Lightwave International and their questionable Phenom claims

[swamidog]

In video they have it on,

in picture they have it off.

Seems to be held on externally.

Attachment 46026

fair enough.. but it's not like stacking pangolin safety scans on it.

[gabe]

fair enough.. but it's not like stacking pangolin safety scans on it.

When it comes to safety it makes me think of the sharpy scenario. Yeah on the side of the light it says to put 3m from audience, but how often do people break that rule? Probably plenty.

[masterpj]

[[Closed thread]]

[Laser Wizardry]

" 15 characters"

[White-Light]

Without seeing the full specs, which aren't readily available from my glance at the web site, I'd say there's probably PASS inside. That regulates the power against every conceivable hardware / software failure and maintains it at a pre-set constant permanently, which is why it gets FDA approval for projectors with it fitted. Add on the safety lens to diverge it, and I can see how it can be "always" safe. If it isn't PASS, then it's probably a new Lightwave developed equivalent.

The only danger in that scenario would be someone removing the safety lens ( in which case they'd need access - presumably it would be mounted outside of audience reach so it could be in reach of only the club owner or lighting tech) or someone mounting it within the 9.1 m minimum distance. Either way, you'd expect that someone responsible to go out and buy a "safe" projector in the 1st place, would having gone to that trouble and expense, take the time to mount it properly, in which case there should be no real issues.

[gabe]

yes the lens can come off. you know why? because their is actually two versions of it, one thats audience scanning capable and one thats not.


really? how many of us actually control our own gear at major events these days as it is? 9 times out of 10 for festivals and corporate work, the LD is controlling my pangolin via DMX from their console, and I'm really just an LSO at that point. I wouldn't get the gig if the LD couldn't be the one controlling every light source on the stage. I know this is not just an Arizona thing. I've had too many touring LD's want to plug into my system to control my lasers to think its just a local phenomenon. I don't particularly like it either, but its conform to these new "norms" or not get any work.

How does a moving head laser seem safe without the lens on it? I didn't know that lasers could even be legal on moving heads, let alone 10W, (even if it has pass in it) and at that point why is there even a point to have a mover like that? When you could just have a standard projector. Where you could actually have reliable zoning. I was on a show and they had over 20 DL3's being aligned and there was a power issue and when they all came back on, not a single one was still lined up right. Brand new the phenom might not do this, but as time goes on I can imagine they will become less perfect with their positions. (not saying its bad, just saying things get old, and hands don't always play nice with gear)

I feel like giving the power to the LD is taking away from why we do this. Maybe i'm alone in saying but the best part of the show is when they actually get to be used, and i'd like to hold on to that aspect as much as I can. The best shows I can remember is when I actually work with the LD and collaborate with him/her. Those are the best shows. Albeit usually smaller, lower profile shows, but that's where cool LD's who aren't use to getting whatever they want. I'm willing to sacrifice a show or two in order to keep doing what I do best, and not just be the laser tech.

When I'm doing a show, I want to be doing the show, I can ensure the quality, and I can genuinely enjoy the show.

[masterpj]

[[Closed thread]]

[White-Light]

I also do not get the point of a rather dangerous 10watt laser moving head.. it's a mechanical kind of thing and those things are just prone to failjure with time.

Whereas I agree that lasers and moving heads generally are not a good mix, if it truly meets FDA standards then it's hardly dangerous even if there is a motor failure as the maximum irradiance will be 2.5mw cm 2 at the specified 9.1 metres closest point to the audience which equates to a maximum exposure of 10mw cm2 for a static beam taking into account eye aversion response. So even if it went static, MPE should never be exceeded for the audience with ordinary cues.

The situation would be different if Hot Beams were in play of course or if it was relying on a fast scan fail (because it could go static from the fixture motor but have the scanners fully functional), and so it would on the face of it make sense, never to use these fixtures with Hot Beams or give them a 10 mw cm2 scan fail protected irradiance.

I must agree though that 10W appears a lot to make safe in that distance as the video appears to show thin very crisp beams, not at all like the slightly fuzzy beams seen when put through safety lens normally. However, what do I know. If I could do safe shows like Lightwave, then I would truly be a laser god!

I also agree that the real danger comes from Chinese clones if these lack the safety features and measurements seen in the LW fixture.

[norty303]

I suspect the promo video wasn't using the lenses, in order to get the best possible effect for the camera.

Also, you don't need DMX on your projector to have them controlled by DMX. The smart way is DMX in via your existing control solution so you preserve all the useful functionality like BAMs, zone configuration, content creation, etc.
There's a whole load to being a 'laserist' that isn't actually punching off the cues. Think 'system tech' versus 'sound engineer'.
There's a reason Pangolin supports the Enttec interface - it also works as DMX in...

[drm916]

The only thing that bothers me at all is the fact that a non varianced user can use it. But so can any of the laser fixtures at guitarcenter that are "below" mpe.