Safety Guidelines for would-be builders of projectors

[dsli_jon]

hey Steve -

I'm in the middle of a super mega project at work and can not really contribute for the next few days.

Understood.. IF you get ANY time, at all, could you at least just look-over the 'outline' Andrew and I started, there? I think it would be really, really, helpful - even if it is just a small 'amount' of time from you, as your expertise would help us quickly 'hone' the outline - you know...fill-in the 'topics / sub-topics' I / we are forgetting, there... I am sure there are some - Also, comments on anything that should NOT be there...at least, for now...

I do 'hear you' on the '300mW-thing', but my 'concern' is - if we don't at least COVER the dangers-involved with what MOST of the 'n00bs' that come here, are working with, these-days (...seems like ~1-2 Watts, all-lines, is becoming the 'norm', well-into Class IV...) do we open ourselves up to more 'liability' - at least, 'guilt', if we don't?

I mean, I doubt we'll 'discourage' Class IV-builds, if the info is 'just not there', but nor do I think that we'll 'encourage more proliferation', if it is - there's still the $$-limiting-factor, ya know? Thoughts? Your opinion and input is highly valued, so, when you can, kind Sir...

hey DrL...

...please PM me an email address, and I'll send an invite to the wave document.

PM-sending shortly... ..no problem for Macs, I assume? (browser-based / platform-independent, yes?) lemme know...

thanks
j

[DMills]

I would drop 5(c) as not really being a safety issue, if we want to do a worked example of a projector design, we can do that as a separate document, but reliability is not fundamentally a safety issue in this case, lets keep this one really tightly focused.

For the same reason I am not sure about 6(b) except in so far as it is needed to cover things in the regs (CDRH variances, HS(g) 95, whatever).

Can we add a 'Scope of document' section at the top (Lets be explicit about what we cover)?
And a references/bibliography section at the bottom? I want to reference that safety policy that one of the UK contingent (can not remember who) posted a few months back, and there will be plenty of other references.

Quite a bit of the EU section is going to get country specific, and some will get finer grained then that.
While the IEC standard is the same, the laws implementing the optical radiation directive will be country specific, and in some cases may actually be secondary legislation. For example in the UK the HSE seems likely to be the relevant party in conjunction with the environmental health department of the local council....
There is not usually anything quite equivalent to the FDA/CDRH setup you guys have.

Airspace in the EU is handled on a country by country level, the CAA (in the UK) for example have a short form you send in a month before the show.

Oh yea, Copyright, can we agree to put this thing into the public domain? I think we want it as widely disseminated as possible once it is done. We should probably request that folks link to a master copy on PL so people get the latest, but it is more important that it gets widely spread around if folks cannot link for whatever reason.
Just my take on it.

Regards, Dan.

[drlava]

sounds good, here's the link to view the document for everyone:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AR...M3g5Mmdr&hl=en

for edit volunteers (all of you!) please pm me your email.

[dsli_jon]

Hey Dan...

I would drop 5(c) as not really being a safety issue...

Agreed - good thought-path... though I suppose that 'section' could include any-aspect of electronics that might-pertain to safety (ie: proper-cabling preventing unwanted / potentially-hazard-producing signal-interference, etc) - - although besides DMX and RF 'cautions' (separate-section) what else might there be? ...Experts, please!

For the same reason I am not sure about 6(b) except in so far as it is needed to cover things in the regs

Sure, but again, I think it might be just good to 'CYA' with at least some 'generic / top-level' info - ie: Always ONLY hire Licensed / Certified Riggers for trussing-integration; Never put a Laserscope on a tripod ; ONLY use fire-retardant professional theatrical-scrim and/or flame-test (self-extinguishes upon removing from an open-flame) any 'proposed' material prior to use in a Venue, even if 'temporary' (one-night) - Never assume 'fabric-store'-grade materials will be 'safe', in this regard', - etc, etc - I mean the stuff 'you and I' would call 'common-sense' - cause, remember, it's not all that 'common', these-days...

Can we add a 'Scope of document' section at the top (Lets be explicit about what we cover)?...And a references/bibliography section at the bottom?

Sure. But, RE: 'Scope'.. isn't that what this 'Table of Contents' is-for? That was my intention... what was your thinking, on that?...

Quite a bit of the EU section is going to get country specific, and some will get finer grained then that.

This is where we need ya'll over there to 'edit' those sections, and 'plug-in' the info I / we don't know to plug-in... Please Gents - don't be 'afraid' to cut-and-paste - this is intended as an 'Open Source' effort...

Airspace in the EU is handled on a country by country level, the CAA (in the UK) for example have a short form you send in a month before the show.

I'll get it 'started'; You Gents, please, edit.. Andrew, please incorprate any edits, here, and I will, from this post, on, ONLY edit the GoogleDoc...

Oh yea, Copyright, can we agree to put this thing into the public domain?

I think that would have to be a basis for doing this at-all - especially, since much of the info will already be 'public domain'... I doubt there will need to be any 'IP' in any of this... I can't see it, anyway... (one reason for 'avoiding' Audience Scanning, cause then we start getting into technology / products / Co's / IP, yadda, yadda...)

Thanks, Dan / Andrew, for your contributions... I will have to 'drop back' at some point - 'Got Shows' ...but I'll do my best to contribute, as-able... and hey - ILDA-members / Pros / Retired-Pros - We Need You! Buffo! Clan! Tim! Pat B! Steve! Get in here and help us 'shovel', ok?

cheers..
j

[DMills]

Never put a Laserscope on a tripod

I have heard tell of an 800 series in the UK that was spotted suspended by its handles from a truss!
Surprisingly nobody died!

Regards, Dan.

[dsli_jon]

I have heard tell of an 800 series in the UK that was spotted suspended by its handles from a truss!

...classic!! ...Oh no! ...my 80 Watt FrankenScope fell on the DJ!!

[laserist]

Tip here: Use a 'dead man switch' line like they use on jet ski's here. Make a short piece of leash or lanyard attached to a pin, which needs to be in place for the projector to operate. If the unit should fall, the pin will get pulled out, and immediately disengage the power to all of the lasers.

Of course, the line needs to be shorter than the secondary safety cable, and preferrably attached to the support structure at the same point.

Instead of a second line - loop the safety cable to pull the interlock pin...

[Stoney3K]

Instead of a second line - loop the safety cable to pull the interlock pin...

The loop needs to be on the very near end to the truss then. The idea is, that if something should fall or topple, the pin would be the first thing to fall out. If the laser were emitting and it would tilt or fall down for some reason, there is a chance it could hit the audience at high power.

The safety cable is (in many cases) a lot longer than would be needed to reach the nearest trussing structure. It's there to break the projector's fall

[laserist]

The loop needs to be on the very near end to the truss then. The idea is, that if something should fall or topple, the pin would be the first thing to fall out. If the laser were emitting and it would tilt or fall down for some reason, there is a chance it could hit the audience at high power.

The safety cable is (in many cases) a lot longer than would be needed to reach the nearest trussing structure. It's there to break the projector's fall

Good point. You could make a really good case for a one or two axis inclinometer set up to shut everthing down if the projector rotates beyond narrow limits... Analog devices makes a dual chip that's supposed to be accurate to 0.1 degree. If the projector slips far enough to miss an 4 inch bounce mirror at 100 feet it could shut down...

[dsli_jon]

Good point. You could make a really good case for a one or two axis inclinometer set up to shut everthing down...

...Or, if on a 'budget', how about a 'well-placed' / perfectly-mounted mercury-switch (like the type commonly-found in home-style thermostats), tied-into the interlock-loop - even if your system did-not incorporate a 'hard beam-shutter' (as many solid-state builders are 'countering' the need-for, these-days...) you could still tie it to an SSR, gating the 5V inputs, or however - point-is, cheap-way to get an 'inclinometer', yes?

...sure, perhaps an inclinometer is more 'fine-ranged', but, when all is said and done, the Operator is suposed to have 'full visual control' of all projections, at all-times.. presumably, if he has not #1, secured the projector in such a way that it could not get 'shaken-loose' (ie from heavy-bass) from its' moorings in the first-place, #2, he would be 'ready' / vigilant-enough at observing his 'projection-area' that if his rig did 'fall', he'd be 'on the mushroom-button' pretty-quickly, anyway...

Hey EF - good to see you 'back'...

...Here’s an example of a completed variance application:

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dai...100/var001.pdf

Thank for the linx - the only 'exception' I would offer, is this variance 'example' might not be the 'best' for this Doc / in this 'context' - first, no one here will likely be using (nor would we recommend) those specific-lasers for this PL-Doc; second, that example does not contain some of the most 'seasoned-laser Co. methods' for getting Variance-approval, first-time-out (ie: specific 'CDRH-pleasing statements' / notes in the comments' section) - those are the 'kinds' of 'value-added' tips that would be best-included in the PL-Doc... (and I, for one, will be-adding, at some-point, once we get the 'shell defined', etc...) But, 'thanks for the thought'...

Feel-free to 'x-check' the links, here, too:

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...915#post143915

...perhaps, do a 'listing-merge', here... that would be a good start on that 'section'...

thanks..
peace.
j