DMX Laser

[ebrown1972]

I am contemplating adding a dmx laser to my show. I just started looking at them recently. Does anyone on here currently use lasers in their show? If so, which one do you use? What are the pros and cons of using a laser? I have a red brick home and am looking at projecting the laser onto the house. Any information would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Eric

[PhilMassey]

Complicated topic.

What kind of laser are you contemplating. Even the "cheap" Chinese lasers are not inexpensive.

Programing in DMX is a bit of a nightmare, but doable with patience and time.

ILDA control is much much better, but adds another layer of cost.

Finally and most importantly. Safety is paramount and MUST be understood.

No sky beams or unterminated beams unless you want to risk the ire of the FAA, or hurt someones eyes.

I run two.

One is a diffraction grating multi image projector and is less than one watt. Will not cause eye damage. Much like the cheap Walmart snowflake projectors, but with dmx control. No beams.

The second is a 5W full ILDA RGB scanner. The beam will burn stuff. It will do patterns, shapes and text. I project onto my house, (sandy colored brick) and it is plenty bright.

That'll do for now.

 

[ebrown1972]

12 minutes ago, PhilMassey said:

Complicated topic.

What kind of laser are you contemplating. Even the "cheap" Chinese lasers are not inexpensive.

Programing in DMX is a bit of a nightmare, but doable with patience and time.

ILDA control is much much better, but adds another layer of cost.

Finally and most importantly. Safety is paramount and MUST be understood.

No sky beams or unterminated beams unless you want to risk the ire of the FAA, or hurt someones eyes.

I run two.

One is a diffraction grating multi image projector and is less than one watt. Will not cause eye damage. Much like the cheap Walmart snowflake projectors, but with dmx control. No beams.

The second is a 5W full ILDA RGB scanner. The beam will burn stuff. It will do patterns, shapes and text. I project onto my house, (sandy colored brick) and it is plenty bright.

That'll do for now.

 

Thanks for the response Phil. I have sequenced moving heads in LOR so I am familiar with dmx programming somewhat.

The laser I have been looking at is this one https://www.shehds.com/products/new-arrival-waterproof-laser-3w-rgb-scanning-pattern-laser-light-for-performance-stage-wedding-dj-night-club

Most of the lasers I have seen are crazy high in price like the lasercube but I am not willing to spend that kind of money yet when I don't know enough about them.

Do you happen to have any video of the lasers in action in your shows? If so, anyway you could share a video of it? Thanks,

Eric

[ebrown1972]

Never mind the video Philmassey. I found some video of your display and the laseeffects

[PhilMassey]

This is mine. It's Amazon so a little quicker delivery and better return options..........probably.

I can't substantiate this but I suspect the galvos are A bit quicker

 

JUNMAN 5W RGB Full Color Animation Stage Effect Light DJ Disco Stage Beam Lights for Party Wedding Event Lighting Show https://a.co/d/0N2O2Wk

There are 25 dmx channels and you need to use many of them in combination at the same time to get complex effects.

[sgeahry]

Hey @ebrown1972 I found and purchased the Shehds 3W Waterproof laser last December and am just getting around to playing with it now for 2024. Did you end up purchasing anything? I can get it to work fine in the LOR software but it does seem like the programming will be challenging/time consuming as LOR doesn't seem to be especially well equipped for this type of device (I'm using DMX Intensity effects). I'd be interested if you have made any progress and any advice from others, perhaps I'm missing something. 

 

 

[PhilMassey]

I progrmmed mine originally In LOR dmx and it turned out OK but it took many months to add the laser to my 60 plus sequences. At that point I discovered Pangolins ILDA interface FB3 and Quickshow software. Think motion effects for lasers. Much easier and quicker and definitely much better than the built in dmx effects. HOWEVER, it is not cheap.

I see other listing online for less, but be advised it does phone home to check registration so it needs to be legit.

I suggest you play around with it using lor and get a feel for it and whether you like it or not and go from there.

PM me if you want more info.

[ebrown1972]

1 hour ago, sgeahry said:

Hey @ebrown1972 I found and purchased the Shehds 3W Waterproof laser last December and am just getting around to playing with it now for 2024. Did you end up purchasing anything? I can get it to work fine in the LOR software but it does seem like the programming will be challenging/time consuming as LOR doesn't seem to be especially well equipped for this type of device (I'm using DMX Intensity effects). I'd be interested if you have made any progress and any advice from others, perhaps I'm missing something. 

 

 

I opted to not purchase a laser. I think they look really cool but I decided to go a different direction. Good luck with everything!