LASER PROJECTOR 101-Trouble shooting-D Y I Repair-Modding and Building

As many know- lots of LPF members are becoming more interested lately in lasershow projectors.

The goal of this TUTORIAL is to get expert help to do our own work on these.

There are other sources of help and one great one has been set up for us by Dan ('Things') There is a link to this at the bottom on my SIG.

I am counting on Dan to help us in this thread as well and many others-

Remote assist will be coming from Miss Linna(LaserKing)

Feel free to join us-post pics and ask Qs..- the 'other' forum is a great source of info BUT IMHO this thread will do better here than anywhere else.

to begin we will be working on three LaserKing LK PD2s- AND one LK SD

So once we get that started you can get help on any projector including DIY. SO please hold off on work needed on other projectors until we can get this started.

To get help you will need to fully post what your PJ is doing or not doing- PICS will be helpful-ATM everybody at LK is very busy so do not expect them to join us until after Jan1--

It is SOP at all China projector sellers to make the owner cover shipping PJs BOTH ways for warranty work and AFAIK LaserKing is alone in offering help to do our own repairs and thus saving as much as 80$usd in shipping EACH way- hopefully we will get our PJs working correctly ourselves --quicker-cheaper and learn a lot in the process--

:thanks:

hak:beer:

BUMPING UPDATE

MANY will/should be asking about what is needed to do public display of lasershows.

I will already tell you this- it will NOT be easy --some say impossible- personally IDKFS but I will be trying to do just that.

Just one big road block is the mountain of paper work required.


take a look

Product report. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/aboutfd.../ucm081592.pdf

- Variance app. for the projector itself
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/aboutfd.../ucm080788.pdf

Laser show report. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFD.../UCM081634.pdf

Laser show Variance. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFD.../UCM081634.pdf

AFAIK you also need to file an variance app as a show operator.

recent changes include:

no longer need to 'file' your show plan but MUST still do one and keep it on file - handy and ready to show anyone who asks to see it (on site!!).

The hardest state to deal with is Arizona
A close second is Texas where IIRC EACH projector MUST have a permit-- the cost is $400 and the permit is ONLY good for two years-OUCH!!

(note to self) MOVE away from Tx - anyplace except Arizona lol



IMO every established laser show company needs to have One or more laser safety officers on staff-(LSO)

you can take the course and be your own LSO- the 'regular' class lasts three days followed by an exam IIRC the cost is around $1500-

ILDA offers a short course at thier meetings- and at SELEM each Aug that is ~$500
it lasts for ~6 hours and the exam is taken the same day --clearly less material can be covered in the short course SO prepping for this is a MUST especially if you are a novice-- I have 'the book' some recommend (mine came used for 100$usd- (you may find on cheaper)- can provide the book on loan for a fee and share my notes- and my long list of links-- the exam for the short course is the same as the 3 day version but lots of info that COULD be on the exam will NOT be covered in just 6 hours of class.

Fail (like I did) and you have a year to re-take the class- very few fail at the second try.. there is still another fee for the do-over exam in SOME cases --while in others you can just take the exam after the course is completed - and in some cases LIDA MAY allow you to sit in on the course again or not. For better and more accurate answers or to see when the coming LSO courses are happening contact Greg M. at ILDA.
you need not be an ILDA member to take the LSO but if you do join you will get a small discount for the course.. membership to ILDA lasts for one year-

IIRC there will be a LSO course at the upcoming ILDA meeting in las Vegas--go to ILDA.com and start reading-- they have lots of other info there that can be very helpful
ps
even tho the exam is =open book/notes & internet allowed there is only 2 hours to take the exam and that is not really enough time to look up all the answers--


lawsuits filed against lasershow OPs are NOT rare- with no show plan- proper safety procedures and/or an LSO on staff the chances of NOT winning are significantly higher-
lawsuits ARE not handled like criminal cases- only a preponderance of the evidence is required for a guilty finding, unlike criminal cases, where there is 'beyond all reasonable doubt' - if you lack the show plan- the safety procedures and/or a LSO you may as well try to settle as you will very likely NOT win the lawsuit--

are you still sure you wanna be a lasershow dood??

hak

private use only right here. I already knew about wading through the thorny vines if you wanted to do laser shows, but it's good to spell it out just so everyone knows. I'll sum it up for everyone.

YOU CAN'T DO PUBLIC LASER SHOWS WITH THESE PROJECTORS WITHOUT JUMPING THROUGH A PLETHORA OF LEGAL HOOPS

Thanks for posting this Hak!! +:beer:

As you know from my recent PM requests I have a crippled REKE 500RGB with a dead 532 module. You have been kind enough to send me a replacement module to install in this PJ AND I plan on documenting the process so my progress can possibly help others & my mistakes not be repeated. This wont happen until after the holidays though because I'm using the red & blue in this PJ for christmas deco :crackup: - but this will be the first time I'd be doing surgery on a PJ so my fingers are crossed.

My project will require taking the entire REKE apart to replace the green module, it's not just a matter of unmounting it & swapping a replacement. The whole thing has to come apart & I may as well build a new one for the disassembling it seems I need to do.

Anyways I look forwards to Things' input also, I'm sure his experience & input will be a valuable resource

:beer: