Hardware / Software needed for single color animation

[blasterman]

I know this topic has been asked quite a bit, but the answers always seem to only offer hints of a solution and never the whole picture. I also don't care for the 'tone' over over at PhotonLexicon.

I want to build / buy a basic galvo driven 3D laser unit for basic tinkering. I already have gobs of lasers, don't need RBG, and just want to do basic geometries and patterns with a single color, and driving them from a SD card is fine, if not preferable. Chinese sites are full of galvo based lasers and show card modules, but I have no idea what I need, and from what I've read the editing software sold with these cards aren't compatible.

So, what do I need for basic 3D with single color? GoldenStar laser has tons of parts and kits, but not sure what to buy or what to avoid.

 

[diachi]

I know this topic has been asked quite a bit, but the answers always seem to only offer hints of a solution and never the whole picture. I also don't care for the 'tone' over over at PhotonLexicon.

I want to build / buy a basic galvo driven 3D laser unit for basic tinkering. I already have gobs of lasers, don't need RBG, and just want to do basic geometries and patterns with a single color, and driving them from a SD card is fine, if not preferable. Chinese sites are full of galvo based lasers and show card modules, but I have no idea what I need, and from what I've read the editing software sold with these cards aren't compatible.

So, what do I need for basic 3D with single color? GoldenStar laser has tons of parts and kits, but not sure what to buy or what to avoid.

You really are best to ask over at Photonlexicon ... Anyway.

Some more information may help us help you. What colour would you prefer (assuming you don't already have a suitable laser)? What environments will you be projecting in, what surfaces will you be projecting on and how far away will they be? What kind of graphics will you be projecting?

Are you in the US? If so - you'll need to get a variance for your system if you intend to operate in public. Similar restrictions may apply in other countries.

What's your budget?

With this information we should have an easier time pointing you in the right direction.

 

[blasterman]

Given the answers to several of your questions are contained in my immediate post and profile I'm not going to re-hash because it's a waste of time. This is the exact same problem I run into over at PhotonLexicon.

 

[diachi]

Given the answers to several of your questions are contained in my immediate post and profile I'm not going to re-hash because it's a waste of time. This is the exact same problem I run into over at PhotonLexicon.

Well then please answer the questions that aren't already in your post and profile so that we can give you some answers.

Or at least go into a little more detail about what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend to achieve it. There's no use in me recommending a pair of $600 scanners if you're only wanting to spend $100.

Similarly, what kind of graphics do you want to project? Just "3D" graphics doesn't tell us a whole lot.

Would you be happy with being able to project something like this?

Or would you like to be projecting things like this(In monochrome of course...)

 

[LaserCo]

Blasterman if you are in the USA you can find at spencers what they call a 3D Party Light for around $200 if not on sale. It is position detector galvo based and has an SD card slot.

 

[bobhaha]

Blasterman if you are in the USA you can find at spencers what they call a 3D Party Light for around $200 if not on sale. It is position detector galvo based and has an SD card slot.

Hmm really interesting product, the website says " It projects red, green and purple laser shapes and rotates by motor. "

Do you know how the actual machanics work? What do you mean by position detector galvo?

You also mention it has a SD card slot... I assume this allows you to create your own graphics?

 

[diachi]

Hmm really interesting product, the website says " It projects red, green and purple laser shapes and rotates by motor. "

Do you know how the actual machanics work? What do you mean by position detector galvo?

You also mention it has a SD card slot... I assume this allows you to create your own graphics?

Maybe it does use actual galvos but I'd imagine it's more likely to use stepper motors, which are severely limited in what they can scan and how fast they can scan it.

As long as it understands a common file format like ILDA you should be able to make your own shows for it fairly easily.

 

[LSRFAQ]

No, the device CDRH asked Spencers to stop selling for a while sold for 175$ and had galvos (Measured 23K at 8' in my galvo test rig) and a SD card in it. However it Is very difficult to modify its MCU board to allow external control of color. The galvo bearings showed "pumping" of lubricant through the bearing seals after a few hours of operation. That's normal in short lived systems.

Not to mention the green DPSS leaked four times as much 1064 IR as it emitted green, in my measurements. Which is bad, because that IR should be becoming green. There is a huge thread on it at PL.

As cheap projectors went, it actually was not that bad, if you sat it on a table, used it as designed, and never moved or vibrated it. The combining dichros are held in place with hot melt glue, which is never a positive sign, But the SD card text file was easy to work with.

I have pro gear, but I bought one for late night show programming in a hotel room while on the road. I hit a gig I did not expect and needed to see what I was doing. So I bought it as a "throwaway". I modded the XY easily enough, but the LDs are driven by a Chinese LED driver chip that is difficult to modulate. It needs a common drain modulation and is very sensitive to ground loops.

If you feel like going the SD card route, let me put a plug in for LPF and PLs own Grix.. His utility works good for file generation. SD cards have their uses in point of sale displays, but are very limiting in that you OFTEN can't sync the show to music, which is the fun part.
If you do get a SD card system, make sure you can pull individual animations up with DMX or MIDI in the future.

Trying to SD card program shows using the freeware "lasertoy" is a great way to learn to beat your head against the wall. So I'll say go with
LaserShowGen

Here is a link to Grix....

http://bitlasers.com/opencart/index.php?route=product/product&path=67&product_id=82

Steve