The December 1969 issue of Popular Electronics carried the plans for a 0.5 milliwatt laser. The magazine noted that there was a lot of interest in making such a device, and there were finally parts on the market to make one that met two important criteria: It had to be inexpensive enough for experimenter hobbyists, and it had to be safe. They deemed the 0.5 milliwatt device to be safe, given some precautions, and the whole project could be built for under $50.

The illustration above appeared in the February 1970 issue, and it depicted how the magazine viewed a few of its readers. In summary, they wanted to burn holes in things, and they wrote in to the magazine asking for plans to do that. In response, the editors made clear that they had no plans to do such a thing. To cause destruction to something, the laser would require a few watts. But eye damage could easily take place at just a few milliwatts. The 0.5 milliwatt laser was safe, but more powerful units were not, so the magazine didn’t want to be involved. “Out of responsibility and concern for our readers, POPULAR ELECTRONICS cannot suggest or recommend a laser of any higher strength than the one described in the article.”

For the young mad scientists, it’s probably possible to find dangerous lasers on eBay, but we don’t plan to help, either.  On the other hand, you can get safe low-powered laser pointers on Amazon.

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