new to dmx and ilda

[outcry]

hi, right we have just got 2 lasers for our rig a AT twin 100mw(dmx) and a laserworld rgy 500mw(ilda) ,firstly if any 1 can point me in the right direction to a lighting controller (dmx) for them both and secondly if any 1 can help me with some advise on the 500mw laser , i would like to know what is the most affordably software and interface for it ,and what could this laser be able to do in terms of graphics /ani ,any help and advise would be very welcome as i have only really got into the lighting side of things and its all new , also been trying to get my head round the mamba demo and finding my way slowly .thanks

[gottaluvlasers]

welcome to photonlexicon "outcry!"

my suggestion would be to do some searches through our forum, as your questions are answered in EXTREME detail in many many posts. and the best way to learn is to do some reading!

basically, what most people here would probably suggest to you would be- Pangolin FB3 for control of your unit. (approx $500.) or some of our members here actually made their own software. james lehman has "LaserBoy." and many members here use it and are very happy with it. i believe, this is freeware and the only fee associated with it is buying some sort of sound card hardware control. (about $20 i think).

for DMX control, there are VERY simple DMX boards avaialble out there. check DJ lighintg supply centers. some as cheap as probably $50-$100.

i really would suggest you read through our pages here. you will find a WEALTH of knowledge within these walls. . You will also probably save yourself MANY long nights and headaches by reading other peoples experiences with EXACTLY what you are trying to figure out yourself right now!

feel free to ask questions, we all like to help newbies out. but, self help is the best way to learn also!

-Marc

[soforene]

Bonjour !!
And welcome to a lovely corner of t'internet.

I run my lasers via DMX (sometimes) and with this method your output will be limited to the preset patterns stored within the projector.
The first couple of channels will be the power and pattern selection followed by various functions such as zoom, rotate, stretch, flip etc.
With a simple DMX desk the output (viewed as beams as opposed to graphics aimed at a target such as a scrim or wall) will be adequate.

[outcry]

cheers guys ,thanks ! also you mentioned laserboys software and a add on sound card (is this instead of the interface ?) allso have any of you any ideas what sort graphics a laserworld 500mw ilda is capable of ?
again thanks for the help..

[soforene]

...have any of you any ideas what sort graphics a laserworld 500mw ilda is capable of ? ....

If you plug it in and point it at a wall with the default DMX setting (check your manual) then it will run through its repertoire of images.
That would be the range of graphics it's capable of via DMX.

Once connected to decent software/hardware then your limitations will be down to the scanners (probably 10k - 20k) and the software.

[colouredmirrorball]

have any of you any ideas what sort graphics a laserworld 500mw ilda is capable of ?
again thanks for the help..

Before we can answer this we have to know which is the scan speed of your laserprojector. A projector with 20.000 (or 20K) PointsPerSecond galvo's is good for beam shows and some basic graphics, if not too detailed. 30K can do a lot more. I think 60K is the best available, but I have heard of galvo's that can do even 90K pps! Not sure about that last one...

[outcry]

heres the spec from LW
350mw red 150 mw green aircooled (tec)what ever tec means ?
20.000pps max
40 optical max
25pin sub-d adapter

hope this helps !

[colouredmirrorball]

Looks like Soforene and I posted on the same time!
Well 20K is not bad, at least it is better than my cheap Chinese 5K pps scanners!

[outcry]

also are there names for the certain beams/patterns ?

[soforene]

If you use the search function you'll see that LaserWorld have a habit of being economical with the truth.
Any of their claims that include phrases such as "max" i.e. "20.000pps max" probably means that with a fair wind behind it on a downhill ski slope with extraneous powered devices, it might, just might reach these mythical standards.

So you are looking at a lot lower spec on a day to day basis which (in the case of scanners) means that the built in patterns will be fine but once you put them under any kind of stress, I'd bet a pound to a pinch of shit that they'll look like cheap chinese crap.
And so the path to upgrading and financial insecurity begins ....

But, as mentioned previously, use the search function or browse through the forum.