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Thread: FB3 / LA FREAK Evaluation

  1. #1
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    Default FB3 / LA FREAK Evaluation

    Guys

    AWESOME is a summary

    I have been living with my delivery from pangolin for a few weeks now and getting to grips with it ... the first thing that strikes me as AMAZING is that this $500 dac comes with FIVE pieces of software.

    Live Q .....................from the evaluation CD
    Live proUSB..............from the evaluation CD

    LA Studio aka LA freak -Draw3D
    LA Studio aka LA freak -Showrider
    LA Studio aka LA freak -abstract
    ( DOWNLOAD FROM : http://www.pangolin.com/_Files/LA_FB.zip )

    From the MOMENT i plugged in the FB3 USB DAC my system worked better , i can only assume the dac is better designed than my current two dacs , alphalite and Itop so accepts the frames and dispalys them better , the whole image just seems so much more stable , brighter !

    At first i thought maybe it was only the collection of frames that comes with the softwares but now i have had more time to upload some frames i downloaded from web and some frames a friend created in Beamsculpture as best i can assess it defo seems as though its down to the dac ( & software )

    Your going to pay $500 + around $50 shipping and maybe import duties depending on where you are , but its the best $550 i have spent ... maybe i am not knowedgable enough to realise any weaknesses but for the moment I can assure you I am one happy bunny !

    Few things to note ( as best i understand )
    1) all the softwares require a licence file/key , although the evaluation Cd looks mass produced it appears to have a personalised licence file that is tied to your individual FB3 board .
    2)The downloadable software ( link above ) wont work until you have emailed pangolin with your board serial number after arrival and requested a licence file.
    3) the softwares wont work at all unless the dac is plugged in and powered up
    4) Pangolin sell these at this fantastic value price as there is NO SUPPORT offered on the software
    5) pangolin like you to order via their order page , emailing them simply refers you to their order page here : http://www.pangolin.com/orders
    6)A similiar software to LIVEPRO USB is sold for LD2000 for $695 ... it seems crazy but its true !

    The softwares comes with a pretty decent collection of frames , likely worth the money just for some well produced frames to project so overall i am just delighted with my purchase .

    So much I think it should be renamed "THE PANGOLIN AWESOME PROJECT"

    Anyways buy it before they change their mind


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

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central Florida
    Posts
    7,067

    Lightbulb

    Awesome review man... but...





    Do you have any comparison pictures to help with...

    Quote Originally Posted by Lasermad
    From the MOMENT i plugged in the FB3 USB DAC my system worked better , i can only assume the dac is better designed than my current two dacs , alphalite and Itop so accepts the frames and dispalys them better , the whole image just seems so much more stable , brighter !
    I just want to see what you mean.
    Love, peace, and grease,

    allthat... aka: aaron@pangolin

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Orlando, FL - USA
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    Default

    Hi Paul,

    I am glad to read that you are happy with your purchase, and that you are getting along well with the system we sent you. And now, just a few comments...

    First, I hate to seem braggadocios but... it's no accident that laser output from our stuff looks better. There is a lot of work that goes into each and every piece of software and hardware we make. The people who are working on the Pangolin team are all seasoned professionals at the top of their game, and before release, almost everything goes through rigorous testing, not only by us, but also by a number of BETA testers in the field. (We thank the great users, and the feedback they provide, for the quality of our products.) And lastly, there is something we have that I believe is all too uncommon with other manufacturers that serve the lightshow field -- something we call "accountability in design". Basically, it is a work ethic that recognizes that "we are swinging around a fricken laser beam here", and we better be very careful with what we do and how we do it. Safety is a foremost consideration, not an afterthought... Both hardware and software go though a peer-review process. It's never a one-man-show at Pangolin. The result we strive for is products that are truly worthy of users’ praise.

    Second, to respond to a few of your points, we do offer support on the software we include with the Flashback, including the LiveQUICK software (and LivePRO when purchased separately). What we don’t offer heavy support on is the LA-FREAK software. We are hoping that, for the most part, users will be self-supporting of this through forums such as this one. In any case, if there are problems, please do report them. We treat trouble-reports as a way to improve the product. If there are questions, we will do our best to answer, but emails regarding LA-FREAK will be treated at a lower priority than emails about our LD2000 series software, because after all, LA-FREAK is essentially free software…

    Third, the LivePRO software that we include with the Flashback Evaluation Kit is almost exactly the same software that we sell for our LD2000 system. There are only a few minor differences, owing mostly to less hardware on the FB compared with the QM2000.

    Best regards,

    William Benner
    Last edited by Pangolin; 10-04-2007 at 15:10.

  4. #4
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    I looked on the Pangolin website but didn't see the product listed. Is there a link?

    Also, is it possible to just buy the DAC and programming API?

  5. #5
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    Jan 2006
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    Smile

    Hi Carmangary!

    If you're interested in the LA FREAK package, you might want to have a look at my "preview" post from a few months ago. Note that I don't own this software and have not actually used it, but I did spend nearly 2 hours on the phone with Bill Benner talking about the hardware and software. The post is a synopsis of the things we discussed. It also has several links to the Pangolin site that will show you what the software can do.

    You can also just go to the Pangolin website and use the search function to search for "LA Studio". (For a quick preview, look here, here, here, here , and here.)

    You *can* purchase the Flashback 3 controller without the software, but you won't be saving a lot of money. Remember that the LA FREAK package is aimed at the hobbyist market. The software is actually the old LA Studio software that has been adapted to work with both the Flashback 3 controller and the QM-2000 board. Pangolin aquired this software when the bought the company that created LA Studio. Since the software was already written, they didn't have to spend a lot of time on development. They just needed to tweak the output to work with their hardware. So they can offer the software for a very cheap price. (In fact, if you're already a QM-2000 owner, you can download the entire LA Studio software suite FOR FREE from the Pangolin website!) Bill said that the whole idea was to try to give something back to the laser hobbyist community, not to try and make a truckload of money off the software.

    Bill did say that he wanted to modify the software to make some tasks easier. He said that there are parts of the LA Studio software that are confusing because there are multiple ways to acomplish a given task. He wanted to clean up the interface to make it simpler, and also to remove some of the redundancy in the task list. But that work will take time.

    For now though, you can purchase the LA FREAK package (containing the FB3 controller and the LA Studio software) and get started. Later, when the software has been cleaned up, Pangolin will release a FREE update for anyone running the old LA Studio software so they can get the new "LA FREAK" version. All this for just $500. (Pretty good deal in my book...)

    To be quite honest, were it not for the phenomenal deal I received on my QM-32 system, I would have had a hard time deciding between the LA FREAK system and a Mamba Black / Easylase combination. In my opinion the features offered by the LA FREAK package are world class. The only real drawback is the lack of any audio syncronization capabilities. But when you consider that the price of the LA FREAK package is over $300 less than Mamba Black w/ the Easylase USB controller, it's quite a bargain.

    Adam

    Edit - PS: Just noticed your request for the programming API. The Flaskback 3 controller does not come with a public API. Pangolin does not support third-party software talking to the FB3 controller. (They *do* support this for the QM-2000 board, however.) Bill talked about this at FLEM last January. This was a compromise between Pangolin's desire to be compatible with other software vs their dealer network not wanting to have to troubleshoot third party software. In the end they decided to allow 3rd party software to work with the QM-2000 boards but not on the FB3 controllers.
    Last edited by buffo; 02-01-2008 at 09:23. Reason: fixed typos and added info on API...

  6. #6
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    Sounds pretty good. Hopefully I can get it on sale or something some day. $500 is just outside my price budget for my hobby. But it sounds pretty good.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
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    Sounds like a good deal, so sad I already bought a full blown Phoenix pakage. Think I will invest in FB3 when the price comes down....

    If it does of course??

  8. #8
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    For what you get, it is very cheap.
    KVANT Australian projector sales
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    Lasershowparts- Laser Parts at great prices
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  9. #9
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    hell yeah! 500bucks for an pangolin product!!
    Like stealing a candy from a child...

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

  10. #10
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    wow what can i say i got the FB3 today and just wow.

    my dt40 work now and so so well.

    great bit of kit and highly recommended

    can anyone tell me, scan speed - 50% is 30k so what is 40k????

    http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j1...5072007098.flv
    Last edited by andy_con; 07-05-2007 at 12:56.
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