Planetarium Star Projectors

[ImageLight]

I know a group who likes to phrase and worship such things if it ever comes out of the house. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJcd6ZTIHVM

What the hell was that?

[Picasso]

ImageLight, It how lighting nerds party.....with way to much gear.

[SpitzSTP]

That's my kind of campout Speaking of the great outdoors, one issue I am having is scorpions getting in during the shows by following the water line. I've captured two so far. I've been stung before and it's no fun. They are attracted to water, in addition to abstracts I guess.

ImageLight, It how lighting nerds party.....with way to much gear.

[polishedball]

That's my kind of campout Speaking of the great outdoors, one issue I am having is scorpions getting in during the shows by following the water line. I've captured two so far. I've been stung before and it's no fun. They are attracted to water, in addition to abstracts I guess.

Add an indoor water spigot

[SpitzSTP]

I added another water feed inside, behind the washing machine. This hose is for drain, which goes to the front yard where I have a Jasmine garden. Here is a picture of my little friend, in the queue for tonite's show. Isn't he cute? Word must be getting out as I am seeing alot more lately, probably burning a fatty before they get in. When I coil up the drain hose after I am done I no longer hang it on my shoulder because a few nights ago a sneaky one was hanging on to the underside of the hose, and almost nailed me. He is no longer with us.

Add an indoor water spigot

[swamidog]

you need a blacklight..

I added another water feed inside, behind the washing machine. This hose is for drain, which goes to the front yard where I have a Jasmine garden. Here is a picture of my little friend, in the queue for tonite's show. Isn't he cute? Word must be getting out as I am seeing alot more lately, probably burning a fatty before they get in. When I coil up the drain hose after I am done I no longer hang it on my shoulder because a few nights ago a sneaky one was hanging on to the underside of the hose, and almost nailed me. He is no longer with us.

[SpitzSTP]

Bring your black light over here its infested since last nights show, they apparently like Metallica. This is the largest one I have ever caught around here. captured a few moments ago. Got to do something about that drain hose for the laser. I like to use hemostats to nab them, it makes it harder for them to nail me.

[SpitzSTP]

A couple of machines that I restored a few years ago, a Spitz A3P and Spitz 512. I let these two go to other collectors to make room for more. The tan colored one in the background is a model 512, I've had three of them in the past. Got a message yesterday, that 512 number 4 is coming out this summer and needs a home in Phoenix. Got to start saving up some gas $$$ I've been to this particular state before to get star projectors, and I believe this is the last opto-mechanical star projector left in that state.. they are all slowly converting to digital.

[SpitzSTP]

Here is an interesting machine I searched for for a few years, it's a Spitz Model C - only one ever built, for the Minneapolis Public Library Planetarium. By the time I started looking for it this planetarium had already been demolished. I finally found it, but only in pictures... The suspension cables were cut and the instrument was mostly destroyed when it fell on the floor -- sad, considering that only one Model C was ever built. This projector was tensioned by aircraft cable and suspended in place at the center of the dome. The person I spoke to, who was there at the time, said that only the starglobes remain today and are being kept for possible future static display. These rare photographs were taken right before and during the removal which I upload here before these images are gone forever.

[SpitzSTP]

Been experimenting with sound tracks for these AVI shows. Until I learn to construct my own versions, I hooked an extra CD player to the mixer and can play different tracks for the AVI shows in cases where I like the visuals but cannot stand the music. It is interesting how many different tracks just happen to go quite well with the abstracts, purely by chance. I enjoy the shows alot better when I even halfway like the music.

I moved the Minolta into place so that stars can be added, no easy feat considering the star machine probably weighs 600 to 800 pounds. I will try adding stars this evening. Until the entire projector is hooked up, I can run the stars off a variac.

I enjoy tunnel-type abstracts, the ones that give the sense of travelling through space. Although the star images from AVI are somewhat less than realistic, it is very good at simulating travel similar to the classic Windows screen saver. The Minolta produces extremely crisp visually accurate stars, and those images can be "panned" or spun. Although the Minolta cannot give the sense of forward travel, it is useful for simulating spacecraft pitch and yaw.

Having the Minolta parked in the center of the room is now motivation to hook the rest of it up. A number of wires need to be reconnected, etc. but I expect it to work when it is fully connected because it worked fine in Indiana before it went on the truck.

The ceiling fan does detract from the laser images, I'd consider taking it down BUT it's starting to get a bit toasty out here in the desert, and the HGM8 acts like a space heater, even despite the water cooling.

The next scorpion I catch sneaking in here without paying for a ticket will participate in an experiment involving the HGM8, I'll spare you the details but I have a hunch it won't smell very good in here after I am done.