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Thread: Selling Alphalite XC Pro

  1. #1
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    Default Selling Alphalite XC Pro

    Just posted it on eBay, in case anyone is interested:
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=320121069052

  2. #2
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    Default

    I may bid on that! I did had Alphalite Pro before and had hours of fun with it

    Pangolin FB3 QS/LivePro/SMS2Laser
    Riya MultiBus
    Pangolin LD2000 Pro

  3. #3
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    Default

    Yup it's definitely a really fun and unique system; unfortunately I'm on a tight budget at this point and plan on using only my laptop for laser stuff, which doesn't have a parallel port (and I can't afford a card).

  4. #4
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    Smile

    Hi Cruch!

    You'll have fun with the abstract generator and the sines editor for sure. The autotracer is pretty decent as well, and even the text editor has some cool features. Just make sure you have a real parallel port. Like BoomDog said, the USB-to-parallel port adapters will not work with the Alphalite.

    I still use the Alphalite software as a file browser... The preview pane in the lower right is a quick way to scan through a directory looking for a specific file.

    Oh yeah, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY dude!

    Adam

  5. #5
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    Mar 2006
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    Default

    Do you know what OS it runs on? Will it run on W98? Also, do you have a few screenshots of the GUI? I can't find any of these things on the Laser Illusions site, nor a downloadable copy to try.

  6. #6
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    Default

    hell yeah! Agree to all that!
    Yes, it will run under Win98
    Look here for a demo: http://www.laserillusions.com/downloads.html

    Pangolin FB3 QS/LivePro/SMS2Laser
    Riya MultiBus
    Pangolin LD2000 Pro

  7. #7
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    Dec 2006
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    Default

    its more comfortable on W98 than on XP !

    and theres normally a manual and latest stable version available for download

    Couple of screenshots here

    http://www.blueskymarketing.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=419

    PAUL
    In the beginning there was none. Then came the light - #1 UKLEM - 2007
    BUY UK LEGAL LASER POINTER :: NEW - Blue 460nm Laser Pointers

  8. #8
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    Default

    Nice, Thankyou both. I looked for a downloads link, really I did, Screenshots look a tad rough though, like a very unfortunate resizing tool was used. Looks like a usable system though, not cluttered or fiddly.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Cool

    Here's my take on the Alphalite:

    It's a great starter system that has a lot of cool "extras" bundled with the package for a cheap price. Things like the abstract editor, the auto tracer, the sines editor, the text editor, you get the picture.

    If you're a hobbyist on a budget looking to experiment with a projector, or if all you ever want to do is mash buttons to play along with live music, then it will work quite well for you. (Though there are other solutions that might be even better, see below.)

    However, there is no easy way to create a show that is syncronized to music. The software does not support music playback at all, and running any other software in the background will alter your scanner timing (and thus the timing of the whole show) because the Alphalite software uses a simple CPU loop to control your points-per-second scan speed. Software running in the background will steal CPU cycles from the Alphalite timer, which will slow down the scanners and lengthen your show.

    In fact, creating a complete show itself is a time-consuming process because of the quirky interface. There is no "timeline" like in Mamba or Pangolin. In fact, the show editor looks a lot like the old full-auto software. You select a frame (or animation, or sine, or abstract, or text object), and then set the number of seconds you want the frame to be displayed. This is cumbersome at best. Then too, there is no support for multiple tracks, so you can't "layer" frames on top of one another to create multiple moving objects. So putting together a full-length show is really difficult.

    Another problem with the Alphalite has to do with the parallel port interface. Because of the way a PC handles data transfer to and from the parallel port, there are times when the data flow will "freeze" while the computer does something else. Things like mouse clicks, hard disk activity, and other tasks can cause the output to stop for a period ranging from a brief instant to several seconds. If you happen to be displaying an image on the laser projector when this happens, the scanners will also freeze, and you'll have a static beam shooting off in a random location until the parallel port starts communicating again. This is a real problem in my book, and it is the primary reason why I decided that I wouldn't trust using the Alphalite in a public setting. Note that this is not strictly a fault of the Alphalite, but more a general problem inherent in all controllers that use the parallel port for communication.

    I've still got my Alphalite, and I'll probably keep it just to play around with every once in a while, because it really does have some cool features. (And this is coming from a guy that also has a Pangolin QM-32 Pro board.) At the time I bought my ALphalite I didn't know anything about Mamba Black, and the Pangolin LA Freak project was just an idea in Bill Benner's head, so my options were limited. If I was getting started today, I think my first choice would be the LA Freak setup, and my number two choice would be the Mamba Black / Easylase USB combination.

    The Alphalite would be 3rd on my list, only because of it's lower price and large feature list. But I think the LA Freak software will be able to do everything (and more) that the Alphalite can. As for Mamba, well, it's more expensive than either the LA Freak package or the Alphalite, and it's also missing a few key features (abstracts, for one), but the interface is *very* easy to use, plus it supports music syncronization! Those two facts are *hugely* important in my book.

    However, for a hobbyist - particularly one that already has another controller - the Alphalite is a unique system that can offer a lot of enjoyment. If you're interested in looking at the software, here is the direct link to the 3 meg (zipped) setup file. (I agree that it's sometimes difficult to find the download link on Rick's site, though to his credit his newly re-designed site does look pretty sharp otherwise.)

    There's no restrictions on the software; you can fire it up and play around all you want, even if the Alphalite hardware isn't conencted. Output to the parallel port will be disabled, so you can't make it work with any other parallel port controller, but all the other features of the software work just fine. If you do download the software, be sure to experiment with the abstract generator... It's no where near as powerful as the one that Pangolin has, but it's still capable of producing some cool effects. (The preview window will give you a pretty accurate representation of what it will look like.)

    Adam

  10. #10
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    Default

    Just an update, Rick of laserillusions is in progress of making USB version of Alphalite Pro Thats Nice! ;D

    Pangolin FB3 QS/LivePro/SMS2Laser
    Riya MultiBus
    Pangolin LD2000 Pro

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