Page 3 of 21 FirstFirst 123456713 ... LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 206

Thread: SELEM 2019 sign-up thread

  1. #21
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    196

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by telmnstr View Post
    Very cool! Is that AppleDACS or something else? No luck with the Pangolin QuadMod16 on Amiga. I need to try to install LD400 on the newer Amiga 4000 system I picked up and see if the card works in there (in case there is an issue with the Zorro slots on my Amiga 2500, there is some motherboard corrosion from battery leak.)
    Its an updated LaserMaster AppleDAC system, which Alden Gaw (Lasermaster1977) modified to work with ILDA standards. He made a couple new DAC cards and controllers along with updating the software. He is currently working on updating the input tablets, so I can make new images. He created the image I posted above (Apple II forever)

    Ash McFadden of Laser Systems Development Corporation also had an AppleDAC. He recently got hold of me and we are hoping to get his images working in some fashion, but it may take a while, as he is busy.

    Ash originally worked with Randy Rico who created the heart of the program, the machine language driver. Also he had employed Joe Hopkins for a while. Before they parted ways.

    AFAIK those are the only two apple II systems of the era, but I could be wrong.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Austin Texas
    Posts
    285

    Default

    Payment Sent! 3XL shirt. Looks like things coming together for my Scotland Family Castle trip and go ahead for SELEM XIII as well!

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Orlando, Florida
    Posts
    1,156

    Default

    Payment Sent
    Medium shirt please

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Colorado USA
    Posts
    793

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by icecruncher View Post
    Its an updated LaserMaster AppleDAC system, which Alden Gaw (Lasermaster1977) modified to work with ILDA standards. He made a couple new DAC cards and controllers along with updating the software. He is currently working on updating the input tablets, so I can make new images. He created the image I posted above (Apple II forever)

    Ash McFadden of Laser Systems Development Corporation also had an AppleDAC. He recently got hold of me and we are hoping to get his images working in some fashion, but it may take a while, as he is busy.

    Ash originally worked with Randy Rico who created the heart of the program, the machine language driver. Also he had employed Joe Hopkins for a while. Before they parted ways.

    AFAIK those are the only two apple II systems of the era, but I could be wrong.
    Thanks Neil. It is wonderful that you put Ash in contact with us.

    Just a slight correction to your comments though, if I may. My original single DAC controller I named AppleDAC. It wasn't initially intended as a product name, just a reference when writing about it because it was a "DAC" for the "Apple". It eventually became the DAC interface board's product name when I came out with my 2nd generation LASERMASTER system as now I had to differentiate between them is some way.

    Neil recently brought Ash McFadden, myself and others together to help Ash with resurrecting his "AppleDAC" images. This past week, when communicating with Ash I learned we both used the same term "AppleDAC" without knowing it. Ash's 2nd generation product was named "AppleDAC II" and was a 5 channel 8-bit DAC system for XYRGB signals, where RGB each were driven by 8-bit DACs. Each image point had an RGB value, like the ILDA frame standard but pre-dating ILDA. Randy Rico did a great job on this.

    My AppleDAC provided 8-bit XY single-ended output along with a Z TTL beam blanking (On/Off) output for controlling an A/O modulator via the TTL Z signal. It is this system that I recently modified my machine language driver to support RGB On/Off control utilizing the Apple IIe/IIgs four Game I/O port's Annunciator Outputs for RGB TTL signals and one for an auxillary On/Off for a projector shutter. I built a mini-console for Neil that provides the required ILDA projector's XY balanced line driver signals and buffered TTL RGB outputs.

    I believe I've alluded to my LASERMASTER system on this forum in other posts. It essentially took my single card AppleDAC solution, added XY scaling DACs to control the size output of the main XY outputs, expanded the circuit board to include what was essentially four 32K Apples with XY DAC outputs and XY size control outputs, 13 2K image frame buffers, 4 wave Shape tables for generating Lissajous type images, 16 programmable shape routines along with 16 programmable scale routines.

    There were four of these AppleDAC co-processor boards in the Apple. In addition, the four Apple IIe's Annunciator ports were used as a 64-channel multiplexed On/Off controller that was used to control the analog/digital system console's analog switch multiplexers and projector hardware such as rotary solenoids and motors. The Apple IIe had a 2MB memory expansion card used and a RAMDrive that all images and programmable routines were loaded to, the 4 ALDC 1.0 cards (Apple Laser DAC Controller), a TimeMaster clock card and the dual floppy controller card. The TimeMaster clock card gave the system a time-based sequencing ability so LASERMASTER system commands were time-based scripted.

    Typically, three of the ALDC cards were associated to three RGB scanner pairs. I did RGB scanning but with three discrete scanner pairs for each color with an IntraAction A/O on each color. The fourth ALDC card could be programmatically used as a programmable XYZ modulator for one of the other ALDC cards or as a fourth image channel that could be switched in/out with another XY channel.

    This left the processing power of the Apple IIe to read the laser show's binary time-based script file, send the appropriate display commands to each of the 4 ALDC image cards for which image, image command or image sequence to display, load new images, shape or scale routines from RAMDisk to ALDC cards all on the fly while the show was being presented in sync with the music.
    Last edited by lasermaster1977; 05-03-2019 at 09:54. Reason: added "buffered"
    ________________________________
    Everything depends on everything else

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    381

    Default

    I'll come with a Spectrum 33, my glowing personality and some raffle prizes... Any (reasonable) suggestions?
    Sincerely,
    Ryan Smith
    ScannerMAX Mechanical Engineer
    ryan {at} scannermax.com

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Default

    Scanner hardware or controller hardware would make for amazing door prizes, Ryan.

    Re: the Spectrum 33, is this the same form factor that Justin brought last year? If so I need to remember to reserve a specific crank stand and mounting plate for it. (Had some issues hoisting it last year because the stand wasn't rated for the load.)

    Attendee list has been updated btw.

    Adam

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    381

    Default

    I think we brought a Spectrum 25 last year

    Which exact unit we bring depends on what is booked our of our rental fleet that week (I think we have some 20, 25, 30 and 33 watt units these days, and maybe a 40).

    They're all the same approximate footprint if I remember correctly. I should be able to earmark one for that week.

    As for door prizes, I think last year I had certificates for two sets of C506 with amp. I'll see if I can match that this year (except have hardware on site)... or maybe something faster? Ill see what I can do.
    Sincerely,
    Ryan Smith
    ScannerMAX Mechanical Engineer
    ryan {at} scannermax.com

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Fort Mill, SC USA
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rns0504 View Post
    As for door prizes, I think last year I had certificates for two sets of C506 with amp. I'll see if I can match that this year (except have hardware on site)... or maybe something faster? Ill see what I can do.
    Sweet! Those beauties were most coveted last year. Neil/IceCruncher won one of those sets of C506's with Mach DSP amps last year. He then invoked the upgrade offer to get himself a shiny new set of Saturn 1bs. These babies arrived and are sitting on my workbench waiting to be installed into a singlemode build. I expect that they will bring Neil and Luz many hours of sweet, sweet high-speed graphics over the years to come.

    Regarding the Spectrum, perhaps the lower power option would be preferable? As I recall, the Spectrum last year was so bright in that space that you couldn't see any other lasers when it was running. Just a thought.

    -David
    "Help, help, I'm being repressed!"

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Default

    I think the unique experience of seeing a projector that powerful is worth it even if it does drown-out the other units. We don't have to run it full-tilt all the time, after all. But when else will you get a chance to see something like that?

    And scanners make great door prizes! I love that idea.

    Adam

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Fort Mill, SC USA
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    I think the unique experience of seeing a projector that powerful is worth it even if it does drown-out the other units. We don't have to run it full-tilt all the time, after all. But when else will you get a chance to see something like that?
    Good point. To be honest, turning it down never even occurred to me. :0 I wonder what it’s minimum white lazing power is.

    David
    "Help, help, I'm being repressed!"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •