Instructions – Red lights on the brain

Near-infrared LED strips

I’ve had a query about 12V near-infrared LED strip, especially 850nm LED strip.

You can see 850nm, but only just! 850nm is at the very edge of the eye’s ability to see. If you turn on the 850nm LED strip in a dark room, you will see a nice pale red glow. It’s red, but to our eyes it seems pretty dim. That’s good, that means it is working.

Light and neuroprotection

This medical journal article should have been posted ages ago. My apologies for being so slow in making it available to you.

Cossack movie update

Make your own Cossack red light hat.

Making the Cossack Hat Frame*

Michael provided additional information for the DIY Cossack movie.

MEASURE THE CIRCUMFERENCE.

Take a generous length of the hat padding being used, and

Fit around the head like a head band.
Adjust to fit comfortably around the head and stick together with adhesive tape .
Don’t cut the foam yet!
Mark the join,
Add 2cm to make the band a bit looser, then
Cut the padding and tape the ends together to form a circle.

Adjust this head band for easy slip-on comfort and for it to have a jaunty tilt towards the back of head. Once satisfied with this, measure the final length. This is the final basic circumference for the preparation of the wire mesh frame.

MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF THE HAT.

Like the circumference, this will depend on the individual.

Typically, 9 squares deep (=120mm) is a good height and allows for either an elastic suspension, or for some 6mm foam pads stuck to the top.

A simple paper or cardboard pattern helps to determine these dimensions.

Cut a paper pattern 150mm high and the above circumference.
Mark the 9 square(120mm) position, and
Tape the pattern into a hat shape.
Check the height to the top of the head, and
Cut the paper to the height needed to fit a padded top for the hat.

* Wire ends are sharp and can cause cuts. So please wear gloves!

DIY Cossack: The Movie

DIY Cossack – click here

Click on the link above to watch Michael making a basic one-wavelength Cossack light hat.

Thanks to Michael for demonstrating, David for filming and Michael for editing.

DIY Cossack – the movie…. coming soon to this blog

Michael, the Cossack designer has made a video of the steps involved in making a basic Cossack light hat.

It will premiere very soon. (We are busy making the red carpet.)

More about Michael.

More about the Cossack.

LED lights versus Laser lights

I’ve had a few queries about the use of laser lights. I can understand the allure of a laser, as its coherent light with such total focus is pretty impressive.

LED lights used to be very expensive. In the last decade the costs of LEDs have really dropped, and we can now buy them easily and inexpensively. LED lights are not coherent like lasers – the light from the average LED lights scatters and shines over a bigger area.

Question: For lights on the head, are lasers better than LEDs?

Answer: Nope.

Both have their place, but the previous dominance of laser lights is being whittled away by practicality and safety of LED lights.

For trans-cranial use, you want the red lights to scatter – you want coverage of the lights over the head. You also want to use the lights daily, safely and at home.

Lasers are a pain to use, they come with safety issues and they are not suitable for home use.

LEDs are the best.