Page 6 of 14 FirstFirst ... 2345678910 ... LastLast
Results 51 to 60 of 138

Thread: Group Buy Compact 506 Complete Set

  1. #51
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    is anyone working with these? laserwizardry, and i tried to get spitzstp's set hooked up and running last night.

    hooked up +/- Y from the ilda break out board
    hooked up +/- X from the ilda break out board

    hooked up 12v and ground from a 12v psu (metered at ~11.86v) to lower right hand 12v jst connector.

    no results. no leds on the board lit and the galvos didn't twitch.

    verified 12v and gnd. tested cables for continuity. all seemed well. double checked manual found a passage that states " Input power is 12VDC, 2A max and is protected by a 2A fuse with a reverse voltage/over voltage clamping diode." so we tried reversing the 12v/gnd lines.

    sill nothing.

    so, what's the trick?
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  2. #52
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    381

    Default

    Do you have continuity across the fuse nearby the 12v in? I'm out at my hunting camp now and don't have a schematic handy but from memory it was right by the 12v in

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    333

    Default

    Kitchen table view..
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_4655[1].JPG  

    IMG_4657[1].JPG  

    IMG_4658[1].JPG  

    IMG_4660[1].JPG  

    IMG_4661[1].JPG  


  4. #54
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    73

    Default

    Hi Swami,

    Sorry to hear you're having trouble. Checking the continuity of the fuse would be a good place to start. The power input connector has the polarity marked on the read of the board, so as long as you match what's silkscreened there the polarity should be correct. If it still doesn't work, then we'll be happy to get it fixed for you. Feel free to give us a call at 866-702-7768 ext 155 and any of our support staff will be able to set you up with an RMA, and one way or another we'll get it taken care of.

    -Andrew

  5. #55
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by aberry View Post
    Hi Swami,

    Sorry to hear you're having trouble. Checking the continuity of the fuse would be a good place to start. The power input connector has the polarity marked on the read of the board, so as long as you match what's silkscreened there the polarity should be correct. If it still doesn't work, then we'll be happy to get it fixed for you. Feel free to give us a call at 866-702-7768 ext 155 and any of our support staff will be able to set you up with an RMA, and one way or another we'll get it taken care of.

    -Andrew
    that amp is not in my possession as that project is for spitz. i've asked he and laserwizardry to check the fuse and report back. i'll let you know what they say, although it would be best if they contacted you directly.

    i've got my personal set up and running and will post results shortly.
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  6. #56
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    i bought a set of 506's and x-laser's amp in this group buy and here are my impressions.

    the ordering process was a simple online order. shipping was prompt and the packing was excellent. there was no included documentation, but that wasn't an issue as x-laser posted the hookup diagram in this thread. be aware that there are no included connectors or cables for power and signal. this was a bit of a surprise to me as it seemed like a reasonable expectation. x-laser never gave the impression that they were included, it was just my assumption.

    the 506 galvos are quite small and the mirrors are well below the beam height in my projector. karl and i fabbed up some riser mounts out of one inch aluminum stock and attached the 506 to the riser with countersunk bolts. since this was just a test, i used tape to fix the assembly into my little show programming projector.

    the xy signal input connectors are are two pairs of four pin headers. i used the X+/X-, and Y+/Y- pins as i assumed the Gnd/FB pins were for feedback monitoring (not covered in the documentation).

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	mounted-506.jpg 
Views:	47 
Size:	373.8 KB 
ID:	47592 Click image for larger version. 

Name:	mounted-amps.jpg 
Views:	45 
Size:	425.9 KB 
ID:	47593

    i powered things up, set the scan to the same size as when i ran the projector with dt's, and pumped some LSX shows through it.

    the 506's are surprisingly quiet. i could hear my dt40w's with the projector box closed and the fans running, but i could barely hear the 506's with the box open. they scanned curvy swooping lissajous magic flowing liquid light. beautiful and effortless patterns that were nicely stable with the show was paused. much more stable than with my DT's.

    my "biosphere 3" show has a combination of lissajous, text, and graphics. an excellent litmus test. again the lissajous effects were beautiful, but the text was disappointing. misshapen letters, gaps where lines no longer connected, and rounded distorted edges where sharp corners should be. i did not expect the scanning optimization settings in LSX to be ideal for these new amps and scanners and spent some time re-working the optimization settings, but was never satisfied with the results.

    in an effort to verify my findings, i fired up pangolin's beyond and my fb3.

    the distance between my projector and the screen is 12 feet. using laserworld's scan angle calculator:

    https://www.laserworld.com/en/laserw...alculator.html

    i calculated 8 degree scan angle makes a scan size of 1.68 feet (~20 inches) and set the size in beyond accordingly.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	beyond-8d.jpg 
Views:	36 
Size:	458.2 KB 
ID:	47594

    here's a sample of test patterns. there's clearly an issue.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	colors-8d.jpg 
Views:	70 
Size:	246.6 KB 
ID:	47595 Click image for larger version. 

Name:	grid-8d.jpg 
Views:	78 
Size:	263.3 KB 
ID:	47596

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	lm-8d.jpg 
Views:	65 
Size:	256.0 KB 
ID:	47597 Click image for larger version. 

Name:	12k-8d.jpg 
Views:	78 
Size:	228.9 KB 
ID:	47598

    curious to see at what point the ilda 12k pattern displayed properly, i reduced scan angle until the circle fit properly in the sqaure.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	12k-5d.jpg 
Views:	64 
Size:	212.0 KB 
ID:	47599

    this was approximately 5 degrees resulting in a scan size of roughly 1 foot at a 12 foot throw.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	beyond-5d.jpg 
Views:	40 
Size:	479.1 KB 
ID:	47600


    no attempt was made to tune the amps as they should be pre-tuned and no tuning documentation was included or posted.

    are these typical and expected results, or do i have an issue? based on my experience, the performance characteristics are unsatisfactory when compared to my dt40w's. this is unexpected.

    thank you.
    Last edited by swamidog; 07-03-2015 at 01:02.
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  7. #57
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Silicon Valley
    Posts
    442

    Default

    I also got my set going here. A few notes.

    - Super annoying that the JST connectors weren't included. They only cost a few bucks, but it's hard to find them in small quantities.
    - The scanner cables that were included are made with cable that's too large for the connectors. One of the crimps failed and had to be kludged back together. The tiny connectors at the scanners become sightly disconnected with the tiniest movement of the cable. I ended up anchoring all the cables with zip ties to prevent that.
    - I was looking into making a riser block when I realized that Pangolin intends the high mirror to be the input. Going that way, I didn't have to raise the scanners.

    In the end, they work reasonably well and the larger mirrors are getting more light out of my projector than the 6215's. I'm still kind of amazed they run on 12V @ 2A while the 6215's needed plus and minus 28V at 3A each. The scanners run cool to the touch and the driver barely gets warm (I am using the same heat sink that the 6215 driver was on which is now complete overkill). Performance is nowhere near what the 6215's did, but I mostly do aerial stuff so it's not going to make much of a difference.

    Does anyone know the story on the fault LED? It comes on dimly at even small / slow scans and is lit solid for any real scanning. Is that going to be a problem?
    Last edited by Junktronix; 07-02-2015 at 17:05.

  8. #58
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Junktronix View Post
    I also got my set going here. A few notes.

    - Super annoying that the JST connectors weren't included. They only cost a few bucks, but it's hard to find them in small quantities.
    - The scanner cables that were included are made with cable that's too large for the connectors. One of the crimps failed and had to be kludged back together. The tiny connectors at the scanners become sightly disconnected with the tiniest movement of the cable. I ended up anchoring all the cables with zip ties to prevent that.
    - I was looking into making a riser block when I realized that Pangolin intends the high mirror to be the input. Going that way, I didn't have to raise the scanners.

    In the end, they work reasonably well and the larger mirrors are getting more light out of my projector and the 6215's. I'm still kind of amazed they run on 12V @ 2A while the 6215's needed plus and minus 28V at 3A each. The scanners run cool to the touch and the driver barely gets warm (I am using the same heat sink that the 6215 driver was on which is now complete overkill). Performance is nowhere near what the 6215's did, but I mostly do aerial stuff so it's not going to make much of a difference.

    Does anyone know the story on the fault LED? It comes on dimly at even small / slow scans and is lit solid for any real scanning. Is that going to be a problem?
    i'm less interested in aerial's and more about graphics and abstracts (emphasis on abstracts). i'm kind of waiting to see what x-laser says, but i don't think these are suitable for my needs.
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    East Sussex, England
    Posts
    5,248

    Default

    This could be what was discussed previously in the thread and whether the amp is able to take full advantage of the galvos. I suspect that they're not based on what you've found (unless they indicate that yours may have an issue)

    Certainly, my 506's (with larger mirrors) play nicer than that at higher speeds and bigger angles on the modded DT amps.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Portland Oregon
    Posts
    118

    Default

    I also have problems scanning the ILDA test pattern any wider than about 5 degrees with my 506 scanner set.
    I am not surprised by these results as the amplifier runs off 12V with the -12V generated on the board. I suspect that
    the generally low operating voltage provided to the scanner coils can only provide this limited performance. There could
    also be issues with the internal DC/DC converter not able to provide sufficient peak current.
    The scanners themselves are great and the larger mirror size is perfect for my 5mm beams..

    I have a set of DT 40W amps that I can use to get better performance from these galvos. First However I am going to modify the amplifier
    board so that I can power it with an external dc/dc converter to provide higher operating voltages to the amps. I will incrementally increase the
    operating voltage, test scanner performance, and monitor total scanner power consumption until I get the performance I need or burn something up.. Whichever comes first. I will reveal my success or failure here.
    If anyone has the schematic for this Amplifier board, and it is not secret or proprietary I could use a copy it to ensure success with this project.
    Thanks in advance.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •