Starting a cheap RGV build

[mccarrot]

Im very cheap but I dont what a crappy projector)

Im a college student, so even $300 is a stretch

Building good lasers cheap is impossible, Lasers cost money, big money.

I also wanted to build a cheap RGB in the beginning. Now I have more than $2000 spend on it.... and still counting...

So if your budget is $300 forget about RGB and just build a 100mW green. And even with a single color its a tight budget.

About the driver, Drlava's flexdrive is a good driver to drive your red and 405.

Laserwave sells 405 dichro's, for a complete RGV dichro set you about $150, thats half of your budget on optics only

[Frehal]

I suggest that you make your RGV in steps..
Build a one colour projector who has ability of adding one or two colours.
As maccarot wrote its good to begin with green, pretty cheap and has great visibilty. Don't forget to build/buy a box or case to put everything in.

[jimbo12d]

I suppose that is a much better idea. I think I will start green and add to it.

New cost list:
flexmod-$40
dac-$20
20k Scanners- $140
dac amoplifier-$40
laser-$50

As to dichros, my plan was to just by a broken 3lcd projector from ebay. They have good sized dichros (maybe wrong wavelength for a rgv though) and are very cheap(less then $50 most likely).

How come the blue in that ebay add seems to be such a good blue even though it has a 405nm? Or would you consider that a not so good blue?

[allthatwhichis]

That is not good blue. See my sig, that is good blue.

[Frehal]

How come the blue in that ebay add seems to be such a good blue even though it has a 405nm? Or would you consider that a not so good blue?

The problem is the camera they uses. It can't pick up that colour so instead of deep purple it appear as blue.

[mccarrot]

405nm can look as a very bright blue beam when you take a picture of it with a digital cam becouse a camera got a different light response compared to our eyes.

With our own eyes we see a very dark deep purple line, useless for blue only, but nice for color mixing to get deeper purple and better white.
some people say they cannot see the beam at all but I can.

also I dont think you can use the beamer dichro for 405nm. you will have so much loss it makes adding 405 useless

Just start with green, then if green is finished (and you have more money) add red to make a RGY, and then (when you have even more money) think of blue.

also keep in mind those 20K galvo are only for beamshows, grapics will not look that nice.

[KevSki]

Building good lasers cheap is impossible, Lasers cost money, big money.

So if your budget is $300 forget about RGB and just build a 100mW green. And even with a single color its a tight budget.

Hi and welcome to PL

I have to agree with mccarot here...with a small budget I would build a green projector, BUT build it large enough to add to it buy with the future in mind....plan it carefully so that you know where everything will fit in the future....
.. you can then add a red to your green and then a blue 473 to go with 405 if you want to...this was my first build, in a PC desktop case!!!http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ead.php?t=5852
...first with a red and green and then more recently a blue.

Doing it this way means you can a) learn as you go b) build a more powerful RGB laser.....and c) you will be more pleased with the results...
MORE photons = MORE pleasure

Have a good look around the forum...lots of ideas on design and excellent advice on how to do it.... quality materials can be bought from people here, on PL...

Good luckk

[allthatwhichis]

Ah, don't listen to them; I dont' like monochome projectors though... Once I got a green I HAD to have a red and blue for full color. I say you could do your small RGV for experience and add to is as you go. Use 1x R, G, Br and when you are ready; add another red, then another Br, then upgrade your green, maybe get a 473 one day, maybe one or two 640nm reds later when you start to really get obsessed.

[swamidog]

Ah, don't listen to them; I dont' like monochome projectors though... Once I got a green I HAD to have a red and blue for full color. I say you could do your small RGV for experience and add to is as you go. Use 1x R, G, Br and when you are ready; add another red, then another Br, then upgrade your green, maybe get a 473 one day, maybe one or two 640nm reds later when you start to really get obsessed.

"start to really get obsessed"? you mean there's a middle ground between no lasers and all lasers? i must be doing it wrong!

[andythemechanic]

Hi,

I just finished my low-cost Projector you can look here: http://laserfreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=46480
To lazy currently to put it into PL. It has 60mW Green, 100mW Bluray 100mW Red.
Total cost 360 Euros.