Well, you know, gay money, gay power, and all that...
Not that I would buy this thing, but I'm, just saying.....
The Chinese are hizzay to da shizzle....
Like it was said earlier in this thread, we are the center of the universe.....![]()
James.![]()
Last edited by james; 09-18-2012 at 20:13.
Creator of LaserBoy!
LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
Download LaserBoy!
YouTube Tutorials
Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.
Don't worry James, the Chinese have the pink pound and dainty dollar covered:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-R-G-M...item4166bc5934
Also:
hey old Pal!..
Couple quick (unsolicited) comments -
One, rather nasty-one is all the 'DMX-driven / auto-mode' units, that, far more-often than-not, will pop a *full-power beam*, out the aperture, upon power-down / power-loss, and/or connecting / disconnecting DMX, and the beam can-escape, because there's crappy-to-no safety-electronics, and no hard, signal-actuated shutter, as a 'fail-safe', so... *whack*, beam-in-the eye potential, is much-worse, than the PJs out-there, that meet / exceed the 'best-practice' safety-standards..
ILDA is *not* even-partially to-blame. ILDA works *very-hard* to effect-positive change / Regulations overhaul / streamlining / moderization, and best-practices, industry-wide. They attend FAA / AOPA-meetings / FDA/CDRH 'Town-Hall' sessions, and rally Letter-writing campaigns / help educate legislators, so as to avoid freedoms-choking / industry-damaging 'blanket' legislation, etc, etc.. They are not 'the bad-guy'.
The laserist for 'Blue Oyster Cult' is far-more to-blame, than ILDA.Also, technology-development speed vs the FDA's budget-allowance / priorities..
Strongly-disagree. Compliance / best-practices, CAN be achieved, ARE being achieved, and people, themselves, encourage-themselves to 'break laws', not the Regs, themselves.. Draconian? Sure. To-blame for peoples' actions? No. People-are. Guns don't kill people. People kill people...Also, there has always been a 'way to deal-with' the CDRH's past-horrible communication-timeliness, and it does not involve importing illegal / unsafe 'Crappy Meals'...
Again, Strongly-disagree. It's really not that-hard. Tedious? Yes. Detailed? Yes. 'Impossible'? No-way. This community is chok-full of excellent, NON-PRO examples, of how-to 'do it right' / that-it CAN-BE-done, right...and these are not 'all people with boku-bux', either.
Strongly-agreedBUT, saying 'screw it, I'm gonna break the law, too', is NOT the best-course.. it actually backfires / works against, you, in the long-run.. (..Regulators react, by 'clamping-down' / knee-jerk-enabling stricter-laws / more BS, ie: FAA-moratorium, Las Vegas, et al... )
..and this is where 'DIY' comes-in / is a much better / smarter option, vs a) supporting ILLEGAL sales / practices / products, and b) sending yet more $$ / commerce, overseas, vs spending / supporting OEMs, here, at 'home'.. Not good.
OK, I'm going away, now, carry-on!
j
....and armed only with his trusty 21 Zorgawatt KTiOPO4...
Creator of LaserBoy!
LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
Download LaserBoy!
YouTube Tutorials
Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.
TOM,
FYI,
The rules we have are because long ago and far away the FDA assigned a team to trail a few early professional laserists around.
Not just look over their shoulders, but actually make measurements, log practices etc. That is where the requirements and good practices came from.
Medical based enforcement is all about "Good Manufacturing Practices". Steps the government orders to be taken in a given industry after studying and working with that industry. GmPs are mostly about what is done on a manufacturing line for a medical device. So while laser shows are not medical devices, the scheme used in medical device quality control can be extended to making a laser show.
The requirements are well spelled out in older documents that have not made it to the web, but can be found in Governemnt Repository Libraries.
They read like GMPs. Do this, this, this and this during manufacturing. Do this set of quality control steps before every show. Keep logs. Inform us if you make changes to your equipment. Dont use un-approved equipment. Have a trained operator. Do not expose the audience above Class I LELs Etc..
Its based on the same model you use for making a drug or a sterile medical device. It makes it easier to enforce, as everyone, inspector, factory worker, designer, are all on the same page as to what needs to get done for a safe product. There are differences from plant to plant and product to product, but the end goal is safety. If you work on one medical device, you can pretty much know the GMPs in the next plant you visit.
A similar scheme is used by the FAA on aircraft manufacturing etc. An Airframe and Power Plant mechanic trained on plane A can quickly be trained on plane B. Enough things are kept similar that a common pool of knowledge insures safety.
Things like required Pre show Quality Control checklists are not evil. In fact they ensure better odds of a good show by forcing you to check out your gear and plan your beam layout.
Its not rocket science, but it was not designed for modern turnkey small projectors. Ie, it was designed for Ion, Hene, and Big Yags. The diode laser revolution was never anticapted for in 1970s rules. No one in our business can afford to lobby congress to get the rules changed.
This used to not be so bad....
Audience scanning was once legal, I have a BRH (Before it was renamed CDRH) paper telling how to do sample audience exposure calcs. Yes, the regulators telling you how to do something cool and artistic, reasonably safely. (I've posted it to pL before.) I have other BRH documents encouraging use of lasers in classrooms etc.
Then there were a few guys who had large frame lasers and aimed 20 watts into audiences. Things changed quickly.
Audience scanning and mirror balls went bye-bye. This was due to a few such as B.O.C. and and some stoner Artist in NYC. I wont mention him by name, he sues people right and left, claiming he invented laser shows, laser aircraft landing systems, beam effects and a host of other things. If you defame him, you meet his lawyer. Its how he makes his money these days.
A few, as usual, spoil it for the rest of us.
Then Vegas happened, automated laser show systems hitting airplanes. People ignored a cease and desist letter. This ended up on the national news. All hell broke loose. We nearly lost public laser shows all together. Lasers in airspace became a issue. Rules tightened up. Outdoor shows decreased dramatically. FAA became involved.
etc.
CDRH have actually gotten more liberal in the past few years. Things like reducing the need for pre-show notification etc.
ILDA has had a few saves, things like the Vegas incident etc.
But they have almost no lobbying money. They do help, but have no where near the influence of a AOPA, NRA, PETA, LIA etc.
Steve
Last edited by mixedgas; 09-19-2012 at 16:23.