Making a 3d homemade Laser projector

(Look below and http://www.seanchaney.com for more info. My music can be found at http://www.MyBand.pro ) This is one of my experimental Dance/Trance songs from 2000. I build laser systems for fun so I have put together pictures and clips from assembly to a full working system to go with the song. I know the song gets really annoying after awhile sorry. Iv'e been getting a lot of email asking how the projector works and what parts are in it.
Here's how the projector works:
The green laser bounces off a mirror then through a green beam splitter, the beam is then separated (The reason for this is later I added a second beam turret projector which did not work well so I removed it and also the beam splitter. The Green beam then bounces off a red dichroic filter and into the Scanners. The red laser passes through the red dichroic filter this allows you to mix the two colors into one beam or into dual images if the alignment is off.
(Most all of the video uses the red laser because the green was too bright for the video camera)
Here is some information on my laser system and where you can find the parts.

Laser controller and software I use is from
http://www.laserillusions.net
This is a great package and costs a fraction of any other laser software about $400.00

(the industry standard is Pangolin but it is very expensive http://www.pangolin.com Pro version is $5000,00

You need your own computer to run either of these.

DB 25 ILDA pinout
This is an industry standard for PC to the Laser projector . Pangolin explains the connections very clearly.
http://www.pangolin.com/LD2000/qm2000pinouts.htm

Scanners (Closed loop galvos)
Medialas
http://www.medialas.de/scanner.html
In the video I use a Catweazle scanner and driver but I don't think they make these anymore.
(CT scanners are the best, over 50,000 points per second)

DPSS lasers
Lambda pro 120MW Green laser.

On video the red Laser diode is 50Mw but if you want to mix the red and green together to get yellow get a 250Mw

Blanking
- TTL 0 or 5 volts
In the video I'm using solid state lasers that use TTL Blanking (turns each laser on or off) I can only get about 10 KHz from the red one and 30KHz from the green one.
Other types
- AM (analogue Modulation) 0 to 5 volts
allows intensity from low power to full power (used to create a larger selection of colors when mixing different color beams)
-PCAOM (POLYCHROMATIC ACOUSTO-OPTIC MODULATOR)
Used for gas lasers and is the fastest way to blank and modulate any laser. Uses a crystal and a driver. Over 100KHz
-The old style of blanking would use a third galvo to deflect the beam the first projector I made used this method.

Optics
http://www.edmundoptics.com/

Additive Dichroic color filters for laser color mixing
http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlinecatalog/DisplayProduct.cfm?productid=1734


In the video you will see a red Dicloric filter. This filter allows the red laser to pass through it but reflects the green laser off and into the scanners.

How the additive filters work: which ever laser beam will pass through the filter that is the color filter you need to use for example red passes through a red filter but reflects green and blue. Since I built this in 2003 I've changed my mind on which filter colors to use and I'm currently about to change my setup to get a better yellow.
I'm going to switch the laser positions and use a green filter. The laser passing through the filter loses a little power the ones that reflect do not.
I can't afford a blue DPSS right now but if you want to make a RGB system I would suggest this setup:
Green laser on top passing through an additive dicloric green filter at a 45 degree angle. Red laser is mounted at a 90 degree angle from the Green laser. The red beam reflects off the green filter, red and green combine at this point making a yellow beam this beam now reflects off a blue additive dicloric filter at 45 degrees and into the scanners. A blue DPSS laser is mounted parallel to the red laser and passes through the Blue filter combing with the yellow making white light if you have the Mw ratios correct, which I 'm still trying to get yellow right. Also the alignment is supper tricky trying to get the beams to converge into one beam.

I used Plexiglas as a prototyping template. I found it's much easier to align the laser beams and optics. This way you're able to mark with a sharpie the screw mounting holes by looking beneath the optical mount or laser then drill the holes. You can then transfer the holes to your final metal mounting surface. If you use Plexiglas as your final mounting surface I would suggest using two ply's to make it more ridged.

I'm in the process of experimenting with this projector again.
I bought a 250Mw red laser diode and I am closer to getting the yellow I want.


Hope this helps,
Sean

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Sexorcist
• experimental
• dance
• trance
• techno
• music
• Laser
• show
• projector
• song
• dpss

[SeanChaney]

@coolaidkiller This video is now four years old and the video I took that makes up this video is 8 years old. Technology has really advanced allot over the years. It is defiantly possible to make full color images as well as Vector video you would have to use a RGB laser projector, Pangolin software with very fast scanners. This setup is also very expensive. A lot of people don't realize some of the new DLP HD projectors at movie theaters have RGB laser diodes running them.

[coolaidkiller101]

@SeanChaney is it possiblle to make a full colour image with r/g/b colour laser

[forddexta12345]

Are these the normal mirrors

[finrollercoaster09]

@TommaVideos moi, luulisin että tuolta thomann.de/fi/laserit.html Olen itse tilannut kaksi scanneria tuolta sivulta. Postikulut suomeen 12e. Jos esim. tilaat kaksi laaseria niin ne menevät samaan pakettiin ja postikulut ovat nuo 12e.

[TommaVideos]

Hey! I know this is a REALLY long shot, but you think you have any extra laser projectors, or that you could make a small one and send it to finland? :D

I really wouldnt ask anything like that, but its just that Im having a 2012 new years party, been trying to find laser projectors, but they just costs so much :/ Or do you know any sites that sells for cheap price and are legit?

Thanks!:)

[doceigen]

So tell me, are people even interested in non-representational imagery any longer?  It seems as if the trend is merely a convergence with projected video imagery. Only complete amateurs make low speed vector driven abstract lessajous projectors any longer. In the old days, we shine a laser through frosted glass and everyone gasped! Nowadays people want full color, photorealistic, 3D HoloDeck environments, and nothing else seems to chill their spines. Is this observation accurate?

[iLemonable]

The world is boring without nerds. Not that you are a nerd... :)))

[ElianElian7]

@SeanChaney Awesome man.

[pspmaster64]

i hear oh god in the backgroung

[f00barbob]

204 people know enough about electronics to call BS

[RSSF4]

you know what. It would be great to do this kind of stuff but one problem.... I can't afford it!