hello to everyone

[premierlaser]

Hey guys,
my name is adam im from Toronto, canada. Ive been researching laser projectors for a while now and have started to build one of my own. I dont know nothing much about the specifics reguarding lasers, but i do have some general knowledge. I own my own entertainment company (premier entertainment innovations) and i am building the laser for that, which is mainly mobil use. I have always been facinated by lasers and cant wait to get started with this project. I do have some things already, i have a 5foot beamtable, about 14 actuators (general scanning and mfe), around 25 mm1's, 10 dichros, and 8 beamsplitters. Now i have to pick the type of laser tube im going to use wheather its going to be a gas laser or dpss, and scanning and software, and of course effects for the beamtable. If anyone can help me out or has any used equipment it would be great. So once again nice meeting all of you and i hope to here from you soon.

[Dr Laser]

You finally made it here. Ladies and Gentlemen (very doubt lady thing) here is another laserist from Toronto. I was doing one show and he came accross and I was impressed that I could finally talk language someone else understands.

[Lasermad]

"I could finally talk language someone else understands."

It took me years to find someone whos eyes dont glaze over on this beloved subject , we are all quite a rare breed


PAUL

[JimBo]

Welcome to the money pit.
You'll get all the help you need(apart from financial help) here.
Apart from me they are a great bunch (oh, be warned, don't mention animals in front of Karl-Banthai).

"I could finally talk language someone else understands."

It took me years to find someone whos eyes dont glaze over on this beloved subject , we are all quite a rare breed


PAUL

Paul, nobody understands you 'cos your a scott

Jim

[Jem]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum !

This is a great place where laser addicts can be together and our addiction is understood

Cheers

Jem

[Dr Laser]

Being a laser geek is million times cooler then being a computer geek. But in the same time being a laser geek is million times more expensive.

[premierlaser]

haha yes thats so true!!!

[buffo]

Welcome to PhotonLexicon, Adam! (Hey, what do you know? Another Adam! I think that makes, what, 3 of us now? Cool....)

Sounds like you've already got a good collection of hardware there. I'm inferring from your parts list that you're looking to build a hybrid projector that has both a pair of scanners and a bunch of static beam turrets. (Maybe some lumina effects too?) That means you'll need a controller that supports both ILDA output *and* TTL outputs. (The TTL outputs will drive your GM-20 actuators for the beam turrets, while the ILDA output will feed the scanners.)

With all that functionality, you're probably looking at a Pangolin LD-2000 system if you want to control everything from a single computer. Yeah, it's expensive, but trust me when I say that it's money well spent. (There are several memebers here that upgraded to Pangolin from other controllers, and *everyone* has been very pleased with the results.)

However, there is another possibility if you're looking to save some money. You could purchase the FlashBack 3 Evaluation kit from Pangolin. This is a small hardware controller that comes with a complete software suite (LA STUDIO software) to create and control laser shows. Right now I believe it's the best deal available for a controller and software combination. (Just $595) This would be what you'd use to control your scan head.

However, the FB3 does not have any TTL outputs. So you'd need something else to control the beam table. Now, chances are good that you've already got a DMX lighting panel. So you could use a DMX-to-TTL output card to connect your lighting panel to the beam table. Then you could use those TTL outputs to drive your actuators... In fact, you could also connect the FB3 to your DMX lighting panel. (The FB3 supports DMX in for control signals only; you can't program it with DMX, but once you load all your frames onto the FB3 from your comptuer, you can trigger them via DMX - you don't even need the computer hooked up anymore...)

As for what sort of lasers you're looking for - that's easier to answer. If you need more than a watt of blue, or 2 watts of red, then you're better off going with an ion laser. (Once you get above those power levels, the cost of solid state lasers rises to prohibitively high levels.)

However, be warned that ion lasers are heavy, cantankerous, and fragile. They're a pain in the ass to set up (and align), and they draw *huge* amounts of power. (Nearly always 3 phase.) They also require water cooling, which makes setup even more difficult. So consider your power requirements very carefully...

You said you mostly do mobile gigs - that would suggest that a solid state solution would be preferable to using an ion laser. (Easy set up being a key factor.) However, if you routinely do large shows (say, 3,000 people or more for an indoor show, or 400 + people for an outdoor show) then you're going to *need* the power that an ion laser will give you.

On the other hand, if you always do indoor shows (and they're smaller shows), then you can probably get away with solid state lasers. That still won't be cheap, mind you... But it will be easier to built, and much easier to operate. Set up time will be reduced as well. (BTW, I'm assuming that you are planning to build a full-color white-light projector here... If all you want is green, then you can get several watts of power cheap.)

How much money had you planned to spend on your projector? Better yet, what is an "average" gig for you? And do you you already have all the other lighting effects you need? (And a DMX lighting panel to run them?) This will help you decide how much power to buy...

Adam

[premierlaser]

Hey,
thanks alot buffo
to control my lights now i use martin light jockey to control my intelligent lights. I was thinking about using pangolin and trying to find a good deal on a system. As for the laser...i was thinking to use an ion laser just a few watts something thats not to big so i can still move it around mobil, and can use some sort of chiller instead of direct water in and out and Of course 3 phase power is not preferrable. ALso what do you think i can use for driver cards for the actuators and the motors and effects etc.
Thanks for you help
-Adam

[dsli_jon]

ALso what do you think i can use for driver cards for the actuators and the motors and effects etc.

Hey Adam -

LOL..Just finished PM-ing you and found this post! (otherwise, I would have included this info had I seen your new ??s ) - Anyhoo, this is pretty much the industry standard:

http://www.lsione.com/1602adrv.htm

And this one for AC devices (ie: in-Pango DMX control thru projector for fans/foggers, etc...)

http://www.lsione.com/rly16.htm

This is also an excellent board for projector-integration... (though with the new QM2K board, "Optoisolators are not needed..." but still, this board has saved a lot of gear in the past; Also other nice features: blanking/PCAOM sig. adjust, etc...)

http://www.lasershs.com/TomCat_diffe...n_LD_board.htm

..Can help you with wiring advice, DMX integration w/Pango, etc...

Also, we were about to list these lumia motors/wheels on eBay this week (got a bunch of stuff we're clearing out, INCLUDING a nice NEOS 10W PCAOM (we've got like 4 spares, so this one can go...) - PM-me again if you're interested... ciao

- j