Review of the Dapper Stage Laser Light Show

This is a laser show unit that features a bright green laser, and two ways to get patterns projected on your walls, ceiling, or other light-colored surface -- it can also project an ordinary dot like a standard laser pointer -- though this product is too powerful to call a "pointer".

It can project a "starfield" that's easily user-adjustable (for the number of and general position of "stars"), project an oval shape that is easily varied by shaking the product (see videos below), and project a rather ordinary "laser pointer-style" dot.

It comes in an easy-to-hold plastic body, and feeds from two AAA cells.



SIZE



Feed the Dapper Stage Laser Light Show a pair of AAA cells (see below), and THEN you'll be ready to hose down that miscreant bass guitarist with green laser radiation!!!*

As you're holding the unit so that the metal thing faces forward and the green trim is on top, rotate that thumbwheel at the top righthand side of the product back toward you. This engages the "starfield" generator. Press and hold down the large black button you see in the center of that green trim. The laser will ramp up to full power within a period of approximately 1,000ms (1 second), and (of course) you'll see stars. Not "see stars" like you've just been socked in the head, but green "stars" as projected by this product. You can then change the number of and general position of the "stars" by rotating the knurled (texturised) portion of that chrome-colored thing on the front of the unit clockwise (as though tightening it). Release the black button to turn the unit off.

To project a simple, single laser dot, turn that knurled chrome-colored thing counterclockwise (as though unscrewing it) until it comes off. Place it somewhere safe. Now, press and hold in that black button, and you'll get your laser dot.

To project polytrophic** patterns, turn that ribbed thumbwheel at the top righthand side of the product away from you (forward), press & hold the large black button down, direct (aim) the unit in the general area you want the projection to occur, and shake the living tweedle out of it. Actually, you need not shake it so hard that the "tweedle" falls off; just shake it with significantly less vigour that you might use when shaking an aerosol bomb (spray can) -- but use shorter strokes so that you can keep the laser beam aimed where you want it to be. You can shake it side-to-side, or use a somewhat circular motion -- if a certain method of "product shakeage" results in a pattern you particularly like, you can always shake it that way.

When shaken in this manner, you'll get all kinds of nifty patterns based on an oval -- the oval is the basic pattern generated by the type of scanner inside, but when the X- and Y-axes are varied and the unit's aim is physically changed, you get a lot more than just a plain old ordinary old oval.

When finished, release pressure on the black button to turn the unit off.




To change the batteries in this laser, slide the battery door off, and set it aside.

Remove the used AAA cells out of the compartment, and dispose of, recycle, or recharge them as you see fit. Please do not under any circumstances flush them down a toliet or throw them into a salmon-filled stream or those tree-huggers might hunt you down and then hug you to death!!!

Insert two new AAA cells into the battery compartment, orienting them so that their flat-ends (-) negatives face the springs for them in each chamber.

Slide the battery door back on, and be done with it.




This is a laser show device, not a flashlight meant to be carried around, thrashed, trashed, and abused, so I won't abuse it in the name of science like I might abuse a flashlight.
Lasers are meant to be loved, not punished.

This laser is not water-resistant, so please be extra careful when using it around sinks, tubs, toliets, fishtanks, pet water bowls, or other places where water or water-like liquids might be found. And you'll probably want to cover it up or otherwise get rid of it (such as by putting it in a pocket or bag) if you need to carry it in rainy or snowy weather.

VERY IMPORTANT!!! This laser is NOT a toy, and you MUST NOT shine it into your eyes, other people's eyes, pets' eyes, for that matter, the eyes of any person or animal you encounter. Eye damage can occur faster than the blink reflex can protect them, regardless of what species' eyes you irradiate with this laser. So just don't do it.
And for Christ sakes (and for heaven sakes and for Pete sakes and your sakes too) do not shine this laser at any vehicle, whether ground-based like a motorcycle, car, or truck, or air-based like a helicopter, airplane, or jet. And if you shoot it at a person in the dark and he or she turns out to be a police officer, he/she may think he's being targeted, unholster (pull out) his/her gun, and hose you down with it.


One thing that kinda pisses me off about the Dapper Stage Laser Light Show is that the battery door comes off way too easily -- just the act of shaking the product to produce those polytrophic** patterns is frequently sufficient to dislodge it.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased on Ebay on 02-17-11 (or "17 Feb 2011" or even "Feb 17 Twenty Double Sticks" if you prefer) and was received at 4:09pm PST on 02-19-11 (or "19 Feb 2011" or even "Feb 19 Twenty Double Sticks").

* You must never, ever, I mean ***NOT EVER!!!*** shoot a person with this laser -- or any other laser for that matter!!!

** Product is advertised as having a "polytrophic" scanner; yet when I attempted to look up the definition of that word, nothing at all pertinent to lasers or beam scanning came up.


UPDATE: 02-22-11
The CDRH-mandated "Warning -- Laser Radiation is Emitted from this Aperture" label is not present on this laser or in/on its packaging materials.



UPDATE: 02-22-11
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.
The loose battery door has officially been reported as extremely likely to be a fluke affecting only this particular unit; the product's rating will increase and it will receive placement in my website's "Trophy Case" as a result of these findings.


PROS:
Unique -- at least I've never seen a similar product
Uses batteries that are common and relatively inexpen$ive
Laser ramps up in power over ~1 second instead of just instantly coming on at maximum power


CONS:
Not waterproof or submersible - but most lasers aren't. Will not figure into my rating
More delicate than directly-injected diode lasers. Again, will not figure into my rating
CDRH-mandated laser warning label is not present
Battery door comes off during use surprisingly easily -- that's what whacked that last star off (see 02-22-11 update for important info. regarding this!!!)




MANUFACTURER: Shenzhen Tiande Electronics Co., LTD.
PRODUCT TYPE: Self-contained green DPSS laser light show
LAMP TYPE: 532nm DPSS laser; green SMD LED
No. OF LAMPS: 4 (3 LEDs, 1 laser)
BEAM TYPE: Varies
SWITCH TYPE: Momentary pushbutton on/off on side of product
CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
BEZEL: Plastic & metal; laser protected by thin plastic window
BATTERY: 2x AAA cells
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
WATER- AND URANATION-RESISTANT: Very light splatter-resistance at maximum
SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!

ACCESSORIES: None
SIZE: 105mm L x 46mm W x 23mm D
WEIGHT: Not equipped to weigh
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: China
WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated


PRODUCT RATING:





Update 02-23-11: Performed spectroscopy of the fluorescence of pink paper when irradiated with this laser.

Update 02-24-11: Took another power output measurement with known gosh-darn-diddly-arn new batteries; much as I suspected it would, power output has increased by approx. 30%; also added a video of the unit being shaken so that the faint rattling inside could be heard.

You are a busy individual. Thankyou for the comprehensive reviews.

madog said:

You are a busy individual. Thankyou for the comprehensive reviews.

Click to expand...

You're more than welcome sir!!! I'm extremely pleased to learn that you like them!!!

Lets get some rayfoss and o-like reviews too

VERY good reviews. You're truly a museum

I don't like the idea to shake it often to get an effect (as in YT videos). Good review thought

The polytrophic scanner is a mirror on a spring. That's why it needs to be shaken, and if you stick a mirror to a spring and twang it, by default it moves in an elliptical pattern, that's why the default is an oval.

Uhh... this is the first of your reviews i've read, but i've had it explained what you do. The only problem i have with this review is that a lot of what you wrote applies to green lasers in general. Reviewing it like an LED-based device doesn't work so well. It seems you've written more of an instruction manual.

Oh well. It was a good read nonetheless. Thanks for writing!

EDIT: Wait... what? Four LEDs!? Where on the unit are they?

JaiNobeZ said:

The polytrophic scanner is a mirror on a spring. That's why it needs to be shaken, and if you stick a mirror to a spring and twang it, by default it moves in an elliptical pattern, that's why the default is an oval.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I fairly rapidly figured out that the "scanner" is little more (or perhaps even "nothing more") than a mirror on a spring. It takes comparatively little movement to "set it off", and you can hear it rattle around inside when the unit is shaken more vigourously.

JaiNobeZ said:

Uhh... this is the first of your reviews i've read, but i've had it explained what you do. The only problem i have with this review is that a lot of what you wrote applies to green lasers in general. Reviewing it like an LED-based device doesn't work so well. It seems you've written more of an instruction manual.

Oh well. It was a good read nonetheless. Thanks for writing!

Click to expand...

I'm very sorry that you dislike the general format of my green laser reviews; in tomorrow's update, the "this is why green lasers are more expensive..." part will be deleted. This is not only to benefit you, but everybody else on this BBS (which is about LASERS for Christ sakes) that probably already knows how those things function.

All future green laser reviews that I post on this BBS will be sans this text as well.

JaiNobeZ said:

EDIT: Wait... what? Four LEDs!? Where on the unit are they?

Click to expand...

There are three LEDs actually. The three green LEDs are on the side of the unit located just above the large black power button; these LEDs illuminate at maximum intensity the moment power is applied; while the laser itself has a "soft start" routine that ramps power output from zero to maximum over a period of ~1 second.

User Hallucinogenyc did a review in which he took it apart. The scanner part is nothing more than a mirror and a spring. Nice idea though, makes quite a good effect.

Also, i don't think that just because it's a DPSS laser you shouldn't abuse it... just that you should bear in mind that it won't take the same amount of pain an LED or diode laser will. It will still provide a good comparison between the DPSS lasers. My first laser was a FocalPrice which hit the floor on one occaision and the crystal assembly came detached. My Rayfoss and UltraFire have both taken numerous identical beatings and not detached, so strength does vary and is worth comparing.


Seems weird that they would put LEDs in. Are they very bright? And do you think the one second warmup time was deliberate?


Btw, what is a "tweedle"?

JaiNobeZ said:

User Hallucinogenyc did a review in which he took it apart. The scanner part is nothing more than a mirror and a spring. Nice idea though, makes quite a good effect.
I also did a review(from Laserlands) which I posted in Albert's thread. Mirror on a spring devices have been around for more than 10 years.:na:

The first ones I found were red diode, powered by 3 button batts. and my guess is that they were prolly around 1 or 2 mWs. At 19.99$ the LS-10 Happly Disco(thats how they spelled it) and for about the same price the MiracleBeam Disco Dance Laser. These were round, somewhat bullet shaped,corded and had a rubber ring that could be slipped over the on/off momentary button for constant use -the idea apparently being, that one could dance with the red laser hung around the neck and a laser light show would appear at your feet on the dance floor:crackupyea right!)
Also, i don't think that just because it's a DPSS laser you shouldn't abuse it...

Not only is any vigorous shaking not needed it would not be a smart thing if you want this device to have a long lifetime. IMO
Shaking it hard enough to hear a 'rattle' means the tiny mirror attached to the tiny spring is bouncing around against the insides of the device and that cannot be a good thing.:yabbem:

BTW
The dapper can also be used as a lie detection device by asking pertanent questions and asking the testee to hold it very still and try not to make any 'ovals'. Try it-- that works!



just that you should bear in mind that it won't take the same amount of pain an LED or diode laser will. It will still provide a good comparison between the DPSS lasers. My first laser was a FocalPrice which hit the floor on one occaision and the crystal assembly came detached. My Rayfoss and UltraFire have both taken numerous identical beatings and not detached, so strength does vary and is worth comparing.


Seems weird that they would put LEDs in. Are they very bright? And do you think the one second warmup time was deliberate?


The green LEDs that the OP 'thought' he observed from the top of this laser are merely green piece of plastic and the green light seen there comes from the DPSS laser inside.(duh)

Btw, what is a "tweedle"?

Click to expand...

Yes please define tweedle for us.

One 'con' I found for the dapper is that the momentary button can be depressed way too easily if it is put into your pocket of packed inside of something(like my suitcase) and when this happens the laser gets turned on and can harm it in the worst case or at least run down the batteries(which happened to mine) This was solved by adding two somewhat thick o-rings only slightly smaller than the girth of the laser.. one above and another below the button.

The OPs reviews ,to me, are a combination of information and entertainment and I always enjoy reading them ,when I can find the time.

so for that I +rep. Which I will do at a later time as my last +rep -was not long ago
hak

ps
I took my dapper to show Chuck(AixiZ) and he liked it so much he found a source and added them to the AixiZ line. (your'e welcome)

They make excellant gifts for those in your life that cannot find anything interesting about your laser habit. I took four of them to SELEM and they all sold very fast, could have sold a dozen of them.

Mine metered between 25 and 47 mWs btw.

edit

EDIT: I was wrong about the three LEDs as I just opened up a dapper to confirm, and although they are the smallest LEDs I have ever seen, they are there on the PCB> My apoligies to Museum on that.

BTW --I got mine before AixiZ added them to thier store and they came from Fok-all-price and were the cheapest I could find atm.
The rings I added also allows one to keep it on constantly which prolly is not the greatest idea as I was told by one seller(rayfoss IIRC) to use a 1 min on 1 min off duty/rest cycle.

also putting it atop a speaker could backfire if it vibrates onto the floor.

I've had my eye on these, and the next time I find them for around ~16$, I might
just have to buy one or two.

Hey, LED_Museum,
instead of shaking it so vigorously, try "dapping" on it with your finger, or placing it on top of a speaker, so the pattern will accompany the music.

JaiNobeZ said:

Seems weird that they would put LEDs in. Are they very bright? And do you think the one second warmup time was deliberate?


Btw, what is a "tweedle"? ;

Click to expand...

The LEDs appear to be an emissions indicator; they aren't overpoweringly bright so they would serve no other purpose.

I believe the one second ramp-up is intentional; though I can think of only two reasons that it might be in place.

1: To help extend diode life.
2: So that if somebody is hit in the eye at power-on, the eye's aversion reflex would offer some measure of protection.


To answer your last query, a "tweedle" is a nice way of saying "s**t" -- as in "shake the living s**t out of it".

hakzaw1 said:

Not only is any vigorous shaking not needed it would not be a smart thing if you want this device to have a long lifetime. IMO
Shaking it hard enough to hear a 'rattle' means the tiny mirror attached to the tiny spring is bouncing around against the insides of the device and that cannot be a good thing.

Click to expand...

You need not shake the unit hard at all in order to hear a rattle; I tested mine and shaking it only lightly (both in the X- and Y-axes) results in that sound, so I don't think that the mirror is actually striking any interior component. If it were, the resulting scanned beam would exhibit sharp, squared-off edges, but it does not.

(Edit, a short time after posting this): I made a YouTube video showing the unit being shaken only lightly and allowing one to hear the rattling. I'll post that video in my OP right now.

anselm said:

Hey, LED_Museum,
instead of shaking it so vigorously, try "dapping" on it with your finger, or placing it on top of a speaker, so the pattern will accompany the music.

Click to expand...

I just tried that, and was not satisfied with the results: the unit's mirror (and subsequently, the scanned beam) moves on one axis quite well, but not the other. The end result depends on where you "dap" it.

1: If "dapped" on the side, the scanned beam is a rather flat looking oval shape.
2: If "dapped" on the top (where the switch button is located), you get a much broader oval -- but that's about all you get -- an oval.

I like the EFx you get with a gentle finger tapping to the music.

I also noticed that if you rotate the Dapper you will find that the beam tends to not get blocked by the edges of the opening if you find the best way to hold it.

Speaking of 'opening' if you try to open up the Dapper take extra care to not break the window. its very very thin and will shatter quite easily when you pry open the housing. Found this info the HARD way.(twice)

If there is enough interest I will see if I can get s bulk price on these from AixiZ and will be glad to send them out if the shipping and PP fees are refunded to me.

PM me if you want one- shipped from Houston- one yr warranty. no waiting for shipping from China. The Dapper Disco laser show in your hand is the best first laser for anyone who understands laser safe use. Makes wonderful gift. Its a pointer- a starburst and a Happly Bouncer. I would like to see one with a 445 diode or a 12X , but there is no room inside there for any kind of substansual HS.

You could stick one in with a small heatsink and have it ran at a low\medium power. The issue would be the way that it's made of plastic so the heat, once built up, would take ages to dissipate.

Might want to mention that in your review. The heatsinking is probably pretty terrible. Also, do you know about TEM modes and did you think of testing how stable the laser is?

Imagine how it would look running pulsed