Building first scanner help.

[bhwollen]

Is it calibrated?

I spent $150 on mine from Laserboy at the 2008 SELEM and it came with converted sound card and correction board. If you are in the US, I'll sell you mine for $100 shipped.

I still stand by my above statement, but if you want to learn for yourself, I have both cards sitting on my desk.



For James... although I believe Nautilus Int is actually the good dr... soon to be Dr.

[allthatwhichis]

No, never used it; I have an old copy of LDS 2007 basic that I wanted to try with it but never got around to it; now I can't seem to get the dongle to work... I can't find the CD so now I have a copy of LDS that isn't happy working on anything but my QM2000 so I haven't been able to try to get it to work on the sound card DAC. Calibrating it shouldn't been too hard but I haven't been able to try.

[hobbybob]

@bhwollen:

Welcome to PhotonLexicon dude.
If you fill in your location in your profile, people see where you are from and makes it easier to help you out. If you live close by people you can see stuff in action on LEMs etc.

[bhwollen]

Thanks man, I'll do that soon. I live in San Jose CA.

@bhwollen:

Welcome to PhotonLexicon dude.
If you fill in your location in your profile, people see where you are from and makes it easier to help you out. If you live close by people you can see stuff in action on LEMs etc.

[JohnYayas]

The FB3 is probably the best hobbyist DAC on the market.

Not sure about that. Perhaps combined with the Pangolin software it is the best total package but as far as DACs go it is somewhat unfriendly. Probably one of the very few that doesn't offer the ability to control it with anything other than the software that comes with it. If the Quickshow combo ever comes down to around $400 I'll buy it, though.

[hakzaw1]

I got mine from 300Evil Adam- good price imo- and he is helpful/friendly.

My RGB is still a box of parts atm so I have never used any DAC yet.

I have Spaghetti software and am looking hard at this for my next DIY projector-ask DrLava for a free demo.

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ames-Much-More

[allthatwhichis]

bhwollen, you interested; I got someone else who PM'd me wanting the soundcard DAC and correction amp but I want to get a yea or nea from you before I sell it to them.

[absolom7691]

There are A LOT of DAC solutions out there. Sound Card/Correction amp, iShow, NLS, Alhpalite, EasyLas/Mamba, Pangolin FB3, Merlin, Pangolin QM, Lasergraph...

The Sound Card route: Cheap and you don't get a lot of perks, but there is a lot of free/inexpensive software that works with it; Laserboy, SOS, Spaghetti, Mamba (I think). There are always new developments here and I have seen some very pro results, but you really get no library to speak of except for what other laserist have created and shared.

iShow: $99 Cheap and not well respected around here, but... it is out there. I would not recommend.

NLS = Norms LaserShow: $200ish range... Basic software. Neat little abstract generator.

Alphalite: $250 range, basic software. Really interesting abstract generator. Some people on this forum have pro gear and still like fooling around with the abstracts that it makes.

Easylas DAC: Not sure of the DAC price, Works with a few softwares, the most popular being Mamba. Quite a few users here like Mamba a lot. It is very good software. Looking at the $500+ range

Pangolin FB3: Really great system. Yes, the DAC is proprietary to Pangolin's software, but quite honestly, you don't need much more software. Quickshow is rock solid and very easy for beginners. For $595.... it really is the cat's meow, DAC and a few Pangolin programs.

Merlin: I don't know much about this one, but I do know that it runs on its own machine and its own OS. It is NOT for windows. $800+ range.

Pangolin QM: Getting very expensive, but great software/hardware. This is pro grade stuff that a lot of laserists in the industry use. Starting around $1400

Lasergraph: Much LOLZ! You can put a down-payment on a small home for what this will run you.

Others can chime in here. There are a lot of systems out there for almost any budget. There is really no wrong choice (exceot for iShow). It largely depends on what you want to do. Full graphics, just beams... Lots of choices.

BTW, welcome to PL.

[CDHDC]

Well, hello Hak and bhwollen. Good to see ya here. Bhwollen, you beat me to the question Good info here. Thanks for all your input, guys! - Corbin

[JohnYayas]

There are A LOT of DAC solutions out there. Sound Card/Correction amp, iShow, NLS, Alhpalite, EasyLas/Mamba, Pangolin FB3, Merlin, Pangolin QM, Lasergraph...

The Sound Card route: Cheap and you don't get a lot of perks, but there is a lot of free/inexpensive software that works with it; Laserboy, SOS, Spaghetti, Mamba (I think). There are always new developments here and I have seen some very pro results, but you really get no library to speak of except for what other laserist have created and shared.

iShow: $99 Cheap and not well respected around here, but... it is out there. I would not recommend.

NLS = Norms LaserShow: $200ish range... Basic software. Neat little abstract generator.

Alphalite: $250 range, basic software. Really interesting abstract generator. Some people on this forum have pro gear and still like fooling around with the abstracts that it makes.

Easylas DAC: Not sure of the DAC price, Works with a few softwares, the most popular being Mamba. Quite a few users here like Mamba a lot. It is very good software. Looking at the $500+ range

Pangolin FB3: Really great system. Yes, the DAC is proprietary to Pangolin's software, but quite honestly, you don't need much more software. Quickshow is rock solid and very easy for beginners. For $595.... it really is the cat's meow, DAC and a few Pangolin programs.

Merlin: I don't know much about this one, but I do know that it runs on its own machine and its own OS. It is NOT for windows. $800+ range.

Pangolin QM: Getting very expensive, but great software/hardware. This is pro grade stuff that a lot of laserists in the industry use. Starting around $1400

Lasergraph: Much LOLZ! You can put a down-payment on a small home for what this will run you.

Others can chime in here. There are a lot of systems out there for almost any budget. There is really no wrong choice (exceot for iShow). It largely depends on what you want to do. Full graphics, just beams... Lots of choices.

BTW, welcome to PL.

You're kind of mixing software and hardware. But, that's OK.

Other DACs worth mentioning are Mini Lumax, Moncha, and Fiesta. Lumax is comparable to EasyLase and Riya in that it is a frame based DAC with an API. Moncha and Fiesta come with software but you can also get an API for them.

I'm actually thinking of designing a streaming DAC that should cost under $100. Powerful microcontroller boards and DAC chips are cheap now. Goal is to offer Spaghetti and a DAC for under $200. Not there yet but will be.