Compact, 488mW RGB laser system for sale (rated 400mW)

[mados123]

Hey guys. I have a compact Lasever RGB setup for sale here that was on the market earlier. Since then, it has just been sitting around without any additional hours seen beyond the original 4. I have it listed on eBay with some updated information including results from Adam's (buffo's) LaserCheck. The asking price has come down and I would give additional consideration to PL members. Please let me know if you are interested.

Adam (mados123)

eBay listing
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...STRK:MESELX:IT

Original post
http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ystem-for-sale

[buffo]

Just wanted to chime in here. I'm familiar with this laser system, and Adam did indeed borrow my Lasercheck to test the power outputs of the lasers before listing it.

The lasers themselves have not be run very long at all. The system was built for a medical application, but in the end the project moved in a different direction, so the lasers were not used. They are in excellent condition and are perfectly aligned.

Basically you could drop this optical plate into your projector, add a set of scanners, and you'd be off to the races with a full RGB color palette. (All the lasers support analog modulation.)

So if you're thinking about building a lower-power RGB projector (especially for graphics), then this is a very nice rig, especially at this price.

Adam (The other Adam!)

[flecom]

sigh... I am looking to make a compact RGB... why couldn't you have posted this before when I had a job lol

don't suppose you have EZ-pay plans?

anyhow, nice rig... although I would personally have swapped the positions of the red and green in the optical path... green then red finally blue

[mados123]

Thanks, Adam, for your support! (2M+ posts, geez! We need to get you a new keyboard with a PhotonLexicon logo engraved!)

Flecom: Yeah, in retrospect, it would make more sense to have the green first. Luckily, I didn't use thermal epoxy!

I just put the system up for sale recently and we'll see what happens. If the system is still available in a month or so (and if you're still interested), we can discuss an EZ pay alternative

Cheers!

[Mindwaave]

this looks like a really nice setup! I just blew $450 on a cheapy chinese projector model that I plan on upgrading when parts/money find their way into my possession over the next few months... I could cancel the ebay deal as it is chinese and probably won't last that long and buy this from you, but it doesn't come with scanners or ILDA

[buffo]

Based on the price, the projector you were thinking about buying from E-bay probably had 12K scanners (or worse, stepper motors) in it, which means you'd want to replace them anyway.

As for not coming with "ILDA", this makes no sense. ILDA is a file format specification for laser artwork, and it's also a cable and connector standard that definies the connections between a projector and a controller. The projector on E-bay might include an ILDA interface (which is a DB-25 connector that is wired to the internals of the projector), but that is a $3 part at Radio Shack.

Now, if the projector you were looking at on E-bay includes a laser projector *controller* that has an ILDA-output port, that's something else entirely. But for $450, I seriously doubt that is the case. It's far more likely that the projector simply has an ILDA-in port on the back, which is no big deal.

It *might* include a pre-programmed pattern board that accepts DMX inputs to change patterns, but again, this is a cheap option that you can buy yourself. (In fact, LaserShowParts.com used to include a board like this for free with every pair of the cheaper scanners they used to sell.) They're available for less than $30 from China (including shipping).

Bottom line, the unit that Mados123 is selling is a quality RGB optical table complete with lasers, drivers, a power supply, and all the optics and mounts. Plus it's already aligned, so it's ready to drop right into a projector. True, you'd still need a set of scanners, and you'd need a box to put it in, plus a few wires and switches to connect everything up nice and neat, but when you were finished, you'd have a full RGB laser projector with analog color control.

As for a controller, that's a whole different animal, and there are numerous solutions, from the cheap pre-programmed DMX boards mentioned above, to home-made controllers based on a USB sound card, to commercial solutions like the Riya multi-bus or the Pangolin FB3.

Note also that in the case of a true external controller (with an ILDA-out port) you also need software to run the thing. (Though the Pangolin FB3 comes with it's own software suite.) But you'd need that software no matter what projector you bought (or built).

In any case, it's a moot point now, since the rig has been sold.

Adam

[Mindwaave]

Thanks for the clarification buffo and sorry for my poor wording. I've done my research though and understand about the ILDA interface and standard. I also realize that the ebay projectors are fairly unreliable, but I know the one I'm bidding on has actual galvos, even if they are 12k. I am forced to go the ebay route because it is ultimately cheaper - as much as I'd like a full RGB system instead of TTL, I'm stuck with the budget of a hobbyist, so why would I spend $100-300 more on galvos and spare parts for the non ebay build?

And I have a RIYA Multibus Lite coming with the help of drlava.

[buffo]

as much as I'd like a full RGB system instead of TTL, I'm stuck with the budget of a hobbyist, so why would I spend $100-300 more on galvos and spare parts for the non ebay build?

Because in the long run you would have ended up spending less. As it is, you'll need to replace your glavos and upgrade your drivers in order to have a full analog RGB projector that is graphics-capable. If that's your end goal, then it's more economical to buy what you need, rather than buying something less than what you need and then upgrading it.

Granted, if you don't have the money, you don't have the money. We all have a budget that we have to deal with... But in those cases it's often better to save for a while, rather than buying something cheaper "just to get started with". In the end, you will spend more money to make it right.

I made this mistake several times, both with lasers (initially buying TTL vs analog units) and with controllers (initially buying cheaper ones because I thought I couldn't afford a high-quality unit). I wasted a *lot* of money (and time) doing this, and if I had the opportunity to go back and change things, I would have saved my money for another 6 months to a year and then built an all-analog RGB rig right from the start. I also would have purchased Pangolin right from the start. Instead, I went through 4 other controllers first. (Ugh...)

Adam