Hi there,
after a week or two of obsessively reading through posts on this site I have decided to throw myself in the deep end and learn by getting my hands dirty :yh:
I have been mucking around with old cheap projectors with low power and dmx only for about 7 years I also have some old martin roboscans a couple of smoke machines and a strobe, My partner and I are fairly into dance music and have a few talented dj friends who we put on a few fairly decent gigs a few years back, It was then I realized that organizing and lighting side was more my forte rather than mixing and so the obsession began.
A month ago I was asked to dust off the old gear for a 30th, it went well but I decided it was time to upgrade to a decent laser and after reading many of your posts I have been inspired to try and build my own.
I expect to hit more than a few issues but I'm keen to learn so here we go.
Living in NZ makes getting things a little bit harder but not too bad
I am keen on building a fairly powerful single color laser to start with I'm much more interested in beamshows and brightness than graphics
And nowadays its not payed gigs just private parties with Friends
today I ordered some bits off fleebay
I'm sure I have already stuffed up and either payed too much or got the wrong bits altogether any help with this would be greatly appreciated
3pk 1.5-2W 445nm M140 Blue Laser Module W/Leads& 405-G-2 Lenses
(1 spare)
2 x Laser Module Host for Φ5.6mm Laser Diode w/h Fan & 445nm Glass Collimation Lens
2 x 2W TTL 445nm Blue Laser Diode Driver/8-14V Step-Down Circuit w/ <2.5A Output
2 x 60w 12v tec Pads
VARIABLE ADJUSTABLE POWER SUPPLY 2xOut PSU 50w Total
(has two outputs 1 at 5v max7A for the lasers and one 12V 3A for tec and fans)
A 445nm pbs cube
and from meierlight 30Kpps Galvo scanning System -max50Kpps ( Including Show Card )
Hoping to combine two 445's to get a fairly decent blue projector
Im Pretty handy with metal and have lots of shop tools so mounts and cases should be interesting but achevable,
I have ALLOT to learn electronics wise but I understand basic components and can solder well
Im sure it will take a couple of weeks at least for it to all get here so I have a bit more time for research and to make the case.
Heres the first questions
What am I missing Hardware wise?
is 10mm aluminium thick enough for my base? (ive got a bit of it in the shed)
and what can I expect brightness wise from the lasers?
I would like to note that the lasershow regs in NZ are very relaxed and although it seems NO-One else does (almost every gig I have been to has had lasers crowd scanning) I would like to not burn my friends eyes out so I
am interested in whats required to make a projector safe.
thanks in advance for your help
after a week or two of obsessively reading through posts on this site I have decided to throw myself in the deep end and learn by getting my hands dirty :yh:
I have been mucking around with old cheap projectors with low power and dmx only for about 7 years I also have some old martin roboscans a couple of smoke machines and a strobe, My partner and I are fairly into dance music and have a few talented dj friends who we put on a few fairly decent gigs a few years back, It was then I realized that organizing and lighting side was more my forte rather than mixing and so the obsession began.
A month ago I was asked to dust off the old gear for a 30th, it went well but I decided it was time to upgrade to a decent laser and after reading many of your posts I have been inspired to try and build my own.
I expect to hit more than a few issues but I'm keen to learn so here we go.
Living in NZ makes getting things a little bit harder but not too bad
I am keen on building a fairly powerful single color laser to start with I'm much more interested in beamshows and brightness than graphics
And nowadays its not payed gigs just private parties with Friends
today I ordered some bits off fleebay
I'm sure I have already stuffed up and either payed too much or got the wrong bits altogether any help with this would be greatly appreciated
3pk 1.5-2W 445nm M140 Blue Laser Module W/Leads& 405-G-2 Lenses
(1 spare)
2 x Laser Module Host for Φ5.6mm Laser Diode w/h Fan & 445nm Glass Collimation Lens
2 x 2W TTL 445nm Blue Laser Diode Driver/8-14V Step-Down Circuit w/ <2.5A Output
2 x 60w 12v tec Pads
VARIABLE ADJUSTABLE POWER SUPPLY 2xOut PSU 50w Total
(has two outputs 1 at 5v max7A for the lasers and one 12V 3A for tec and fans)
A 445nm pbs cube
and from meierlight 30Kpps Galvo scanning System -max50Kpps ( Including Show Card )
Hoping to combine two 445's to get a fairly decent blue projector
Im Pretty handy with metal and have lots of shop tools so mounts and cases should be interesting but achevable,
I have ALLOT to learn electronics wise but I understand basic components and can solder well
Im sure it will take a couple of weeks at least for it to all get here so I have a bit more time for research and to make the case.
Heres the first questions
What am I missing Hardware wise?
is 10mm aluminium thick enough for my base? (ive got a bit of it in the shed)
and what can I expect brightness wise from the lasers?
I would like to note that the lasershow regs in NZ are very relaxed and although it seems NO-One else does (almost every gig I have been to has had lasers crowd scanning) I would like to not burn my friends eyes out so I
am interested in whats required to make a projector safe.
thanks in advance for your help