PbLead Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Hello everyone,Yesterday I bought myself a toy from a bloke who himself bought it on a whim! For a long time I have loved lasers and now finally having one (a laser world EL 200RGB) I understand it's pretty entry level, but it does have DMX ports on the back. So after one evening, I have already got bored with the patterns and the sound to light is a bit inst quite what I want. So as it is I'm in the market for DMX hardware and software, and being completely new to this I have absolutely no idea what I actually need, or how much it is going to cost me. At the moment it is only going to need to control the one (triple head) laser but I can see me adding to this in the future. I must add that this is for my own entertainment more than anything, but I can see my lounge turning into a nightclub! (As long as is doesn't smell of body odour and puke I'll be happy!!)Thanks in advancePaul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigclive Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 A cheap way to get started with a laptop or computer is to buy a DMX dongle like this one:- Chamsys dongle. The basic £10 one is time limited to 5 hours operation in each use, which is fine for home use. Keep in mind that lasers are still regarded as being injurious to your eyes on direct sight or strong reflections, so proceed with caution and note that the DJs and night clubs that fire the lasers directly into the audience are not really following safety guidelines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I for one remain firmly in the camp that just because an effect HAS a DMX input doesn't mean you should USE it with DMX.There just aren't enough safety protocals within the DMX stream to trust controlling things like lasers, pyro, flame projectors etc etc ith absolute confidence. And as for the local DJ, I cringe whenever I see some of the kit they have splaying pretty patterns about the room from floor to ceiling with gay abandon. And ALWAYS find a seat with my back to the dance floor... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMitchell Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Read this before you begin to think about control protocols.Especially Chapter 4.Eyesight is not replacable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I drove past a hotel on Saturday that had a dj playing- there were multi coloured laser beams coming straight out of the windows and across a main road, right at drivers' eye level. I very nearly went in to have a "quiet word" but reasoning with djs tends to be pretty futile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 .... reasoning with djs tends to be pretty futile...Sadly very true.I'd hazard at best you'd get a noncommital shrug and a turned back - at worst probably some choice words ending in 'off' :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 I really avoid the kinds of disco that arrive in the back of a Mondeo Estate. You know two things. 1st - it will sound absolutely terrible once the Spinal Tap hour arrives and the volume fader is pushed into the extra one inch of travel the DJ hacksawed into the fader slot, and 2nd, there will be all sorts of things being aimed at the audience, and I have no idea what they are - plastic collimated LEDs or clusters of two quid laser pens, or even worse? Nowadays, we're splitting into legislative divides on so many things. Professional Lighting kit where the people involved are informed, responsible and safe, and the rest who just shop on Amazon and buy direct from China. Same with drones - the professionals spending big money on training, and then time preparing the paperwork for each flight - sometimes, I note, more time than the chap who has a quick out and back in his shared Cessna! My view now is that any attempt to talk to the untrained and ignorant operators is not worth it, and sadly, now I'm less up for the aggravation such interventions cause, I just shake my head and move on. An old guy with grey hair is not ever going to convince these idiots that what they are doing is risky. I doubt they even have any form of insurance for damaging anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmiller056 Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 My experience with the uninterested DJ is similar. What I have found to be very effective is a phone call the next day to the company director responsible for health and safety at the venue management company. Once they are made aware of unsafe practice in one of their venues (that they could be held personally accountable for) reaction is usually swift. Unfortunately it is after the event, but unsafe practice does get stopped. Quite often local duty management are not aware of the issues, but once a company director has words, attitudes change. The company director concerned may need a pointer to the relevant info on the HSE website to drive home your point. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 That CAN be a double-edged sword, unfortunately Advising higher-ups on potential H & S issues may bite you (or someone else competent) in the future - not just with things like lasers, which CAN of course be used safely if proper precautions are observed, but other bits of regularly used kit that just needs common sense or training/experience to use safely.Expecting such senior staff to have enough knowledge to effectively enforce a H & S regime like that is asking for issues to be raised And, of course, the punters LOVE the sparkly lasers, don't they...?(Until one hits their cornea one night) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 We found the letting the promoter know that the proposed effects party firm had falsified its laser training and IPAF certificates had quite a marked effect.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 EL 200RGB only has a DMX input no ILDA port which is what your really after. Output is via wobbling stepper motors not scanners, so not going to be doing graphics. Lot of cheap lasers with low speed scanners and the important International Laser Display Association port, D connector that allows direct control over the scanners. ILDA controllers don`t start particularly cheap and head to space launch cost. https://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/ is one place to read and ask specifically about lasers. If really want to get into eye risk , LEDs are subject to classification along with lasers under EN 60825 http://www.lasermet.com/resources/classification_overview.php Not being as collimated the power density lessens far more quickly with distance than a laser , but it is worth being aware and making others aware not to stare into high power LED emitters at close range. Serious care with UV LEDs at below 400nm, they wont trigger the iris to close but the power density can be very high.Bit like the sunburn and eye risk presented by 400W mercury UV cannons... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.