OPT 40, DT40, DT50 Scanners?

[Slide]

Thinking of getting an OPT Lasers PR8000-RGB Laser for a new project and OPT is willing to upgrade the stock OPT40 scanners if requested. Haven't bought any mid range scan sets for a while.

We've had good luck with the DT40s for the price, but I see there's a DT50 now and am wondering if anyone might know what the difference might be. We've not used the OPT40 scanners, so wondering about them also.

The new PR8000 series apparently features full fiber shaping for sharper beams and a new driver board for good white at 5% brightness.

Thanks in advance

[buffo]

The DT50 scanners are rated to 50kpps, so in theory they should be 20 ~ 25 % faster than the DT40 units. Your mileage may vary, however.

I would recommend upgrading to the DT40 units at least, as I've experienced a few artifacts with the stock OPT scanners when running spiral rasters and complex lissajous patterns. And if the DT50 scanners were only a little more, I'd probably go that route just to have the extra headroom.

Note that you probably don't want to actually run them at 50K... It's better to tune them for 30K and enjoy the much wider scan angle. (That's what I've done with my projectors that have DT40 scanners.)

If you have some very detailed graphics shows that would benefit from the faster scan speed, then you could run them at 50K, but keep in mind that you'll need to watch your scan angle so they don't overheat.

Adam

[Slide]

The DT50 scanners are rated to 50kpps, so in theory they should be 20 ~ 25 % faster than the DT40 units. Your mileage may vary, however.

I would recommend upgrading to the DT40 units at least, as I've experienced a few artifacts with the stock OPT scanners when running spiral rasters and complex lissajous patterns. And if the DT50 scanners were only a little more, I'd probably go that route just to have the extra headroom.

Note that you probably don't want to actually run them at 50K... It's better to tune them for 30K and enjoy the much wider scan angle. (That's what I've done with my projectors that have DT40 scanners.)

If you have some very detailed graphics shows that would benefit from the faster scan speed, then you could run them at 50K, but keep in mind that you'll need to watch your scan angle so they don't overheat.

Adam

Thanks so much! That's just the info I was hoping to find. Yes, 30k for sure.

We have some projectors that have been using the DT 40 scanners for 10 years in the Planetarium. We are finding that they are a pretty good budget device.

Our shows are about 50/50 Fulldome video and laser imagery so the scanners get a chance to cool down during the shows. Floyd Rollefstad and Casey Stack always use to remark on the longevity factor.
I was planning to upgrade from the OPT 40 scanners and they will charge $70 for that. I've got a request in for a price for a DT 50 upgrade, and we may try them out.

Thanks again

[absolom7691]

I have a set of DT50s. Solid performers. Things may have changed since I bought mine but I don't believe the DT50s come with a power supply. That being said, be sure to use a beefy PSU as they are a little power hungry and you need a PSU that can handle the current spikes needed for braking/accel the large mirrors. As Adam said, run these at 30K. DT50 does not necessarily mean that they are 50K scanners. Mine came tuned to 40K which I immediately tuned down to 30K.

Also note... just because you'll be running shows at 30K, if your scanners are tuned to 40K or 50K, you will need to retune to 30K, otherwise you're just wasting power in the way of heat generation along with added wear and tear on the galvos.

[Slide]

I have a set of DT50s. Solid performers. Things may have changed since I bought mine but I don't believe the DT50s come with a power supply. That being said, be sure to use a beefy PSU as they are a little power hungry and you need a PSU that can handle the current spikes needed for braking/accel the large mirrors. As Adam said, run these at 30K. DT50 does not necessarily mean that they are 50K scanners. Mine came tuned to 40K which I immediately tuned down to 30K.

Also note... just because you'll be running shows at 30K, if your scanners are tuned to 40K or 50K, you will need to retune to 30K, otherwise you're just wasting power in the way of heat generation along with added wear and tear on the galvos.

Thanks so much, all good info! As it turns out the OPT PR8000-RGB is too small to fit the DT 50 electronics and mirrors in. They say they use the DT 50s in 20w and higher lasers. So... makes the decision easy ha ha, I'm going with the DT 40s.

Should be here mid April, we'll see how it looks.

Cheers.

[Slide]

Thanks to the folks that helped out with some info on our decision. The OPT Lasers 8000 RGB was great for the price point. The ILDA test pattern looks good, colours are in balance and we added their DMX scan through FX wheel. All works well.

[Gang2025]

Hi, Slide,
if you had a high volume need for lasers, we, Analog Technologies, Inc., make most the components for making lasers at low cost. The key components: TEC module, TEC controller, and laser driver. We have all. Interested? this is our website:

www.analogtechnologies.com

Gang

[Slide]

Thanks Gang 2025,

Looks like some interesting components. We are actually pretty low volume guys, but will keep you in mind and pass along the info to our friends.

Craig

[TheHermit]

The key components: TEC module, TEC controller, and laser driver. We have all. Interested? this is our website:

www.analogtechnologies.com

Gang

Very interesting, Gang.
As it happens, I was very impressed with these similarly described components from Live LaserSystems in Austria and recently purchased their:
4 * Sparrow diode assemblies w/TEC,
4 * ColorDrive One + TEC diode drivers,
1 * EMS8000 galvos w/drivers
Plus optics & mounts for a new projector build @ ~$2700 USD, excluding $200 Customs fees (after being impounded for a month).

Here's a pic of the layout:

Just skimmed your site, and it looks like you have miniaturized everything into very small modules, which could greatly reduce the size of projectors. I'd love to see someone here with deep enough pockets to run with that.
Didn't see any prices. Are your components competitively priced?
Do you not sell in small quantities?

Thanks for sharing,
Roj

[TheHermit]

Great conversation with lots of excellent feedback from Adam & absolom7691.
FWIW to newcomers, here's my evolutionary experience since returning to the scene ~ 5 years ago. Back in the day, there were only ion gas lasers, mostly krypton, argon or a mixture of the 2. So, I wanted an inexpensive, fully functional, RGB diode projector to get some hands on experience, knowing I'd modify them, just because that's how I lase. If I screwed up, it would be no great loss.
#1: Ya only gets whatcha pays fer.
I picked up a pair on aliexpress for $275 ea, because I liked their case. The no name galvos were rated @ 40 kpps (not). The RGB modules were very cheap (commonly available as OEM DIY kits). The beams were rectangular, the dichroic mounts were unstable, and RGB wouldn't stay in alignment. Instead of the advertised 'analogue' diode drivers, they were TTL, so the vendor replaced them for free.
I will still repurpose these bits for a lumia projector, which doesn't require quality scanning. Little lost, but much experienced gained, as intended.
#2: OPTlaser
My 2nd projector is OPTlaser's PD3000-RGB, with low divergence optics & the DT-40 galvo upgrades @~$800. Very pleased with the RGB module's build quality and customer service.
#3: DIY build #1
Wanted a matching pair of beams, I ordered the W3000(not A)-RGB diode module. But upgraded the galvos to C506 (woulda preferred the unavailable Saturn 5s, TBH 😒 ), with drivers from Laser Fantastic's Alex Hayes, as recommended by Ryan Smith, because the MachDSPs were unavailable during COVID supply disruptions. Both projectors appear to perform equally well for 3W beamers.
Thanks to absolom7691 for recommending the beefier PSU, which i'll do, instead of the el cheapo one, salvaged from the initial projectors.
I've already shared my next DIY projector's hand picked bits & pieces. I would only add that 3W projectors are overkill for recording videos of projected abstracts. W/O ND filtering on the camera, oversaturation is an issue. It appears that major manufacturers are no longer supplying projectors below 4W. That's why I've decided to do my own custom 2W build.
I've intentionally selected the more expensive, deeper red 642 nm diodes instead of the typical 638, simply because I loved the ooh, then gasp from the audiences at the end of Neptune, when the 647nm kr red faded out into pitch darkness. 🤗
Wondering how the ems8000 galvos would stand up against the new DT-50s and/or C506 galvos, if anyone would like to share their experiences. Also, I've noticed mfrs other than Kvant offering Saturn galvo upgrades for their projectors. Is there no longer an exclusivity contract between Pangolin and Kvant? IOW, are Saturns now available to serious DIYers? Perhaps I should PM Ryan with this question.
kpps? My audio tech laser synth doesn't have a clue and solo comprende Hz, harmonics, & rythimns, just as an abstract visual musical instrument should be, IMHO.
😎