Cheap Laser Lumia Wheel

[DjDevNull]

This is a cheap and easy way to make a Lumia wheel

Just cut a piece of plexiglass
Drill hole
In a well ventilated area
Heat with a torch till it bubbles
Experiment with different heat and locations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlA4OTR5ZNU

 

[BrewCityMusic]

Yowsers, that's cool... What thickness plexi did you use and what mW red and green are you putting through it, distance from wall, etc?

 

[DjDevNull]

Oh I should post a pic of the new one I made. It's about a 1/16th in plexiglass. But that was a 220mw open can red in the video and 30mw green. The laser wheel is mounted to a Disco ball motor. Running at about 1rpm (The video it's another motor doing about 5rpm) It's about 6ft from the wall.

 

[BrewCityMusic]

I've been building a multiple-diffraction wheel in an old American DJ Groove Wheel housing (4rpm) using a 120mW green module and a LOC red, I think I might give this a shot though, MAN that's a trip...Just need to swap the diff gratings for a lumina wheel, hmmm....

Thanks for the info and the idea - I'd imagine you need to be faily careful not to discolor the plexi, right? I'm thinking maybe a heat gun would be a little easier to work with...

 

[DjDevNull]

I tried a heat gun. didn't work so well.

 

[Kenom]

I take and rotate 2 difraction gratings of the same or different types. Usually starfield and it creates interesting effects. maybe I'll take a video of it some day.

 

[BrewCityMusic]

Thats the design I built, Ken, although the beam shines through 2 circular gratings rotating in opposite directions at 4 rpm, then out through a final grating when it exits the housing (which ended up needing a 4" aperature!) ... Insanity!

I'll get some vids tomorrow, the master plan is to do it in red with 2 LOC's combined, I figure right around half a watt should do it!