Fx Labs Laser

[cfmjohn 0]

Hi folks.

 

Ive just bought an FX Labs Laser (I Belive its a soundlab spinoff company) Its a scanning laser unit with sound to light & auto modes.

 

What im wondering is.... is it legal to operate & is crowd scanning safe with it. I have a copy of the HSE - Radiation Safety Of Display Lasers booklet here, but it doesnt really help much. One thing it does point out is that all lasers above a Class 2 need the triangular laser warning sticker, which this one does not have. However, the only markings on the laser are:

"Class 3B Laser Radiation When Open Avoid Direct Exposure To The Beam"

I think that only applies to the laser when the case is open, But I Havent A Clue!

 

Does the fact that its scanning the beam & not static reduce the class below a 2 so as to be safe for the audience to look at, OR is it still a Class 3B and is not marked correctly. If so, it will be going back to the shop tomorrow morning.

 

This is my first laser so I really do not want to hurt anyone or damage their eyesight. Plus I want to know that its legal to operate the unit in public

 

Sorry about the long post but as you can imagine I want to make sure theres enough detail for others to give a comment on.

 

Thanks

John

[Kingy 0]

I bought 4 of these badged as a different model. The effect in multiple is fantastic. My tip, wire them to one switch and put them in auto mode (not sound) and they stay in perfect sync. Then once you have finished that burst, switch them to sound, they go crazy next time round!!

 

They passed all the relevant regs, just make sure they are not at eye level.

 

Oh, and dont expect them to ever be repairable..........take a look at the inside!!!

 

 

[cfmjohn 0]

Cheers thanks for that. Ive only got the one & ill see how it goes.

[Neil of the Roadshow 0]

My Kam Tri-160's instructions say it has to be at least 3.5 metres off the deck to avoid damaging anyones eys.

 

Quite difficult in many venues. It gets very rare outings.

 

Be wary of it bouncing back and down into your crowd off shiny things and mirrors.

 

 

[wendyice 0]

i dont see the problem. point it upwards. paint the ceiling. the op is a domk

[Neil of the Roadshow 0]

i dont see the problem. point it upwards. paint the ceiling. the op is a domk

 

It's a class 4 laser product thats the problem - these things are capable of causing permanent damage to peoples eyes and need to be used with great care.

 

Its not so easy as pointing them upwards and I'm not sure many venues would like you cracking out the black paint.

 

 

[Robster 0]

The FX labs diffraction laser is a class 3b laser whats the difference between a 3b and level 4 laser?

[Neil of the Roadshow 0]

The FX labs diffraction laser is a class 3b laser whats the difference between a 3b and level 4 laser?

 

Good question, I will hoke the manual out later and see what it says. My class 4 has a key in the back of it, which you can remove to stop unqualified folk turning it on.

 

What about the 3b product?

[cfmjohn 0]

The FX Labs manual is trash. It has absolutly no safety information at all. Which is shy i was asking.

 

The Class 3B doesnt have a key switch on it.

[Robster 0]

Good question, I will hoke the manual out later and see what it says. My class 4 has a key in the back of it, which you can remove to stop unqualified folk turning it on.

 

What about the 3b product?

 

no it doesnt .I have a fx lab defraction laser and it doesnt seem to flash in your eyes as bright as some LED lights , i know this is deceptive and no indication of if it will damage your eye sight.

 

I always set it up on my goal post stand pointing up or straight down

[norty303 0]

Class 3b lasers are easily capable of causing eye damage.

 

All lasers of class 3b and above should have a keyswitch to prevent unauthorised use by untrained personel.

 

If you can't prove that your laser is below the permissible MPE when scanning each of its patterns then you shouldn't be scanning the crowd.

 

There are probably quite a few threads now where people have asked about lasers and crowd scanning and some knowledgable people have given good responses.

 

Try some keyword searches, and perhaps for posts by Jimbo (Jim Boylan) for some good responses.

 

Its such a huge area that the issues become very complex, but is one of the reasons I don't like lasers being sold as disco effects. The low powered lasers of today were the moderate sized pro lasers of a few years back.

 

If you want to read up on some very interesting and informative discussions on laser use and crowd scanning, try visiting the following forum where you'll get some very good advice and technical info

 

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/

Edited September 8, 2008 by norty303

[Robster 0]

Class 3b lasers are easily capable of causing eye damage.

 

All lasers of class 3b and above should have a keyswitch to prevent unauthorised use by untrained personel.

 

If you can't prove that your laser is below the permissible MPE when scanning each of its patterns then you shouldn't be scanning the crowd.

 

There are probably quite a few threads now where people have asked about lasers and crowd scanning and some knowledgable people have given good responses.

 

Try some keyword searches, and perhaps for posts by Jimbo (Jim Boylan) for some good responses.

 

Its such a huge area that the issues become very complex, but is one of the reasons I don't like lasers being sold as disco effects. The low powered lasers of today were the moderate sized pro lasers of a few years back.

 

If you want to read up on some very interesting and informative discussions on laser use and crowd scanning, try visiting the following forum where you'll get some very good advice and technical info

 

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/

 

 

I was under the impression the star cluster / defraction lasers were safer than the standard effects is this not the case?

[norty303 0]

Well diffraction gratings have been used as effects in lasers for a long time and I've yet to see any sort of documentation to say that they make them safe. They may split the power present into many smaller beams of lower power but until you measure those beams, you can't be sure they're below MPE individually. I'd recommend contacting the manufacturer and see what they say, or try asking the question about diffraction gratings and power on Photonlexicon. You'll get some quite in depth responses I'd suspect.

[Robster 0]

I did post an enquiry on the site you mentioned and this is the first response i got

 

"hey, I have seen these lasers in countless amounts of video's. To be honest, yes, the laser can be dangerous, but if it is split into the 500 beams or so, even if there is red and green in the same dot, each dot would only be about .3mw each! Since it is a diffraction grating, each dot is draw at the same time, not like scanners, so really the power IS split between the dots. I believe the diffraction gratings are also, always moving, so it would be quite hard to actually blind someone with it at any kind of distance. If you stick your eye right into where the laser comes out, then there is a good chance it will blind you, but in other words, its pretty safe.. "

 

I am awaiting other responses but it looks fairly positive at the moment

 

note i use this pointing up not at people..so i am not scanning a crowd