MPE calculator for your iPhone. Are you interested?

[kitatit]

Hello guys. I'm posting this to gauge interest and to see if it is feasible to create an app for iPhones/iPads that can assist with creating safer laser shows.

The aim is for this app to be part of your laser safety tool kit, not to give a guarantee that a show is safe.

The plan is to base this app on the MPE calculator Maurice (mccarrot) created using Microsoft Excel. Thanks Maurice
http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...166#post198166

Tony (taggalucci) has expressed interest in helping to make it happen buy developing the app.

The main constraint is time to code it.

If you would be interested in buying an app like this, could you please vote in the poll so we can find out what kind of a user base there might be?

This way Tony can get an idea of whether he can cover his costs and time.

Some of the options look expensive, but there is probably a very small user base to share the development costs.

If it looks like there is enough interest. we can move onto the next step.

I myself am far from an expert in these calculations. Hopefully we can get this thing off the ground so we can all learn and practice.

Thanks.
Kit

[Jem]

Yes, I would be interested. However, couldn't see a poll in this thread

Cheers

Jem

[allthatwhichis]

I see the poll, but want to ask a question... How hard would it be to attach a meter head to an iPod/iPhone/iPad and use it as a meter? I had htis idea on the way back from SLEM last year, but all I seem to do is have ideas... and not impliment them.

[kitatit]

Yes, I would be interested. However, couldn't see a poll in this thread

Cheers

Jem

Try now, maybe it wasn't visible when I went back to edit it.

I see the poll, but want to ask a question... How hard would it be to attach a meter head to an iPod/iPhone/iPad and use it as a meter? I had htis idea on the way back from SLEM last year, but all I seem to do is have ideas... and not implement them.

Im not sure Aaron. I'm sure It could be done but I only have a vague idea of how. When it comes to software development I'm afraid I'm on the sidelines cheering on the guys
who have the skills and knowledge to make it happen.

I figure there would be analogue to digital conversion, some sort of serial communication and fistfuls of magic dust.

I imagine the development costs verses the addressable audience would make it prohibitive. but anything is possible.

Great idea though

[norty303]

I'm the cheapskate who voted $7 (~£5).
I think an app would be 'neat' however I don't see it being necessary at a gig, given that I have at least 1 computer with me with various apps and spreadsheets on it already.

[kitatit]

I'm the cheapskate who voted $7 (~£5).
I think an app would be 'neat' however I don't see it being necessary at a gig, given that I have at least 1 computer with me with various apps and spreadsheets on it already.

That's true. I guess I'm envisioning being out in the spectator zone with power meter and sensor on a tripod with a phone in hand instead of juggling a net book or having
to walk back over to a stationary PC each time.

[norty303]

But the point of the calculator is that you don't need to be in the audience area to take the measurement. It is designed for people with simple thermopile type meters, rather than fast photodiode meters.

In fact, I don't take readings at a gig at all, its not the right environment (I find shooting static beams into areas I can access [and possibly other crew] with a meter to be far more hazardous than any other activity with the laser I might do over the course of the gig).
Also, I don't know about you, but getting my projector apart so I can apply a 5V source to modulation is a very involved process that should really only happen on the bench, not in a gig situation (imho)
I do however know what my lasers produce CW at 10% increments, so I can adjust appropriately. I work on a worst case scenario, but I also don't cry over small variations, where the overall effect is really negligible, in the same way that 1mph over the speed limit isn't automatically going to kill someone where 70mph wouldn't have done.

The beauty of knowing the beam specs (diameter and divergence) and power is you can extrapolate the area it will cover and therefore the relative power at the point of audience contact.


edit: also, once you've done your initial calculations, you probably don't need to do them again unless you change hardware. E.g. I know my lasers are safe at X metres doing my standard beam show patterns, at Y power. So assuming nothing has changed, I can just go along to a gig and know that if the distance to the crowd is set up as >=X then I'm good.

[danielbriggs]

Im not sure Aaron. I'm sure It could be done but I only have a vague idea of how. When it comes to software development I'm afraid I'm on the sidelines cheering on the guys
who have the skills and knowledge to make it happen.

I figure there would be analogue to digital conversion, some sort of serial communication and fistfuls of magic dust.

I imagine the development costs verses the addressable audience would make it prohibitive. but anything is possible.

Great idea though

Very possible.
Will try something in Xcode later on tonight...

P.S. Need any help bolting this all together into app form or are you sorted?

Ta,
Dan

[mccarrot]

Hmm, looks like everyone is trying to make money here, time to remove my calculator from this forum

[mccarrot]

I see the poll, but want to ask a question... How hard would it be to attach a meter head to an iPod/iPhone/iPad and use it as a meter? I had htis idea on the way back from SLEM last year, but all I seem to do is have ideas... and not impliment them.

This is possible, I allready have figured out how.

If there is enough interest I can talk to some app writers to see how hard it is to write the correct software.

But the thing is you still need the a calibrated head, and this is the most expensive part, not the meter part.