7 colour hand held pointer/spiro

[rog8811]

Very impressive! Is there room to fit a microcontroller in there so it can cycle automatically? :-)

I would guess that to do that you would do away with the 6 way switch and manually cycle the colours through the PIC (or choose to let it do it automatically)? If so there would be room in the back end of the body, depends on how small the PCB is.....

Regards rog8811

[heroic]

I would guess that to do that you would do away with the 6 way switch and manually cycle the colours thriough the PIC (or choose to let it do it automatically)? If so there would be room in the back end of the body, depends on how small the PCB is.....

Regards rog8811

Don't use a PIC, they suck. Use an AVR instead You could keep the switch and use it to control the program... you could also modulate the lasers with it and even control the motor speed for the mirror to get more interesting patterns

The chips themselves come in really, really small packages so the PCB can be basically any size you need. I would say that a couple of cm square would do it.

[rog8811]

Don't use a PIC, they suck. Use an AVR instead You could keep the switch and use it to control the program... you could also modulate the lasers with it and even control the motor speed for the mirror to get more interesting patterns

Hmmmmm, I have already laid down the Mk2 version, maybe I will be back to pick some brains for a Mk3...... Electronics/programing is very much my short suit.

Regards rog8811

[heroic]

Hmmmmm, I have already laid down the Mk2 version, maybe I will be back to pick some brains for a Mk3...... Electronics/programing is very much my short suit.

Regards rog8811

Please do, that's what we're here for after all

[Psi]

Could someone explain to me why the green laser works in the sled?
Isn't that cube designed for IR?

ie the two cubes in the sled would be designed for merging IR(CD) , Red(DVD) and Blue/purple(BluRay)

[heroic]

Could someone explain to me why the green laser works in the sled?
Isn't that cube designed for IR?

ie the two cubes in the sled would be designed for merging IR(CD) , Red(DVD) and Blue/purple(BluRay)

Beam splitter prisms don't have to be very wavelength-specific. In a polarizing beam splitter the split is made using birefringent materials, which can work over a wide range of frequencies. They will always be most efficient at their design frequency, but they'll still work a good way out.

Also, I feel it would be remiss of me not to point out that purple and violet are different things. Purple is a mix of red and blue. Violet is a colour beyond blue.

[rog8811]

I have no clue why the green works (may be something to do with being IR pumped?), all I do know is it would not work in any position around the sled, I have used a different sled for another, smaller, build and produced the following drawing of the positions where the lasers worked.



I would just point out that although the positions worked out OK the optics didn't, once I allowed the beam out of the end of the sled I discovered that the mirror only reflected 50% of the blu ray and split the green into 3 beams.

Regards rog8811

[andy_con]

are you bringing this to UKLM4??

[rog8811]

I still don't know the date

Regards rog8811

[soforene]

Here ya go, Rog.