Topic: My New Projector

[James]

It is a standard that is still supported through inexpensive PCI cards and external USB devices. As a matter of fact, it's not much more than a couple of memory addresses' TTL exposed to pins. The rest is all software.

James. 

[BlinkenLights]

its old, its antiquated, its considered "legacy" hardware..
it will not be supported for very much longer.
can barley buy a parallel printer now..

[James]

There are more computers at work in the world than just the new ones used by PC geeks.

There are thousands of industrial applications that rely on parprort communications.

Parport is a standard. Like I said, it is really more software than hardware. It won't go away any faster than the use of the printf() function in the C programming language! The parport used to be the common computer terminal connection, way before the CRT display. IT WORKS!

It doesn't have to even physically exist as a set of 25 pins. It can be purely conceptual.

James. 

[Fanny Pack]

Alec is right.  Parallel ports are hard to come by.  At least on lap tops.  You're better off finding a USB/TTL device and go that way.  They can be had probably as cheap as building a parallel port device.

Check out doityourselfchristmas.com.  They are sort of like us except they are all about automated Christmas light displays.  They have some cool opensource program called Vixen that is used to make Christmas light shows.  You can create software and hardware plug-ins for it and they already support a variety of TTL and DMX devices.  Those guys have already done the work.  It just needs to be adapted to our needs.

[James]

I'm not sure how well it would work, but it might be possible to fit a USB to parport adapter inside the same box as the 8 channel USB sound device and correction amp.

Then you would have 8 channels of high resolution analog, 8 (or 12) TTL outs and possibly 8 (or 4) TTL ins.

I just now started reading about them... I'm not so sure they all measure up. They might not be able to behave exactly like a raw parport... again, an issue of software... the drivers!

I have done some raw parport control. I have a set of stepper motors that came out of 5.25 inch floppy drives. I made a special control ribbon out of a printer cable and 4 floppy ribbons. I can set direction and step independantly and simultaniously on all 4 motors. It's made of junk and electrical tape!

In other words... You can control a lumia wheel with parts from a 5.25 inch floopy and 2 bits of TTL!

(1 bit if you always turn the wheel in the same direction.)

James. 

[Lazerjock]

Thanks for all of the info.
I feel like this is a team effort.
I just finished installing the optical base plate in my case. It is very rigid.
My goal is to show up at a party with my case and a laptop. Maybe a power strip. Thats it.

It might take 10 min to set up.

[James]

That looks nice. I am assuming that the projector will work with the case closed... ?

[Lazerjock]

No, my plan was to keep the integrity of the case. That means the lid will be up for shows.
Some of my first light projectors 20 years ago followed this style.
I like it. It works for me.

[Lazerjock]

I thought the layout would look something like this.

Note no holes are drilled and nothing is bolted yet.

I also haven't layed out the second red laser in yet, but there is pleanty of room.

[James]

Are you going to make a plexiglass cover to protect, keep clean and direct filtered air flow around your parts?

James. 

[BlinkenLights]

FYi http://akrobiz.com/laserboy/forum/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=mya
add an album

[Lazerjock]

The last time I made an album you lost it. 

I thought you all liked pics attached to the posts.

[BlinkenLights]

oh yeah.. well that won't happen again.. but in post or in album, i don't care either way..

[drlava]

FYI the usb parallel port adapters are installed as printer ports only, not as virtual parallel ports that you can bit bang.  I checked into this a while ago and found this out.

[BlinkenLights]

http://www.dlpdesign.com/images/bit-bang-usb.pdf