Low-cost particle image velocimetry setup: Pulsed laser diode for PIV illumination
I just finished designing a PIV illumination system that uses one or more laser diodes to generate a thin & bright light sheet. Naturally, this illumination can not compete with e.g. our 200 mJ double-pulsed PIV laser (which costs something between 30 and 40k Euros). But it is very good for illuminating smaller areas (e.g. 300 x 200 mm) and low flow velocities (up to 2.5 m/s).
It has a built-in synchronizer for pco cameras, and can be controlled wirelessly from PIVlab. Power consumption is very low, so it can be powered by any standard USB-C phone charger or power bank.