RGB laser projector is a jaw-dropping build | Hacker News Reader

RGB laser projector is a jaw-dropping build

hackaday.com

79 pointsphsr21 comments

Summarised build: http://www.edaboard.com/thread230353.html

Original Polish thread: http://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/topic1676990.html

That looks extremely unsafe.

We're on Hacker News - a site focused on startup and entrepreneurship. Risky, dangerous, and unsafe are all buzzwords that we flock to.

Yes but you can go from seeing to blind in under a second with these lasers - and anyone else unfortunate enough to be hit with one of these.

It's not only unsafe but possibly criminally negligent to operate this as is shown on that page.

It's not only unsafe but possibly criminally negligent to operate this as is shown on that page.

Casually tossing around phrases like "criminally negligent" spoils all the fun of hacking. Seriously. You are strongly overreacting. Haven't you ever been to a laser show? All that's shown on the linked Hackaday article is a DIY laser projector projecting some cool designs. I don't recall seeing any pictures of people pointing lasers at other peoples' eyes.

Further, it looks like this was all done inside of a research lab by someone who knows what they are doing.

Some people prefer a world with sharp edges.

You pay too much attention to what your mother told you.

Certainly if you operated such around random spectators, you'd want to be sure the beam cannot be aimed or reflected at them, but there are certainly ways you could ensure that is so.

The builder on his own, he can do whatever he wants...

> It's not only unsafe but possibly criminally negligent to operate this as is shown on that page.

we don't have any laws about amateur usage of green lasers in poland, so if you don't hurt anybody you're fine. last year we had some incidents with people pointing at planes though, but here's not the case.

All I can really say about this is that I want one. Now.

According to author, it costed him about 1000 zł - it's about 300 USD. Laser diodes are taken from DVD burners and Blu-ray readers, he also used current stabilizers taken from HP printer, but the most expensive parts, being half the cost, were galvos, used for moving the ray.

He said that it's certainly unsafe, and not only because of potential eye damage -- combined static ray is capable of burning through the cardboard and creating skin burns.

So if I offer $600 he might make me one? :)

Even given the safety issues, it's still very impressive.

Getting it exported from his country and imported to yours might involve some expensive fun-and-games though, and I'd be inclined to offer more for his time then the $300 above the parts cost, and you need to account for the fact that a lot of his parts were scavenged (if he'd had to more of the parts new it could significantly raise the cost).

You can just hire commercial ones. Multicolour may be banned in your country:(

Look for a stage rental company like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLMYYWxir_s&feature=youtu...

I prefer this instead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_CHXwXvWvs

Impressive as a home build.

They banned colour lasers in Austrailia circa 2000.

At the millennium party Mobile Home they used a commercial laser to project whole Tom and Jerry snippets onto the cliff face of North Bondi.

The ban came in shortly after and we were left with monochrome :(

Aren't all lasers coloured?

  s/coloured/multi-coloured/g

This reminds me of the awesome lasers in the 80s flick, Real Genius. Awesome!

I want one. I'll commission it like a piece of art.

I can haz?

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