Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 19 of 19

Thread: 200mW projector build

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Fort Mill, SC USA
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by janelo View Post
    Absolutely, the 20K scanners are not great, especially for graphics (and I really like graphics). I was actually thinking about buying a new set of DT50s for this project but ended up just using what I had. Unfortunately swapping the scanners is not that easy at this point. I think the best way around this will be to just build another projector . I had lots of fun on this project so I'm definitely planning on building myself a 2nd projector when I find the time for it.
    I do a lot of custom building with a focus on compact builds and high performing graphics. The Compact-506s with MachDSP amps and their 3.2A per channel PSU have the smallest footprint you can get for 40Kpps graphics. The 506's cost much more than what you put in there, but the ability to scan really wide and accurately at 40Kpps is very rewarding. In that build, you'd have to do some rearrangement of the components, but you obviously have a good eye for laying things out. That said, making a new build and relegating your current build to beam work in a small space is another option. You can't have too many lasers!

    Happy building/upgrading!

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

  2. #12
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    9

    Default

    I wasn't planning on putting the 405nm in a projector. I'm just curious how it looks in person. - Building a little module around a low powered 405nm diode would also definitely make for a fun evening.

    The 506s definitely look great - I'm sure they're well worth their money - but they still cost a fair penny.
    Should I decide to get a new set of galvos I'll definitely build another projector. Even in my current setup the rest of the system probably cost less than the scanners (using lots of diy parts really reduced cost).
    With that in mind I couldn't resist doing another build . There are also a few edges I'm not entirely happy with in this project.

    Jan

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    73

    Default

    That's an awesome build!

    405nm is kind of disappointing in my opinion, except for glow-in-the-dark. Human M and L cone cells have a long tail in their response curves out towards 400nm, plus the S cone response is low to begin with in that part of the spectrum, so on its own 405 looks a bit pastel rather than the deep blue you might expect, and it's just plain dim because the total luminosity is low. It also does very little to expand the available gamut of a more conventional RGB projector for the same reasons.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Fort Mill, SC USA
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    ^^^ What aberry said ^^^

    but . . add high quality glow in the dark paint and . .

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

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Colorado USA
    Posts
    793

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by dkumpula View Post
    ^^^ What aberry said ^^^

    but . . add high quality glow in the dark paint and . .

    I'll Bee damned! Slick!
    ________________________________
    Everything depends on everything else

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Default

    WOW! That's a great looking projector, Jan! And talk about do-it-yourself, you built EVERYTHING, even the diode drivers! Well done dude, WELL DONE!

    Welcome to PhotonLexicon. It's pretty clear that you're going to fit right in here. Really looking forward to seeing more pictures of your work.

    Regarding the recent advent of affordable solid state blue and green dodes, yeah, there was something of a revolution around 2009-2010 that really changed the game for hobbyists. If you're curious, you can dig through some of the old threads here on the forum from that time period to see how quickly things changed.

    The watershed event, of course, was the commercial release of the Casio Slim-green video projector, which had 24 1 watt 445 nm laser diodes inside it. As soon as laserists realized they could harvest those diodes, all hell broke loose!

    Adam

  7. #17
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    9

    Default

    The glow-in-the-dark bee looks very cool!

    I got myself a cheap 30mw 405nm diode to play with - as you predicted it turned out to be not particulary impressive. At least I have seen it in person now.

    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    WOW! That's a great looking projector, Jan! And talk about do-it-yourself, you built EVERYTHING, even the diode drivers! Well done dude, WELL DONE! Welcome to PhotonLexicon.
    Thanks!

    I think I saw similar diode arrays for sale online. I must say I initially thought they were designed for some industrial application .

    I also made a bit of progress on the front panel. As I couldn't think of a better way of cutting a square hole (without a mill) I decided to just file it by hand.



    The finished projector now looks like this (still need to get some glass for the window):





    Jan

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by janelo View Post
    As I couldn't think of a better way of cutting a square hole (without a mill) I decided to just file it by hand.
    Seems like a perfectly reasonable solution to me!

    Adam

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Fort Mill, SC USA
    Posts
    1,507

    Default

    Lookin' good!

    Regarding the aperture, I agree with Adam. Even though I have a mill now, I still drill large holes and use a jigsaw to cut square holes and then file them down to make them even. Previously, I'd work at it until the glass fit precisely into the hole with ~0.2mm accuracy, but that takes a while. Nowadays, I just make the hole slightly smaller than the glass and then mill out the back-side to be larger than the glass.

    -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
  •