Back then...this is what we did...

[lasermaster1977]

Attachment 56621

My 1st DIY console was very similar in construction, with wooden side panels and a card cage with individually unpluggable channel modules. Instead of sliders, I made 'pitch wheels' from plexiglas, so they could be backlit. The amplitude wheels were located at the front edge for optimal ergonomics. The fine frequency wheels were in the second row up the channels.
One day, Yes' audio engineer walked by and asked, "Who's piece of crap is that?" "Mine," I proudly replied. Of course he was used to mega-buck, state of the art mixing desks and professional audio gear. Besides, what does an audio engineer know about laser controllers?

The photo of my 1st console was a repurposed stereo audio mixer with the huge VU meters, where my row of colored button switches are, that my sound engineer father had made around '67. 10 years later I asked him for it, gave him back the two front panels and did my own. My sound engineer dad introduced me to and taught me about audio Lissajous patterns. So they know more than just the basics.

Plexiglass pitch wheels...neat idea.

You had AOMs? Only in my wettest of dreams. On each beam? OMG🤯

Yes, RYGB AOMs on each scan beam. Want some? $$$

[Displaser]

You just triggered a memory of 'taught band' scanners during that same era. Tiny mirrors attached to a strand of metal, each inside an 1/8" tube. Both tubes were vertically mounted inside a magnetic block. A lens focused the beam onto the 1st mirror, then the image was rotated with a prism, before being refocused onto the second mirror. Very fast and accurate scanning.
Neil Irwin was Holoco's electronics guru, who developed the imaging computer. We used it with a HeNe on a camera tripod to project the Bond figure, the pistol, and an octopus up and down Tia Carrera's naked body for the title sequence of Octopussy.
Does anyone on the States' side of the pond remember seeing galvo bocks like those?
Visual music is very appropriate too, me thinks.

While I’m not 100% sure that you are describing the same scanners, I do have a set of 28 rod scanners as you describe, set in a line across a single block that were used back in the 50’s/60’s for seismic film recording in field trucks. Smallest taught band scanners I’ve ever seen, just a sliver for a mirror. I was given this as a kid growing up in Houston, a remnant of the Geosciences community here. If I can find it, I’ll post a picture of the block and a few the rod-like scanners when I can dig it out of storage.

Hearing everyone talk about cycloids and abstracts brings it all back into perspective for me. Some of us are drawn to lasers by the beams, some more by abstracts and graphics. I still have memories of ELO concerts in the 70’s, the fiberglass spaceship on tour and their drop-down screen for the laser graphics done during the show. Great memories… Out of the Blue Tour, 1978.

Greg

[lasermaster1977]

If I ever own an ion gas laser, a'll be bock.😎

...but, but they work reaally well with LDs too!

[dchammonds]

While I’m not 100% sure that you are describing the same scanners, I do have a set of 28 rod scanners as you describe, set in a line across a single block that were used back in the 50’s/60’s for seismic film recording in field trucks. Smallest taught band scanners I’ve ever seen, just a sliver for a mirror. I was given this as a kid growing up in Houston, a remnant of the Geosciences community here. If I can find it, I’ll post a picture of the block and a few the rod-like scanners when I can dig it out of storage.


Greg

I came across a device like that when I was in military years ago, it was called a develocorder. Imagine a near realtime photographic film chart recorder/ microfiche viewer... I've often wondered whether the 'galvo pencil' design could be adapted for lasers. The block part was called a galvo bank and trim assembly.
Sorry, I don't have any pictures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seismogram

[dchammonds]

This is what I was thinking of. It looks like a printout from a laser chart recorder.


A different pic (too large to paste here) shows ink pens being mechanically deflected on a drum. The rod galvos that Greg and I are describing are tiny mirrors, like 1-2 mm tiny, incapable of moving any mass, only laser light.

But, you're on the right track, I think.
Found this on wikipedia:
Taut-band movement

The taut-band movement is a modern development of the D'Arsonval-Weston movement. The jewel pivots and hairsprings are replaced by tiny strips of metal under tension. Such a meter is more rugged for field use.<sup>[5][6]

That led me further down the rabbit hole to:

String Galvanometer

This is the seed that grew into an artform. Fascinating.
Still searching for a pic of the X/Y block with optics.</sup>

The develocoder was made by Teledyne Geotech and it had galvo pencils equipped with tiny little mirrors not much bigger than a flake of glitter suspended
by a strand of angel hair on both ends and could respond directly to a magnetic field.

[Displaser]

Found what appears to be an earlier, “chunky” version of what I’m describing. The version I mention had 24 of these galvo rods for lack of a better description, driven by amplifiers for the geophones surrounding the “hole”, another 4 used for timing, hole depth measurement, etc. these were spread out across 100+ feet away from the hole where they would detonate the down-hole charge. My understanding is that both photographic paper or film, 4” to 6” in width could be used to record the seismic measurements. Here is 12 galvo unit, block and the windows/internal mirrors should be visible at the base of each galvo just above the block they were placed into. Incandescent light source, focusing lens, etc.

[dchammonds]

These galvos are very similar to what I remember, if they weren't inside the tall rectangular mounts. They even have the top adjustment screws that I previously mentioned.
Looks like there's a small set screw half way up the mount to hold each one in position. I'd bet that if it were loosened, then the galvo rod could pulled out the top.
I see the small mirrors, but no lens. Makes me curious about their light source. Laser, I would assume, since it's quickly developing photo sensitive paper, like a laser printer. Scanned through the galvos, in a sequence of positions, like a multiplexer? Spinning octagonal mirror, perhaps?
"Things that make me go, hmmm..."🤔
Nice find. Thanks for sharing. ;-)

Lasers were not known to the develocorder. The light source was incandescent, focused through a lens just as you would focus sunlight through a magnifying glass at just the right distance to incinerate a bug.

[lasermaster1977]

My 1st lesson was to not subject an audience to being visually assaulted for an hour with flashing lights. For maximum impact, you gotta pull back to peaceful tranquility before the explosion. Peaks are only high if compared to valleys.

Now, I'm very interested in reading everyone else's POV on these assertions, especially from fellow laserists, both past and present.
😎

You hit upon an important "performance ideology" that should at least be considered by those in this art form. Another way to put it is, "Less is More" and is a way of saying "Peaks are only high if compared to valleys." This should be considered the ideal for the most part.

I have trained a half a dozen laserists and of those only a third ever took advantage of this "performance ideology...performance strategy". From empirical observations over 10 years of watching their laser show presentations, those that did had a higher audience involvement, appreciation and approval, like 90%. To my surprise, however, those that did not, those who liked visually assaulting their audiences for the majority of the entire 50 minute show, still had about 20% of the audience respond with exalting approval.

I doubt this translates 100% to today's audiences. Could this possibly be because today's young generation has a far, far different personal experience of what type of technical visual/aural entertainment is that those of the mid '70s and into the '90s?

Let's ask the 8 Ball.

[laserist]

Okay, can I buy a paragraph? I'm just joking. Laser shows don't have to tell a story. They don't have to be representational or literal. Laser shows can be constrained by the analogies we use to explain them, and sometimes the analogies are the wrong analogies. For example, lots of people have described light shows as painting with light, but what I was trying to do way back when - was to dance with light.

So in the words of a popular song, I hope you dance...

[lasermaster1977]

Okay, can I buy a paragraph? I'm just joking. Laser shows don't have to tell a story. They don't have to be representational or literal. Laser shows can be constrained by the analogies we use to explain them, and sometimes the analogies are the wrong analogies. For example, lots of people have described light shows as painting with light, but what I was trying to do way back when - was to dance with light.

So in the words of a popular song, I hope you dance...

But, it should be a musical journey, eh?