# Review of the Reke 500RGB Stage Laser Show Projector



## The_LED_Museum (Aug 24, 2011)

This is a fairly long post with at least 37 images on it; dial-up users please allow for plenty of load time.

*Reke 500RGB Stage Laser Show Projector, retail $247.76 (www.dinodirect.com...)
Manufactured by Shenzen Reke Laser Technology Co., Ltd (www.rekelaser.com)
Last updated 10-09-11
*









​




The Reke 500RGB Stage Laser Show Projector is a RGB (Red/Green/Blue) laser show projector that can project vector images in 7 colors using galvonometers (commonly called just "galvos") instead of stepper motors like inferior units. It also uses a true 445nm blue laser, rather than violet lasers which (until rather recently anyway) were far less expen$ive -- yet manufacturers and retailers of laser projector units still erroneously called them "RGB".

The scanners (galvos) are advertised to operate at 10K (which I believe means 10,000 points per second), allowing fully animated, fairly complex drawings to be made instead of having simple Lissajous scanners (that can draw mainly variations of loops and such only) found in other laser show projectors.

Power outputs are stated at 300 mW red (650nm), 50 mW green (532nm) and 200 mW blue (445nm); totaling 550mW (mfgr specifications per the manual).




SIZE






This unit is designed to be hung from the ceiling in your venue. So do that, by any means convenient or doable by you.




There is a bracket on the top of the unit with a hole in its center for just this purpose.

It can also simply be set down on any flat surface; four rubber "feet" on the bottom of this product tell me that this method of "mounting" is also kosher.

Plug the female end of a standard IEC cord (this type of cord is most commonly found connecting your computer to AC power; you should be able to find them inexpensively at a computer store) into the receptacle on the back of the unit near the left edge (as the back of the unit is facing you), and plug the other end into a standard (in north America anyway) 110-130 volts AC 60Hz receptacle.

Just above the AC input on the back of the unit, you'll see a generously-sized rocker switch.
Push in on the upper half of this switch to turn the unit on. You'll hear the cooling fan fire up at once.

After a couple of seconds of delay, the lasers too will come on. This delay is intentional, to help the unit comply with the CDRH regulations for a Class IIIb laser product.

Be **ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN** the beams do not go lower than the tops of the heads of the tallest person you expect in your venue. 7 feet is a good value here.

Since I don't feel like rewriting what's already been written about how to use the Reke 500RGB Stage Laser Show Projector, let's just show you with a photograph...snap...click...and it's off to the Fotomat we go...













Batteries are not used with this unit, so I don't have to tell you how changing them is accomplished.

All you need to do to feed the Reke 500RGB Stage Laser Show Projector is plug the end of the furnished IEC cord into the shielded male receptacle for it on the left side of the rear panel of the unit, and plug the other end into a 3-slot (grounded) 110 to 130 volts AC 60Hz standard (in north America anyway) household receptacle, and that's that.

One thing I found rather humorous in the furnished instructional materials is the following line, in typical "Chinglish" (a mangled attempt at English by a person who's native language is Chinese):

"*Prevent the laser lighting from strong vibration or punch*"






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reke DMX Guide (.TXT file)
Reke 500RGB Freestyler Fixture (.ZIP archive)

Both of thse files are courtesy of Guyfromhe on Laser Pointer Forums and were used with his permission; they're stored on my server to prevent any bandwidth-related issues even though both files are very small.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I love the living tweedle out of this laser projector!!! It projects so much more than just plain old loops, and it does so with seven colors as well -- and it's significantly quieter in operation than those stepper motor laser shows. So quiet in fact, that all you can really hear in a silent room is the faint whir of its cooling fan -- and that isn't obnoxious in any way, shape, or form!

There is some fringing of colors made using two or more lasers; however, this was fully expected from an inexpen$ive unit of non-US manufacture.






Photograph of one of the patterns on a wall at ~8 feet.






Photograph of another one of the patterns on a wall at ~8 feet -- a Pac Man-type of thing this time.






Photograph of another one of the patterns on a wall at ~8 feet -- a rotating arrow.






Photograph of another one of the patterns on a wall at ~8 feet -- a rotating spiral.






Photograph of another one of the patterns on a wall at ~8 feet -- a club (as in cards); my stepbrother used to call it "puppytoes" as in "I have the 7 of puppytoes".






Photograph of another one of the patterns on a wall at ~8 feet -- a fleur-de-lis.






Laser power output analysis.






Another laser power output analysis.






Yet another laser power output analysis.

I know these aren't accurate ("not no way, not no how" as they say), but they're better than nothing.
With that in mind, I measured 382mW total on a LaserBee 2.5W USB Laser Power Meter w/Thermopile.






Spectrographic analysis of the red laser in this unit.






Spectrographic analysis of the red laser in this unit; spectrometer's response band narrowed to a range between 650nm and 670nm to pinpoint wavelength, which is ~660.50nm.






Spectrographic analysis of the green laser in this unit.






Spectrographic analysis of the green laser in this unit; spectrometer's response band narrowed to a range between 800nm and 850nm to capture the weak NIR laser line from the pump diode.

Please note that the amplitude is extremely low; it maxes out at approx. 85 vertical counts while most other spectra (including those of lasers) go to 4,096 vertical counts.






Spectrographic analysis of the blue laser in this unit.






Spectrographic analysis of the blue laser in this unit; spectrometer's response band narrowed to a range between 440nm and 450nm to pinpoint wavelength, which is ~441.65nm.






Spectrographic analysis of all lasers in the unit firing simultaneously (at the same time).






Another spectrographic analysis of all lasers in the unit firing simultaneously (at the same time).






Spectrographic analysis of the red laser after ~20 hours to check for wavelength drift: measures exactly 660.0nm.






Spectrographic analysis of the green laser after ~20 hours to check for wavelength drift: measures 531.30nm.






Spectrographic analysis of the blue laser after ~20 hours to check for wavelength drift: measures 441.25nm.






Spectrographic analysis of the red "Power" LED.






Spectrographic analysis of the neon bulb behind the unit's "Power" switch.

USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.






http://youtu.be/xaaTvrCUGUI

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing in "auto" mode; two different cameras and two different ambient light levels were used in a mainly futile attempt to get a decent video recording. The first camera was a Canon Powershot G3 and the second camera was a Polaroid x530 digital camera. Set to the song "Bare " by...o I know you've got to know this one by now...take a whack at it anyway...





...if you guessed Hozay Gonzalez, ¡¡¡PARA NO DE LOS MOTIVOS DE CRISTO!!!

It's Anthraxyou silly goose!!!

This laser show projector is not sound-sensitive in the "Demo" mode shown in this video; the audio may be ignored or even muted if it pisses you off.

Video content is the same as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI0DtlGNCugexcept that one is not set to any zax at all.

I added "***NSFYE!!!*** to the title bacause not everybody who comes to YouTube to watch laser vidz is a metalhead.

This video is approximately 35.84676223821 megabytes (36,039,617 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred seventy nine minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.

The DIP switch settings on the unit for this video was:

0: On
1: On
2: Off
3: Off
4: Off
5: Off
6: Off
7: Off
8: Off
9: Off



http://youtu.be/uI0DtlGNCug

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing additonal animations in "auto" mode; different DIP switch settings on the unit itself were used to acheive the different effects. This video is not set to any zax, so you don't have to worry about getting an earwhipping.





This video is approximately 35.78945472900 megabytes (35,967,617 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred seventy eight minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.

The DIP switch settings on the unit for this video was:

0: On
1: Off
2: Off
3: Off
4: Off
5: Off
6: Off
7: Off
8: Off
9: Off






http://youtu.be/_95uO5dV780

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing animations in "sound-sensitive" mode; the "squiggle" artifacts are present because I had to use the Roscolux filter book (a rather thick affair) to physically prop the front end of the unit up so that the patterns would project onto the wall instead of on the side of the bed.

This video is set to the song "Robotronik Remix" by...o cummon you've just *GOT* to know this one by now...





...if you guessed Anthrax ¡¡¡PARA NO DE LOS MOTIVOS DE CRISTO!!!
It's Kraftwerk you silly goose!!! ;-)
It won't always be Anthrax; I chose Kraftwerk so that viewers who can't stand metal music can still enjoy my Reke RGB500 vidz in sound-sensitive mode without receiving an unwanted earwhipping.

This video is approximately 9.87534592007 megabytes (10,051,393 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than forty nine minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.




http://youtu.be/7wxXxDQs0jQ

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing animations in "demo" mode; different camera settings PLUS the #98 and the #398 grey filters from my Roscolux Color Filters Swatch Book were used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the "squiggle" artifact has effectively been neutralised, the video frame rate vs. the laser scan speed issue has not improved by a tremendous degree.

This video is not set to any zax, because not everybody who comes to YourTube to watch laser vidz is a metalhead.

The video content is the same as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1y4z2Kh96Ybut this one has no music.

This video is approximately 12.18745638356 megabytes (12,374,723 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than sixty minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://youtu.be/V1y4z2Kh96Y

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing animations in "demo" mode; different camera settings PLUS the #98 and the #398 grey filters from my Roscolux Color Filters Swatch Book were used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the "squiggle" artifact has effectively been neutralised, the video frame rate vs. the laser scan speed issue has not improved by a tremendous degree.

This video is set to the songs "Born Again Idiot by...o cummon you've just *GOT* to know this one by now...





...if you guessed Brittany Spears ¡¡¡NINGUNA MANERA HOZAY!!!
It's Anthrax, silly!!! ;-)

I added "***NSFYE!!!***" (Not Safe For Your Ears") to the title because not everybody who comes to YourTube to watch laser vidz is a metalhead.
This vid may also be NSFW (Not Safe For Work) because the song has a toliet word in it.

This video is approximately 12.35234975649 megabytes (12,551,473 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than sixty two minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.




http://youtu.be/uI0DtlGNCug

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing in "auto" mode; two different cameras and two different ambient light levels were used in a mainly futile attempt to get a decent video recording. The first camera was a Canon Powershot G3 and the second camera was a Polaroid x530 digital camera. This video is not set to any zax, so you don't have to worry about getting an earwhipping.





This video is approximately 35.78945472900 megabytes (35,967,617 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred seventy eight minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.




http://youtu.be/IBrHQjmznbk

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing animations in "auto" mode; different camera settings were used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- both of which were not successful. This video is not set to any zax, so you don't have to worry about getting an earwhipping.





This is raw video straight from the camera; it was not compressed or anything -- hence the file size of 462,146,662 bytes.





This video is approximately 461.88946387439 megabytes (462,146,662 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than two thousand three hundred nine (!?!) minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://youtu.be/cSuBN9cCy0Q

Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing animations in "auto" mode; different camera settings PLUS the 50% ND filter from my ProMetric 8 Beam Cross-Sectional Analyserwere used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the artifact appearance has improved greatly, the flicker has not.

****VERY IMPORTANT!!!****
The double images are caused by reflections from that filter and ***DO NOT*** exist without it!!!

This video is set to the songs "Computer World" and "Home Computer" by...you probably *SHOULD* know this one by now because it isn't Anthrax or Raven...take a whack at it anyway...





If you guessed Hozay Feliciano ¡¡¡PARA LOS MOTIVOS NO DE DIOS!!!




It's Kraftwerkyou silly goose!!!

This video is approximately 31.46738345272 megabytes (31,658,073 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred fifty seven minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://youtu.be/Rv7s8idlhHk

Video on YourTube showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing animations in "auto" mode; different camera settings PLUS the #98 and the #398 grey filters from my Roscolux Color Filters Swatch Bookwere used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the "squiggle" artifact has effectively been neutralised, the video shutter speed vs. the laser scan speed issue has not improved by a tremendous degree.

This video is set to the songs "Spacelab" and "Metropolis" by...you probably *SHOULD* know this one by now because it isn't Anthrax, Metallica, Raven, Pantera, Exciter, etc...take a whack at it anyway...





If you guessed Hozay Gonzales ¡¡¡PARA NO DE LOS MOTIVOS DE CRISTO!!!




It's Kraftwerkyou silly goose!!!

This video is approximately 32.96757812893 megabytes (33,142,9531 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred sixty four minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqMMik50oRo

Video on YourTube showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing animations in "sound-sensitive" mode; the "squiggle" artifacts are present because I had to use the Roscolux filter book (a rather thick affair) to physically prop the front end of the unit up so that the patterns would project onto the wall instead of on the side of the bed.

This video is set to the song "Black Dahlia" by...o cummon you've just *GOT* to know this one by now...





...if you guessed Hozay Feliaciano ¡¡¡PARA LOS MOTIVOS NO DE CIELO!!!
It's Anthrax, silly!!! ;-)

I added "***NSFYE!!!***" (Not Safe For Your Ears") to the title because not everybody who comes to CPF to watch laser vidz on YourTube is a metalhead.

This video is approximately 9.57543445962 megabytes (9,768,477 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than forty eight minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiX1QxrJ6m8
Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing entirely new animations in "auto" mode; different camera settings PLUS the #98 and the #398 grey filters from my Roscolux Color Filters Swatch Book were used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the "squiggle" artifact has effectively been neutralised, the video frame rate vs. the laser scan speed issue has not improved by a tremendous degree.

This video is set to the songs "Subjugator" and "One World" by Anthrax.

I added "***NSFYE!!!***" (Not Safe For Your Ears) to the title because not everybody who watches laser show vidz here is a metalhead and would appreciate Anthrax zax.

This video is approximately 27.69843456836 megabytes (27,880,597 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred thirty eight minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psdQBwpHMHY
Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing entirely new animations in "auto" mode; different camera settings PLUS the #98 and the #398 grey filters from my Roscolux Color Filters Swatch Book were used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the "squiggle" artifact has effectively been neutralised, the video frame rate vs. the laser scan speed issue has not improved by a tremendous degree.

This video is set to the following Worm Quartet songs:

Ode to Ziploc the African Albino Claw-Footed Water Frog
Eat Here and Die
Sonata for Piano and Moron in C Major
Raisins in Disguise - Iguana
Calculator in My Bum
Broom Broom Broom
Find the Dead Wingless Legless Fly In Your Box of Rasins
Lice and Rice
The Face of a Child
Dead Tacos
Salmon in Disguise
Wookie Weenie
My Wife
Tree Bucket
(I Wanna Wipe) a Booger on Dan (Rather)

The video content is the same as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiX1QxrJ6m8 but the music is tamer so that you won't get an unwanted earwhipping.

This video is approximately 27.78894562845 megabytes (27,971,485 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred thirty nine minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3BoKqE1i30
Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing entirely new animations in "auto" mode; different camera settings PLUS the #98 and the #398 grey filters from my Roscolux Color Filters Swatch Book were used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the "squiggle" artifact has effectively been neutralised, the video frame rate vs. the laser scan speed issue has not improved by a tremendous degree. This video contains animations not yet seen before

This video is set to the songs "Robotronik Remix", "Aéro Dynamik", and "The Voice of Energy" by...cummon, you've just ***GOT*** to know this one by now...





...if you guessed "Hozay Garcia" ¡¡¡PARA NO DE LOS MOTIVOS DE CELIO!!!
It's Kraftwerk, silly!!!

This video is approximately 27.69843456836 megabytes (27,880,597 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than one hundred thirty eight minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43-gT8l1GDU
Video showing the Reke 500RGB Stage Show Projector performing its "demo" mode again; newer camera settings PLUS the #98 and the #398 grey filters from my Roscolux Color Filters Swatch Book were used in an attempt to get better video and eliminate the "squiggle" artifacts -- while the "squiggle" artifact has effectively been neutralised, the video frame rate vs. the laser scan speed issue has not improved by a tremendous degree.

This video is set to the song "Tester" by...cummon, you've just ***GOT*** to know this one by now...





...if you guessed "Megadeth" ¡¡¡PARA NO DE LOS MOTIVOS DE CRISTO!!!
It's Anthrax, silly!!!
Close, but no "siggeret".

I added "***NSFYE!!!***" (Not Safe For Your Ears) to the title because not everybody who watches laser show vidz here is a metalhead and would appreciate Anthrax zax.

This video is approximately 13.43777534710 megabytes (13,627,311 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than sixty seven minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://youtu.be/XtuRQ_4IGkM
Video showing the Syma S107G R/C Coaxial Helicopter buzzing around to the song "On the Radio" by...o I know you've got to know this one by now...take a whack at it anyway...





...if you guessed Hozay Feliciano, ¡¡¡PARA NO DE LOS MOTIVOS DE CRISTO!!!
It's Cheap Trick, silly!!!
Close, but *STILL* no "siggeret".

This heli is not sound-sensitive; the audio may be ignored or even muted if it pisses you off.

This laser show's display is very prominently visible; which is why this video is on this web page.

This video is approximately 10.52094323467 megabytes (13,667,565 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.<br>
It will take no less than fifty two minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ryWCNwGkhM
Video showing the Syma S107G Coax R/C Heli buzzing around to the song "I Was Made for Loving You" by...o I know you've got to know this one by now...Take a whack at it anyway...





...if you guessed Hozay Gonzales, ¡¡¡NINGUNA MANERA HOZAY!!!
It's Kiss, silly!!!

This heli is not sound-sensitive; the audio may be ignored or even muted if it pisses you off.

The video content is similar to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60cTLzb-2kY but to appease those viewers who aren't metalheads yet still want to watch R/C heli vidz here, the music used is not metal.

This video is approximately 13.57734345617 megabytes (13,758,465 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than sixty eight minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
​
*TEST NOTES*:
Tst unit was purchased from DinoDirect.com on 08-04-11 (or "04 Aug 2011" if you prefer), and was received at 2:53pm PDT on 08-16-11 (or "16 Aug 2011").


*UPDATE:* 08-20-11
The mic (the most widely accepted abbreviation for the word "microphone") in this unit just sucks!!!




Although there is a sensitivity adjustment knob, setting it anywhere from 0% to 99% causes the unit to behave as though it were not sound-sensitive at all; and setting it at 100% does work, but only if the metal case of the product is physically struck with another metal object -- I suppose a wooden spoon would work too if you hit the mic itself.


*UPDATE:* 08-20-11
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.

The IEC power cord is already going to pot on this unit, as the following photograph shows:





See how the black outer covering of this cord has now seperated at the plug/cord junction?
This does ***NOT*** present an immediate fire or safety hazard though, as the three individual conductors inside have fully intact insulation. The cord I use to charge my Celebrity X3 Scooter has been this way for over five years, and it still shows no signs of additional degradation that might pose a threat to safety.



*UPDATE:* 08-31-11
From Guyfromhe on Laser Pointer Forums comes the following text (no changes to grammar or syntax were made):

_
After weeks screwing with ILDA I figured out how simple it actually is...


If you want to turn on each laser as a solid point for as long as you want individually all you need is a 3v battery, and some thin jumper wires...


Connect pins 4 & 17 of the DB-25 connector together.

Connect pin 5 to +3v and 18 to -3v and the red laser should turn on...

6 & 19 is green and 7 & 20 is blue.


The computer just creates a voltage on these pins to turn the lasers on and off and creates a varying voltage on pins 1 & 2 to move the galvos around... There is no encoding and no digital logic involved like DMX. 


You could even hook it up to a board with switches & pots on it and make your own manual "show".

The ILDA interface seems pretty resilient I have shorted pins, connected weird pins to other pins they aren't supposed to be connected to, and other crazy abusive things trying to get my amp to work... 
_

Since the DB-25 connector is male in gender, you could simply connect very small alligator clips to the correct pins and get results that way without having to find a female DB-25 header.



*UPDATE:* 09-01-11
Used with explicit written consent (not just implied oral consent) from Guyfromhe on Laser Pointer Forums comes the following text (again, no changes to grammar or syntax were made):
_
ILDA is a whole beast of it's own. It allows you to use a computer with an ILDA adapter to directly control the galvos. What this means is you can draw a show from scratch (or download a show from the internet) on your computer and then have the laser display it. To use this mode you will need a DAC, ILDA software and a DB-25 cable. You plug the cable in and run the show on the computer and the laser will automatically switch regardless of dip switch settings. 

I have just received and got working my AudioLase from 300Evil on PL. These units run from $80 for an un-assembled kit (requiring the purchase of a USB sound card) to $150 for a tuned and tested ready to go unit.

To use the AL with this projector you will need a modified DB-25 cable. You will need to connect pins 4 and 17 (Interlock A and B) together before the AL within the cable (these two pins do not go into the AL at all) Connecting them on the AL board did not work for me.

As soon as you plug in this modified cable the laser will turn off and the DMX led will turn off. This indicates the system is disconnected from the internal processor and running in ILDA control mode. If this does not happen there is a problem with your interlock connection.

You can then open your favorite sound card DAC supporting software (LFI, Spaghetti, Laserboy) and play a show.

I highly recommend buying a Spaghetti license from Gary. He is an amazing guy and his software works great! I may do a full review of it in the future if one doesn't exist already.

The images are somewhat flickery (better than the built in animations however) You can overdrive the galvos and get a more stable picture at the cost of detail. They seem to run at about 7500 KPPS on the ILDA test pattern so again they aren't that fast... I may replace them with some PT-30's in the future. For now I have found 15k to be the best flicker to image distortion ratio to fit my needs. If you can put up with a lot of flicker you can get some very detailed crisp animations.

I had a lot of trouble with software and hardware getting my DAC working so you _WILL_ need to be patient if you go the Audio DAC route and expect to spend at least a few days playing with it and even more time reading up on it. In my case the Microsoft standard sound card drivers worked where the CMedia drivers did not. Your mileage may vary. (You can contact me if you need help and I will do my best to assist) 
_



*UPDATE:* 09-14-11
Used with explicit written consent from Guyfromhe on Laser Pointer Forums, using the laser show software written by "whiteg" from the Photonlexicon fora {the actual thread on PL is right here if you're interested} is the following YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oLVKS89ILk

This video is approximately 191.00621412384 megabytes (200,336,891 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than nine hundred fifty five (!) minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.



*UPDATE:* 10-09-11
Every time I see the "Pac Man" animation, I "hear" part of the song "Pac Man Fever", but sung to the tune of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever".
So I'd "hear" something like this:




Pac Man fever







{_three guitar chords increasing in frequency_}







Pac Man fever







{_three guitar chords decreasing in frequency; followed by a similar progression_}







Pac Man fever







_*PROS*_:
Metal case appears quite sturdy
Creates 7 unique colors
True blue laser (not violet like many other budget units)
Has very powerful DMX controller
Has ILDA support
Bright enough to look nice outdoors even at dusk (as well as nighttime)
Lots of patterns to choose from
Pattern size is adjustable with a knob
Inexpensive for what it really is


_*CONS*_:
Flicker is readily evident in complex images
A bit of "fringing" on some colors is noticeable if you look
The mic (for sound-sensitive mode) really blows






MANUFACTURER: *Shenzen Reke Laser Technology Co., Ltd *
PRODUCT TYPE: *Sound-actuated / DMX / ILDA laser show projector *
LAMP TYPE: *Directly-injected diode & DPSS laser, diffused 3mm LED, neon lamp *
No. OF LAMPS: *5 (2 red, 1 ea. green, blue lasers), 1 red LED, 1 neon bub *
BEAM TYPE: *N/A *
SWITCH TYPE: *Rocker sw. power, DIP switches & pots for mode change *
CASE MATERIAL: *Aluminum *
BEZEL: *Metal; lasers & galvos behind protective glass window *
BATTERY: *N/A * 
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: *0.04A (1W) {Quiescent}; 0.28A (20W) {Active} *
WATER-RESISTANT: *Very light splatter-resistant only *
SUBMERSIBLE: *¡¡¡PARA NO DE LOS MOTIVOS DE CRISTO!!! 



*
ACCESSORIES: *AC cord, instructional materials *
SIZE: *13.50" L x 9.50" Deep x 4" T *
WEIGHT: *~3.50Kg *
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: *China *
WARRANTY: *1 year *

PRODUCT RATING:


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## bshanahan14rulz (Aug 24, 2011)

Wow, that's cheap! 

You can get new power cables from a friend in IT, they might be able to float you a few for free.

Dare I ask if you'd consider opening it up? or does it have warranty stickers on it?

Thanks for the review, still can't believe it's only $250

And what's the "{safety eye"?


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## The_LED_Museum (Aug 24, 2011)

Good afternoon bshanahan14rulz,

I would prefer not opening it up; but somebody else has, and he's given me explicit written consent (not just implied oral consent) to use his photographs in any manner that I see fit.
So, without further adoo:





Main controller board:




Blue Laser:




Green Laser:





Chip:



Datasheet

ILDA Card:




Laser Driver (or galvo driver?):




Optics Tray:




Top View:




(_Click on the images to see them at full size_)

"Safety eye" is a metal loop designed for you to affix a chain or cable through to prevent the unit from falling and becoming broken if it's bumped wrong; it does not in any way affect the operation of the unit itself.


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## bshanahan14rulz (Aug 25, 2011)

Thanks for those pictures, they are greatly appreciated. Wow, I'm going to have to get myself one of these!

Also, funny that I was thinking "Safety Eye" was going to be something more interesting than that.

two reds, combined using a polarized beamsplitter, combined with a green and a blue with dichroic mirrors. I dig it!


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## blasterman (Aug 29, 2011)

I've been testing various laser projectors from Dino-Direct's site, and concur with the OP.
Often great out-put power, good DMX support, and lousy power cords :huh: 


I've also found the units to be highly variable and you have to read the specs real close. I bought a 4 head Reke, and thougt it was pretty cool, then bought SKU:A0879000OM and found it 4x as bright and the patterns 10x as good. Combined with a low end fogger it produces a light show better then I see at most concerts and generally blows people away. I went back to Dino's site with the intent of buying half a dozen only to find the price went up $100 in a few days.

Violet is worthless on these units, and I pass on any unit spec'ing 405nm or says 'purple or violet'. However, some of the blue units are actually the stupid violet, so when in doubt go by the picture. 


Alignment is another issue. By law they should be shooting above people's heads, but I see a lot of footage on YouTube with them shooting into crowds. Not like the FDA is going to send in big dudes with hand-cuffs, but it's technically a violation, and these lasers are clearly well above the 5mw threshold. The problem is I've yet to see a way to limit the Y-axis limit on the cheaper projectors, and otherwise they typically have a larger vertical spread than horizontal. This means you have to pratically point the thing at the ceiling to keep the beams out of people's eyes. High end lasers allow better control of this in software, which I *assume* the half watt and higher powered units on Dino's site allow as well. I solved the problem by angling the units 45 degree away from the crowd, but in a smaller room this is going to be difficult.


Otherwise, I stick to units with a red of at least 200mw, and a green of at least 80mw. High powered blue 200-300mw is preferable. All three of these diodes are cheap to obtain and reasonably reliable. It's when you start getting into higher wattages from there that the prices rapidly escalate.

My bigger question is how long the units will last and if the FDA will suddenly start throwing a fit over them, likely due to pressure from US laser makers basically selling the saqme product out of the same factory. 
​


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