Fair price laser?

[DJAkash]

Hey everyone, just wondering is there a laser that is fit to cover the dancefloor for under 100 bucks? I saw a few other DJ's and they have these lasers from canada they bought at a flea market, 50 dollars and they do green and red and cover the entire dance floor and actually react similar to a skorpion per say.
Anyone have know anything that works similar under 100?

[Shay.ca]

Hey everyone, just wondering is there a laser that is fit to cover the dancefloor for under 100 bucks? I saw a few other DJ's and they have these lasers from canada they bought at a flea market, 50 dollars and they do green and red and cover the entire dance floor and actually react similar to a skorpion per say.
Anyone have know anything that works similar under 100?

American DJ Micro series lasers do pretty good. I have a hypnotic and it does pretty sweet, but with all my other lights on it seems like the red gets washed out a little bit, but by itself its pretty nice!

[DJAkash]

Thanks looks great !!!! http://www.guitarcenter.com/American-DJ-Micro-3D-Laser-Effect-107293136-i2119680.gc

[DJStevieRay]

When you say cover the dancefloor, you don't actually intended on shooting the laser into the crowd do you. Even though the liklihood of something happening with one of those micro galaxians is pretty much nill. It is not smart to aim ANY laser at people. Someone with a good lawyer, and unscrupulous optometrist can cost you everything, by saying YOU caused them eye damage.

[Shay.ca]

When you say cover the dancefloor, you don't actually intended on shooting the laser into the crowd do you. Even though the liklihood of something happening with one of those micro galaxians is pretty much nill. It is not smart to aim ANY laser at people. Someone with a good lawyer, and unscrupulous optometrist can cost you everything, by saying YOU caused them eye damage.

I point my ADJ lasers at the crowd, Im not worried about it, its a safe laser, I would be more concerned with the cheap chinese ones on ebay or somewhere else! Those are not safe and regulated like the through the store ones.

[DJHoss]

I own the ADJ Micro Galaxian, and on sound active, that sucker is awesome. Its coverage is amazing (like 160-170 degrees) and it is super bright. I have it paired with a Vertigo TRI LED, and they go beautifully together, on a great price.

[DJStevieRay]

Shay,
As I said it would not do anything, but what happens if the prism breaks that difracts the laser, or a surge, that puts through a higher power burst? What happens if someone lies and has a vision problem, a good lawyer can easily say you shot them in the eye and caused the damage. I'm not saying its right, but people sued AND WON against McDonalds because they spilled hot coffee on themselves while driving. Never mind that they should know that Coffee is hot, never mind they shouldn't be drinking the hot coffee while approaching a red light having to slam on their breaks. It is the sad truth.

Also shooting the laser into a crowd sets a precidence. I lost a job for a prom, someone approached me at a Bridal Show, who was putting together a prom. I have a Galaxian 3D, and the person booking asked if I would shoot the laser into the crowd. I said no. They said the person over there (pointed to a DJ with a cheap import 445nm Blue laser, they said they would scan the kids, and do it all the time. Well the booking person, booked the other DJ. I approached the DJ after the show and asked them about what they are doing. They said they do it every show, and never had a problem. They also stated that the manual has no warning against it, so it must be safe. Not only what they are doing is stupid, and dangerous, I do believe those lasers require a variance to operate.

Them doing that sets a presidence to the customers that all lasers are legal to shoot at the crowd.

Again, I state the odds of any damage being caused by any ADJ laser is minimal, why take a chance?

[DJHoss]

Surging ain't a problem, just throw it on a strip or a power conditioner..there popping up more and more in our racks anyways. I don't worry bout it too much, I just state in the contract that if you stare into my laser, while unlikely, it may cause eye damage. It ain't that big of a deal anyway, as long as the power of the lasers are low (galaxian micro has a 70mw red laser and a 30mw green laser. And to the prism breaking, give your equipment a thurogh check before you fly em on your trusses, it'll save you time because everything would be prechecked and the risk of failure during a set would be minimal.

In the long run, any of adj's micro series lasers would be fine in a crowd. Anything more powerful would be safer on a back wall or celing.

My two cents, of course.

[allenpa5]

Check out the Chauvet MiN fx laser. You can find new ones on eBay for around $100 and they provide some pretty cool effects.

[the4thImpulse]

I use a micro galaxian that I keep high above everyones heads and it easily fills a dark full sized gym, with a bunch of other lights it will have little effect. For the price you cant do much better.

[DJ M&M]

Look at ADJ for your price range, do not buy knock of lasers otherwise you risk serious injury

[Shay.ca]

I trust the ADJ brand name lasers, they are not super high wattage so im not worried about it. They would not make it available if it was not safe. I think it will be good to go! but thats just me.

[DJAkash]

When you say cover the dancefloor, you don't actually intended on shooting the laser into the crowd do you. Even though the liklihood of something happening with one of those micro galaxians is pretty much nill. It is not smart to aim ANY laser at people. Someone with a good lawyer, and unscrupulous optometrist can cost you everything, by saying YOU caused them eye damage.

No I don't plan to blind people LOL, I plan to aim them down onto the floor from an elevation of 8-10 feet up

[DJAkash]

awesome I actually have a vertio tri led to, also a led moonflower, so I think it's going to up the atmosphere alot.

[electricsmooth]

Kelowna! sweeet.
I'm from Vernon originally.

Anyways, here is my 2 cents about pointing any "design" lighting on the dance floor. They only look cool when there is no one on the dance floor. Obviously, when you have people dancing, they are going to block out any projected effect. You would need an illuminated dance floor to get it properly lit up. I have the H2O light and I just point it at the ceiling above the dance floor. People seem to love it.

[pertytown]

I have two of the micro adj lasers, and two of the chauvet micro lasers (2 different looks), both manuals that come with the units state to point them AWAY from people as it may cause eye damage. The adj ones are pretty bright, so I aim them all at the ceiling. I don't need my insurance rates going up because someone looks into the light and sue for supposed eye injury.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Incognito]

After reading a few posts in this thread it just proved one thing to me, no one reads their manuals. For those that are saying American DJ offers safe lasers & it's safe to direct them into a crowd need to read their manuals.

Here are just a couple manuals featuring some of the lights mentioned in this thread

http://www.americandj.com/pdffiles/galaxian_3d.pdf

http://www.americandj.com/pdffiles/micro-hypnotic.pdf

http://www.americandj.com/pdffiles/micro_royal_galaxian_rev.pdf

Take a read & you'll notice that EVERYONE of them have the same warning which is as follows:

"CAUTION IMPORTANT! When installing this projector, make sure
that it is mounted in a manner that prevents the audience from
looking directly into the beam, and the beam from striking the
audience"

That says it all...

[Sween]

Just point them toward the sky if it's an outdoor event. So the pilots in the airplanes can have a show too!

[Incognito]

Read a little further into the manual


"STOP AND READ ALL LASER SAFETY DATA
OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS AND LASER SAFETY
The light source emitted from this product can potentially cause eye
injury if not set up and used properly. The light source emitted from a
laser is very different from any other light sources with which you may
be aware of. Laser light is thousands of times more concentrated
than any light from any other kind of light source. This concentration
of light can cause instant eye injuries, primarily by burning the retina
(the back of your eyeball contatining cells that are sensitive to light).
Even if you cannot feel “heat” from a laser beam, it can still potentially injure or blind you or your audience. Even very small amounts
of laser beam light are potentially hazardous even at long distances.
Laser eye injuries can be sustained faster than you can blink.
Do not think that because this laser splits the laser beam into hundreds of beams and that the laser beam is scanned out in high
speed, that an individual laser beam is safe for eye exposure. This
laser uses dozens of milliwatts of laser power (Class 3B levels internally) before it splits into multiple beams (Class 3R levels). Many of
the individual beams are potentially hazardous to the eyes.
Do not that because the laser light is moving, it is safe. This is not
true. Nor, do the laser beams always move. Since eye injuries can
occur instantly, it is critical to prevent even the smallest possibility of
any direct eye exposure. In the laser safety regulation, it is not legal
to aim Class 3R lasers in areas which people can get exposed. This
is true even if it is aimed below people’s faces, such as on a dance
floor.
Do not operate the laser without first reading and understanding
all safety and technical data in this manual"

As for using outdoors..

"• To reduce the risk of electrical shock or fire, do not expose this unit
rain or moisture.
• Do not spill water or other liquids into or on to your unit.
• Do not attempt to remove or break off the ground prong from the
electrical cord. This prong is used to reduce the risk of electrical
shock and fire in case of an internal short. Do not attempt to oper-
ate this unit if the power cord has been frayed or broken.
• Disconnect from main power before making any type of connection.
• Do not remove the cover under any conditions. There are no user
serviceable parts inside.
• Always be sure to mount this unit in an area that will allow proper
ventilation. Allow about 6” (15cm) between this device and a wall.
• Do not attempt to operate this unit, if it becomes damaged.
• This unit is intended for indoor use only, use of this product out-
doors voids all warranties.
• During long periods of non-use, disconnect the unit’s main power.
• Always mount this unit in safe and stable matter.
• Power cords should be routed so they are not likely to be walked
on, pinched by items placed upon or against them.
• Cleaning -The fixture should be cleaned only as recommended by
the manufacturer. See page 10 for cleaning details.
• Heat -The appliance should be situated away from heat sources
such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other appliances
(including amplifiers) that produce heat.
• The fixture should be serviced by qualified service personnel when:
A. The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged.
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the unit.
C. The unit has been exposed to rain or water.
D. The unit does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a
marked change in performance"

[DJStevieRay]

Incognito, you are speaking voodoo and witchcraft. Seriously, I think every DJ, instead of heading any warnings, or GOD FORBID, read their manuals. They should test the safety of their lasers themselves, by staring into the laser 3 inches from the light source, for a period of 20 seconds. If it passes that test, then it is safe. If not, then scan the crowd, I mean c'mon it's only $99 it has to be safe for people's eyes, I mean they do surgery on peoples eyes with lasers. So in fact DJ's are doing a service to the community, by providing free eye surgery to all guests in attendence.

Disclaimer: In case you haven't seen, two of the first posts here in Lighting on DJF 2.0 were questions about lasers, in both threads, I pointed out safe usage tips, and in both I was vilified by 2/3rds of the members here who are smarter than me, and KNOW that it is not only safe, it is recommended to scan crowds with cheap lasers.

BTW, for those who have never worked with a company who manufactures, or distributes lasers, you may wish to learn a little bit of history about the origins of lasers, especially the name "LASER" itself, which in fact is NOT a name, but is however an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Do you see that, the light source itself is stimulated RADIATION! Don't shoot me with it please.

Personally I like the more amusing acronym.....Look At Source, Erase Retina

[Dix]

Thanks for posting the warnings from these lasers. I have been considering adding & replacing some lights. Lasers were on my list. It has been an informative thread. I appreciate every ones input. It was a big help.
TC

[robscomputer]

I've been watching some of the videos of the ADJ lasers on Youtube. Just was thinking about buying one for a photography project, would make for a great pic with some fog.

That being said, I was a bit surprised that in a few videos people were standing right in front of the laser (thinking it was the Brian Reed?).


http://youtu.be/DvhTgoXo1i4

Spec from ADJ
http://www.americandj.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemNumber=2088&MainId=2&Category=Lasers

This laser from ADJ has a rating of 80mW where as a typical laser pointer has a rating of 1mW. I'm not sure on the specific value increase but I would say that it's enough to more careful. I remember going to some clubs and they had the super powerful 5W lasers pointed at the crowd, seriously isn't that enough to burn a hole or maybe solve someone's cataracts. :)

BTW I think that US has banned the super powerful lasers so laser pointers are restricted to 1mW but I didn't see any restrictions on higher watts for lighting effects.