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Thread: Why is this a bad choice

  1. #1
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    Default Why is this a bad choice

    Hello All,

    I am a new member of PL and so far have received an amazing amount of help and information from this forum. I hope I can quickly get experience of my own so I can help others as they have helped me.

    I have been scanning Ebay for lasers recently and I was wondering what is bad about this laser from China. I am considering buying this laser and running it for the next year or so (I figure there is no way it will last any longer than that) while I build up money to buy the individual components to make my own RGB 1W+ laser with analog modulation.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-500mW-La...item3cd02ece33

    Has anyone used these?

    What would a scanned graphic look like with this laser? Fat lines, jittery color, Not white, etc.

    I am going to use my projector at home and maybe a party or two so I figure small imperfections are not a huge deal but I also don't want to get scammed by something that claims 500mW RGB but is really a 50mW purple white. I figure if anyone knows its you guys here at PL.

    Thanks in Advance

  2. #2
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    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
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    no corrective optics on the blue and red diodes. at distance you'll get lines instead of round spots.

    no real adjustments for alignment, at distance your beams will no longer overlap.

    not sure if analog modulation is correct. all the reports of those modules i've seen state they're just TTL.

    also, i've heard reports of those drivers smoking and failing.

    Quote Originally Posted by SaltyRobot View Post
    Hello All,

    I am a new member of PL and so far have received an amazing amount of help and information from this forum. I hope I can quickly get experience of my own so I can help others as they have helped me.

    I have been scanning Ebay for lasers recently and I was wondering what is bad about this laser from China. I am considering buying this laser and running it for the next year or so (I figure there is no way it will last any longer than that) while I build up money to buy the individual components to make my own RGB 1W+ laser with analog modulation.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-500mW-La...item3cd02ece33

    Has anyone used these?

    What would a scanned graphic look like with this laser? Fat lines, jittery color, Not white, etc.

    I am going to use my projector at home and maybe a party or two so I figure small imperfections are not a huge deal but I also don't want to get scammed by something that claims 500mW RGB but is really a 50mW purple white. I figure if anyone knows its you guys here at PL.

    Thanks in Advance
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  3. #3
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    as they say if it is too good to be true... ya get what you pay for..... and on and on
    leading in trailing technology

  4. #4
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    At that price, it's probably glued together inside, so if it's out of alignment, you're out of luck. Also, the divergence is pretty bad, so yes, fat beams and probably very mismatched spots. If it's just a little rgb for playing around at home, it may not be bad for the money if you want to roll the dice, but I'd recommend saving for a projector. Look in the group buys, Hakzaw is doing a gb for a 500mw RGB for about $525 with a bunch of nice effects. It's not legal for public use in the US, but some members have these units and they're getting decent reviews.

    http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ction-gratings
    Last edited by LEDpaint; 05-14-2013 at 11:02.

  5. #5
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    Yeah it seems like most of them say TTL and 650nM red but this one was different with the same picture as the others. I also saw a few that had 405nM blue, which of course is not blue and will not make white. Has anything good / half way decent come from this company? Or are they a new scammer just taking peoples money, knowing that its too expensive to return product to China.

    What kind of distance would you notice lines and non-overlap. What if I was going to use this in a living room or back yard environment, so say 20 ft from projector to wall. Would that maintain an acceptable level of white laser. I use the term acceptable loosely.

  6. #6
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
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    take the stated specs with a huge grain of salt. i've seen a number of identical units on ebay that claim to have 473.

    a lot of the cheap chinese vendors either have no idea what they're selling, or are just lying.

    here's a review: http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/re...ser-81879.html

    Quote Originally Posted by SaltyRobot View Post
    Yeah it seems like most of them say TTL and 650nM red but this one was different with the same picture as the others. I also saw a few that had 405nM blue, which of course is not blue and will not make white. Has anything good / half way decent come from this company? Or are they a new scammer just taking peoples money, knowing that its too expensive to return product to China.

    What kind of distance would you notice lines and non-overlap. What if I was going to use this in a living room or back yard environment, so say 20 ft from projector to wall. Would that maintain an acceptable level of white laser. I use the term acceptable loosely.
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  7. #7
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    Thanks Swamidog. The link to the review was very helpful. At least I will know what i'm getting if I decide to buy. Will probably buy LSX first and keep my eye out for a better RGB since I already have Galvos and a greenie and I want to start making shows. In the process of building the OLSD DAC now.

  8. #8
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    i'm a big LSX user. feel free to shoot me questions, or come to the #photonlexicon irc chat room. there's a big pod of us LSX users there. just remember: "new guy buys the lattes".

    let me know if you want some examples of what LSX can do.


    Quote Originally Posted by SaltyRobot View Post
    Thanks Swamidog. The link to the review was very helpful. At least I will know what i'm getting if I decide to buy. Will probably buy LSX first and keep my eye out for a better RGB since I already have Galvos and a greenie and I want to start making shows. In the process of building the OLSD DAC now.
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  9. #9
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    Trust me you don't have to sell me on LSX. I already read the manual and just about every thread I could find. I'm sold. I love math and the freedom this program seems to offer. When was this program released for the first time? It seems really new to everyone. It also seems like no one except maybe Dr.Lava knows the limits of LSX.

    But yes I will you shoot you questions as I am learning how to use it.

    Do you know if anyone has ever tried to use fractal equations in LSX yet?

  10. #10
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    i don't know how old the initial code base is, but LSX as it exists now has only been out about two years.

    drlava knows most about it because it's his.

    contrary to popular belief, i don't do a lot with the expressions side of things. it's coloredmirrorball (cmb) who channels those like the dark side of the force.



    Quote Originally Posted by SaltyRobot View Post
    Trust me you don't have to sell me on LSX. I already read the manual and just about every thread I could find. I'm sold. I love math and the freedom this program seems to offer. When was this program released for the first time? It seems really new to everyone. It also seems like no one except maybe Dr.Lava knows the limits of LSX.

    But yes I will you shoot you questions as I am learning how to use it.

    Do you know if anyone has ever tried to use fractal equations in LSX yet?
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

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