Subject: Laser controller.

From: [email-masked] (Rod Gotty)
Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 14:37:51 GMT

I'm looking for help in designing a laser controller for a home
project.  I have a laser and would like to put together a system of
computer controlled mirrors... to allow simple pictures to be drawn.
Does anyone have any ideas on how this can be done practically.  Sure,
I could probably go out and buy something to do this but I would like
to build it myself.  TIA

-Rod

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From: [email-masked] (Jeffrey H. Burns)
Date: 31 May 1995 19:39:12 GMT

> I could probably go out and buy something to do this but I would like

I once saw a student project that did this.

They used an audio speakers to move the mirrors. One side of the
mirror was connected to a hinge. The other side of the mirror was connected to 
the cone of a speaker. With two mirror they were able to draw letters on
a screen. Of course the mechanical part if this problem is the easy part.
The control sircitry is the hard part

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From: [email-masked] (Dustin Moore)
Date: Thu, 01 Jun 1995 02:14:40 GMT

>The control sircitry is the hard part

..Um...no....you cannna not do dat wit a speaker....

It's true you can make cool abstract patterns, but in order to create
images/lissagous patterns you need a set of galvenometers, which are
little solinoid/meter like things with mirrors mounted on the end.
With two of them you have x/y and you use that to move the beam
around.  Find a laser display catalog for more information. Else
fails, get a book, there are a lot of them out there.

Dustin Moore [email-masked] http://www.teleport.com/~moore

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From: [email-masked] (Jeffrey H. Burns)
Date: 31 May 1995 19:39:12 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Dustin Moore)
Date: Thu, 01 Jun 1995 02:14:40 GMT