First Projector-Thoughts?

[ARG]

Parts:

DAC

RIYA Lite(Link)


Software

Spaghetti


Scanner/Galvos

DT-30 (Link)

Laser

DIY 445nm Laser

• FlexMod P3 (Link)
• Aixiz Heat sink (Link)
• Aixiz 445 lens
• Aixiz module
• XJ-A140 Diode
• 12V 3A 36W Switching Power Supply (Link)
• Prism Pair (Link)

300mW 532nm DHOM (Link)
400mW 642nm Laserwave(Link)

Optics

Dichroics (Link)
Dichroic Mounts(Link)


Other

Breakout Board (Link)

 

[laserpyro]

If you end up going with LSX why not just get the DAC from there aswell?

 

[ARG]

DR. Lava sells a DAC? I thought he only sold the correction amp, could you link me to their DAC?

 

[Gryphon]

I'd go with option "C" i have that laser and its very good. It has some signs of wear and tear but runs like a champ, and the pot on the driver easy adjusts the laser from just barely laseing to smoking electrical tape

 

[laserpyro]

If you end up going with LSX why not just get the DAC from there aswell?

You linked it yourself lol
LaserShow Xpress Laser Show Software

Has a drop down box for DAC.

 

[ARG]

I'd go with option "C" i have that laser and its very good. It has some signs of wear and tear but runs like a champ, and the pot on the driver easy adjusts the laser from just barely laseing to smoking electrical tape

Alright, thanks! I think I will get that one, 15mW seems like nothing now that I think about it.

You linked it yourself lol
LaserShow Xpress Laser Show Software

Has a drop down box for DAC.

*facepalm* didn't see that. It looks like a good DAC, but I think I will still go with the laserboy as it is a cheaper option, and seems decent for a beginner...

 

[yobresal]

This is a pretty good starter laser for you to mess around with. 1W RGB Full Color Animation Laser 1000mW stage lighting | eBay
I tried to build one before I knew much about them and failed. I found it helped me to buy a complete one and reverse engineer it in order to fully understand how to build one.

 

[laserpyro]

Also you could jump in on the GB for Galvo's $75 for 15Kpps. Not particularly good but should be alright for beginner.

 

[yobresal]

15kpps are great for beam shows but if you want to do animations or complex images I recommend at least 30kpps.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Most of the stuff you have listed you can just use for free or buy for cheap, so why even decide all at once now when you can try things out and then move up? The major components, notably the laser and the galvos, are probably what you should be deciding upon as your major purchases. You can then hook them up with LFI and a sound card DAC + correction amp, even just a breadboard-based correction amp; no need for fancy software and expensive DACs when the rest of the hardware is pretty mediocre as you start out.

You may also think about how you're going to mount your hardware, such as optical breadboards/plates, enclosures, mirrors, etc. Holding the galvo in a Panavise like I'm doing is probably not what you have in mind. You'll probably want an adjustable mirror mount to position the beam on the galvo precisely and consistently, and maybe even dabble in multiple colors since 445nm and red lasers are pretty cheap as well.

With the Laserboy, while you can probably still get the board, you'll might need to source the parts yourself. When I tried ordering a kit, the order was canceled by Dr. Lava. I don't know if the situation has changed. Check the first sticky of this forum to see what parts were used. I just bought the parts and breadboarded it and it worked fine for X/Y. I'll probably buy some protoboard to make a more permanent arrangement.

 

[ARG]

Also you could jump in on the GB for Galvo's $75 for 15Kpps. Not particularly good but should be alright for beginner.

Alright! Thanks, was not aware this group buy was taking place, i'll have a look.

This is a pretty good starter laser for you to mess around with. 1W RGB Full Color Animation Laser 1000mW stage lighting | eBay
I tried to build one before I knew much about them and failed. I found it helped me to buy a complete one and reverse engineer it in order to fully understand how to build one.

Yeah, I don't expect this to be an easy project. I knew this wasn't going to be cheap when I started looking at it, but I don't think i'm quite ready to spend 700$ on a commercial projector, if I can't DIY one, I guess i'll go ahead and purchase a commercial one.

Most of the stuff you have listed you can just use for free or buy for cheap, so why even decide all at once now when you can try things out and then move up? The major components, notably the laser and the galvos, are probably what you should be deciding upon as your major purchases. You can then hook them up with LFI and a sound card DAC + correction amp, even just a breadboard-based correction amp; no need for fancy software and expensive DACs when the rest of the hardware is pretty mediocre as you start out.

You may also think about how you're going to mount your hardware, such as optical breadboards/plates, enclosures, mirrors, etc. Holding the galvo in a Panavise like I'm doing is probably not what you have in mind. You'll probably want an adjustable mirror mount to position the beam on the galvo precisely and consistently, and maybe even dabble in multiple colors since 445nm and red lasers are pretty cheap as well.

With the Laserboy, while you can probably still get the board, you'll might need to source the parts yourself. When I tried ordering a kit, the order was canceled by Dr. Lava. I don't know if the situation has changed. Check the first sticky of this forum to see what parts were used. I just bought the parts and breadboarded it and it worked fine for X/Y. I'll probably buy some protoboard to make a more permanent arrangement.

Thanks for the advice, I am planning to make my own case out of aluminum for this, as I have a friend who has to tools to do so. I was not aware that the laserboy was not available anymore, I guess I could try to build my own correction amp.

 

[carmangary]

I'm not sure I understand.

 

[ARG]

I sell Spaghetti and I will beat any LSX price by 25%. Just sayin'.

Alright I'll keep that in mind. If LFI doesn't meet my needs I think i'll go get spaghetti, it doesn't look like you get much with the basic LSX anyways

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Yeah, your first task should be to get the hardware working, which LFI will help with.

 

[chipdouglas]

from my understanding, and is the route i will soon be going also... with spaghetti if you want to make your own shows from the ground up you will need some vector drawing soft ware and that software lava sells that converts the vector images to .ilda format. i am choosing this route because i already have vectoriing software with illustrator and auto cad.

michael.

 

[ARG]

I am currently signed up for the 15k galvo GB. I just realized that the laser I ordered from o-like a six weeks ago (still hasn't arrived! :wtf has 10k TTL (150mW 650nm) I know red isn't very bright, but I'll invest in a green if get the red working, then i'll have red/green/yellow. All I need now, is the DAC. I have ordered the CMedia card from Dealextreme. I'll look into the correction amp this week and see if I can buy a laser boy, if not i'll go buy the parts and attempt to build it myself.