View Poll Results: Do u think a simple well explained step by step guide for new builders would be good?

Voters
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  • Yes, it can prevent dangerous and expensive mistakes and help the build

    29 72.50%
  • No, laser building should remain a mystery and the danger to eyes is part of the fun

    11 27.50%
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Thread: How to build thread

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Pflugerville, TX, USA
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    Default

    Yea, I was just going to suggest buying one off the shelf. Even if there was a document that explained it all you'd still end up spending lots of time rounding up parts and fabricating an enclosure. The enclosure and mounting stuff is the hardest part of it all and unless you have the right tools it won't be very good.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    1,131

    Thumbs up

    Quote Originally Posted by carmangary View Post
    Yea, I was just going to suggest buying one off the shelf. Even if there was a document that explained it all you'd still end up spending lots of time rounding up parts and fabricating an enclosure. The enclosure and mounting stuff is the hardest part of it all and unless you have the right tools it won't be very good.

    QFT!!!!
    The most time is actually spent on building the enclosure!

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Canton, GA USA
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    384

    Default

    Thanks Marc,

    I appreciate the advice. Could you put some identifying notes on one of your pictures and post it?

    Tim

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    UK
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by carmangary View Post
    Yea, I was just going to suggest buying one off the shelf. Even if there was a document that explained it all you'd still end up spending lots of time rounding up parts and fabricating an enclosure. The enclosure and mounting stuff is the hardest part of it all and unless you have the right tools it won't be very good.
    I was kind of thinking that if I bought one, I could in time open it and explore what components had been used and how they were laid out and also, if I didn't decide to go the full build route initially, then perhaps upgrade one or two components eg scanners, to give me an improved projector and parts I could carry over to a new projector as and when I decided to build my own.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    UK
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Well, your budget will not allow for a projector that will work well outside. For example, I can push just over 600 mw of balanced white light out of my projector, and it is still *way* too dim for outdoor use. I've tried it several times, and you just can't see the beams - even with my Antari 1200Z fogger running wide open. The wind carries the fog away too fast! Also, my projector costs an order of magnitude more than you're budgeting.


    Adam
    How dark does it need to be Adam? My back garden is pretty dark apart from a street lamp on a nearby footpath although I have a solution for that to give total darkness.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Connecticut, USA
    Posts
    2,478

    Default

    trwalters-

    no problem. ill post some pics here. i dont have any sort of image editing software on the laptop im on here. so i cant label anything. but if you need to know what something is, feel free to ask. its pretty self explnatory though.

    when i get home, ill properly label the pics if you would like.

    -Marc
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails rgb2.jpg  

    rgb3.jpg  

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    http://www.laserist.org/images/ildalogos/ILDA-logo_colored-beams_Corporate_150w.jpg

    ILDA- U.S. Laser Regulatory Committee

    Authorized Dealer for:

    • Pangolin Laser Software and Hardware
    • KVANT Laser Modules & Laser Systems
    • X-Laser USA
    • CNI Lasers
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    FDA/CDRH Certified Professional LuminanceRGB Laser Light Show Systems


  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    1,131

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RGBLaserFan View Post
    I was kind of thinking that if I bought one, I could in time open it and explore what components had been used and how they were laid out and also, if I didn't decide to go the full build route initially, then perhaps upgrade one or two components eg scanners, to give me an improved projector and parts I could carry over to a new projector as and when I decided to build my own.

    That would be a very good start!
    when i strated doing laser shows i did not have the luxury of "off shelf items"

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
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    2,147,489,446

    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by RGBLaserFan View Post
    How dark does it need to be Adam? My back garden is pretty dark apart from a street lamp on a nearby footpath although I have a solution for that to give total darkness.
    It's not just the darkness that's important. You also need fog (or other particulate) in the air.

    Because the beam from a laser is tightly collimated, it is essentially invisible unless it reflects off something. Dust in the air, water vapor, spoke from a lit cigarette, or the fine particulate "fog" that you get from a fog machine all work to make the beam more visible by placing particles in the beam path that reflect and scatter the light. Without such scattering, you need ~ 100 times more power to be able to see the beam.

    So *if* you can get your yard very dark *and* you can get a good bit of fog or artificial smoke in the air and keep it confined in your yard, then you can do outdoor laser shows in your backyard. However, I have thus far been unable to contain any fog in my yard for any reasonable time period. (And I have lots of trees and bushes in my yard to help block the wind, plus a fence that encircles the entire backyard.)

    Now, once in a great while you'll have one of those perfect nights when the evening fog is especially thick and there is no wind. Those nights, rare though they may be, are the times when you can get away with a low powered projector outside. But it's difficult to predict those nights in advance, and the conditions can change in an instant. (Not to mention the fact that the wet fog has a tendency to condense on the metal parts inside your projector!)

    In contrast, an indoor show is a slam-dunk. You turn off the lights, close the curtains, place a wet towel over the smoke alarm, and turn on the fog machine. 5 minutes later you're ready to do laser shows, and even a 50 mw projector looks like the death star from Star Wars!

    If you get a chance, see if you can meet with one of the PL members in your area. Have them set up a projector in their garage. Once you see how cool a low-power projector can look when it's in a dark, foggy environment, you'll see why indoor shows are the preferred starting point.

    Adam

  9. #29
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    Aug 2008
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    UK
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    Thanks Adam.

    Do you think BBQ smoke might work as it tends to linger? Was thinking of perhaps making a fire pit in between the real BBQ and the laser and putting some charcoal in it to give a constant source of smoke. However, wasn't sure if this would be diffuse enough or if it would just act as a projection screen.

    Other alternatives I can think of would be to try a smoke machine with heavy fog liquid - the stuff desinged to linger (only good I imagine on a still night), or some smoke bombs from a firework shop, although the trouble with the latter is they are probably too dense and too short lived.

    I suppose the only other thing I can think of would be to buy a marquee and put the laser / BBQ in there.
    Last edited by White-Light; 08-20-2008 at 14:20.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Pflugerville, TX, USA
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    Default

    BBQ smoke? LOL. Fire up the grill! We need to do a laser show in 10 minutes! Woo hoo.

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