Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 38

Thread: newb alert

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    97

    Default newb alert

    i was told there would be lasers here.

    I'm a computer programmer who's main thing is a midi sequencer on windows. I have fought the win32 api with c++ and lived.

    Now I'm going back to my childhood dream of a laserium IN MY HOUSE.

    I asked the x-laser company sales team which laser I should get to do laserium.

    They said the X-Laser Mobile Beat Mirage. When I saw it's specs I started drooling. Then I saw the price tag.

    Now, don't get me wrong, I -will- pay that much if I have to.

    From what I understand so far, ILDA is the ONLY way to get new frames into a laser and only the spendy ones do it (right?)

    So I want to write my OWN program to send ILDA frames into it and control it's animations with DMX.

    So I'll need a laser, usb-dmx thingamabobber and usb-ilda thingamabobber, right?

    Without writing drivers, will I be able to write software that talks to those devices?

    If somebody could help me or direct me to one of the myriad forums on here, that would be EXCELLEEEENT.


    I'm lookin for - which laser? which usb-dmx? which usb-ilda? can i code dmx and ilda without WRiting driver software?


    Thanks much,

    ...Steve

  2. #2
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    there are lasers here!

    in the context of your post, ILDA represents a couple of things:

    1) a set of standards so laser frame and animation data can be interchanged between laser control software.
    2) a set of projector wiring standards based on a db25 connector.

    in the broader context ILDA (the International Laser Display Association) is a trade show organization that helps define standards and laser show safety.

    for more information: http://www.ilda.com/

    there are some cheaper laser projectors that use dmx instead of ilda, but that's really just for triggering pre-canned effects / sequences and those projectors are quite low end. you are unlikely to be satisfied with the output quality. there are also some projectors and dacs that will read frame data / animations off of sd cards. etherdream, riya, and fb4 to name a few.

    x-laser's project mercury is a high end dmx/laser control system which is designed to be run from a lighting console. i haven't seen it in action yet, but i'll have some hands on time with it this weekend.

    i strongly recommend purchasing a laser with an ilda interface. i also suggest you get one that's US legal. x-laser is a good choice, as is lightspace usa, and kvant (if you have a larger budget).

    for a control system, i can strongly recommend using an etherdream dac. it's got an open and documented sdk and sits on your network and turns packets into ilda signals. no drivers necessary.

    https://ether-dream.com/



    Quote Originally Posted by stephenhazel View Post
    i was told there would be lasers here.

    I'm a computer programmer who's main thing is a midi sequencer on windows. I have fought the win32 api with c++ and lived.

    Now I'm going back to my childhood dream of a laserium IN MY HOUSE.

    I asked the x-laser company sales team which laser I should get to do laserium.

    They said the X-Laser Mobile Beat Mirage. When I saw it's specs I started drooling. Then I saw the price tag.

    Now, don't get me wrong, I -will- pay that much if I have to.

    From what I understand so far, ILDA is the ONLY way to get new frames into a laser and only the spendy ones do it (right?)

    So I want to write my OWN program to send ILDA frames into it and control it's animations with DMX.

    So I'll need a laser, usb-dmx thingamabobber and usb-ilda thingamabobber, right?

    Without writing drivers, will I be able to write software that talks to those devices?

    If somebody could help me or direct me to one of the myriad forums on here, that would be EXCELLEEEENT.


    I'm lookin for - which laser? which usb-dmx? which usb-ilda? can i code dmx and ilda without WRiting driver software?


    Thanks much,

    ...Steve
    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.

  3. #3
    Bradfo69's Avatar
    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Wilmington, DE
    Posts
    6,202

    Default

    I should also point out that, if you are thinking you're going to re-create the true "Laserium" experience, that you may have seen in a planetarium as a kid... that's going to require a whole lot of hardware, knowledge and equipment that runs into the many tens of thousands of dollars. You'll be able to do laserium "like" effects such as lumia, for much less and, there are ways to build scan through contraptions to mimic some of what Laserium did but, a true Laserium projector is akin to buying a whole star projector and planetarium console.
    .
    Welcome to the insanity. And yes, "thingamabobber" is the correct term.
    PM Sent...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    381

    Default

    Three Spectrum 40 LD's should do the trick for the effect you want.

    https://lasershowprojector.com/spect...laser-specials

    Be sure to get a Beyond Ultimate license for control. Two of them, really, just in case

    https://pangolin.com/shop/lasershow-...yond-ultimate/

    Let me know if there are any questions. If not I can get an invoice over right away and get these into production...

    [/shamelessselfplug]
    Sincerely,
    Ryan Smith
    ScannerMAX Mechanical Engineer
    ryan {at} scannermax.com

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    97

    Default

    Ok. I thiiiiiiiink i am gonna like this place !!


    Except for Ryan - come on mannn - that stuff may be cool but if i could afford THAT i could afford a grand piano. and i can't afford a grand piano.

    1380 and a couple hundred tops for the windows=>laser link is pushin' it for me

  6. #6
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    sure, i'll bite.

    ryan,

    where's the sdk for the fb4?

    hope to see you at LDI!


    Quote Originally Posted by rns0504 View Post
    Three Spectrum 40 LD's should do the trick for the effect you want.

    https://lasershowprojector.com/spect...laser-specials

    Be sure to get a Beyond Ultimate license for control. Two of them, really, just in case

    https://pangolin.com/shop/lasershow-...yond-ultimate/

    Let me know if there are any questions. If not I can get an invoice over right away and get these into production...

    [/shamelessselfplug]
    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.

  7. #7
    Bradfo69's Avatar
    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Wilmington, DE
    Posts
    6,202

    Default

    Ryan does that crap for my benefit, I'm sure. "Show him a picture! I'm tellin' ya... he'll buy it! He buys everything."
    PM Sent...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,199

    Default

    If you can program you can do anything a scanner can do, but Laserium wasn't about "frames". If you want to play - then play, but Charlie and Ivan built something that can't be done with an ILDA projector. Still, really, have fun!
    "There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." Pablo Picasso

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    97

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by laserist View Post
    If you can program you can do anything a scanner can do, but Laserium wasn't about "frames". If you want to play - then play, but Charlie and Ivan built something that can't be done with an ILDA projector. Still, really, have fun!
    do you say that because of the art? i mean, I'm not going to have a white dome installed in my house.
    but i can draw a few silly characters and do etch a sketch graphics in code. (Did that on the TRS 80

    I'm not going to go create Laserium. But when I see a powerful green laser shoot into the sky at some silly halloween thingy, umm, i get that same feeling i had when i saw my first commodore pet. I had to have it. Couldn't. But I could have a ZX81, then a C64, then an Amiga (which blew that old PET out of the water)

    So that's my plan. get a serious laser and get my code controlling it in any way i can
    Just like writing my synthesizer. I didn't think I could. Then I did. And the synthesizer is all in software. All I need is the ADC/DAC built into every dang laptop's motherboard.

    That's my new target. It fits with the midi sequencer like a glove. Not everyone will be able to use THAT code. But, eh, maybe in another couple years they can once we somehow build a solid safety mechanism and more reliability. Looks like the reliability is getting there, though.

    So people still think the X-Laser Mobile Beat Mirage sounds good fer meeee ?
    I definitely want to do images so MUST have a y axis. Are there any coding forums on here I should check out?

    Thanks yall - I appreciate the leg up !!

  10. #10
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    the x-laser mobile beat mirage looks like a pretty good candidate for living room use.

    if you use a ether-dream dac as your dac, there are a number of other users who have developed their own laser apps (like the excellent maxwell) and tips / code examples floating around.

    Quote Originally Posted by stephenhazel View Post
    do you say that because of the art? i mean, I'm not going to have a white dome installed in my house.
    but i can draw a few silly characters and do etch a sketch graphics in code. (Did that on the TRS 80

    I'm not going to go create Laserium. But when I see a powerful green laser shoot into the sky at some silly halloween thingy, umm, i get that same feeling i had when i saw my first commodore pet. I had to have it. Couldn't. But I could have a ZX81, then a C64, then an Amiga (which blew that old PET out of the water)

    So that's my plan. get a serious laser and get my code controlling it in any way i can
    Just like writing my synthesizer. I didn't think I could. Then I did. And the synthesizer is all in software. All I need is the ADC/DAC built into every dang laptop's motherboard.

    That's my new target. It fits with the midi sequencer like a glove. Not everyone will be able to use THAT code. But, eh, maybe in another couple years they can once we somehow build a solid safety mechanism and more reliability. Looks like the reliability is getting there, though.

    So people still think the X-Laser Mobile Beat Mirage sounds good fer meeee ?
    I definitely want to do images so MUST have a y axis. Are there any coding forums on here I should check out?

    Thanks yall - I appreciate the leg up !!
    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.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •