Messages

1

LaserBoy !!! / Re: LaserBoy tweaks.

« on: April 06, 2009, 02:56:57 pm »

You didn't answer my question in the PL thread:
"Looks like you have overshoot and small signal response issues. What op amps are you using, and are they decoupled? "

it looks like an amp issue to me.

umm NJM4580, and yes both rails decoupled at each amp and bigger caps at the power input.

Ace

2

LaserBoy !!! / Re: LaserBoy tweaks.

« on: April 06, 2009, 01:46:29 am »

Hello again!

Acemen!

You pics are really beautiful!

I keep looking at them trying to figure stuff out.....

Please be encouraged to upload them to this server as attachments. That way the members get thumbnails and we get an archive.

Thanks alot, and thanks for your  support. I will upload my stuff  there, ok.
I'll be laying out then exposing and etching my amp board on to copper this week. I'll send some photos of the PCB when done. I still need to make a permanent 24V regulated supply for the aom's , and If I ever find the correct transformer on ebay, finish my HeNe laser supply, and box it up. Some tweaks,
and then IM DONE! I might get lenses and use them with the aoms, but that adds to the complexity and frustration of alignment but does make a much nicer dot. I might also tune up the galvos if need be.

try looking at the test pattern in spaghetti (do you have an older copy?)

I have 1.7.0.0 Did not really mess with it yet.

Spaghetti doesn't run in Linux!  Wink

I don't mind checking it out. I try to keep an open mind. I can throw windoze on a drive to play. I really want to check out the games.
And maybe.. just maybe thees things will work with WINE.

Thanks
Aceman




 

3

LaserBoy !!! / Re: LaserBoy tweaks.

« on: April 04, 2009, 12:14:32 am »

what you see looks like scanner tuning.. damping issues.

are you sure your scanners are tuned?
what scanners do you have?

try outputting the wave at 20k or 30k instead of 48k

20K Scanpro scanners. (ebay)  I realize they are cheapo scanners - as scanners go. Perhaps this is the best they can do...
The first picture is at 20k (22k actually) and the next is 16k, better but still has problems.. (8 deg)

As far as tuning the scanners I want to rule out other things first. They are supposed to be pre-tuned. Each amp has a matching galvo. In addition there is absolutely no documentation on what the various adjustment pots do or how to do it.. I don't want to making things worse by randomly twiddling.  And there is lock-tight on them.

Ace 

4

LaserBoy !!! / Re: LaserBoy tweaks.

« on: April 03, 2009, 07:33:32 pm »

"I'm also ready to tell you that I am very good at it! "

So it's true! All programmers are arrogant! 

Im sure this guy im talking about would say your a bad programmer too..


"I love to explain stuff to people and see the light go on in their head!"

Well at least you explain and not show off.

"Not everyone will get code."

Oh I can - and do - get it. I just gotta do it. - not rely on others to help. and practice. Study, look at others sources.. etc.
Im just apprehensive to start something because of the fear now of doing something "wrong".

 I just made the mistake of thinking I could get help from someone knowledgable.

Making a "Full Fledged"  open source linux based laser show software (WITH A GUI INTERFACE!)  is tempting.. It's needed.  (Can you tell yet I have no love for Microsoft? ) Using the soundcard is soo cool and portable..
But proably over my abilities.. But I can look at your source! In all honestly I can tell you know what your doing. Your implementation.. well there always tomorrow..
I used to be a beta tester, and It was my job to see software was easy and intuitive to use as possible -  and bug free. How software should look, feel, act, crash is something I know a great deal about. So laserboys interface was kinda shocking to me when i first saw it. (IBM AT with EGA display?)
But im working through it. (its like fungus - it kinda grows on you and can never get rid of it.)

OK enough rambling today..

Now laserboy question:
I need your opinion
I turned off optimizations, and saved thees patterns at 22000Khz and 16000Khz respectively, and applied the delay.
(3 for 22k and 2 for 16K)
 

Notice the circled area.. The beam is not returning where it started.. And straight lines are slightly slanted.
Laser boy is not doing anything Im not aware of when optimizations are off right? Thees are like a virgin ILDA test patterns? I wonder what's causing this.






So I'm trying to nail down the cause of this anomaly. I would like to blame LaserBoy but I think its my amp board. The dam breadboards have crappy connections.. Galvos or amps..? dont think so.. I will but the DMX board back on to verify. I think getting this pattern good is important place to start.
I'll also look at the  signal on the oscilloscope more carefully.

Anyone else care to compare test patterns? (I''ll show you mine if you show me yours!)


Thanks for putting up with my ramblings..

5

LaserBoy !!! / Re: LaserBoy tweaks.

« on: April 03, 2009, 05:27:50 pm »

I'm really excited about the fact that you are working with LaserBoy in Linux!

What is your history of computers and such?
Do you write code?

I started with a TRS-80 Color computer a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago I was like 11, and that was it..

 

Good question. I struggle with it. I know some c - some java.
Once upon a time I turned to a friend who is a big wig programmer for a large telcom.
(he dubbs himself "THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST") to teach me.
I could never get a straight answer to questions. Every time I would show him code he would tear it and me up over how sloppy it is. I tried to explain, I'm not intrested in a career in programming just want to do enough for shit like this.. and other projects I work on. And good enough means good enough for me.
BUT NO! Its gotta be perfect the first time. He expects it to be production quality. I would ask a question: how do i do this -  or whats the syntax of that.. Instead of answering,  he would go? Why do want to do that?  --- BECAUSE I WANT TO! NO you got to do it like this.. Only his way is the right way.
Another time, following an example in a book, I made the earth shattering mistake of using a goto in my C code.. Now the book , and I, know they are not the best thing, but in this case it made life easier.
He said OMG this is the worst code i ever seen. GOTO Weak tool of a lazy mind. Weak tool of a lazy mind!
Only bad programmers ever use goto..You are a terrible programmer. On and On..I still havent heard the end of it. I greped the linux kernel sources.. There is like 200 of them  . HE of course said they are all bad porogrammers.

So at any rate that whole thing made me sour to programming, and I have not really done any since.
Since I am obviously not a top notch programmer.

Ok that felt good to get that off my chest

So James I have some more ILDA test photos for you later and more questions...

6

LaserBoy !!! / Re: LaserBoy tweaks.

« on: April 02, 2009, 03:17:21 pm »

Thank you for your quick reply guys.

 "Look how far this guy has gotten with LaserBoy without asking any questions or complaining about the interface!"

Oh!

So you want me to complain? Like abuse do you?
Ok here goes:

The lack of a GUI interface sucks.
The menu colors make me bug eyed. (lucky I stopped LSD years ago)
And the lack of documentation sucks..

Other than that, it serves my needs! - for now

flame off..

The electronics are basically the same as I saw on your page. I made the 10K zener bias resistor 1K for better stability, and my galvo amps require a differential signal , so I use one amp for the + signal and an inverted signal for the - signal on x and y. My AOMs need 0-1v. So it's basically the same.
My soundcard is a CMI8768 - 8 channel sound card.. BOY! what a fiasco that was getting it working with all channels in linux.. I basically had to install the new fedora 10 with the newest alsa stuff to get it working. It has bugs with the channels in earlier versions.

Ok I'm gunna play now.

Aceman

7

LaserBoy !!! / LaserBoy tweaks.

« on: April 02, 2009, 01:21:21 pm »

Hi James!

So here you are! I was looking for you on Photon Lexicon, did not realize they threw you out!  Im new to all this.
So my projector is almost done and I wanted your input. I want to start with an ILDA test pattern via laserboy to my soundcard DAC setup and here is what I got:
http://billyname.com/sandbox/ilda1.jpg
 (48Khz sample rate, default laserboy settings) Using 20K Scanpro galvos, correcting amps, 3 analog AOM's, yadda yadda..



The kind folk over at lexicon told me about the offsets, and I applied them (7) after this image was taken, and I noticed and improvement with the gaps. However I think its still needs work as you can see. Assuming my galvos are tuned - could you explain the other settings in the <tab> menu that would perhaps help. I am saying they are tuned because the pre-programed demos in the DMX board that came with it look crisp,  although the should include  an ILDA pattern as well.

I was also told to properly work with the ILDA test pattern I must get LaserBoy not to optimize and reduce the sample rate to 20Khz.. Could you go over this? Below are some more photos of my setup. And I started a thread over at lexicon < Advanced Technical Discussion : My first of A Million questions.>

BTW I really like the new add stereo wav to 6 channel wav.. Saves me from using an additional sound  card for music.

The people over there and very knowledgeable and kind. Many kudos.
http://billyname.com/sandbox/laserboy.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0223.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0230.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0231.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0243.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0254.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0269.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0270.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0271.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0276.jpg
http://billyname.com/sandbox/IMG_0279.jpg

That last one is my Co2 laser, I thought I would throw it in.

Thank you so much for your time!
Aceman