Pangolin

[Astroguy]

Well I have had my Pangolin system for about a month now. Let me start by saying WOW, I am so glad I moved to Pangolin. I started with Alphalite and for the money it is a good starter system. Then I moved to Mamba Black and Easylase USB, a little more money and a better system. Maybe good enough for some hobbyist and I thought it was good enough for me as well. That is until I saw the Pangolin system at FLEM. After that I had to have it.
For anyone getting into this hobby or anyone starting out in the laser business bypass all the growing pains and start with Pangolin if you can. It really is not that much more money for the intro system when you consider you get over 100 full shows and thousands of frames, the best customer support you could ever ask for and a rock solid system that is fast and crash proof. I have crashed every other system I have tried many times.
Pangolin is easy to learn with the DVD tutorials and extensive help files and if that is not enough you can call or e-mail them for help and get one on one help. They are very responsive to client needs. They even have there own forums http://www.pangolin.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php

I wish I would have started with Pangolin it would have saved me a great deal of frustration and money. There are so many features it would take too long for me to list them all. But I would like to mention the abstract generator, it is so cool you can get hooked on it, like a video game I find myself sitting for hours at the computer trying to see what kind of wild pattern I can make next. I would recommend that anyone thinking about buying a system to check out the Pangolin site at http://www.pangolin.com you may be surprised just how affordable it really is.

[cruch]

Yes! I also recommend the Pangolin system. I also started out with the Alphalite system, great system for a newbies. Easy to use. Then moved up to LDS basic, also easy to use and with 60-70+ shows. Good software. Then at christmass time, I did get hold on a Pangolin Pro system, from Bill him self. 100+ shows. Graphics and beamshows. YEAH.
This system really rocks! SO easy to use. I though it was a complex software and hard to use it. But I was dead wrong, even a child can use it

My next pangolin is the QM2000 http://pangolin.com/LD2000/QM2000NET.htm
So I can control the system with a laptop

I also own the pangolin sms2laser, another great product from pangolin.
Send an sms to my phone number, and the txt will be projected on a laserscreen Cool as hell.

Astroguy:
I agree with you, the abstract generator is nice to play with. Also their help is one of the best I ever had for a product.

[allthatwhichis]

So... I shouldn't try to get an easylase... sell my copy of LDS, the alphalite (which I haven't gotten to work yet), the two extra gigs of RAM I have, extra cpu, and anything extra I can find and get an intro kit?

Don't take this the wrong way, but you guys are killin me... I don't need a product review to convince me... I need more things to sell.

[cruch]

hehehe..Well..the pangolin cards works in any old pc. LD2000 system will run at the same speed no matter how fast or slow your computer runs. Even with an old x386 cpu. Doesn matter what pc system you got. LD2000 card has build in CPU and memory to prosess all data. Like an buildin pc in a PCI card.

[Astroguy]

hehehe..Well..the pangolin cards works in any old pc. LD2000 system will run at the same speed no matter how fast or slow your computer runs. Even with an old x386 cpu. Doesn matter what pc system you got. LD2000 card has build in CPU and memory to prosess all data. Like an buildin pc in a PCI card.

I forgot to mention it has its own CPU and memory, it loads shows 10+ times faster Mamba and even if Windows crashes it will keep playing the show.

[ajcleary]

I'm seriously considering going for Pangolin, probably the Intro version. It's either that or Mamba Black...

Out of curiosity, is there anything that the other software can do that Pangolin can't?

The one thing I like about Mamba Black is the open-hardware DAC... Ideally I'd like to run a graphics projector and beam projector simultaneously.

With Mamba Black I'd just build a simple DAC0830 and be done. I think with Pangolin, either I'd have to buy a second board or just use a beamtable on DMX.

It sounds like Pangolin is easy to use, and I'm guessing making shows is a little faster with the included autotrace programs and clipart frames.

Thanks for reviewing this, though - I definitely value your experiences and advice.

[DZ]

Ideally I'd like to run a graphics projector and beam projector simultaneously.

Pangolin would be the way to go. If you needed to run a graphics and beam projector at the same time then you would need a second board, preferably a basic so that one runs as a slave to the other. OR, to do it on the cheap, you could always pickup an Alesis blackface adat, modify it for dc input (I have the intructions around somewhere if anyone needs it), record the graphic shows to the adat and use pangolin to run the beams.

I've heard rumors of a pangolin hobby board and software coming out soon. That may be a better option as well. Then you may be able to get two for less than the price of LD2K intro. But I bet it lacks much of the great features that even the intro board has to offer. My advice, go for the LD2K intro board, then if you like it you can upgrade it to basic or pro at a later time.

David

[Pangolin]

Hi all,

Thanks for the kudos guys!!

Just a few quick points. First, I am sure there is *something* that some other program does, and that ours does not. That's just the nature of the business... I am sure there are some features in WordPerfect that are not in MS:Word. But usually even when this is the case, there is a way to do the same kind of effect, using a different tool or method. Also, although I am sure there might be a thing or two that some other program can do and which ours can not, I am also sure that there are a whole lot of things that our software can do and others can not

Second, if you want to run a second projector, with LD2000 it is true that you need another board. In the past, you needed to have at least LD2000 BASIC if you wanted to run more than one projector. But this is no longer the case, and in fact even our LD2000 Intro system can run up to 30 projectors, as long as you have the required number of QM2000 boards.

"Open hardware" has its benefits and, for example, our LivePRO program supports this kind of concept. But "open hardware" also has drawbacks too... I would say that quality and reliability are highest with dedicated platforms. That's my opinion anyway...

Best regards,

William Benner

[dave]

Second, if you want to run a second projector, with LD2000 it is true that you need another board. In the past, you needed to have at least LD2000 BASIC if you wanted to run more than one projector. But this is no longer the case, and in fact even our LD2000 Intro system can run up to 30 projectors, as long as you have the required number of QM2000 boards.

This is great news!

Did this come into play with V.4.0?

[Pangolin]

Hi Dave,

Yes, a few things changed in 4.0. The limitation on the number of projectors was completely removed, and more tracks and other features were added to LD2000 Intro. Also, the price of LD2000 Intro was reduced.

Really, unless you are on a very tight budget, it is a no-brainer to get LD2000 Intro... Of course, if you are on a tight budget, we will soon have something else for you

Best regards,

William Benner