Yet another Newie looking for Laser Advice

[andy_con]

yes, but the low end laser world projectors are what you give to people you really hate.

piss my shit, true

[Bradfo69]

Hi Brian,

Welcome to PL.

First off, about the Laserworld. Unless you are buying a high end unit as was mentioned above, most of their things are either somewhat poorly built or grossly under spec as compared with the competition. Take for example your CS-2000RGB. In most circles and with most companies, people would look at that naming scheme and think they were getting an RGB laser producing about 2 watts of power - ideally with about that much coming out of the aperture. Laserworld has already said min. of 1.5 and max of 2.0. They measure that INSIDE the projector by adding up the total from in front of each module. What you fail to realize is there are a number of optical things going on after that, that all rob a little of that power. Dichroics (coated glass) that allow certain colors to be reflected and others to pass and even first surface and galvo mirrors will all eat up a little bit of that power. So what's really coming out of the window might only be 900mW of total power yet, you the buyer think you're getting a 2 watt laser. It's one of their "tricks" and yet, they see nothing wrong with it because the way they see it, on a good day, during a full moon, in a month that starts with the letter J, and with the projector pointing northwest, they actually measured 2 watts.

Scanners... again, they have their own way of rating them that's different from the rest of the industry so, you're really not getting a fair apples to apples comparison. Real world usage, the DT's mentioned by Goldenstar are fine. Yes, Quickshow does have a 30K limit but in reality, there isn't much out there that requires 30k to begin with.

The 637 versus 650 commment. Yes, 637 is going to be much more satisfying that 650 particularly if you are only anticipating graphics. Two things come into play. First is beam size and also apparent brightness. Beam size refers to the diameter of the laser beam. Simply by virtue of the way it's produced, 650 is going to give you a much larger beam. Think in terms of crayon versus pencil lead. 650 is your crayon.... big and fat and draws a big line. 637 on the other hand is a much narrower beam sort of like a pencil lead by comparison. It's going to be much closer to the diameter of your blue and your green beams and therefore be more "matched". Would you rather draw a picture on the wall where you saw all the rings of a target or, where the lines were all just the diameter of the bullseye?

Then there is power... you need a lot less 637 to match the same brightness. You might need for example 2 watts of 650 alone to match .5 watt of 637. For one thing, it's closer to what your vision perceives as "bright" and, that energy is in a much smaller beam so, a lot more dense. The problem is simply that 650 is cheap to produce. But, it's also a lot less desirable.

Yes, analog over TTL is preferred. TTL is simply that the laser is either on or off. Analog allows dimming of the laser so, many, many more shades and colors are available. The different in cost between TTL and analog is minimal and you should probably be considering analog in all but the cheapest of projectors (say under 500 pounds).

Take a look at Lightspace as well. (Omar) on the forum here. And as has been said before... SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY. If you wanted to mess with pyrotechnics, you'd expect to have to follow some safety guidelines.... the same holds true for lasers. Remember... they're surgical tools too!

[UKEventLighting]

Hi Brian,

Welcome to PL.

First off, about the Laserworld. Unless .....

A BIG THANKYOU, this is the reply I was looking for, explaining why not to buy from LaserWorld and not just saying they are sh*t.

Regarding the safety, I agree, as my first post said I’m using would be using this in venue that hold around 200-250 people, so would be projecting 20-25m max, a 5/6w laser is just to powerful

I have sent LightSpace an email and will see what they come back with on price

Once again BIG thanks

[Bradfo69]

You're welcome.

An observation on Goldenstar versus Lightspace. Both have their place. Both are developing a nice reputation on the forum and both seem to have pretty decent communication, shipping speed, pricing, and customer service. Goldenstar has a wider variety of parts available for sale so they appeal to the do-it yourself mentality on this forum. Cases, dichros, mounts, scanners from various manufacturers, software, power supplies, individual modules from other manufacturers with great pricing, and the things you need to build your own. They also of course, sell complete lasers.

Lightspace on the other hand basically sells complete projectors, scanners and their own "built-in-house" red and blue modules and are now dabbling in the new 520nm green diode modules. Personally... and just my observation/opinion, the completed projectors from Lightspace have a little bit better, more refined build quality and attention to detail. The machining of the cases for example. I've seen a few examples from Goldenstar that will inevitably nick or slice your fingers with a sharp edge, versus the fit and finish from Lighspace that just seems more refined. Wiring. Thought process in assembly. The use of thermal grease even under the scanner block, etc.

You're in the UK so you don't have the same issues we have here in that they aren't "varianced" for use in the US. (That "legally" gives you a lot more options.) That doesn't make them any worse of a projector. Quite the contrary. I've seen some proudly made "US legal" projectors that would be an embarrassment to put alongside some products from Lightspace. (Speaker wire, electrical tape, hot melt glue and various assorted home hardware supply store mixed and matched fasteners.) Honestly, a lot of the "variance" aspect the Asians don't have has more to do with the quality control program and stateside recordkeeping of the manufacturer.

The box itself?

The quality gap has closed fast. That's not to say there isn't still a LOT of cheap tinny winkie blinky asian projectors out there or, that there aren't masterful very well engineered and built American made/varianced projectors too. I'm still lusting after one that was demo'd to me by X-Laser as an example but, the box IS the box and as I said, I've watched that gap start closing at at pretty impressive pace.

[simonb]

Hello,

I was wondering if someone could help!

I am considering buying a 1000mW 445nm laser for the lasershow projector I am making.

I found a CNI laser being sold by Goldenstar looks ideal, & the bare module costs £121 according to their website.

When I searched Goldenstar on the Photonlexicon forums I found only good reviews & comments, & that one of their staff 'Winni' is a member of PL, although I don't know how to search for or contact PL members.

Also some people mentioned NRG lasers which is a UK firm; are they known as 'Laser Know How'.

Any help or advice would be very helpful,

Thanks,

Simon

[andy_con]

Also some people mentioned NRG lasers which is a UK firm; are they known as 'Laser Know How'.

Any help or advice would be very helpful,

Thanks,

Simon

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...or-Build/page2

[colouredmirrorball]

Long answer why you don't want Laserworld...
http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...009-Laserworld
http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...%28at-last!%29

[UKEventLighting]

Hi All

Me again (sorry) right I have heard back from Lightspace, they have given me a few quotes.

One last (I hope) bit of advice, what is the best way to work out the configuration of each colour the laser? Take the Pluto II RGB4000, this is 1000R, 1000G, 2000B, why is there such a different between the R+G and the B?
I have worked out that is has to do with the aperture size and how is combines the beams but how do you work it out what to buy?

Safety (first), some units have the interlock, connected to a big red button to kill the laser. Why use a interlock, why not just kill the power? If I left the laser at any point during an event I would like to use a power kill button with key, the only thing that I don’t know is how/what lasers do during their power up, at some point is there any type of output during the power up?

I will be using Quickshow, in the setup you can set the zones to make sure the laser dose not scan outside of this area, however if the software crashes what is the best way to have a physical ‘shutter’ or lens to block the beams from the areas you do not want it to go, is there sure a thing and how or where do you fit it?

Regards

Brian

[dkumpula]

One last (I hope) bit of advice, what is the best way to work out the configuration of each colour the laser? Take the Pluto II RGB4000, this is 1000R, 1000G, 2000B, why is there such a different between the R+G and the B?
I have worked out that is has to do with the aperture size and how is combines the beams but how do you work it out what to buy?

I haven't seen the Pluto II 4W output, but I own a Pluto II 2.5W and it is a beautiful piece of workmanship. I suspect you will be pleased with that choice. There are several beam characteristics, wavelength and power considerations that affect perceived brightness, but for the sake of brevity and the positive reputation lightspace has, you should expect a nice beam that is more blue-green than pure white. You could double the red's power for a nicer white at full power, but since red is the most expensive color, the increase in price will be significant. You can alternatively adjust down green and blue through your software to get warmer whites if you'd like. It's a bit of personal preference.

Safety (first), some units have the interlock, connected to a big red button to kill the laser. Why use a interlock, why not just kill the power? If I left the laser at any point during an event I would like to use a power kill button with key, the only thing that I don’t know is how/what lasers do during their power up, at some point is there any type of output during the power up?

Speed during an emergency situation is critical. Slamming that big red button is quicker than hitting the power switch or stopping the output via software. That last option wouldn't address several dangerous situations, of course, so don't depend on software alone for saving anybody's eyes. Also note that you should never leave the projector in a situation where plugging it back in is enough for it to resume output as someone else could plug it back in without your supervision.

I will be using Quickshow, in the setup you can set the zones to make sure the laser dose not scan outside of this area, however if the software crashes what is the best way to have a physical ‘shutter’ or lens to block the beams from the areas you do not want it to go, is there sure a thing and how or where do you fit it?

Physical barriers securely affixed to the projector allows you to block unwanted beams on the sides and above (think balconies). A lens like Safetyscan lenses are half circles and therefor more appropriate for diverging beams below a certain level as opposed to blocking them altogether.

Cheers!

David

[Bradfo69]

Hi Brian,

David basically covered everything for you. Spot on. I know those ratios sound a little out of whack but, really... in terms of what you'll "see", it's not bad. The only time I ever noticed the white of a Pluto being more bluish was when putting it along side a projector that I KNOW has an excellent white - and cost me more than three times as much. For that kind of money... I'm good with a very slight bluish tint!