Is This A Bad Idea?

[thesk8nmidget]

any updates with some pictures???

[buffo]

Yeah, I updated the gallery shortly after that post. (This is an older thread.) Have a look in my gallery and you'll see pictures of my new projector. Though, actually, I need to update that, as those pictures don't reflect the latest changes (the new green laser, the new ScanPro 50 galvos, and the remote-kill-switch.) Actually, the kill switch is shown, but not the connection to the back of the projector where you plug the cable in...

Adam

[frank_1257]

use a thick grey enamel by ge to secure optics mounts lasers

[QUAZAR]

I would recommend using "nyloc" nuts. These are much less likely to move.

[buffo]

Yeah, I used nylock nuts for a lot of the mounts on my projector. However, they can be more trouble than their worth. Truthfully, if you use a good lock washer and you tighten everything down tight, it won't move.

Adam

[drlava]

make sure that your floating setup has sufficient thermal transfer capacity for cooling your laser. some lasers, like the one I just posted a review on, perform best when solidly mounted to a large table which acts as a heat sink.

[buffo]

Good point! In fact, I'm currently in the process of changing my projector to remove the floating tables to get better heat transfer and more stable alignment. Of course, this would not be possible without considerable assistance from someone else here on the forums! (You know who you are, and if you don't show yourself, I'll be forced to let the cat out of the bag!)

Adam

[laserLips]

The floating table idea seemed horrendous to me when I was told what it was. So I opted to do the 'shimmy' way by using slivers of thin aluminium to get the right height, BUT i had no idea how many shimmy's Id need and only got three bit .8mm thick. I decided to give the floating table idea a go.

I JUST managed to do it, and it wor EXTREAMLY well. Alignment is fairly easy. The hard bit is drilling the wholes in the right place, and when you working off of two kitchen chairs with a crap black and Decker drill that wobbles and runs out of batteries every 5 mins, your in for a long night(ssssssss). It was a complete BITCH to get mine all pointing in the right direction, but once they were in, it was fun adjusting the height to get them all the same height.

I used lock nutts and they don't move. In fact all my lasers are hardly knuckled down at all because well, I still see this box and setup as temporary. I will really squeeze them tight when I'm totally happy.

Even my Edmund's dichros and mounts are standing on nuts and bolts. Its very effective. I bought some Edmund's posts but couldn't figure out how to put them in, waste on money if you ask me. POO!

So everything in my box is standing on bolts, the scanners lasers and optics.

Here are some pics

Jessus, look at all that dust!

Graham

[Banthai]

I think i might have mentioned this a few times before

But the way that i have laid out my projector optics totaly eliminates any adjustment of the laser heads .... the laser emmision does not have to be at the same hight... infact on mine there is about 8 mm total difference in hight between the beams of the three heads ...

so no floating tables ... no shims ... the lasers can even be at slight angles to each other no no need for perfect drilling ......

the correction of hight is done by mirrors A and B
these also align the beams onto the center of the green laser beam
( nearfield correction )

then the Dicros C and D keep the beams parallel ..... ( farfield correction )

after using this method i would not do it any other way it takes seconds to get perfect alignment

all the best ... Karl

[DZ]

Good point! In fact, I'm currently in the process of changing my projector to remove the floating tables to get better heat transfer and more stable alignment. Of course, this would not be possible without considerable assistance from someone else here on the forums! (You know who you are, and if you don't show yourself, I'll be forced to let the cat out of the bag!)

Adam

Actually, not completely getting rid of the floating table idea in your projector, just cleaning it up and adding heat sinks beneith the lasers. It works very well and I have a similar design in my projector. Here you can see the green and blue mounted, just finished them actually. The red will be mounted the same way along with the scan head. The threaded rods are 1/4-20, which are a good bit larger than the ones that were in this projector. The 1/4-20's will certainly make it more rigid. I also don't go through the baseplate with the 1/4-20 rods, I tap the baseplate and screw it down till its flush with the bottom, then lock it with the bolt, that way the bottom of the plate will be completely flat.

(You know who you are, and if you don't show yourself, I'll be forced to let the cat out of the bag!)

Its a pleasure to have the opportunity to re-work your projector! Before and after pics coming soon!