
Making a DIY text laser projector - atomlib
https://habr.com/en/post/438618/
======
kgwxd
Someone recreated the arcade version of Astroids (vector graphics) using an
expensive laser projector. Could something like this project pull that off on
a smaller scale? It'd be like a DIY Vectrex, and it would be glorious.

~~~
bloopernova
Well, thank you for the unexpected nostalgia-gasm.

As a certain set of divorced absentee fathers are wont to do, my father would
show up every 18 to 24 months, shower me with gifts, then disappear again in a
puff of Ferrari exhaust. Those gifts would always be _slightly_ off from what
I wanted, usually reflecting his own tastes rather than what a 10 year old
might want. One such time I got a Vectrex, I was the only kid who had one and
as such it didn't really get much use beyond my brother and I. The cheapo ZX
Spectrum 48k got much more use because I could swap games with friends, use
hardware with their systems, etc etc. (Other items he'd buy me throughout the
years: a Yamaha SHS10 keytar rather than a full size keyboard I requested. An
expensive SLR camera whose lens drank batteries when I asked for clothes. An
Atari ST that wasn't the same as the other kids' STs in a way I don't
remember, but it couldn't do everything their machines could. All this sounds
like I'm horrifically entitled and bitter; I was, back then. He's dead now,
and my anger has been swamped by sad regret)

But the Vectrex and its vector graphics was pretty amazing. Razor sharp lines
at a time when most systems struggled to do CGA. But I remember the games
being repetitive and limited by the single colour screen.

~~~
stevekemp
The Vextrex was a little repetitive, but the way they tried to make it
colourful with the gel-overlays was kinda endearing.

I received one, as a cast-off gift from a richer cousin. But mostly I spent my
time on the ZX Spectrum. More games to play, more coding to be done on it, and
I spent hours hacking games for extra/infinite lives.

------
sammycdubs
This is super cool, but I always get nervous about people messing around with
lasers. This person seems to be somewhat safety conscious, but I worry they
get treated as toys.

~~~
sandworm101
This. Lasers do damage. Worse yet, that damage (blind spots) often goes
unnoticed for years. Then one day you want to be a pilot, finally get a proper
vision field test, and are rejected.

------
equalunique
If I could just string together several of these to get a vt100 terminal, then
I could SSH in a room at night with all the lights turned off and have zero
exposure to eye-straining blue light...

------
gdubs
It can be hard to appreciate laser graphics unless you see them in real life.
There’s a vividness to them that’s quite beautiful compared to rasterizd
graphics.

~~~
plussed_reader
The post indicates the builder went with a raster approach to the projection.

~~~
gdubs
Sure, I read it. The author discusses the trade offs, and the fact that they
went with a raster approach in my mind doesn’t diminish this awesome project /
post.

My point was simply that a generation of people who’ve never seen vector
graphics in real life might be wondering what the big deal is. It’s worth
trying to find an arcade where you can see an old working cabinet up close.

------
tdeck
Here's a video of an earlier DIY laser-pointer projector. It's a bit tougher
in appearance but still quite cool:
[https://youtu.be/JKJ_hCDKJic](https://youtu.be/JKJ_hCDKJic)

------
Vrpe
Well layed out, my understanding of electrical engineering is a bit
lackluster, but I appreciated the article nevertheless.

How hard would it be to self develop a multi color laser projector? How would
it work?

~~~
frabert
You could use three lasers (rgb) and merge their beams using a set of dichroic
mirrors, then use the resulting beam as if it was your red laser. The control
logic then switches the three lasers instead of only one.

~~~
MarkSummer
...or what frabert said much more succinctly :)

~~~
Vrpe
Both are good :)

