RGB Alignment Question

[Bradfo69]

Typically, how long does the process take to align an RGB? Just had one arrive in the mail and, it's quite obvious (displaying a cartoon on a wall at 25 feet) that it's off a little bit. For example, rather than yellow, it's a red beam an inch or two above a green beam. When it's supposed to be purple, it's blatently red over blue, etc. You can tell they just need to be tweaked a little bit but, I have NO idea what to do and, without owning glasses, am not about to open the case!

I'm bringing them to SELEM but, I don't know if it's generally a quick simple adjustment someone can assist with or, if it's a time consuming process that I'm going to need to ship or take somewhere.

Thanks!

[Doc]

This is something that you need to know how to do.

So long as the projector has decent adjustable dichro mounts it should only take a few minutes and I'm sure the guys will show you at your meet.

[ireedz]

Who makes the projector?

[araugh]

Depends entirely on the mounts. Higher end lasers tend to have good adjustable mounts and alignment can take just a few minutes, others just have dichros glued to aluminum mounts that you have to bend into place, this usually takes about 10 minutes, but sometimes you'll get a particularly frustrating one.

Also bear in mind that unless the projector is homemade or very high end odds are pretty good that your diodes each have a different rate of divergence, so at a distance you may end up with a slight stripe of red or blue on either side of your green. That's obviously not what you're talking about here but if it's your first alignment and you find that you can't get the red and green dead perfect on top of each other, this is likely why.

[Stuka]

Depends entirely on the mounts. Higher end lasers tend to have good adjustable mounts and alignment can take just a few minutes, others just have dichros glued to aluminum mounts that you have to bend into place, this usually takes about 10 minutes, but sometimes you'll get a particularly frustrating one.

Also bear in mind that unless the projector is homemade or very high end odds are pretty good that your diodes each have a different rate of divergence, so at a distance you may end up with a slight stripe of red or blue on either side of your green. That's obviously not what you're talking about here but if it's your first alignment and you find that you can't get the red and green dead perfect on top of each other, this is likely why.

I'll second his comments -
Could take just a few minutes, could take longer!
In either case, there will be plenty of experienced people who can help you out at SELEM!

One thing you can do to prep is make sure you bring screwdrivers, allen wrenches, etc. that fit your particular mounts. Having the right tools on hand can make a world of difference!

[Bradfo69]

Thanks for the replys!

Tools aren't an issue. I usually have a ridiculous amount in the car all the time. I'll pop the cover off and make certain I have the correct sizes with me though. Glad to hear it (hopefully) is an easy adjustment.

It's one of the CR-Tec System 7's. (I now have two... the "S" and the "M" models)

Safety goggles.... is that something one finds available for sale at a SELEM? If not, anyone care to point me in the right direction? It also sounds like perhaps you buy different sets depending on the wavelengths you're working with. Could be wrong on that one though.

[Stuka]

...Safety goggles.... is that something one finds available for sale at a SELEM? If not, anyone care to point me in the right direction? It also sounds like perhaps you buy different sets depending on the wavelengths you're working with. Could be wrong on that one though.

I don't recall ever seeing any goggles for sale/trade at SELEM in the past.
You might want to get in touch with Marc (gottaluvlasers) -
He's supposed to be coming to SELEM this year, and he might have sets for sale available that he could bring with him...

[Bradfo69]

Got it open and took pics of the mounts. I'm assuming these are easily adjustable although there is not much room for fingers in between the thumbscrews and the side of the case.

[allthatwhichis]

Those are some odd looking mounts. Kinda cool though. Is there anyway to pull the front panel off? That is a tight fit. Make sure all the lasers are hitting the same spot on the dichro before playing with the mounts. Got to get the nearfield aligned or the far field don't mean nothin.

[blowfly]

Stan Wax has a great guide to alignment on his web site: www.stanwaxlaser.co.uk

The first time I tried alignment I spent 4 hours before giving up. Then I read Stan Wax's guide and got the everything aligned perfectly in a couple hours. The last time I did it it took under an hour. It's one of those those things that seems impossible until you learn the tricks and get the hang of it.

This is the place I order my safety googles. Not the cheapest, but they are good quality. Never buy googles where the protective filter is a coating because it can scratch, get ones where the lens material is the filter. Also never buy googles that don't show a protection spectrum graph. I think you get what you pay. Two times during alignment I've been really thankful I was wearing safety goggles!
http://store.oemlasersystems.com/

Good luck!
Mike