DIY HDD Scanner V2 400mW RGB

[ArcticDude]

New version of HDD scanner, since previous version broke up.
Nothing fancy, kinda quick & dirty setup from scrap but works suprisingly well!

Build in few hours, it was pretty straight forward + I wanted to make few improvements on this one.

XY scanner is controlled via mobile phone audio, I used program called Heatcliff for generating audio tracks which are controlling HDD's voice coils (also edited audio files a bit longer in Audicity).

I had El Cheapo 400mW RGB laser module that I hadnt used for a long time and it was collecting dust. Laser & RGB controler MCU are powered by 3x 26650 Li-Ion's. Basicly this is portable battery operated HDD scanner.

 

[lasersbee]

Nice.... Would have like to see the images
it was projecting on the wall...

Jerry

 

[ArcticDude]

Nice.... Would have like to see the images
it was projecting on the wall...

Jerry

You can't do miracles with the Heatcliff and HDD voice coils, so it was drawing basic shapes (triangles and stuff like that..)

 

[CynicalBrad]

Suggestion? Raise your first scanner mirror. You had quite a few instances where the first mirror was over-scanning the second. Still, quite a nice use of junk hardware. Always wanted to get around to something like this myself just for the fun of it.

 

[ArcticDude]

Yes, that can be fixed with tension spring. I coludn't find low enough tension spring at our home. On the other HDD you can see red rubberband doing that job and the that HDD which is over scanning dosnt have any tension mechanism. Gonna fix them later when I able to find right sized springs for that job.

 

[CynicalBrad]

Ahh. I thought that was a wire running to a connection on the voice coil. To me, it looks to be the same as the red wires on that push button switch to the left.

 

[paul1598419]

I guess I was expecting more, but it does do simple shapes and the color control looks good. I think I was expecting complex images, but with just an X and Y movement with what you had to work with, it is a move in the right direction. I am hoping to turn mine into something more than this, but I may just be deluding myself. Thanks for sharing it with us, Tero.

 

[Benm]

I think it's a good result for the components used.

Don't expect to get big output angles or accurate drawing with using proper galvo's to control the mirrors.

It may require some more alignment so the mirror set is never missed in the scan angles, but your options are a bit limited there - bigger secondary mirror would mitigate the problem but also slow down control on one axis.

I'm sure this is not something intended to project pictures using the laser, but just something that would make a cool disco/party light which it seems to do just fine (just avoid hitting anyone in the face with the beam regardless of how wrong things go with those improvised galvo's).

 

[ArcticDude]

Well, this was a project which I wanted to accomplish without any further investment (in other words recycling old scrap and turn that something usefull)

I'm definitely gonna make some kind of interactive projector build in the future. Maybe something like EtherDream + touchOsc,

But it would be foolish to try build something more complex than this from the junk (old HDD's etc), Because you'll had to spent a hundred of hours more time to gain somewhere samekind of end results than a build with a "proper" parts.

What i'm trying to say is:
if you gonna spent more than a day or more for project, at least you should certainly buy a appropriate parts for it.

-Don't waste your time for building something quality from the low quality parts, that ain't gonna happen

 

[paul1598419]

For a day's work and used scrap, you put together a pretty nice projector. I get that you aren't going to make a professional projector with these parts in such a short period of time. But, I'm impressed with the ability it has to change colors. Would love to see what it's projecting on a surface.

 

[10fenny]

Hey paul check these out
https://www.ebay.com/p/Max-45kpps-L...Include-Show-Card/1178074369?iid=261517002270

If you have ilda control!! I got a set of these in my ghetto pj I'm building. For the price anyway..

 

[ArcticDude]

Hey paul check these out
https://www.ebay.com/p/Max-45kpps-L...Include-Show-Card/1178074369?iid=261517002270

If you have ilda control!! I got a set of these in my ghetto pj I'm building. For the price anyway..

I have eyeing those before also, but just look description: "Scanner speed:>15Kpps (30K ILDA test-pattern ,±20°optical)"

My personal "cheaper" choice would be probably this one: AL-30K

EDIT
@ 10fenny : Golden has scanner with similar specs only for 52 USD
:thinking:

 

[paul1598419]

Thanks, guys. I know I'll need to get some when I'm ready to try to build a projector. I don't really know enough about these to know a good price over a not so good one.

 

[10fenny]

The only thing I like about the eeegbay... scanners is that it comes with a power supply... show card.. scanners and drivers with all the wiring. You litterally could add an edison plug for the power supply.. plug in your ilda and point a laser at the galvos...
They don't have the greatest specs... but basic abstracts and beam shows its pretty legit

Edit.. also sweet build arctic... I need to check out those goldenstar scanners... I have been needing to build a 405 pj so I can do my "glow-stracts" again. My first pj was an rgv

 

[Benm]

if you gonna spent more than a day or more for project, at least you should certainly buy a appropriate parts for it.

-Don't waste your time for building something quality from the low quality parts, that ain't gonna happen

I don't really agree on that if you are doing it as a hobby - this clearly is not a product that's going to market or anything like that.

Will you get a FAR better result when spending a few hundred dollars on proper galvo's, purpose designed diode drivers , proper dichro's and such? Absolutely.

Is this a nice result for something built spending a couple of days on your hobby with very little financial investment - absolutely too!

Personally i love to see people build things like this project out of spare parts: make the best of what you have on hand and get a nice looking result. You're not building something to spec here, just seeing what you can achieve with what you have... and it's not half bad either.

 

[paul1598419]

I have been working on my control board for the 300 mW RGB laser I bought from Laserlands and it is working now and with the 15 turn pots I used, it has excellent adjustabllity. However, the alignment of the lasers could be better. Looks like I'll be doing that next and measuring the power. It looks to be more than 300 mW as it has a very bright white beam. The beam profiles look very close to each other at 25 feet.

Sorry, Tero. Didn't mean to highjack your thread. This seemed like the best place to post this without starting a whole new thread for this bit of information.