hi people!
very very glad to see all of you!! :)
im new on this forum, so in short ill write my story.. (sorry for bad language skills sometimes, im from russia ;)
so, one day of this summer i surf on 'net and found this page... http://elm-chan.org/works/vlp/report_e.html
at a first look i was very impressed for a practical evidence of possibilty building a scanners (that time im even
dont know the words 'galvos' and 'scanners' - id like to call them just 'motors with mirrors' :D), so, as i said,
it has a great impression on me, .. i learn a bit later more accurately this page, and noticed, that even with a
great amount of time needed to spend for assembling the whole device.. its electronic part availible for building
with my home availble tools and my skills... but the mechanical - i mean, galvos - is nearly unreacheble :)
so, i began to realise what i need to make this device. ... first, of coarse, it was the laser. i looked at local
electronic stores, but the best i found was a 5mw green device at a price ~ 50$ . so i bought it :)
at this time i was nearly happy just to own a green laser :).... but a bit later i still want some more... ;)
as usually, its always the need to get instant results :)))... so after reading some pages on open-loop systems
and enumerating devices availible for me, i decided to use some dead HDD as open-loop galvos prototype...
i build a amplifier on TDA7385, glue a mirror on a hdd positioning head, and plugged a output from my soundcard
(actually, i have a standalone mixer ALTO-AMX100FX =), so i can adjust the output level)... to amplifier))..
and amplifier output to a hdd head colis ... ), so at a one moment (maybe the time of aligning a laser...)))
i was happy too ... seeing some sound synchronised lissagou like patterns :))))...... but later i still want some more ;)
thou, my hands at that time, and lack of free time doesnt allow me to build galvos like elm-chan build.....
so that was a wery first experience with lasers & galvos in my live =)
later, i started to read all information i found on the net on galvos, lasers and lasershow .. so on,.....
im began to realize things by little... at a fast considering, i found, that building a complete closed-loop system
with galvos and amps by myself will take near 2-3 year of my life, of course it will bring the expirience... but also
i need to get money for components :)... so i decided to take mechanical part seriously later, if there be enough
amount of time ;). in spite of this, i began of searching a complete galvos+amps sets at affordable price....
also, after searching of where i can buy a somewhat a powerful green dpss laser (>50mw), i was very depressed
when i see prices somewhat likes ~500$ for a 50mw at local stores.....!(... later i found a dave/aijii ebay shop,
but at that time i have no experience in buying something from foreing countries, and have a resident thought
that [ebay = paypal = not /officially/ for russia] :). maybe a month or two i just look at this page (dave's shop),
and realise how is would be to own a <100mw laser.....;) i often even have a dreams (or nightmares))) of it...)))))
so...so oneday... i decided to go all forward, but to one result .. even it will be negative, decided give it a try and
do all to make it true or just forget about it. in my surprise, at that time paypal enabled official registration for russian
citisens, so this is the last, but not least, that pushes me to begin that process ))))
at first, i was aimed on a 200mw green laser and a 15kpps set of scanners, i just decided it will be enough for all
purposes at a some kind a long first time... but at my surprise, i win a 300mw laser at auction! ;), so i was again
happy enough ... the whole items + postage price was < 1000$ ;). at that time, i just thinking that transferred
money to /dev/null )))) in case of negative result in case not to worry (read: "ive done everything that i can,
i send a ~1000$ for a making some unrealible dream to come true, it was just a try, anyway you would tear youself
in case 'why im even not trying!''))))))))) so, again it was a surprise when UPS courier delivers the package right to
my home...!) hehe, im still happy now.)
dave, thanks for laser again! ;)
OK. what i have now:
5mw green dpss (with a potentiometer adjust, i think it can do ~8-15mw, but its overheated faster)
300mw green dpss (GL532T-300 / LP532-300 model)
15kpps scanner set + standalone board (as i read, scanner set can be rated at 12 or even 8kpps, but galvos can do up to 30kpps with another amps)
...two days after i received the package, i begin to figure out how to assemble the galvos set, and at least, just test it ;))))
first, i realised, that some wires comes with galvos amps (especially the wire for +/-18v) is for an old type of power supply - but, i found one more 3-pin-female wire with one soldered end.. ;) i figure out immediadly the reason ;))).. and solder it to make a one. seems, thats an only needed 'solder part' to make this set to work ;) (also, i was try to find some datasheet before, but at a quick look at set its all figurable and considerable even for little lame users ;)))).... so i just plug in, and its worked well!) nothing seriously if you really want it to run now ;).
also some words about so called 'DMX sound activated board':
first, i began to write emails to dave (text is looked really stupid for me now)))))... but as usually, i just figured all by muself.
1. the board is build on the SYNCMOS MCU, working at 40Mhz. (not bad!)
2. onboard DAC is a dual, 8 bit resolution (dont remember...parallel i guess)
3. MCU is genarating a TTL (mb PWM???) outputs on a R-G-B (but i dont think that someone will use it with RGB setup, thou))))))
4. there some comparator on a opamps, two exit is here - first a signal (MIC), second - a comparator lever, i think (VR). as i notice, the MCU is somekind syncronising to this signal (do a start/stop of internal patterns) so when i run it a bit longer, after setting a correct level - seems that visual corellation to music is appears ;)
...when i played enough with that board, i need somthing more again :)...
so, i decided to reprogram syncmos MCU at first ))))).... and later, (when found, that it would be hard to reprogram it, and in case without having a sources of current firmware) just get it off ))))))))) to use pins that go direct to 8bit DAC, and do an LPT interface....
but later,,,
later, i found a lumax.de .. and as im having some skills with AVR (especially ATmega8535 MCU units), i decided to build something simular to that device. for now, im intended to build a USB-DAC using FT245BM/R series USB-FIFO + ATmega8535 (16Mhz) + [AD7237A (dual, parallel 8+4 load, +/-5 v DAC) or AD7233 (serial, +/-5v ), or.. DAC8512 (serial, 0..4,095v) +OP295(to make 0..0,495 -> +/-5)]. for now i have almoust all componets (FTDI, AVR, R+C, DAC8515 + OP295), exclude of / and waiting for / AD723x DAC's + SRAM ;) - im even understand how to make a framebuffer for ~60-70kpps max speed on a 512kB SRAM . but for now i just want a fast enough point-based DAC ....
...now im in stage of making a USB-FIFO))))). 1st prototype was good. but not enough to make a pc detect it... so, after ~50hrs of life .. making a board for a LQFP-sized component (first expirience with making a board with a chloride-ferrum .. i dont really know how to express it) .. and then solder it to another board + components (quartz 6Mhz, resistors, capaciators .. + USB-B type connector)... and... after cheking soldering and shematics 8 or more times + testing it nearly ~8 hrs with oscilloscope... i just thtrow it away)))) (sad, but true.,))))))) i need a new development board and some of 6Mhz quarts if i intend to make again self LQFP base board for standalone ftdi.) . so now im going to use a ready DLP-245BM DIP module, as seems im not currently having enouth skills to solder LQFP-sized components....(but later will make a try again, its just a question of skill ;). [guessing im just killed an FTDI chip with overheating/or static/ or voltmeter beeper (when tested a short-circuits on a homemade board with soldered FTDI on it), and it will be the greatest pain in ass to solder out that chip)))) to solder and test another - easiest way - do it from scratch again,.. so i just throw the board out of window...(hm..maybe there were a lot of unused space on a DIP-development board...) but anyway, it was a great fly down, and my nerves is OK after that)))].. i just think, that i must concentrate mainly on the overall concept of USB-DAC, so it will be more useful in overall experience and final result ;).
now i have a lack of spare time, i must do my part time job, ... &etc..etc... but i will resume to developing as soon as i can, (year....and will sleep well enough to make it correct ;)))))).
thanks for reading this message!
PS. ill post some photo when ill be at home...)