Animations, where to start?

Hi,

I remember my first animation show with a red laser for too many years ago.

I would lilke to build or buy a nice animation laser that you can control with a computer.

So where to start?

Budget is no problem if we spread the cost over time, my knowledge is a problem that's why I ask here


/Henke

photonlexicon.com is the main laser display forum and is packed with information! start there. :beer:

Thanks, I'll check that out.


/Henke

edit: i was trolling EF pretty much a long the lines of "oh looks like i cant recommend pl anymore as a resource etc"

So, still, instead of trying to offer some help here you decide you're better off having a hissy fit? I see I've got you pegged pretty good..

How hard is it to say something like: "Try having a look at the stickies here in the laser show section" or "Have a look at these threads:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f47/new-scanners-32674.html

http://laserpointerforums.com/f47/analog-projectors-few-questions-77022.html

http://laserpointerforums.com/f47/14w-rgb-build-67246-2.html"


It's not real hard.. and THEN you could suggest ALSO checking out PL and some other forums. Where I draw the line is at the point that members are sent elsewhere INSTEAD of here, which is what you've been doing. And yes, I'm aware that the first responses in the "new to scanners" thread suggest PL. That was a long time ago, before LPF had a laser show section at all.

Getting a little tired of people getting pissed off because someone neg repped them. Big effing deal! Get over it. In the grand scheme, what does a couple of LPF rep points matter?

ElektroFreak said:

So, still, instead of trying to offer some help here you decide you're better off having a hissy fit? I see I've got you pegged pretty good..

How hard is it to say something like: "Try having a look at the stickies here in the laser show section" or "Have a look at these threads:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f47/new-scanners-32674.html

http://laserpointerforums.com/f47/analog-projectors-few-questions-77022.html

http://laserpointerforums.com/f47/14w-rgb-build-67246-2.html"


It's not real hard.. and THEN you could suggest ALSO checking out PL and some other forums. Where I draw the line is at the point that members are sent elsewhere INSTEAD of here, which is what you've been doing. And yes, I'm aware that the first responses in the "new to scanners" thread suggest PL. That was a long time ago, before LPF had a laser show section at all.

Getting a little tired of people getting pissed off because someone neg repped them. Big effing deal! Get over it. In the grand scheme, what does a couple of LPF rep points matter?

Click to expand...

read the second post in new to scanners for me.. PLEASE ahhaha

im sorry i assume people have seen the stickies if they have seen and posted in the sub forum

edit i have no problem with the neg rep i have a problem with you thinking you are able to tell me what to do you ARE NOT A MODERATOR for good reason to

edit 2: good job on reading finally but there is still not near as many people here that can help with projectors trust me i tried to get all my information here but i couldn't i know from first hand experience. we all know about your hate for pl and all that drama so no need to hate on a good resource because you have a little drama over there

You might want to read my post again bennett. Let me quote myself:

And yes, I'm aware that the first responses in the "new to scanners" thread suggest PL. That was a long time ago, before LPF had a laser show section at all.

Click to expand...

Note the plural underlined above.

Now, I gave you a neg rep. I wouldn't lose sleep over it if I were you.. it's just not that important. You've still got 100 points left. I'd only worry if/when you hit the red.

ElektroFreak said:

You might want to read my post again bennett. Let me quote myself:



Note the plural underlined above.

Now, I gave you a neg rep. I wouldn't lose sleep over it if I were you.. it's just not that important. You've still got 100 pointe left. I'd only worry if/when you hit the red.

Click to expand...

that was my mistake read my edit i think i got it in before that post

edit:not losing sleep i was genuinely trying to help with my post sure i could of provided him with the reke 500 or something that was my mistake but honestly i dont know what he is looking for and i dont know if he does so thats why i think he needs to read and PL is a great place to read on scanners and this is the best place with no doubt for pointers...

You're right I have no love for some of the people on PL.. but you're wrong if you think I have ever thought or alluded to the idea that PL is not a useful resource. But so is LPF... better actually in nearly every regard.

Not to get into my issues with PL too deeply, but very often in order for a new person to get a straight answer over there they have to act the right way or say the right things to the right people, and also more often than not new people are jumped all over and insulted if they try to think outside of the PL box. That has never been the case here that I have seen. Plus the research and experimentation conducted by LPF members exceeds that on PL by volumes.

ElektroFreak said:

You're right I have no love for some of the people on PL.. but you're wrong if you think I have ever thought or alluded to the idea that PL is not a useful resource. But so is LPF... better actually in nearly every regard.

Not to get into my issues with PL too deeply, but very often in order for a new person to get a straight answer over there they have to act the right way or say the right things to the right people, and also more often than not new people are jumped all over and insulted if they try to think outside of the PL box. That has never been the case here that I have seen. Plus the research and experimentation conducted by LPF members exceeds that on PL by volumes.

Click to expand...

this is a point to debate for example they do more when it comes to beam correction etc. also i think its more of stay away from those people for example; swamidog is one of the most helpful people i have ever talked to infact he is a member here as well and makes amazing animations this is one he posted here on lpfhttp://laserpointerforums.com/f47/lsx-abstract-show-warp-76582.html

Dude I'm not here to debate. I never had a single issue with Swami either, but PL as a whole had it's chance to do right by me, and now I live to preach endlessly about my experiences there and my opinions thereof for as long as I have breath in my lungs. That's all that matters to me when it comes to PL. And I'm FAR from the only one who has had the kind of experiences that I have.

I firmly believe that PL is run by a group of old-school laser show guys who feel that their livelihood is endangered by hobbyists and the market for inexpensive lasers that they have created. I have watched them withhold knowledge and expertise from people who disagreed with them, even up to and including safety methodology. I have watched them try to stifle free thought. I have watched one of them try (fruitlessly) to stop ALL of us from being able to get the 447nm diodes completely. What more evidence do you need? For me, none. I'm sold.

At any rate, this discussion is finished now that we're this far off topic. Best regards Bennett, but I don't think we have anything else to talk about.

ElektroFreak said:

Dude I'm not here to debate. I never had a single issue with Swami either, but PL as a whole had it's chance to do right by me, and now I live to preach endlessly about my experiences there and my opinions thereof for as long as I have breath in my lungs. That's all that matters to me when it comes to PL. And I'm FAR from the only one who has had the kind of experiences that I have.

I firmly believe that PL is run by a group of old-school laser show guys who feel that their livelihood is endangered by hobbyists and the market for inexpensive lasers that they have created. I have watched them withhold knowledge and expertise from people who disagreed with them, even up to and including safety methodology. I have watched them try to stifle free thought. I have watched one of them try (fruitlessly) to stop ALL of us from being able to get the 447nm diodes completely. What more evidence do you need? For me, none. I'm sold.


At any rate, this discussion is finished now that we're this far off topic. Best regards Bennett, but I don't think we have anything else to talk about.

Click to expand...

woah woah man i wasn't saying you had a problem with him im just saying not everyone at pl is like the people you hate :beer:

sorry port513 for all the ruckus we created

bennett326 said:

woah woah man i wasn't saying you had a problem with him im just saying not everyone at pl is like the people you hate :beer:

sorry port513 for all the ruckus we created

Click to expand...

No doubt you're right about that Bennett. I can think of several really top-notch guys over there. But I can also clearly remember many of the members over there jumping into discussions that were not theirs to kick me when I was down. Because of their actions while blindly following their little "leaders" like DLSI_Jon, Heroic and others, they are no better in the end.

Nice thing is I'm a young guy.. that means that most likely I've got YEARS of PL bashing ahead of me. And I intend to savor every delicious moment ROFL!

Oh Freaky, what I did was not in vain. A little birdie has wispered in my ear and in about 2 years your in for a shock. Training will soon commence. Enforcement is going to happen soon. Its going to come from another source. This bunch can write a ticket and make it stick. The pilots and airlines asked for it. They got it.

No need to worry, nothing is going to stop harvesting and homebuilds. Nothing will stop you from bulk commercial selling if you do the paperwork. The paperwork will get easier. Pointers will still be legal at lower powers. However, cheap retail will slowly change.

Go see a shrink, talk it out, and get your PL psychosis fixed. Your blood pressure will be lower and you'll feel better. There are other things to do in this world besides bash PL and me.

Steve

lol @ the threajack Like a bosses

Silvershot said:

lol @ the threajack Like a bosses

Click to expand...

To counter the jack, I'll kick in some free advice. Its worth whatever you think, or a pitcher of warm spit... No resale value, but the following is based on decades of doing this:

To the OP, you'll have no problems finding a low cost projector with a SD card input. Even Spencer's gifts is selling a 10K unit that reads a SD for 160$. The one I evaluated was actually useful, even if the scanners were slower then a snail. But it came with a whopping 15 seconds of content. The time resolution was 1 second. No way to sync to music.
It might work well for a point of sale display or repeating Christmas display indoors.


Other then the lame BMP tracing software that SOMETIMES comes with the cheapies, your issue will be frame creation software. So if you have friends with ILDA type zero framesets, your in good shape.

Otherwise your looking at still needing software/hardware combo such as , ILD-SOS, I-show, Laserboy, LaserGraph-DSP, LFI-Player - LSX- Mamba- Phoenix -Pangolin Quick Show, Pangolin Beyond -********* , etc. (In alphbetical order) to make artwork/content to make the projector really useful.

The SD card based stuff just plays frames in loops. You usually have no buttons to push, it just plays the card.

So if you invest, you hit hidden costs in the software. Some of the above are freeware-cheapware, others start at 600 and up. Free stuff tends to be simpler and trades off time for software sophistication. Cheaper stuff usually does not come with clip-art and finished shows. Often there is no "manual" mode for doing real time stuff.

Stay away from ISHOW. Its lame for the $$$. The hardware is OK, but the effects are limited. 1 second time resolution.. Most people who get it regret it. Some don't, but that is very few.

Buy the best projector you can, at the most power you can afford. 150 mW is fine for in the basement, but buying 150 mW and then finding you really needed 1 watt means your cheap unit lost 50-60% of its resale value the minute you opened the box.

So figure there is far more to this then just a projector... Fog source, cables, controller,

Buy it Or build it, following advice on both forums.

Make sure you have ANALOG, not TTL lasers, 7 colors + black from TTL/ON-OFF is a severe limitation. 12-15K scanners are outdated, 20K scanners are cheap and useful, 30K scanners are far better.

Steve