Fresnel Lens for Profit and Fun?

Science
#1

I am posting this in “Science”, but really, I’m wondering a few things that could be addressed by any committee/interest group.

First and foremost, does DMS already have a mounted, usable for various purposes Fresnel lens of which I am unaware? If so, under whose purview and where is it stored?

Secondly, assuming “no” to the first point, do we want one, and is any committee/interest group willing to “sponsor” it and/or provide it a home?

Personally, I am dying to try a solar furnace for ingot creation from aluminum or other softies.
However, if well constructed and well maintained, it could be used for any number for fun things which might be made into classes to which I could see the public responding, such as solar cooking, lessons for the kiddies on magnification, focal length of lenses, etc. Even, if we saved the components, how a projection TV works. I think the public at large, but especially youngsters, are fascinated by the fact that you can get a TV image out of 3 colored beams of light…

So, anyone down for nabbing a free projection TV, breaking it into components, and, at the very least, mounting up the Fresnel lens for long-term storage and use as an edutainment device @ DMS?

Here are some interesting links to peruse whilst you ruminate:





1 Like
#2

I already did. I can bring to the space the guts (including fresnal lenses) of TWO big screen TVs.

#3

Careful, you’ll burn your eye out with that thing! :smile:

#4

Were you around when I posted the video of the solar sinter 3D printer?

3 Likes
#5

I do not recall having seen it before.
Thank you.

1 Like
#6

I would like to experiment with this. I can add this to yet another in my list of projects to do (that list is getting kind of long…). The fresnel lens doesn’t take up much room, so we could store it even in our small space. We can experiment with my lenses, and we could hunt down stray TVs to take apart. It doesn’t take much time to take them apart.

#7

I would like to see this done, if we can make a simple X/Y table to move a bucket of sand/sugar/metal powder I could see this being an effective 3D printer without the need of a powerful laser.

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#8

Anyone out Watauga way & equipped to pick this up?
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/zip/5104739069.html

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#9

There was a time when you can liberate one from a discarded overhead projector. Today, what’s an overhead projector?