Complete Build of a 4 Watt Analog Modulated ILDA Show Laser
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- In this video I will be nearly starting from scratch on this build to make my own 4 watt class ILDA analog show laser. I have been using TTL for far to long and needed something more colorful to enjoy.
I hope you all enjoy this video as much as I did making it, the whole process was a lot of fun for myself.
Music used with permissions, links below.
Orion - A Thousand Wishes
Orion - Decimal Progress
Orion - Level 5 the genius seculi final render
/ tracks
Sanxion7 - Fission ( Original Mix )
Sanxion7 - Green Destiny ( Original Mix )
Sanxion7 - Eternus
/ @saxxonpike
sanxion7.com/
Geno Lasage - The Phoenix
/ lesagemusic
Old video I know but I've learnt more about laser principles in this video than a weeks worth of research, thankyou so much Zenodilodon 🙂
What an absolutely amazing and informative video! And it's all to my favorite music genre! It's so awesome watching you become a master of lasers and to come into your own, as they say. Thank you, Zenodilodon!
It's a good video for those who want to make their own show laser stuff. Nothing to fancy and mostly made out of parts that where second choice/used but they turned out pretty well for living room class lasers. If you enjoy the sound tracks do check out the artists as well. The music is all by friends of mine and I do pass along comments like this so they can see that their content is also appreciated. Lasers are certainly a wide field to expand in, and I am getting closer to the point of master but there is also an always widening horizon to chase which is a lot of why I love the field of laser physics. I hope to continue to grow and share with others as i move forward in working with such technologies.
Truly magnificent work, your sophistication and acumen never cease to inspire.
(Excellent music too!!!)
@@CaracalKeithrafferty brotherman, you have to come by and see these! :P
step one: disassemble a few laser systems step two: buy & mount diodes step three: reassemble in a new config. So it's actually 'Complete destruction of several laser systems to rebuild as a 4W laser without the digital interface' which is cool, as long as you have at least one working system as a start point. I think my idea of 'from scratch' may differ from yours.
" Which is cool, as long as you have at least one working system as a start point ". That's not how the signals work though.
The Lasers get a signal from an external DAC in this case and is just daisy chained. They are dumb units but there is no requirement on x amount. If you want to control units independently then you need more DACs. Many Lasers have DACs built in. DMX is also an option but nobody really uses that with galvo Lasers.
I know your opinion on " from scratch " differs, I do look forward to you showing me up with your amazing skills!
Do note that if you meant starting with a whole system and rebuilding it in reference to " which is cool " then under this scenario you're accurate, I didn't know if that was a statement directed towards function of devices as it was written ( This in mentioning the digital interface ). I wanted to clear up what could be a little confusion on my side in reading the comment.
BTW, I am serious about skills, I'd love to see more people making Lasers!
This is a project I have wanted to do myself for a long time. very informative video thanks for making it.
Enjoyed watching your build, brought back lots of old memories. @20:52, you reminded me of the time when I was super gluing a galvo mirror onto its mount. The mirror slipped off the mount and I ended up with both thumbs super glued together.
Had to ask a friend to separate them with a razor blade. lol
You think that's bad, I was super gluing a small part once while eating candy corn.
Right hand was for holding the parts together, the left was for the eating process... until it didn't go that way. I popped the part in my mouth, realized what I did and spit out the part which ended up gluing the tip of my tongue in between my lips.
At least one lesson was learned that day. Even super glue tastes better than candy corn :P
@@Zenodilodon ROFLMAO!!!
Super job on the build. You are a very skilled tech / builder. Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks for the kind words! My next laser build eventually I hope to be a 12 watt RGBV with some really fast scanners. tr's getting a bit tricky to figure out what I want to make exactly. I'm still learning a heck of a lot myself.
I will be waiting to watch you make 12W - RGBV laser build. Something that I would very much enjoy building myself.
PEACE my new found friend.@@Zenodilodon
@@ZenodilodonZenodilodon looking forward to watching it!
I wonder when you start the hot glueing like those persons from the southern region of this planet are making.... oh, wait, no! You are professionally building things that actually WORK!!!!!!
Amazing how you built this piece, love to see your hands do the work that I love to do but cannot anymore.
Keep doing what you do! Love it!!!!
Thanks! I try to keep things cobbled together in a fairly decent manor lol. There is much room on this project, but it was parts bought I did not really like and old lasers, but it makes for pretty good household entertainment devices :P I eventually want to make a 12 watt RGBV ( Some of the parts where bought to test for that ). I understand what you mean when you say it's enjoyable watching things you enjoy but can't quite do anymore to a small degree, I hope that I get to see that as I get older as well. If you enjoy the content I hope to continue bringing more content like this as a grow and move into making more things. I want to get a milling machine and start chasing some better ideas!
Never tin wires that go into a terminal block. The solder will compress over time, and cause the connection to come loose. You should instead crimp on a spade terminal like you did on the other wires, use a crimp on ferrule, or just use an untinned wire under the screw.
I did not have spade terminals on hand. You are correct though in time they can eventually loosen due to this and it is something that will need to be addressed when I work on them next. Honestly I haven't even really used them since putting them together the lasers are pretty much made from spare parts and for all practical purposes are a lousy combination of slow galvos and diodes I purchased and didn't end up liking. The next laser build I go into will be taken much more seriously.
the blow of the heat gun to bend the cables, I like, I prick your idea
Damn, thats awesome. I just got 4 3 watt lasers. I've always wanted to build my own. its a hell of a process thats for sure..
Ive wanted to build a laser projector for years and see this video inspired me to actually make a start. its all up and running but I need some sort of case/housing to put it in. Ive not lined all the beams up yet and may copy the way you may your mounts as they look really good, Im using a 1 watt green and a 6 watt blue and the same two red diodes you are using, anyway Zenodilodon I just wanted to thank you for giving me the inspiration to get off my backside and start this project :)
There are actually several aluminum enclosure boxes that you can probably make into a really good looking laser housing. I am glad this video inspired you. Show lasers are relatively easy to get into and you will learn a lot of cool things working with the technology. I have not regretted is a single bit.
Thanks for the reply I will look for a box to put it all in once its all running 100% right now its sitting on my kitchen side board :)
@@3dmaxuser when I first started and even in early laser days many shows started off as bits on some one's desk. Some of the cleanest laser shows I have seen are from mixed gas lasers still sitting on a random surface barely covered. You're in good company. I saw a few of your videos really quick and it looks like it's coming along quite nice.
yeah I can imagine and thanks its getting there slowly :)
These things are seriously fascinating, I would love to see the technology get implemented as some form of computer display.
you probably dont care at all but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account?
I somehow lost my password. I love any assistance you can give me.
@Chase Ezra Instablaster :)
@Paul Yousef Thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and I'm in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Paul Yousef it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much you saved my ass :D
@Chase Ezra happy to help :)
Great project man, congratz!!
Thanks!
good work dude,,,,,im subscribed....im in the middel of making a home made laser...i love the light...and RGB...
This channel is sooo good... Keep it up!! I'm waiting for more e-hookah projects, hopefully you will make more ! :p
There are SOOO many more e-hookahs here, more of those projects will certainly be coming!
Thanks for the compliment!
@Ambrose Killpack czcams.com/play/PLk1ZNU83WgdD-DZ_F7fq2p9FiSaGWQ3Dj.html
is this not dangerous with this Power?
Yes this is dangerous. 4 Watts can easily be an eye, skin, and fire hazard. Precautions are necessary during operation.
Good work old boy 😊
i Like to watch it over and over again
Really great work!
Super cool build!!
Good job!!!!!
woot great background music!
Glad you like the tracks, the links for the music are all in the description. It's all done by friends of mine and I love hearing that people like their stuff!
Genius 👌
Excellent video! Wow.
Superglue and optics is a nono watch Dan Gelbarts video on glue.
I have long switched to West Systems epoxies! It's an incredible brand.
Eff me, you are pumping me up to get the soldering iron and the harvested dichroics out again. Excellent work.
Just work on the narration audio quality a bit though bro. Subscribing right now.
Get on it! You have limited time to accomplish things. Glad to of been a bit of an inspiration It's a huge reason why I post stuff.
Narrations/sound are bit by bit getting better, I do have hearing loss from year of concerts so it can be tricky for me to know when something sounds right.
@@Zenodilodon Just need a better mic is all. I sell pro AV for a living so I might just be picky haha.
I remember being about 12 or so and hot gluing little mirrors to small DC motors and vary their speed with pots to draw simple geo shapes on my bedroom walls. I might be too behind the times to get back into it though bud. On the other hand, I still scavenge old rear projection tvs for the optics.
@@leehorst I know that feeling, being in the laser industry I am getting pickier by the day with equipment.
No such thing as being behind the times, it's all about doing things because you want to accomplish something. Old read projection TVs are the best to scavenge. The DLP ones are my favorite but I have gotten some of the cleanest sounding 3 way speaker sets from the CRT rear projection TVs that I have ever hear. Always a box of treasure.
@@Zenodilodon I always thought the DLP chips were amazing purely from an engineering perspective. When they came out I couldn't believe how small they made an electromechanical device. Both had their problems though. LCD had screen door and DLP had rainbow artifacts. Yes I was selling the first generation of digital projection TVs. I'm old...
@@leehorst DLP is amazing. I was even more astonished actually watching the technology run under my microscope, it's mind boggling. I am a big fan of MEMs stuff. Michromachines have always been fascinating to me. Have you ever heard of LCoS? I don't appreciate the technology as much but in terms of image and reliability it seems to be a pretty good technology. One projector I bought even has a color LCoS panel, sadly I could not get it running because I would of loved to of seen it function. Just imagine seeing a full color image appear from a silver looking chip!
Great job,
Thanks!
A lot of CA Excelerator‘s will also create a fume affect which could possibly frost optics.
How to make a Show Lase:
1. Take a Off the Shelf Show Laser
2. Dismantle it
3. Put it back together in a new way
Boom you have a Show Laser...
(Man I just want a cool low budget diy tutorial xDD)
You're going to hate the 65 Watt build video then.
Wholly shit! Seriously Cool!
I try to fix my laser. I most shange out my green laser. But I cant find the exact model. So I need to rebuild the laser mount. Thanks fore the video.
I hope the video helps, if you are still having issues and want to contact me via email go ahead and do that. If you're in the US you can also send the laser to me for repair.
Can you please tell me where you buy your components.
Hallo! What the red laser diode are you using? I am use HL63193MG, but it have very bad divergence and corrective optics so expencive
I am using the same laser diode in this project. The laser built here is made from second choice parts and old hardware just for home use. My reds also have terrible divergence but for a front room it's not too noticeable. There is a 200mw capable single mode laser diode which is a much better beam but it's also low power like many other single mode diodes are. Red laser diodes still remain the bane of show lasers and many high end companies will use a bunch of single mode redss instead of multimode.
sites.google.com/site/dtrslasershop/home/diodes/sharp-gh0631ia2g-185mw
Incredible
I just noticed that those are the same laser diode drivers I used for my RGB laser.
They do the job, some of the drivers I got in the last batch didn't modulate very well on the low side of analog modulation ( some jelly beaning ) but overall pretty ok for the price.
@@Zenodilodon I don't know how to use analog or TTL so I just use potentiometers to modulate the laser by hand. some times the laser flickers and I don't know if it's the driver that's doing it or if its just a bad potentiometer.
Are you using two red lasers to increase the brightness of that colour?
That's exactly what I am doing. You can use an optical set up like shown here on this video or use a knife edge array as seen in some of my repair videos.
some friends and I designed and built laser display systems in NZ back in 98 when no one else was doing it. even wrote the software. very basic but you could animate your own spacial patterns. The only other crowd doing it was using very expensive argon tube equipment. we started using 532NM green laser diodes. Fun times. great to see how the multicolour is achieved in your systems@@Zenodilodon
where do you get your ilda files? they're hard to find or very expensive. cheers.
I have Pangolin QuickShow. This program comes with many cues, the ability to make more, and has a community cloud with content you can access.
If you are looking for files for an SD card based laser you can try to use IShow witch will allow you to make these files. I do have an older version on hand. ( Needs DAC/ILDA cable for live control ).
I do also have on google drive available a collection of older cues that you can gain access to by contacting me through email ( located in the channel about section ).
15:10 Lesson # 4: Do not countersink your mounting table while stoned. Great work though.
True fact
He has 1 box but how does the laser light come from two different parts of the room?
The video was the building of the second laser of 2 identical units. That's how i knew exactly how I wanted to make the one in the video as effortlessly as I did. The design was already tried and true.
Hey man, not sure if you are active on here, but I'm looking to buy/build a laser in the 1-2w range. Most the stuff I am finding is pretty cheap chinese shit since it is pretty low power. That being said, there are obviously some great options but I do not want to spend over 1000 as this is a new hobby for me. I want to have a solid beamshow as well as animations / abstracts. I know I want at least 30kpps. My question to you is where do you recommend I buy the components or would you suggest going with something premade in the $500ish price range? Honestly it will just be for smaller parties and maybe the occasional local show so it won't even be in use every weekend or anything. I'm not sure honestly, building one could be a great project, but since it won't be used super heavily I'm considering something like the LaserWorld CS1000 and just dealing with the slightly subpar galvos.
Getting something premade vs making your own is a tough call and comes down to your abilities. I am all for putting one together but it can be tricky. I would say invest the larger portion of the $1000 in a galvo kit, Get something like a PT-30 or better.I will link a DT-40 set I found on eBay below. The lasers you can realistically put together for maybe $150 each, misc optics are about another $200. If you go that route you will have something much nicer for the price as well as a galvo set worth a damn. There is a pretty extensive parts list. I buy diodes from DTR's laser shop and eBay mostly, the optics can be found here www.live-lasersystems.net/
If you have further questions to ask do so. There are also many things to consider depending on the quality/cost range as well. Here is the galvo listing.
www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-DT-40-40Kpps-Galvo-scanner-max60k-For-the-DJ-laser-light-or-3D-printer/263322391464?hash=item3d4f3cd3a8:g:cb0AAOSw4A5Y2JIk
Do you have any ILDA control?
@@Zenodilodon no I do not, i was looking on goldenstar and all their ilda stuff was like 700$ for just the show card and if thats a normal price point for them then it its absolutely not in my budget. I would love ILDA so i can run quickshow but i might just have to go the DMX route if they are typically that pricey. Thanks so much for the reply and info, ive been scouring photonlexicon the last couple days but couldnt find something as comprehensive as I need. I have access to an entire build shop for school and would love to use this project for my portfolio. Could you recommend a place to look for a full parts list? I would be tweaking it to fit my needs but tbh I dont know all of the components that go into one yet just diodes, galvos, drivers, and power supply.
@@liftedaura99 If you contact me over email I may have a nice solution for you if you're in the US.
Why did you use two red diodes? Is 700mw not sufficient because the eye is not responsible enough at that wavelength?
Yes, red is quite dim and under powered compared to the green and blue lasers. This is quite common in the industry for more than one red to be used in a laser. I have seen laser units with up to 24 reds inside to produce the required intensity to keep up with the other colors.
Brilliant build! Can I ask, was the glass you used AR coated?
AR is kind of a blanket term ( Anti-reflective ) and can be used for filter or in the prevention of chromatic aberration in lenses. AR glass in reality is usually just a coating of metal oxides, in laser optics and in plate glass filter applications it's called dichroic glass and has a pass through over reflective index based on the angle of incoming light to the glass. Terms can jump around a little depending on the application of the optic.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichroic_filter
@@Zenodilodon Cheers, I just thought it looked as if it had a slight green coating :)
@@alanstarkie2001 The front glass does have a tint, it's IR/UV blocking filter glass.
What's the chances of getting a parts list for this build for us to try ourselves ?
Show lasers is a very wide industry. This is like asking for a parts list to a specific computer build. There are many different variants of components that you can purchase that do the same thing. If starting off I would suggest looking at laser modules for the colors you want. You can search IE ( Red laser module ) and find that on eBay, same with Galvo kits/dichroic reflect/pass filters for mixing. This will be a good start to a beginner project. The catch is also that a DAC and supporting software is also needed for anything as far as customs graphics which can be quite pricey itself.
I'm working on building one of these, where can I find the analog laser drivers?
You can find cheap analog drivers on eBay like I did for this one. For a driver that is top notch I suggest the Color Driver which can be bought from Live Laser Systems
@@Zenodilodonended up designing and fabbing my own drivers that work great. Have machined mounts and an optical table myself and everything is setup except for one thing. I currently have 2 red diodes in my setup like yours but I’m only using one for now as I’m having problems with the pbs cube. My mounts allow rotating the diode modules so I figured I could rotate them until each was passing through the pbs cube right, but I could never get it to be fully passing/reflecting, and the combined intensity was barely brighter than a single diode. What is my issue? Does this mean the diodes are not polarized very well?
@@polarbeam488 PBS cubes tend to be made for a specific color, sometimes broad band/lower quality optics don't work very well. I would suggest looking at the optics on Live Laser Systems. Either for the correct PBS cube and Wave Rotator. Or you can do a knife edging setup and get pretty close results to using a PBS cube. After about a foot away it's not much different.
www.live-lasersystems.net/d/optics.php
Very glad to hear of your success! I am also working on some laser electronics and ecosystem for lasers. So far linearity with analog modulation has been the hardest part. I have pretty much figure out all the current stuff and at this point can probably regulate current up to 80A! The last high power prototype I swear could probably CC a laser diode or an Ion laser without any direct modifications. Crazy!!!
@@Zenodilodon Wow 80A is crazy. With my driver I designed I was able to swap the mosfet used as the current regulation aspect, and get analog modulation with decent linearity on one of the 100W nichia arrays. Not sure what I’ll use that for but I’ll think of something later. It’s always build something and then find a use for it haha. And is there some good documentation anywhere about setting up knife edging arrays or using pbs cubes in detail? I’ve found this to be the only video online documenting one of these builds. Not much resource out there from what I’ve found. I’ll try to get a better pbs on live laser systems, I guess my $20 “600-700nm” one on eBay wasn’t very good.
FIRST WOOP I havent done this in years
I never plan on giving up lasers, I do plan on going much more into servicing and prototyping more then show lasers as I grow up. There is only so much you can do with a show laser. The general technical field of lasers/lighting is one of the few that continuously providing knowledge and hints of magic.
Are the outputs of the red lasers typically polarized when they leave the diode? If they are, what direction are they polarized in, and is it related to the physical orientation of the diode? Basically im trying to find out how to arrange the polarization axis of two red diodes to be 90degrees from each other. In the video you just use one qwrp, does that mean one diode is already polarized? Thanks. Also where do you get your analog drivers? Im making my own but they aren't great.
Yes, red laser diodes will have linear polarization, I haven't seen a laser diode without this trait. They come in TE and TM polarization. Laser diodes have both a TE and TM mode, however depending on the construction and chemistry of the laser diode the E field of the emitted photons will follow one or the other resulting in horizontal or vertical linear polarization with respect to the orientation of the laser emitting facet.
www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_I_determine_whether_my_laser_light_is_TM_or_TE_polarized
Concerning how to determine the polarization and arrangement of laser diodes watch the videos where I repair the red and blue laser arrays, these will answer your practical questions I believe.
The laser divers I used in this video are basic analog drivers from ebay, I have made modifications to this video which allow for a wider range of use if you do find these and decide to use them. If you want a good analog laser driver consider the ColorDrive from Live Laser Systems, You may also be able to contact other companies such as Lightspace or Kvant for a top notch driver. I too am working on my own drivers and let me tell you first hand that linearity is a huge pain lol.
@@Zenodilodon You can sort of hack linearity with software. I pointed a digital camera at a wall where the laser was reflecting to get a function of perceived intensity vs input signal. Then i fed the inverse of this function back into the input signal of the laser using a lookup table to get something a bit closer to linearity. I used matlab to plot the intensity of each digital camera frame, and touch designer to control the laser which allows for using a lookup table on the input and shit.
Interesting way of handling linearity. I have yet to work out all the analog adjustable voltage dividers and such needed. The high end laser drivers can have 4-5 potentiometers just for one color on the driver.
What style of architecture are you using for your driver?
@@Zenodilodon uhhhhh i have a single mosfet i pulled out of a broken hoverboard, an op amp to regulate the gate voltage, and a high power resistor on the mosfet source. honestly i just googled "voltage controlled current source". Theres pretty good linearity between the load current and the control voltage. However, the whole driver is between the negative of the laser and ground, so each laser has to be insulated.
I would need source for suitable laser diodes, in Europe, or worldwide. This seems to be difficult to get the right hardware which is suitable for such a project. Can someone point me to which laser diodes are best (around 1 watt) ?
www.live-lasersystems.net/
sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/
frlaserco.com/Products/Laser-Diodes
Diode choices for around 1w that are common
Osram PLTB450B
Sharp GH0637AA2G
NDG7575/NDG700
wow, great job! I have an old 1,2-watt RGB laser. I need your advice on how can I upgrade that laser? is that possible to make
5 or 8-watt diodes and what I need to buy for that project?
Yes it is, absolutely is possible to make 5-8 watt lasers and even more powerful. You will need either a PBS cube combiner or knife edge array
www.laserworld.com/en/technical-explanations-overview/diode-array-modules-principle-and-differences.html
In some cased this also requires larger mirrors put on the galvos as well.
Zenodilodon thanks man!
men i from argentine i net get galvos for my laser rgb dc full color big dipper 12v ...do you now ware buy?
When would adding a pair of anamorphic prisms be advantageous? I was thinking about adding one to my Frankenstein. I'd assume they more common when using a larger bank of diodes, like a series of red diodes in a knife edge or something.
Larger banks use single spacial mode laser diodes with low divergence. You would use an anamorphic prism pair on a single wide emitter laser diode in most cases. Some knife edge arrays can also be corrected with an anamorphic prism pair if they all share the same optical axis.
@@Zenodilodon Thanks dude. I'm a networking engineer by trade. Destroying electronics and being a photon slinging jihadist are purely self-enrichment activities.
They are, at times difficult to learn about unless you find a welcoming community or an enthusiast to follow. So, thanks for that!
@@carsonfranklin6239 There are many great laser communities on facebook and discord if you're looking for more information on such things. Glad to help a fellow who follows the same light I do any day!
@@Zenodilodon I'd love to see some suggestions. Right now it feels like I'm finding a mix of knowledge that goes from
1. Lasers = ohh shiny!
2. Lasers = Visit my Aliexpress store!
3. Lasers + Mirrors = ohh moving shiny!
4. Basic Knowledge about how show lasers work
5. Me.
6.....
7.....
8.....
9....
10. Post doctoral papers on the usage of 5MW Xeon-Halogen Lasers as a medium to make popcorn by Lazlo Holyfeld.
Quite the gaps.
@@carsonfranklin6239 Send me an email or contact me through FB and I'll help you fill in some of those gaps. Zenodilodon@gmail.com or/zenodilodon on FB
i know exactly how you feel with the laser market. I was there and spend a grand many years worth of confusion in it. It's a large part of why I post content to help out others.
I’m trying to do this with an arduino with precise pwm and a hard drive galvo
from how many amps and the PSU for laser diodes
Please tell us how you did move the beams, I thought it uses rotating mirrors on a steep position driven by motors....
They are steered using closed loop galvos, there is more about this on these 2 videos I did.
czcams.com/video/HIBH55cbfLM/video.html
czcams.com/video/VchUSFiN38I/video.html
@@Zenodilodon Awesome project.Thanks for putting it on YT. How to add animations.Please let me know if you have made any project on that.Cheers
I see you use two power supplies what is the use you make is one and a portable power supply right?
One PSU is for the galvos, the other is for the lasers themselves.
@@Zenodilodon and the card ilda with which feeder the food
@@JO72ful The food feeder of the ILDA card is directed from the card of the galvo amp.
What software are you using to run your laser?
I am using Pangolin QuickShow, please note that you will need a Pangolin DAC like the FB3 or FB4 to interface your lasers with the program.
@@Zenodilodon I’m aware, I have a variance but I’ve been trying to make due with a Helios dac … I got a 100 dollar off code from pangolin today so I’m going to bite the bullet :)
Pangolin has excellent products and support, I am part of the formerly mentioned!
I have a 1w laser but I want to buy the laser diodes to make it more powerful where you got those diodes to create your 4w laser
DTRs Laser Shop
sites.google.com/site/dtrlp
Hi, do you know where I can get more information on how to build something like this. I understand what your doing but where can I get the parts. Is there anywhere I can find a full parts list? Some questions I have are: What type of amps did you use? Where can I get the show card. What type of power supply?
Kevin, If you are just starting out I would recommend getting a full Laser galvo kit from ebay. Looks for one that has a " Show Card " as well. Animation resolution and beam speed is measured in KPPS. For high end animations you will want to look into a more serious configuration with PC control and higher end galvo systems such as Cambridge or ScannerMAX.
@@Zenodilodon Hi! (should I call you Zen?) I'm an old retired 'laserist' from the 1980s in England. Now I'm a maker, planning to build a home RGB system for myself, with Teensy & ESP32 MCUs for the controller. Back in the day, I did business with 2 companies located in Cambridge, England.
Laser Point did shows & disco systems. The other was Cambridge Lasers, who mfr'd Class I ion gas lasers. Would you happen to know whether Cambridge, the galvo mfr you referenced above, may be an offshoot of either of those companies?
BTW, enjoyed watching your build. That is exactly what I'm planning to do, disco RGB box for the laser diodes + an x/y pair of closed loop galvos with scan amps. (any prefs?) 1-2 watts should do nicely.
I plan to output synchronous analog RGB + XY values for each step of an 2048 point raw image with a Teensy MCU. Multiple Teensy MCUs will produce multiple image sequences (with programmable mixers on the output). I want to animate by interpolating (aka panning) from image sequence A to image sequence B ... : ||
Of course, I realize that I'm still thinking of old school methodologies, which probably sound obsolete to you. So, please feel free to critique my approach. Your feedback would be very welcomed.
Thanks I'll be back :-)
@@TheOleHermit Your methodology isn't outdated at all. I am actually an analog electronics fan over the digital bits. Actually if you are old school you might appreciate that I have been inside the Lowell Cross very first galvo show laser, you know back when they had Ar-Kr and 6 GS-100 leaf spring open loop galvos. One day expect to see that up on the channel, sadly it needs a new/regassed Coherent model 52. No worries about sounding outdated at all, can't beat a good Ion laser with a nice 8 channel AOM, the color is phenomenal!
Yes you can absolutely modulate diode lasers using an analog signal, the driver just needs to be capable of it. You can use the same drivers I used, however on the low end some of them tend to jellybean. The drivers in this laser where analog ones purchased from eBay and quite easy to find with a search. If you want an excellent driver I would highly suggest purchasing the Color Drive 6 by Live Lasersystems.
www.live-lasersystems.net/d/colordrive-6.php
Feel free to contact the company for more information, the CEO Phillip is a good friend of mine and he absolutely knows his stuff and offers great service.
I am not sure where Cambridge Technologies originated from, though I would suspect the name is tied to Cambridge laser.
Aside from that I would say look into the DIY laser show stuff for the Arduino, as that might help you out. Also there is an eBay listing for a DIY galvo board is also on eBay. There are also several DACs to look into. When it comes to programming I am no good at all on that area of expertise. I used Pangolin Quickshow and a FB3 DAC, you can also look up Solinger, LSX, and Eitherdream. If you are a fan of the old school style there is a product out called the Radiator which give you a stand alone laser synth controller. www.neoncaptain.com/#/
Hope this helps!
@@TheOleHermit Forgot to mention scanner preferences, The industry favorites are as follow.
Scannermax 506 and Saturns
scannermax.com/collections/xy-scanning-systems
EyeMagic EMS 4000 up to 8000s
www.eyemagic.gr/
Phenix Technology PT-40
www.phenixtechnology.com/index.php
Downsides,
Scannermax uses a DSP tuned galvo amp so it's digitally calibrated. It natively supports digital input, I think the XY2-100 protocol, but also supports 10v-/+ differential for analog input.
Eye Magic has a goofy bar stop design which I think is stupid, but people love the performance. This is pointed out in one of the laser repair videos. Upside is they work even if the bar snaps... most of the time.
PT-40s can run hot when pushed at max speed/scan angle and their magnets take a dump when this happens but they are solid when treated within the 20 deg/KPPS rating.
@@Zenodilodon Way cool! Great info. Yes I was wondering whether modern driver boards have digital inputs. Need to think about that, especially if it requires a proprietary protocol. Won't go down that path. But, the 10 V+/- differential analog input sounds nice.
Yeah, I've broken a few GS-124 torsion bars, too. Kept on scanning as long as they weren't pushed too far and flipped 180 deg.
It's 5:00 am, but I could hang with you for hours on end.
Hey, thanks again for all the info. Catch you on the rebound :-)
Parts list? What makes this better? What's the goal?
These where put together with spare parts for in home use so there is a lot on these that would be peas on the plate. Basic needs are a decent galvo kit, and the lasers in what colors you want to use whether it's a single color or full color. I have posted repair videos on high end show lasers and the best bet for showing you what could be improved is to look at those videos. There is a huge difference between what I built here vs what I have serviced. My goal in of itself is to continue to learn more about laser systems and eventually start manufacturing high end laser systems.
There one thing i dont understand here the controller board is for ttl laser how it can drive analogue laser ? can you sugest any golvo kit with controll board that support analogue laser? if i understand analogue laser mean full color ?
The show card boards have built in patterns, these are bypassed when using an external DAC like I am using which is an FB3 made by Pangolin. As long as you install lasers with analog function and you have a program/DAC that outputs analog signals you will not have a problem. If you don't have a laser program I suggest QuickShow with FB3 from Pangolin.
@@Zenodilodon ok so if m corect when controlling with ilda it bypass the controller and send signal to the saler and the two motor controlelr directly .. now i understand thank you.
@@eloimis101 yup, that's exactly how it works, glad I could help.
@@Zenodilodon its not in the budget for now haha but now i know how to build it and how it work im happy with this!
great video! can you estimate your total costs for this project?
Figure for the bare parts, something like this or slightly better would be around $1500
Hello sir, this video is just awesom. I want to make a laser light like you. But I need help from you please Sir help me.. Sir I need the full list of this parts whis was used in this laser light. PleaseSi.. Give me the list with some definatination.
If you have never made a laser the best option is to first start off with a complete galvo kit and fully assembled white light laser module. In this build I made my own laser modules and optical table which is very difficult without years of knowledge and practice.
www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-Full-color-Combined-White-Laser-Module-for-Stage-Lighting-DJ-KTV-Ball-4W/372624377364?hash=item56c224c614:g:mkIAAOSwvmxchgKn
www.ebay.com/itm/20Kpps-HightSpeed-Galvo-scanning-System-including-Show-Card-for-Laser-Show-DJ/252037474608?hash=item3aae9aa930:g:cZEAAOSw3opbYrf~
Now make it handheld.
I have made a few RGB handhelds pointers. my friend and I have also worked on the idea of making them do patterns or what not but the task of it is very difficult and expensive.
#Zenodilodon
Freaking awesome work,... I'd love something like this projecting from the inside of my PC Mod onto the tempered glass... sadly this project is far too large, I only have room for about 10cm cube laser project.
Thanks for the insight!
Where did you get your Lasers? Thanks.
I purchased the laser diodes from DTR's Laser Shop and the hosts/drivers where bought on eBay.
@@Zenodilodon what about the Showcard? Thanks.
@@thilotech Show cards can often be found with cheap galvo kits on eBay. This part isn't otherwise found because high end lasers do not have a show card.
remember when building something like this you probably get over a million views?
the fact this has only 40,000 seriously makes me lose faith in humanity
I remember when a laser like these would of been worth a million views. At this point these are pretty much put together with pretty terrible/used parts I had laying around. I figured, heck if I am going to put the parts in boxes I may as well make the boxes do things :P
wow! OMG, what is this thing?
Either a show laser or a long range unicorn painter :)
I just checked out your page. You have a superb laser build going on! Got me beat by a large margin it looks :)
Wait... are you Geoffray M.?
If so I just about worship your work.
we have projector christie entero hb rpmhd-led02
now it can not start up when I press power ON
the power fan run 40 second then it stop, I see the light on Network cable on EM module but it not starting up, it seem to be not present 12VDC on Em module, and the fan on Light module start 5 second then it stop
after that power module also stop
video: czcams.com/video/MVqeKiNWUug/video.html
could you please help me
Sounds like a lamp service issue, beyond that I don't really know how to advise. Looks like it's a large projector set up and though I do repairs on projectors I don't know all the start up/connectivity procedures for things like cinema scale stuff.
thats a nice build but you would probably be beter off with some decent 3 axis dichro mounts
These lasers are all sorts of cake without frosting. 3 axis dichroic mounts would come after better red laser optics and a safer/faster scan kit. You are correct though luckily I am cutting back on lasers shows and more into equipment servicing, pretty much these have now become my at home laser show programming tools but don't really go out on tour.
@@Zenodilodon the results are still prety awesome with diy dicro mounts and no optics correct on the blue's great job prety awesome channel mate !!
@@martijn4740 The Orsram PLTB450B does amazing on beam divergence, it's one of my top fav LDs. Looking to try the Sharp Reds over the Oclaro soon and see how they do. I heard the Sharp LDs are about half as wide.
@@Zenodilodon those PLTB450B have prety good specs 1.8 watt max out of a 5.6 mm packadge is prety awesome so normal power would be around 1.6 watt if cooled properly or so ?
hopefully the higher power green will go down in price some more
hi what power laser diodes did you use ....
2x 700mw 638nm, 1 w 520nm, 1.6 w 450nm
@@Zenodilodon the difference between a 638nm and a 650nm is a lot like visibility
@@JO72ful
638nm is much more close to the human peak spectrum, however that color needs lots of optical correction to stay thin. This was not done here in these quick builds with spare parts.
The 650nm have very tight beams due to the construction and use for optical medium. 650nm is not as visible but higher end laser systems still tend to use them in bulk knife edge arrays like the Cittadini lasers in the repair videos.
@@Zenodilodon I have a problem with a galvo scanner x while it is running after a while it returns off then after about ten seconds it starts working again what the cause may be
@@JO72ful Galvo problems can be extremely complicated to solve. It sounds like you might have a failing psu. Does the laser stay on longer if you do not use a large pattern/cue?
Galvo failure can include.
Bad failing PSU, damaged galvo amps, dirty wires to galvos from amps, bad sensors, burned coils, bad bearings, magnets getting hot and loosing power, and so on.
This is a lot of what is to be covered in the next repair video of 6 lasers I will be posting.
Teach me sensei
Lots of information on my channel on laser stuff, if you have questions do let me know in the comments.
@@Zenodilodon I really appreciate it and I definitely will. I have a slow 20kpps laser right now. When I display oscilloscope wav art through it it looks like abstract line art. I’m using modular gear to send ilda info to my laser. Specifically I’m using a 1010 Laserbox (Toolbox firmware hack) and an LZX Cyclops ILDA module. I can modulate the rgb and xy on the Cyclops with any modulation sources in my Eurorack (lfos, envelopes, s&h). But I need to learn THIS!
@@originalfallinggirl Yeah I saw one of your laser outputs on video and thought the galvos where sluggish. Synths can drive really fast signals so you would be far better off with something much quicker. The best thing I can recommend is getting a ScannerMax 506 They are typically paired with the Mach DSP which will also take in analog signals and will drop into a show laser pretty easily though you may need a galvo PSU upgrade to support the additional power. Looking at your videos I have no doubt you know how to connect wires. I am not sure where your machining skills are but given your hardware It's something that I bet you would pick up quick as well. Some minor things might need to be moved and changed in the laser. the PT 40 pros are also decent galvo kits too. let me know where you want to go with learning/making laser stuff a bit and I can start directing you towards hardware and such.
@@Zenodilodon thank you sooooo much! I really appreciate it. I’m so fascinated by lasers and want to experiment as much as possible. The artistic possibilities have barely been tapped. I’ll send you videos of my progress. You rule!
@@originalfallinggirl Sounds good. If you want to talk in real time on projects I have both Facebook and Discord as well.
it sow hard get galvos in my country argentine
There are many listed on ebay, otherwise you might want to check out these.
www.cambridgetechnology.com/
www.scannermax.com/products/scanners/
www.phenixtechnology.com/index.php
www.spacelas.com/en_products/Galvo-Scanner-Systems-5-1/
eyemagic.gr/laser-scanners.html
Piece
Please don't glue your optics with cyanoacrylate / Super glue.
Super glue will outgas and ruin the optics. The "white mist" that builds up will destroy the coating and will reduce the output power of your laser.
Also your handling your optics with dirty fingers and cleaning with a rubbing motion and a cloth is not ideal.
Rubbing the optical surfaces will scratch the surfaces. The dirt that is already on the optics gets pressed into the surface, this will act like sanding paper.
You can use a cotton swap an acetone/isopropyl alcohol to clean the optical surfaces.
Use each swap just one time to reduce the risk of "grinding" the surface with already wiped up dirt.
While swiping the surface rotate the cotton swap to expose a "new" dust/dirt free cotton piece to the optical surface.
The micro scratches will otherwise reduce beam quality and brightness by adding a halo / "cloud" of light around the beam. The contrast ration will be low so overall impact of the beam is also lower.
Also additional losses will occur, dirty /scratched up optics can cause more than 50% power loss!
I forgot to mention the glue you should /could use instead:
Epoxy or UV hardening glue, it will not outgas
@@farbe123 This was a build with old/unwanted parts. I am going to treat it as such. If you're in the laser industry you know it's a POS. I had more fun making them then I will ever get out of using them.
On the note of using a cyanoacrylate. Well I have make an analogy, A firework isn't as dangerous when you're a pyrotechnic. There is a 2 fold process, make sure the surface is clean, this removes oil which is the most reactive, this is why it's used for picking up finger prints. Secondly use airflow to pull chemical fumes from the area. Which as you see in the video I did. If you want the whole technical procedure of using cleaning solutions on other optics that require the most delicate care the use of First Contact can be used, however not on first surface mirrors, next TCE or anhydrous acetone is used. This is done with q-tips, usually medical grade without any glue/adhesives. We don't use them more than once and you get in the habit of breaking the q-tips in half to avoid this. Micro fabrics also work well though you have to make sure the solvent won't attack the polymers.
Now I know you mean well, and you're trying to be helpful. Want to teach my calculus because that's the kind of assistance I really need, the Nonlinear equations are breaking my monkey brain.
Zenodilodon
I did also use First Contact but have found that it’s not as good as it should. Some dirt sill remains on the surface.
I am a EE in the laser business.
What are you doing with nonlinear equations?
What are you studding?
@@farbe123 That is a very hard question to answer. Mostly because If there is merit to the idea it could be a leap in computer tech. There have been things I have seen that tell me something could possibly work. I wish I could comfortably say more and hope you understand.
The ability to understand the maths will allow me to understand the materials and see what tensor geometries could be used and how to best pick up an output source and more narrow down the optimization of my idea, It's not exactly needed for prototyping the idea but the maths seem to help the wonderful idea process.
If you want to have a discussion on the concept I am open for it granted an understanding of these types of intellectual possible properties and such. I am certain you're able to find my E-mail.
U
ilda is not analogue
The ILDA DB25 input sure is, there isn't a single ounce of digital in it, hence the need for a DAC.
Digital to Analog converter.
Do you sell the projects you build....
I do not.
@@Zenodilodon can you build me one....
@@lolife2960 I only repair existing hardware, hardware consult, or build certain lasers for use in a product when it comes to laser devices. I do not sell completed units, I do not sell outside of the US.
@@Zenodilodon I'm in us. I'm looking for a unit like that, I can use as a monitor...
@@lolife2960 This is the wrong device for use as a monitor. You will have to look for a beam starting video projector if you want to use laser for a display like this. However they are extremely expensive and have several drawbacks like refresh speeds/resolution.
What type of software do you use ?
Pangolin QuickShow ( Requires FB3 or FB4 DAC )
@@Zenodilodon Still expensive as i see , why only 1 or 2 companies make software and dac for projectors :/ waiting 10 years for something more affordable and nothing :
@@adredy Same reason you don't see a 5 point harness in most cars? It really is a specialized market. Some cheaper alternatives like Eitherdream, Liniux Laser, and Ishow are available. The hardware that can make proper use of software often requires higher end hardware as well. I would suggest joining the FB forums for laser enthusiast/professionals, you might be able to find a deal on a used FB3.