Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lasernerd
100's of hours of reading would be good for you my friend!! That is a small amount compared to people WHO have spent thousands of hours studying, researching and building!
Or posting, even! :p
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RGBLaserFan
I didn't mean to offend anyone. I was just saying there's an implied assumption in there that its possible to spend hundreds of hours searching through the forums to find out everything thats needed.
I'm not offended, Al. But you have to realize that *all* of us are under time costraints. It just sounded a little bit selfish to say that you didn't have time to search the forums.
But no matter. I understand where you're coming from, and admittedly it would be nice to have a post or two that contained links to some helpful threads. Perhaps that's something we can work on.
Quote:
I don't have the knowledge to build and don't want to risk my eyesight with mistakes.
You have a healthy safety outlook! You will probably do just fine if you keep that mindset. Having said that, if you can follow a few simple rules, you don't need to risk your eyesight. We've all been playing with lasers for a long time now, and I don't know of any of us that are blind. (But I do know a few people that have blind spots - mostly because they took a direct shot from a multi-watt ion laser or a large Yag.) The danger is there, but it can be managed.
Quote:
With a total budget I can throw at the project of around £200-250, I doubt I could buy the parts for anything 1/2 decent. My aim at the moment personally is to go down the mid power RGY route - something between 200-400mw RGY and preferably with ILDA for future use,
That's a tall order for your budget. You may be able to find a cheap Chinese projector that will work, but it's going to be low power and have slow scanners. Computer control will be dicey at best.
On the other hand, even if you build it yourself to save money, you're going to need to factor in the time it will take you to build it. Sure, some of the members here may be able to work a deal with you on components, but your time is also worth something. Keep that in mind.
Quote:
As for what I want a projector for, something you asked me earlier jem, I want it really for private BBQ's and parties. Outside it might be 20-30 feet away although a lack of fogging means a low pwoered laser isn't probably going to be bright enough.
Well, your budget will not allow for a projector that will work well outside. For example, I can push just over 600 mw of balanced white light out of my projector, and it is still *way* too dim for outdoor use. I've tried it several times, and you just can't see the beams - even with my Antari 1200Z fogger running wide open. The wind carries the fog away too fast! Also, my projector costs an order of magnitude more than you're budgeting.
True, you can project graphics shows outside, and they don't need nearly as much power, but even with my projector they look pretty lame on the side of a house. (And they're not very bright either.)
Bottom line, forget about outdoor beam shows unless you want to spend many thousands of pounds. (Even outdoor graphics shows are going to require a budget of at least two thousand pounds.)
Quote:
If used inside, something I'd rarely do and have to think very carefully about due to safety, I doubt I could manage more than 6ft from the nearest person and then only by ensuring I placed it where furniture is an obstruction.
Actually, indoor shows are not that difficult. The key is that when you do a show indoors, you can control the light level. A 100 mw projector may look very lame outside, but in a completely dark room with some fog in the air, it looks AWESOME. True, there is still a danger of getting a beam in the eye, so you need to be cautious, but it's a heck of a lot safer than playing with a 2-3 watt projector outside. Most people start with indoor shows because you're dealing with a lot less power. That makes it cheaper, and in most cases safer as well. (To a point... Nothing is going to protect you from doing something stupid.)
Still, don't let the safety aspect scare you away. After all, gasoline is poisonous, cacinogenic, and highly flammible, yet we routinely allow teenagers to drive around in cars powered by the stuff, and most of us have re-filled a lawnmower once or twice - even when we were very young. Lasers are no more dangerous than gasoline is (I would submit that they're actually less dangerous). You just need to learn how to work with them safely. And this forum can help you with that. ;)
Adam
