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Thread: Helios - Open source, low cost DAC

  1. #1
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    Default Helios - Open source, low cost DAC

    Hi,
    I'd like to share my newest project: Helios Laser DAC. It's an USB to ILDA DAC, with fully open source hardware and software. It's low cost but still powerful with good specs: 12bit XY channels, 8bit RGBI channels, up to 65+ kpps, up to 4000+ max points in frames, plug and play automatic driver installation, aluminium enclosure etc.

    http://pages.bitlasers.com/helios/

    I've prepared a batch and will be selling them for $89.90 each. I think that makes it the cheapest full color ILDA DAC available right now. Even cheaper than a sound card and correction amp!
    Buy here: http://bitlasers.com/opencart/index....&product_id=87
    Or Innolasers (USA-based): https://innolasers.com/shop/index.ph...roller=product

    Helios currently supports several programs like LasershowGen, Maxwell, LaserShow Xpress (LSX), Spaghetti, Lasercam, HE-Laserscan etc. natively, and even more have announced that they will be supporting Helios natively in the near future.
    The device uses the open source libusb library for USB connectivity, which supports many platforms including Mac and Linux. I haven't built binaries for these environments yet, only windows, but I will soon, if no one else does first.

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails uc73PFF.jpg  

    Last edited by Grix; 03-17-2019 at 00:54.

  2. #2
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    Good job, I hope this really takes off for you !

  3. #3
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    subscribed to follow up

    great news and i hope all goes well for this nice little box.

    I will definitely consider this (and maybe a next version with sd card capability? as a standalone player?)
    "its called character briggs..."

  4. #4
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    ... how hard would it be to change the point list access to "endless" FIFO (data from a serial stream or SD-card) or up to 300k points per frame with slower but more accurate moving speed?

    I'm testing some of the cheaper DAC's and softwares for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and laserengraving - got some working with my programs and tool-chain, but didn't find the "perfect" solution yet ...

    Viktor

  5. #5
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    swamidog is offline Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
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    cool.. let me know if you need an LSX guinea pig.
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by VDX View Post
    ... how hard would it be to change the point list access to "endless" FIFO (data from a serial stream or SD-card) or up to 300k points per frame with slower but more accurate moving speed?

    I'm testing some of the cheaper DAC's and softwares for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and laserengraving - got some working with my programs and tool-chain, but didn't find the "perfect" solution yet ...

    Viktor
    Maybe not too hard but I'm not sure you even need to. The DAC will synchronize incoming frames and play them in succession without pauses as if it was one big frame, so you could just stream endlessly that way, using an arbitrary frame size. It doesn't have enough RAM to store 300k points at once though so you'd have to stream it in one way or another. You can take a look at the firmware source and see if you think it will be suitable

  7. #7
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    Really good work! Looks great.
    - There is no such word as "can't" -
    - 60% of the time it works every time -

  8. #8
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    I'll add support for it. Let me know what I need to know.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnYayas View Post
    I'll add support for it. Let me know what I need to know.
    Awesome! It says on the OLSD page that Spaghetti already supports the OLSC API, is that correct? I couldn't see an OLSD or OLSC dll in the installation folder, is it built into the main executable?
    Anyway, if that is already supported, all you basically need to do is copy all the code for that, and just link it to HeliosLaserDAC.dll found here instead: https://github.com/Grix/helios_dac/releases
    Or you can use the Visual studio solution on the github page to build the library the way you like. Let me know if anything is unclear. I will get some sample programs out some time soon.

    When you've made a test build or something you can send it to me and I can verify that it works.

  10. #10
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    Nice! I've ordered one Grix. I have several lasershow packages, so I can be a guinea pig for LSX, Lasercam, Spaghetti, Maxwell, and others that you may support in the future. The important thing for LSX is that they show up with unique names, so that several can be assigned to the different timelines. This has proved to be an issue with at least one other DAC in the past (Medialas), but has since been corrected.

    I will provide feedback when it comes in.

    -David
    "Help, help, I'm being repressed!"

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