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Thread: first laser project - soundcard DAC trouble?

  1. #41
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    Mar 2012
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    Akron, Ohio USA
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    If you haven't sorted out the channel mixing / Windows driver issue, I'm not sure how you adjusted the correction amp.

    Do you get +5V on the color channels when the circle is playing?

    I think you might have solved your problem as far as Windows and Spider Player are concerned. I think your issue now is with Spaghetti.

    There is a bunch of stuff you can test with here:

    http://laserboy.org/free_art/

    Look at countdown. You should DL this and make a wave file of it in LB and see if it plays in Spider Player.

    Using the default settings to make an optimized wave should produce a usable wave.

    James.
    Last edited by james; 04-06-2016 at 14:17.
    Creator of LaserBoy!
    LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
    Download LaserBoy!
    YouTube Tutorials
    Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
    All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.

  2. #42
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    Mar 2012
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    Akron, Ohio USA
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    Well..... Did you get anywhere with that?

    You probably spent a bit of time getting the sound card modified and making the correction amp.

    Don't pitch it all and give up just yet.

    James.
    Creator of LaserBoy!
    LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
    Download LaserBoy!
    YouTube Tutorials
    Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
    All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Portland, OR
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    I have made a little bit more progress. I've got countdown and even spaghetti playing right side up and without any distortion. All I really did was uninstall and reinstall the driver several more times and it just all of a sudden started working lol. So I think all of that is looking good.

    I think I have an error in my correction amp on 2 of the color channels. I'm working through it now. I have signal on the input but measuring voltage just after the 10K resistor there is no voltage. I must have a cold solder joint or maybe a short to ground. I'm working through it. I also think that something is fishy with the sound card. For some reason I have 2.25V on all channels except for channels 5 and 6 I am only getting 1.3V on the signal lines when the card is plugged in and just sitting. This card is a 7.1 version. I have another 5.1 version and it has 1.3 on all channels so I've modded that one and I'm working through the correction amp with that card for the moment.

    My laser module is only TTL for the moment, so while I was testing the X and Y channels I just left the color channels unplugged (no signal turns the lasers on). I have 3 analog laser diode drivers on their way and will switch them out once they arrive. For now, I'm content to get the correction amp sorted out for TTL use.

    I was pretty discouraged yesterday and started shopping for an alternate DAC. I'm glad I didn't give up! It's starting to come together!

  4. #44
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    Mar 2012
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    Ah Ha! I knew you could do it. You were showing that you were on the right track.

    Keep in mind that all of the channels of the correction amp are exactly the same. Since you made it from a scemo, you know that.

    Am I correct that you went with the design that uses a variable negative voltage regulator? You must be if you expect to compensate for offsets of 1.3 to 2.25VDC.

    Post more pics!

    Let's see your hardware!

    James.
    Creator of LaserBoy!
    LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
    Download LaserBoy!
    YouTube Tutorials
    Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
    All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Portland, OR
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    Here is my correction amp on perf board. Parts are expensive, so since I only need 5 channels, I didn't want to waste parts with filling in the 6th channel without a purpose. I also chose to minimize parts by leaving off some of the "optional" power supply filter caps. I have a bin of extra caps that i can add if it turns out to be too gittery. My experience so far with the images I've been getting looks perfectly adequate, so I doubt I'll be adding them.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Bottom view.

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    This is the first sound card. The 7.1 version. For some reason this card isn't giving me the same signal voltages on all of the channels. Originally, I was under the impression that I needed the 7.1 version in order to have 2 extra channels for audio, but I have since learned that the internal sound card is used by spaghetti for the music track, so really I only need a 5.1 card

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Here is the 5.1 version that I'm using now.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    An action shot. Nothing except for the laser module and the galvos are mounted at present. I'm looking forward to putting together a nice case once I get it all working properly. Recently blown out candle smoke for a nice effect :-)

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I started this project for the reception dance party at my wedding this summer. There will be a nice fog machine to go with the whole set up too.

  6. #46
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    Nice work

    You know you could have bought a kit from me with a printed circuit board and all the parts for 6 channels of correction with PS filter caps and 5V zener diode protection on the color channels for $45, shipped to Oregon.

    Anyway... If you want to make or get 8 channel wave files with X, Y, R, G, B, I, L-audio, R-audio, and you want to play the wave as one whole show with stereo audio with Spider Player, you need an 8 channel card.

    Shows made with any kind of DAC can be recorded using an ADAT or similar multi-channel digital audio recorder and transcribed to 8 channel wave files.

    James.
    Creator of LaserBoy!
    LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
    Download LaserBoy!
    YouTube Tutorials
    Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
    All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Portland, OR
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    I really wish I had known about the kit before I started. It would have been SOOO much easier! I have actually been trying to figure out how to search forums more efficiently because of the fact that no search returned info more recent that 3 or 4 years. Your kits are incredibly hard to find. google results show correction amp kit posts from over 5 years ago and even searching this forum for "correction amp kit" yields no useful results within the first several pages of results. I had to look at your profile and list of posts on the laserboy forum in order to find the full schematic and that you were selling kits. By that time I had already ordered parts from other older posts that you had made before the printed PCB kits were available.

    I'm actually planning on posting a tutorial in every forum I can find with very clear post headings to try to make the info easier to find once I get all of this done. It's been very difficult weeding through hundreds of forum posts to find the relevant info needed to put this project together. I guess it's just the nature of info stored in forums.

    I like laserboy, but I wanted a graphical interface for creating shows with integrated audio and settled on spaghetti for the price. I'm wishing I went with LSX at this point. many of the advertised features of spaghetti don't work or crash the application. Gary is working on the bug for me, which is pretty awesome! he is very quick to respond, which is awesome from a software developer. I actually still may go the LSX route if I can't get spaghetti to work for me, but I'm worried about the posts here that talk about DrLava not responding to purchases and not shipping orders for weeks. With my wedding this summer, I can't wait around for weeks before getting started. His company, innolasers is based in portland and I was wondering if they would let me pick up the software instead of having it shipped, but when I call the number on their web page, no one answers. :-( So, not looking good on that front.

    Spaghetti is working sufficiently at the moment and hopefully will be great once some of the bugs get fixed. I have come up with a few work arounds that help minimize crashes, and though it would be nice to have the features that I paid for, i'm on a super tight wedding budget and have to deal with what I can afford.

  8. #48
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    Mar 2016
    Location
    Portland, OR
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    actually I'm searching for it now and can't find it anymore. search for "extra stimulus" "correction amp kit" "correction amp" "laserboy correction amp"

    still can't find it...

    I would search the laserboy forum too, but it won't let me :-(

    I'm signed in, but it says I'm not aloud to search...

  9. #49
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    Mar 2012
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    Akron, Ohio USA
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    Bummer. That might explain why I don't sell lots of kits!

    http://laserboy.org/forum/index.php?topic=561.0

    BTW I have two completed LaserBoy DACs for sale. PM me if interested.

    James.
    Last edited by james; 04-07-2016 at 15:56.
    Creator of LaserBoy!
    LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
    Download LaserBoy!
    YouTube Tutorials
    Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
    All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
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    SUCCESSSSSS!!!!! AAAHHHHH

    Sorry. Calming down now. I finally found a driver for the c-media chip that actually works on all channels. The windows driver that I thought was working was actually only working on 3 channels... ?? which I thought was very weird and first thought it was a problem with the sound card.
    turns out it's fine. This is the one people should use for windows 7

    http://www.rosewill.com/media/Downlo...207%20v1.0.zip

    It's actually for a gaming headset, but it includes the c-media configuration applet and also, IT WORKS!

    I'm still having problems with spaghetti, but laserboy waves play fine and all colors work.

    In spaghetti, for some reason the blue laser won't turn on... ?? I've tried re-mapping the colors and it doesn't change anything.
    whatever. I'm probably going to get LSX if I can get innolasers to ever answer my phone calls.

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