CL-16RGY scanner review

Here is a quick peak inside the unit, showing the main components and how they are arranged inside the casing. It is all very tidy, with ribbon cables linking the main parts. Build quality seems to be very good and the unit itself is very robust.

My favourite mode by far is the music activation mode. It seems to take about 10 seconds to get in tune with the beat of the music, but once tuned, it is fantastic, with almost limitless variations on the built in patterns, all changing with perfect time to the music. It is very cool.

Auto mode is just that, it will cycle through a preset routine of patterns and then repeat (the manual claims over 500 different patterns, but I am not sure on that, as I havn't counted, but it is a lot)

DMX mode I have not even tried that, but "Things" has the DMX controller and knows more about this than me.

For Hemlock Mike: I dont fully understand the DMX functions yet, but the manual goes to explain it somewhat.
There are 512 channels. The first 9 channels have a value from 0-255 , these control position X , Y, scanning speed, pattern selection, colour selection, pattern size, and dynamic pattern play speed.
By using a dmx controller you can effectively , with the right software can create and draw any patterns or effects that you want.

The remainder of the DMX adresses contain preset routines, like circles, squares, pentagons and most other shapes you can think of, they are sub divided to be either a static pattern (like a simple square) or a dynamic pattern (like a small square morphing into a large square).

Channel 8 on the DMX is like a colour pallette, It gives you control over whatever colour(s) you wish to project with like R G or Y single or any combinations of the 3, or all three.

I hope that made some sense of it for you.

Anyhow, here is the Pic of the inside of the unit.

Jase

just to add to the DMX part jase, you can't just "draw" any pattern you like, then get the laser to do it. the laser has 9 channels, channel 1 controls the "modes" (auto, sound, dmx, static and dynamic patterns), channel 2 controls the "patterns"(prebuilt into the laser), channel 3 controls the X movement (you can choose where it draws the patterns), channel 4 doesn't do anything on mine, channel 5 controls the Y movement (where you want the pattern), channel 6 controls the scanning speed(how fast the laser goes), channel 7 controls the size of the "static" patterns, but it does nothing on the "dynamic" patterns, channel 8 does something to do with the colour, but i'm not sure what yet, and channel 9 controls the colour(R,G,Y,RG,RY,GR,YG etc:. the rest of the channels do nothing, except for if you have another DMX light hooked up to the controller. Actually i could write up a little guide on DMX and maybe one of the mods could make it a sticky?

I am a little confused Things. Lemme explain. the fact that your controller has the preset pattern "Welcome" surely means the controller has the ability to send commands to the laser to draw that pattern of words, or is that welcome pattern just built into the laser itself, and just the DMX controller has the ability to access it?

Jase

the "welcome" pattern is built into the laser unit itself, and the dmx controller just tells the laser to do that pattern, with some other variables such as colour, speed, postion etc
channel 7 only works on "static"(patterns that don't move), not "dynamic"(patterns that move). I think i'll write a "guide" on how DMX works, and maybe a mod can sticky it?

i got the email from david, and he's going to send me a new fan! i'll get plenty of pics when i open it up.

Maybe I figured it out !! I said something like - it looks like the DMX is a xxxx to serial port controler. It forum master controler (non-human) sized me up !!

No matter - keep telling me about this scanner and DMX stuff. My scanner is on the way. I still need to know what connects the computer to the scanner. Is is a box ?? A box with a processor or a simple cable ??

Mike

the laser itself doesn't have a built in DMX controller, you have buy one seperatley. I got mine from here http://enttec.com/index.php?main_menu=Products&prod=70304&show=description&name=dmxusbpro. it plugs into your computers usb port, it then converts it to serial, then it goes to another microprossor, which then converts that to a DMX signal, and that plugs into the back of the scanner with the 3 pins.

Perchance -- could this be run portable off of a 12 VDC battery ??? If everything regulates to <12 volts --- Why not ??

Mike

the laser runs off 240 volts( 110 other places), so you would have to buy an inverter unless you do some modding inside the unit itself. the little DMX controller i bought runs off the usb port (5 volts).

Things --

Lotsa stuff runs off less than 12 volts what with regulators and all. Many things have a basic 12-15 volt buss and everything is regulated from there.
It would be nice to be able to feed this 12 VDC from a battery and sit back !!!!

Mike

the transformer inside has 2 outputs of 12 volts ac(steppers and stuff) & 7 volts ac(lasers). if you don't mind getting into the laser and changing some stuff, and you have some way of getting that power, you could try?

Just a thought here, quite often lovolt electronics derive clock pulses from 60/50 Hz from the mains supply even though none of the circuitry needs more than 12v......
Regards rog8811

Rog --

Good point about 60 HZ timing. The processor however has a clock for sure and they most likely use that for sync'ing everything. We will see when it arrives -- Delayed for a week because of a UPS computer failure in China :-(

Mike

That is a real bummer about the delay in shipping Mike , but I have no doubt that you will be more than pleased with it when you receive it. The music active mode is really the best bit about it for me. For the first 10 seconds you think it is doing nothing, then it seamlessly tunes into whatever music you are playing, not just concentrating on bass drum beats, but higher melody tones. It becomes quite mezmorising and hypnotic.

I am still like a kid with a new toy with this product, and if you look at my internal Picture, you see you get a hell of a lot of Kit packaged in an attractive case for your bucks. (ie you could buy one of these and take the family to Mcdonalds and still come home with more than it would cost for a WL Nexus)

Nuff said.

Jase

good point jase!!

OOooHhhh - It came today It's getting dark -- time for the auto show in the back yard. So far the yellow seems a little dim. Almost too much green to get power but I bet the green can be turned down a little -- It's plenty bright.
Now to learn DMX or whatever it is !!!

Mike