Bulding projector, need advice

[mophead]

WWooooooooHhhooooooo!!11!!1! :lol:

Well, Fed-ed brought me a nice little package to day. There was a FB3 inside.

In a few days I'll have a LW analog 200mw 532, scanpro20's, and a dichro kit. I'm just waiting on the LPF group buy for a couple of red diodes and a couple of 405 (hopefully) 6x diodes. My plans are to combine two of each of those for a RGV.

I hope to at least have a very basic green going by this weekend.

/me crosses fingers.

[Stuka]

Yep, hooked & Pango'd, in one swoop!!!

Congrats - post pictures!!

Any other laserists around Putnam County that you know of yet?

[mophead]

Any other laserists around Putnam County that you know of yet?

None that I know of. I know a couple of weekend DJ's and may hook up with them to play around some.

It'd be nice to have some local hobbyists

[mophead]

Ok.

Just got another box. It has Scanpro20's and dmx board, dichros, mounts and a LW 200mW 532. I will take some pics of all the goodies sometime in the near future.

I don't have a power meter, but I'd bet money the laser is putting out a bit more than 200mw. It *LOOKS* mighty bright in the daytime, inside, with the room lights on.... made a small spot in the paint, on the wall, while i was checking it out.

A couple of questions, if'n y'all don't mind:

1. The DMX board that came with the kit; since i have a fb3, i really don't need it and if i do, what better (other/more) options does it give if it is included in the final project?

2. The wiring diagram with the scanners pretty much revolve around that board. Having said that, can't i just take each pin from the ILDA25 pinout and wire it to the proper spot on the amps and laser driver boards then plug it up to the fb3 and go? I *think* (IF the prior statment is true) i have a decent understanding of the wiring and the two different grounds.

3. If Q's 1 & 2 are ok, with green only scanning-- do i just turn off (or reassign) red and blue in software to have green only beams/animations until i get the other diodes?

Am I even going in the right direction or do I have a few more weeks of reading to do before i smoke test expensive equipment?


thanks y'all

[Stuka]

Ok.

Just got another box. It has Scanpro20's and dmx board, dichros, mounts and a LW 200mW 532. I will take some pics of all the goodies sometime in the near future.

I don't have a power meter, but I'd bet money the laser is putting out a bit more than 200mw. It *LOOKS* mighty bright in the daytime, inside, with the room lights on.... made a small spot in the paint, on the wall, while i was checking it out.

A couple of questions, if'n y'all don't mind:

1. The DMX board that came with the kit; since i have a fb3, i really don't need it and if i do, what better (other/more) options does it give if it is included in the final project?

2. The wiring diagram with the scanners pretty much revolve around that board. Having said that, can't i just take each pin from the ILDA25 pinout and wire it to the proper spot on the amps and laser driver boards then plug it up to the fb3 and go? I *think* (IF the prior statment is true) i have a decent understanding of the wiring and the two different grounds.

3. If Q's 1 & 2 are ok, with green only scanning-- do i just turn off (or reassign) red and blue in software to have green only beams/animations until i get the other diodes?

Am I even going in the right direction or do I have a few more weeks of reading to do before i smoke test expensive equipment?


thanks y'all

1. You shouldn't need the DMX board - the FB3 is ALL you'll need, and then some! If you decide to use DMX with the FB3, you get virtually the same control via DMX that you would have using the LiveQUICK software application.

2. Sounds correct, but I wouldn't take any chances - if it's not covered in the manual, contact Dave at LaserShow Parts. Those guys are generally VERY helpful!!

3. Yep - You just set the projector configuration settings in your software for single color, and the software does the rest!

Cool - you're well on your way!!

On thing to keep in mind - as you've already found out by "laser-engraving" your wall (welcome to THAT club, too ), you're already dealing with some potentially dangerous laser power. There are a LOT of other things to consider if you want to legally & safely use your projector in a public setting, so for now it's probably best to consider it as a "home use" system only!!

[mophead]

There are a LOT of other things to consider if you want to legally & safely use your projector in a public setting, so for now it's probably best to consider it as a "home use" system only!!

Yeah, that's my plan until/if i were to get the proper permits, insurance, ect... I may try to choose that path in the future though. It would be kinda cool to have a lasershow fund raiser for the kids' schools.


Got the scanners all up and running with fb3 and all using a pointer (of course with no blanking or need for goggles). Really really cool. A huge wiring mess on the desk, but everything works. It's hard to understand LiveQuick without a working.....something. I understand much much more now there is at least something functional. Glad i chose this hobby instead of buying drugs.

Gotta get some broadband shades, already have some 405's from Josh -- i *really* should have bought the last pair of broadbands he had.

Gotta get 650, 405, and diode driver boards.

Gotta get thick baseplate.

Gotta get enclosure.

Gotta get a new place to live (cause SHE'S gonna kill me if i spend much more)

[Stuka]

Yeah, making it all "legal" can be a bit of a chore, since you'll have to go through CDRH certification to use it anytime there's commerce involved. (I'm not quite there yet myself!) A school fundraiser may not actually require as much - you'll probably want to check with some of the guys who have gone that route for advice. In any case, you want to make sure you include all the safety features before using it in ANY kind of operation that might directly expose others to the beams! If you do decide to do something like a fundraiser and need more gear, let me know - that would be a great excuse to roadtrip to the old stomping grounds!!

Recommendations for planning:

Baseplate should be a MINIMUM of 1/4" aluminum, and even that thickness needs to be braced. Leave plenty of room for a full RGB suite of lasers and dichros, in case you decide to go with some off-the-shelf models down the road. Power supplies - you'll need room for the scanner amp supply, auxiliary equipment supply, and laser driver supplies, although with planning you could probably use an auxiliary supply to power the lasers as well, even with the off-the-shelf lasers. Safety features you really should go ahead and plan on incorporating while you're building: key switch for power, ILDA interlock, remote kill switch, beam shutter, laser time delay (required for CDRH certification), and some sort of beam mask for the projector aperture.

If you need them, I can ZIP up a bunch of documents that covers a lot of this stuff and send them your way. Bill Benner's article on projector wiring is a must read !!

Welcome to the madness!!

[ljk]

Stuka

Any suppliers you would recommend for the key switch for power, ILDA interlock, remote kill switch, beam shutter, laser time dela.

I will PM you with my email, I would love to see a copy of docs.

Thanks

[Anthony]

If you need them, I can ZIP up a bunch of documents that covers a lot of this stuff and send them your way. Bill Benner's article on projector wiring is a must read !!

Welcome to the madness!!

Can you upload them to the FTP server..??

i am interested in those files also.
(heve read the Bill projector wireing)

[Stuka]

OK -

I combined several files into a single ZIP file titled
"Laser wiring & CDRH variance references.zip". It is posted to the ILDA swap server (Cruch's server).

This is a compilation of files, PL forum posts, and newsletter articles posted by several different PL contributors. I definitely do NOT claim to a guru about any of this!!

As far as sources for different components, I usually shop through Allied Electronics, Digikey, or the local electronics store. The "ILDA interlock" and "remote kill switch" are actually more circuit implementations versus an individual component - they are discussed in the projector wiring article included in the ZIP file I posted.

The beam shutter is an optical actuator ( purchase online or from a laser supplier such as One Stop Laser Shop), combined with with a driver circuit that can be triggered by the "shutter" ouput signal on the laser controller board. (I believe One Stop Laser Shop actually sells a complete "kit" of everthing you need to add a shutter to your projector)

See this thread about a discussion on time-delay modules:

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ght=time+delay