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Originally Posted by
buffo
He's using a multi-channel sound card that has had the DC filtering caps removed on the outputs + a correction amplifier that boosts the signal level and generates the differential X and Y signals.
So, yeah, it's sort of a "custom" DAC, but really it's a common sound card that has been re-purposed. It's a common way to get output from a computer to a laser projector, and it's one of the most affordable DACs available. (Interestingly, some of the early commercial laser show controllers, like the X-29 and Full-Auto boards, were actually re-purposed ISA sound cards!)
Since Laserboy is designed to output wave files it can talk directly to the sound card. However, some of the other laser show software packages can also output to a modified-sound card DAC, assuming you have the right plug-in installed. (I know LSX supports this, and I think there's a work-around for Mamba as well.)
And I should point out that the correction amp is a required component. There used to be a couple different versions available, but I don't know if anyone is still selling them these days.
Adam
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I beg to differ with you Sir, Respectively...
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X29's board was a industrial grade DA board made by a company in Taiwan from the start as high speed digital output card. The fact that it could do synchronous transfer like a sound card was merely a feature. Bob had a small mod done to the firmware by the factory. The daughter card added on by NML was just a user replaceable buffer op-amp to provide some protection against ground loops.
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Steve
Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
I should have rented the space under my name for advertising.
When I still could have...