DMX controlled laser advice

[nunny]

Hi Guys,

I have had a good look around and cant seem to find the answer i require,

I have in the past what i believe to be a laserworld cs 500 rgy and i was very impressed with the output for a reasonable priced laser.

I am now looking at buying 2 lasers myself, and am after something similar, i was wondering if technology had moved on since the last time i used the laserworld items, or are the horror stories all correct?. I am looking at paying around the £800-£1000 per unit, and require it to be a simple dmx interface. i have not even ventured down the irda route, and need a simple solution.

My next question would be do i lose a lot of power by not using the irda interface/software or is it just controllability?

Is there anything out there that anybody can recommend?

thanks in advance

Mike Nunn

[dkumpula]

Hi Mike,

This is a question that would require a really long answer and there are several threads on this board that will tell you about what you should look for and what you should be seeking in regards to power output, diode selection for graphics vs beam shows, what you need scanner-wise to get by. I haven't seen much posted on DMX controller board options, but I can tell you that in my experience, almost all Chinese pre-built projectors and many others use the PT-Itrust card. (Mini review here: http://shop.spacelas.com/laser-show-...?reviews_id=14)

The short of it is that no matter what DMX controller card the projector uses, it will not compete with the flexibility and show results that you can achieve the ILDA route. For example, your scan rate is frequently capped in DMX mode to around 13K PPS - even if your projector has faster scanners. Also note that I don't believe there is a DMX controller board that can do analog color control - even if the projector is an analog rig. Just full on or off for each diode = 7 colors. DMX boards do not limit diode output in my experience. It's just a control (pattern and scan-speed) issue.

Based on your price range, I really wouldn't expect too much. You can get a Meierlight (Chinese) RGB laser that can handle DMX and ILDA in the 600-800mW range (TTL control only) with 20 or 30K scanners. I've got a couple of these that I use for satellites for small venue beam shows and I'm reasonably happy that I got what I paid for but notify them at the time of purchase that you will test the output upon arrival to ensure outputs are in line with what they advertised. (There is at least one relatively inexpensive laser meter that you can use for less than 1W output to test.)

In regards to Laserworld, I can attest personally that the nightmares described on this board are true at least based on my one purchase several years ago that arrived doing less than half of its "low end" power output claim and I couldn't get my money back from them. (Lesson: NEVER trust someone that gives you a range for diode output.)

In general, you get what you pay for with laser projectors and good quality isn't cheap. That said, I still think lasers are great even when they aren't super-bright or ILDA controlled.

Good luck with your purchase.

-David

[nunny]

Thankyou so much for your reply.

I appreciate the laser control will be limited using DMX and i do plan to get to know an ilda software, do you have any recommendation which one is favourite to newbies?

Also, i do need to get a laser for an event next week, i have nowmcirca 1300 pound in the pot, what would you recommend i go for given the budget and short leadmtime?

Many thanks

Mike

[WookieBoy]

Hi Mike

If I remember correctly, member 'Stateside' on here had a full RGB projector he'd built around a china projector base for sale a while back which was within your budget.
Might be a good 'starting point' to get you into diy building/adding bits in the future. Do a search for his username and see if the thread pops up?
If not, Rob at Stanwax Laser comes very highly recomended, but not sure his stuff is DMX controllable or not.

As to ILDA software, Pangolin Quickshow is pretty user friendly as a starting package, but is quite expensive.
Spagetti, LasderBoy and LSX are all written by forum members as cheaper options and they're all available for multiple DACs where Pangolin only works on it's own DAC...
I'd do a little research and avoid LaserWorld Show Editor and it's DAC if you can as I've heard alot of people say it's a bit shonky...
Hope that's helpful

[WookieBoy]

Just another thought... If you're not too far away from me...
If you buy a projector with ILDA only, I could maybe bring my QuickShow laptop to you for you to play with on your new projector?

[dkumpula]

In addition to WookieBoy's helpful response, renting may be a short term option and decent intro into the field.

Also, as I didn't emphasize it previously, most of the Chinese and LW stuff is relatively cheap in most regards to the products sold by companies in the UK, DE, US and some other Western European countries. (You generally get what you pay for in this field.) Furthermore, at least most of the Chinese stuff has not been certified to be used in front of an audience in most of the Western world. As lasers are potentially dangerous to your audience, it is better to wait and make sure what you are doing is both safe and legal before just jumping in with both feet. Not to mention, this field can be quite expensive and you wouldn't want to regret a pricey purchase.

Regarding future purchase of ILDA software, I agree with the prior suggestions. I would also add Medialas' Mamba 2 or Mamba III as worth considering as well.

Best of luck to you!