[sdiy] Laser Harp in action

[Scott Gravenhorst]

AWESOME !  What else can I say?  Do the beams really need that much
power?  Can it be done with lower power so that burns and blindness are
never a problem?


"Oakley Sound" <oakley at techrepairs.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>Synth-DIY's very own Mark Smith and I, along with Martin Frankcom have
>managed to build a successful laser harp of staggering proportions.
>Modelled on the later harps as used by Jean Michel Jarre it uses back
>scattering and not top sensors to indicate when a beam is broken. Its
>built into a single 4U SKB case and the harp appears in a big fan rising
>skywards from the top of the unit.
>
>Making the harp was an interesting experience and a dangerous one too.
>This harp's laser is hot enough to blind instantly and it even managed
>to burn a small hole in my power supply by accident!
>
>Mark and I did the electronics for it, and Martin built the optical
>hardware and casing.
>
>Its first public performance will be this weekend in Preston, NW England
>at the Guild Hall. It will be played by the Martin Frankcom who as part
>of the UK's Jean Michel Jarre tribute group, Jarrelook, will be putting
>it through its paces on several songs.
>
>Tickets for the show at the Charter Theatre in the Guild Hall complex
>are available from www.ariettamusic.co.uk or by telephoning 01706 229457
>after 3 PM any day except Sunday. They are also available from the
>GuildHall box office on 01772 258858.
>
>You can see a short video clip of the harp in action on the Jarrelook
>website:
>
>http://freespace.virgin.net/m.tj/LaserHarp/LaserHarp.html
>
>Though be aware that for BW reasons the video is very low quality.
>The harp appears much, much brighter to the naked eye. It is also
>unfortunate that the camera makes the harp appear to strobe, something
>again which is not visible to the human eye. We are actually scanning at
>30Hz or so.
>
>But... it should at least give you an idea of what it is all about. The
>harp is fully polyphonic with 8 beams asssignable to any synth on any of
>the 16 MIDI channels with any sound patch you wish to select from within
>the first bank of 128 patches on the instrument you have directed it's
>output to. On the video clip you can hear it playing the classic Elka
>Synthex laser harp timbre, though again be aware that the sound quality
>is far from sparkling!!!
>
>Regards,
>
>Tony Allgood                         www.oakleysound.co.uk
>
>Oakley Modular Synthesisers      Penrith, Cumbria, England
>
>

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-- Scott Gravenhorst | LegoManiac / Lego Trains / RIS 1.5
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