiple opportunities to zap yourself
'perhaps even lethally+ if you are not careful. 3efore ad.usting something, always unplug everything
and discharge any capacitors. If you have a wea) heart or you have a pacema)er, be super careful or
consider s)ipping this pro.ect. ;a)e sure to insulate everything properly and practice common sense.
!s an e4tra barrier, use a pair of rubber gloves.
55 The spar) gaps in this pro.ect could cause interference that might screw up electronics nearby, and
the high5voltage power supply could also damage stuff plugged into the same circuit. @onsider running
the laser on its own outlet circuit away from anything that you don't want to fry. Aou might also want to
remove cell phone5li)e devices from your poc)ets, .ust in case.
55 ?entilation is a good idea. The spar) gaps produce lots of ozone that you really don't want to inhale.
2lus, I find that fresh air always ma)es me thin) better.
Tools:
Scissors. These are useful for cutting foil, paper, plastic sheet, and wire.
B A permanent mar!er. #or mar)ing out measurements. I personally li)e to use a sharpy.
B A ruler or measuring tape. #or ma)ing the measurements.
B Tape. This )eeps everything together.
B Sandpaper or a file. This is essential for smoothing the electrode rails.
B "arious tools also help a lotC a pair of needle nose pliers is incredibly useful.
Safety Supplies:
Thic! rubber#nitrile glo$es. I got zapped once. Detting zapped hurts. ! lot. %ow I wear these.
B Safety goggles. I haven't lost an eye yet, and these have certainly prevented potential lose5an5eye
situations. They also filter out a bit of >?, which helps to prevent welder's eye.
B Scre%dri$er. This is handy for discharging the capacitor when you are about to ad.ust stuff. >se it by
placing the metal part of the screwdriver across the spar) gap, or in any other way that connects the top
and bottom plates of the laser.
B &o%er strip. I used this to safely turn the laser(power supply on and off. The power button on my
supply was awfully close to some other parts that floated at high voltage, so I decided to use this as a
switch. The strip also has a fuse and circuit brea)er in it that can help to prevent all )inds of electrical
accidents.
B 'ire e(tinguisher. ,ust a good idea in any e4perimental situation, especially those that wor) with
electricity or fire.
Supplies:
B A high $oltage po%er supply. 2referably =@ 'although !@ will wor) if you can rectify it+. This
needs to be able to charge the capacitor plates up to at least E Fv. I used the insides from an old air
ionizer, but many of the hv supplies featured on this site will wor) too. I've even read about a guy that
used a Wimhurst machine to power his laser.
B A solid, insulated piece of something flat to build your laser on. Wood wor)s, but glass or
fiberglass would be better. I built mine on a wooden des), which probably wasn't the best idea. The
dimensions of the base should be big enough to leave space around the circuit, depending on how big
you ma)e your laser.
B )ots of aluminum foil. These will become your capacitor plates. -egular )itchen foil wor)s fine.
Thinner stuff wor)s better but is harder to cut and tape without tearing.
B &lastic sheeting. This will become the dielectric of the capacitor. !nything thin and very insulating
should wor). I've heard of transparency sheets, ;ylar, political signs, G#or &aleH signs, and documents
sheet covers used for this purpose. I used ;ylar here.
B Thic! copper %ire or a resistor. This is used as a =@ path across the top plates. ither wor)sC the
wire can be made into an inductor, or the resister can be taped directly onto the setup. "owever, I find
that the wire tends to be better because the resistor heats up after a while.
B Angle aluminum *+#,- thic!. or something else conductive with an even, straight edge. This
becomes the rail electrodes that run parallel to the discharge channel. Aou will need 1 e0ual lengths for
each electrode. ;y electrodes were 6I inches long. ;a)e sure you sand out any burrs on the edges, and
file or sand corners until they are rounded 'see picture+.
B A spar! gap assembly. This functions as a high voltage switch. The design is limited by your
creativity. I used >& coinsC 1 0uarters and 1 pennies wor)ed .ust fine. If you decide to use a different
method, it's would be a good idea to ma)e the gap ad.ustable.
B Something fluorescent. This will be the target of the laser. &ince the beam is invisible to the human
eye, something that will fluoresce under >? is necessary to convert the beam into visible light. I used a
pin) post5it note, although even regular white printer paper will wor).
B /oc!s. These are used as weights to hold stuff down to insure good connections. #ishing weights and
other dense ob.ects wor) too, but roc)s are easier to find.
0o% big do you %ant your laser to be?
I've seen designs as small as a @= and as long as a whole room. The dimensions of the laser depend
strongly on how long your electrodes are. The laser isn't horribly pic)yC I made my electrodes 6I inches
long and then estimated the rest of the measurements from there. If you decide to wing it too, you
should have no problem if the capacitor to electrode size ratio stays roughly the same.
If you want to build yours e4actly li)e mine, here are the numbers$
lectrodes 'angle aluminum+ 6I inches each
3ottom capacitor plate blah by blah
Top capacitor plates blah by blah each
=ielectric blah by blah
If you decide to e4periment and find a size that wor)s even better, I'd love hear what you've found.
@arefully measure your foil and dielectric 'the plastic sheet+ and cut everything out. The foil can be a
pain in the nec) to cutC try to )eep the edges as as straight as possible. Aou can tell from the pictures
that I'm not much good at this.
;easure out your electrodes 'the angle aluminum+ and cut them if they're not already the right length.
Try to avoid bending or denting the aluminum as this could lead to poor electrical connections later.
6. Lay down the bottom capacitor plate onto your base as shown. If you haven't pic)ed an immovable
ob.ect as a base 'unli)e me+, leave a good margin from the edges to give you a place to grip the laser
when you want to carry it somewhere.
1. Tape down the dielectric on top of the bottom capacitor plate as shown. Let the dielectric completely
cover 1 sides of the bottom capacitor plate 'with a margin to prevent arcing+ and leave one side of the
plate e4posed. This bare area gives you a place to attach the spar) gap. <n the remaining side, leave a
tiny lip of foil uncovered to give you a place to attach your power supply. !lternately, you could cover
9 sides and clip your power on the same side as the spar) gap.
9. Lay down the two top capacitor plates as shown 'use tape if needed+. Leave appro4. a 651 mm gap
between the two top plates.
Aour capacitor is now finished. @hec) for creases or air spaces and try to even them out. The closer the
foil is to the plastic, the better.
#or those using an inductor$ 2ut 6I51I winds into a length of copper wire li)e shown. >sing a pair of
pliers and a template 'such as a broom handle+ can ma)e the process much easier.
#or those using a resistor$ Aou're doneJ AayJ
3oth methods wor) e0ually well at forming a =@ path that resists changes in current.
%ow's the fun part.
6. 2ut your electrodes on the top capacitor plates. Leave about a 6.: mm space between the two for
starters 'Aou'll probably have to ad.ust this later+. The photos show what spacing wor)ed for me, but
there's a good chance your spacing will be slightly different.
1. Tape your inductor or resistor down, being careful not to damage the foil.
9. 2ut down the spar) gap. Leave a 9 mm space to start, but li)e the electrodes you'll probably have to
ad.ust this. <nce again, the pictures show what wor)ed for me, but you'll need to e4periment.
E. 2ut weights on the parts that are .ust sitting on the laser 'ie. the electrodes+. This will help to
maintain good contact and prevent nasty arcs from forming. I used an industrial relay and a few roc)s
that I had lying around, but of course anything weighty will wor).
:. ;a)ing sure that your power source is unplugged, clip(tape(attach the leads from your power supply
to the laser as shown. Aou might want to put some weights here as well.
8. Test your connections with a multimeter 'if you have one+. It prevents lots of trouble later.
"opefully, if you're luc)y, you will get first light on this step.
%ow would be the time to put your safety stuff on. Dloves are a must if you want to ad.ust gap
distances without long pauses in between. To get an idea of what you should be seeing, watch the
video. &orry for the horrendously cruddy picturesC I lifted them from a video since I haven't ta)en any
picture of the laser in complete dar)ness. @hec) here later for more picturesJ
Troubleshooting
0ere are some tips to help you ad1ust your laser.
If you see bright spar!s at one end of the laser: ;ove the rails on that side farther apart, or
file(sand the rails to get rid of dents(burrs.
If you see bright spar!s along the laser, but it doesn't lase: ;ove the rails farther apart
e0ually, or reduce the length of your rails. I had this problem when my rails were 6: inches
long.
If you see bright s!inny arcs across the rails: ;ove the rails closer together.
If you hear a large 2/A23 and you get no more pulses: There's a good chance you've put a
hole in your dielectric. If it happens again after changing the sheet, try reducing the spar) gap
distance or increasing the thic)ness of the sheet.
If e$erything seems right but you get no laser action: Try changing the spar) gap distance.
If you are frustrated out of your mind: Ta)e a brea)J I too) a one year brea) on this pro.ect
after failing at it for a while. "opefully these tips will help you avoid e4cessive frustration.
If you have any 0uestions, or you're pleased with your success, post itJ