Hey, guys - here's the deal:
I've read through the forums a fair bit, I understand most (if not all) of the terminology, and I'm trying to get up to speed with everything here.
My main objective is a functional laser harp - I've got the laser (~70mW 532nm, extremely visible (even in light) with fog) and I'm moving on to the scanner portion of the build.
I know that there are a lot of really high-quality, really expensive options out there. I am (unrealistic as it may be) attempting to keep the total cost of the laser harp beneath $100. I figure I don't need a ridiculously capable scanner - certainly not near the realm of the requirements for a full laser show - just to scan a single beam back and forth along a single axis. I want to get 12 beams through POV.
My first attempt was a single 12V motor, and I was trying to modulate the beam to turn on and off perfectly as the motor spun to achieve the POV - this failed. The laser could only be on for an extremely brief amount of time (sub millisecond) before it had to be turned of again, or else what was supposed to be a solid line of a beam ended up more of a narrow plane - if on that short, however, the laser was not very bright at all.
So, now I'm coming to you guys - for POV, hopefully around 60FPS, 12 beam split, what do you recommend? Have I missed something obvious? Is a stepper motor out of the realm of possibility? Remember, I'm trying to keep the costs down as much as possible - with 12 beams and 60FPS, I should (hypothetically) only need 720PPS, right? Or am I wrong there?
Thanks for the help guys! I'm really encouraged to find such a great, supportive community!
I've read through the forums a fair bit, I understand most (if not all) of the terminology, and I'm trying to get up to speed with everything here.
My main objective is a functional laser harp - I've got the laser (~70mW 532nm, extremely visible (even in light) with fog) and I'm moving on to the scanner portion of the build.
I know that there are a lot of really high-quality, really expensive options out there. I am (unrealistic as it may be) attempting to keep the total cost of the laser harp beneath $100. I figure I don't need a ridiculously capable scanner - certainly not near the realm of the requirements for a full laser show - just to scan a single beam back and forth along a single axis. I want to get 12 beams through POV.
My first attempt was a single 12V motor, and I was trying to modulate the beam to turn on and off perfectly as the motor spun to achieve the POV - this failed. The laser could only be on for an extremely brief amount of time (sub millisecond) before it had to be turned of again, or else what was supposed to be a solid line of a beam ended up more of a narrow plane - if on that short, however, the laser was not very bright at all.
So, now I'm coming to you guys - for POV, hopefully around 60FPS, 12 beam split, what do you recommend? Have I missed something obvious? Is a stepper motor out of the realm of possibility? Remember, I'm trying to keep the costs down as much as possible - with 12 beams and 60FPS, I should (hypothetically) only need 720PPS, right? Or am I wrong there?
Thanks for the help guys! I'm really encouraged to find such a great, supportive community!