My so called DAC

[kaz]

Hi Graham, four things to watch out for with that set up, static and heat which has been mentioned also termites and if you get a flood its going to float off unless the termites have got to it then its going to sink, joking aside at least you are having ago at trying to get it setup and that’s what it is all about but I would do what stanwax (Rob) suggested and get something from maplins the boxes are cheap and durable, small and it will look the part when done, good luck with your project buddy.

[carmangary]

^ LOL LOL You're killing me!

[kaz]

It never hurts to have a bit of humour, but I do feel for Graham and I know how frustrating it can be, having a hundred bits in front of you and you have a rough idea about how to put it together but your scared your going to make a mistake a costly one at that I have been following Grahams posts for a few days now and the guys with the knowledge have been helping him out as they did me when I got stuck, I could not offer him any advice on his setup its out of my league I only mess around with the laser part of things not the display so the only thing I could offer was the humour well at least it made you laugh Carmangary so it seems to be working lol

[laserLips]

if you get a flood its going to float off unless the termites have got to it then its going to sink

LOL

I have followed Dave's advice and ordered a small plastic box with some other bits like a swicth and LED. I looked at Andy_cons one on his website and thought 'I can't do that' so thast why I whent and built Noah's Ark.

Anyway I'll keep you posted, cheers.
Graham
( am I ever gonna live this down )

[kaz]

Nice one Graham, take your time and if your not sure ask here on PL someones bound to know the answer. good luck mate

[The_Doctor]

...I would do what stanwax (Rob) suggested and get something from maplins the boxes are cheap and durable, small and it will look the part when done...

The hammerite-finished grey diecast aluminium boxes are really nice for quick work without spending lots. For best effect, place them lid-downwards, and fit rubber feet to them. They are fairly forgiving of small scratches during marking out and such, they can take plenty of that before they really look bad. Also, measure five times if need be, and cut once. It's always easier to spend time on getting the marking out as exact as you can, than fixing it if you don't, and the holes slip out of position. It's easy to make those boxes offer full protection against static, mains voltage, and impact and crush damage. The main difficulty is accurately drilling through the sides because they have furrowed walls to make PCB guides, so you have tio think a bit about those when planning. The results almost always look great though, those boxes have been Maplin's best value and consistent high quality for a very long time, which is why you can always get them, no matter what else they (in their infinitely declining wisdom) decide to cease stocking.

[soforene]

Does the FB3 come in bits then?
I was thinking about purchasing one in Feb (when all the Krimbo bills are sorted) but as my soldering skills are zilch, I won't even contemplate a kit.

I was under the impression it was a complete unit that you just plug in and play ......

[chad]

It is fully assembled. You will have to connect some wires but for the most part it is ready to go. It is just a card it doesn't come with an enclosure, it is meant to be used in a oem projector.

chad

[buffo]

To expand on what Chad posted;

If you can't solder, you're going to have trouble when you build your projector, as you'll need to solder wires to the ILDA connector that will run to your scanner amps and to the blanking lines for your lasers. We're not talking about soldering resistors and diodes to a circuit board here, but you *will* need to do some soldering.

As for the FB3, there isn't any soldering involved with that. All you need to to is connect a ribbon cable, a power cable, and a USB cable to it and you're ready to go.

Adam

[soforene]

...All you need to to is connect a ribbon cable, a power cable, and a USB cable to it and you're ready to go.

That sounds doable even for a fat fingered doofus like me.

I don't think I'll ever go down the route of building my own projectors as I don't have the technical wherewithal to do so.
Instead I just buy ready made items and hope to exercise a bit more control over the output than rather having just sound to light or running the preset patterns.
I've explored the DMX route and have a couple of small desks but it still didn't allow me to vent my creative juices.
As I said, I'm looking at an FB3 in Feb but after reading up some more, would a noob like me be better off going straight for the LD200, especially as there seems to be so many more shows available with that product?

So many questions.....
I'll just have to keep reading whilst I save my pennies.

I just know that the UK Laser meet may well induce me to raid the piggy bank......