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View Full Version : WARNING!!!!! SINGLE BEAM!! KAM 1000 laserscan 3D and IShow ilda adapter



bmdj
23-01-2013, 03:56 PM
A word of warning!

I recently bought an Ishow ILDA adapter for my KAM Laserscan 1000 3D. As you do, I was very eager to try it out and plugged everything in and turned everything on before installing the drivers on my PC. What I ended up with was all three lasers in the kam firing on full power and on single beam as the PC booted!!! Luckily I was in my living room, but let me tell you the power coming out of it was immense and very dangerous in a crowd situation, the beam was untouchable ( hot ) and I powered off the laser immediately.
Now I have been part of a laser builders forum for a few years and have had argon lasers previously and operated a 3w laser in a club, so I'm well aware of the dangers involved when operating laser. My worry is now that this kit it available to the novice DJ at a relativity low cost, they may no be fully aware of the harm they could possibly do to people.

There are a few factors highlighted here don't be too eager to set things up! But if you do have this kit, try it out before a gig in a safe environment, worth wiring up an emergency stop button to the 2 pin socket on the back of the KAM. These lasers are great but don't ever program it to do a single beam!

Not sure what was quite at fault here, me for not installing everything first, the Kam Laserscan for allowing single beam, although show lasers tend to have a separate bit of kit to monitor for a single beam and shut off the laser, or the "cheap" Ishow controller, as I would imaging it shouldn't "output" without the software installed, but that's probably why they are cheap!

Chris1984
23-01-2013, 04:21 PM
This is exactly the sort of thing I have mentioned will happen before on here but people don't seem to mind and continue to scan the audience with cheap laser because the disco shop said it will be ok.

Cheap laser don't have estops and scan fail and other safety features that are required on professional lasers.

It is only a matter of time befor there is an accident. Then people may heed the advice from the professionals.

bmdj
23-01-2013, 05:12 PM
This is exactly the sort of thing I have mentioned will happen before on here but people don't seem to mind and continue to scan the audience with cheap laser because the disco shop said it will be ok.

Cheap laser don't have estops and scan fail and other safety features that are required on professional lasers.

It is only a matter of time befor there is an accident. Then people may heed the advice from the professionals.

I agree Chris. If one or both of the galvos should fail then you could potentially have the same situation. I think now that these diode lasers are becoming more powerful and affordable there is a real risk. To be honest I have not used this laser in graphical beam mode at a gig. If I did it would have to a enough headroom and would defo need to test before anyone arrived. At the club I used to work at we had to put up "laser in test no entry" signs up, and test the laser before anyone arrived and that one was fitted with the safety gear!
Best sticking with the diffraction grating effect, as least with the KAM you can select this, plasma effect or 3D, unlike the unbranded lasers.

ukpartydj
23-01-2013, 05:53 PM
Somebody should tell this guy about crowd scanning - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgIZrSlPuko