Price point

[awlego]

I'm just getting into lasers and scanners and was wondering, what the price point was for making a basic open loop x-y scanner? How about closed loop?

What do you think about this for an open loop scanner as an entry to laser shows?
Open-Loop X-Y Scanners
How much or little will I be able to do with only an open loop scanner vs. a closed loop scanner.

I'm just getting into the realm of laser shows and would like to start cheap, what is recommended?

Thanks in advance!
~awlego

 

[Things]

Open loop is pretty much useless for anything but beams, as they have no feedback. You be able to get some small figured like shown on that page, but that is about it.

 

[Solonar]

Way too expensive for open loop.

You can create the same patterns with a couple of speakers, some dowels, 2 strips of thin wood and a mirror.

hook them up to a stereo and aim your laser at the mirror. You will get pretty much the same patterns.

 

[carmangary]

It used to make sense fooling around with open loop scanners when the price of scanners was so high. But now there are chinese scanners on the market for under $100 that will outperform anything you can build. Do an ebay search for "galvo" and see what is available.