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Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
I managed to get my hands on some small laser units, similar to the ones found in those little pen lasers, and some light splitters. I was wondering if anyone has tried to fit them into the ends of a staff and who they looked.

Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't


Invader XanSILVER Member
Your friendly neighbourhood mad scientist
479 posts
Location: Over the hills and far away, United Kingdom


Posted:
Whoa! Mercury switches? In a staff?
Dude... you drop it one too many times, and both of them will shatter. Which won't be good for your pocket change or your local wildlife.

Kinetic switches would be better. Like the ones in light-up yoyos or bike spoke lights. I'm not sure how you could make them. Perhaps you could buy some of those yoyos and butcherize them...

And you know, there's got to be a way of putting some kind of smoke making device into the end of a staff. Now that would be cool! =)

"Love the art in yourself and not yourself in the art."
--Konstantin Stanislavisky


L0s3r_r@v3rSILVER Member
enthusiast
274 posts
Location: Swansea, Ma (US), USA


Posted:
 Written by: Invader Xan


Whoa! Mercury switches? In a staff?
Dude... you drop it one too many times, and both of them will shatter. Which won't be good for your pocket change or your local wildlife.

Kinetic switches would be better. Like the ones in light-up yoyos or bike spoke lights. I'm not sure how you could make them. Perhaps you could buy some of those yoyos and butcherize them...




Kinetic switches are extreamly fragile (atlease i've found that) they are basicaly a arm that has a weight on the end of it that rests on a spring so when the spring is compressed it makes a connection. if the mercury was contained well enuf it should be fine.

You know what I'm thinking about right now? That's right, Tacos!


Invader XanSILVER Member
Your friendly neighbourhood mad scientist
479 posts
Location: Over the hills and far away, United Kingdom


Posted:
Hmmm... I guess as long as you pad them well with some polymer rubber they ought to be ok. The tree hugging hippy in me is just always a little skeptical of anything involving mercury. =)

I wonder if there are any other alternatives. Either way, I so want a laser staff! Might motivate me to learn more staff moves...

"Love the art in yourself and not yourself in the art."
--Konstantin Stanislavisky


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
 Written by: L0s3r_r@v3r

Kinetic switches are extreamly fragile (atlease i've found that) they are basicaly a arm that has a weight on the end of it that rests on a spring so when the spring is compressed it makes a connection.


You could always add a capacitor that would smooth out any bad contact from the spring...

Cake or Death?


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
If I can get the prototype sorted out I might start to sell them but it all depends on what people think of the and if I can get a few bugs sorted out. So far I've had problems with:

1. Padding the ends so that the lasers are less likely to break if it gets dropped. I'm currently wrapping them on foam taken from the back of an old armchair.

2. Positioning the batteries so that the weight is even. I've currently built enclosures that screw into then ends of the staff that contain both the lasers and the batteries so that they are easier to remove and also give the staff a better spinning weight.

3. Switches. I'm looking at mercury switches or simply making the staff so that its always on while the laser 'wicks' are screwed in. I'm not sure which would be better. Its a case of "hazards of mercury' vs 'hastle of putting staff together to use'.

4. Batteries. Should I try to get it to run on AAs (or similar) or have built in batteries and a charger (a la Aerotech)?

I've not really worked on it for a while but as I have a few days off I'll take a look at it and see what I can do. Hopefully I'll have it fully working and photo/video up soon.

Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't


Invader XanSILVER Member
Your friendly neighbourhood mad scientist
479 posts
Location: Over the hills and far away, United Kingdom


Posted:
Sweet!

You know... if your prototype works well and you do start selling these, I know a man who will be very interested in procuring one. bounce

"Love the art in yourself and not yourself in the art."
--Konstantin Stanislavisky


L0s3r_r@v3rSILVER Member
enthusiast
274 posts
Location: Swansea, Ma (US), USA


Posted:
I'd prolly like one and i don';t even do staff yet ^o^ might even be nifty to attempt to do the same with poi
EDITED_BY: L0s3r_r@v3r (1143826559)

You know what I'm thinking about right now? That's right, Tacos!


PSYTEKNOLOGYSILVER Member
Member
12 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
 Written by: Invader Xan


Whoa! Mercury switches? In a staff?
Dude... you drop it one too many times, and both of them will shatter. Which won't be good for your pocket change or your local wildlife.

Kinetic switches would be better. Like the ones in light-up yoyos or bike spoke lights. I'm not sure how you could make them. Perhaps you could buy some of those yoyos and butcherize them...

And you know, there's got to be a way of putting some kind of smoke making device into the end of a staff. Now that would be cool! =)



There are small fog machines available that work off of 12VDC,

https://www.looksolutions.com/english/produkte/tinyfogger/index.htm


Very badass Idea! I've thought of it too!

PSYTEKNOLOGYSILVER Member
Member
12 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
 Written by: L0s3r_r@v3r


I'd prolly like one and i don';t even do staff yet ^o^ might even be nifty to attempt to do the same with poi



YES! I've thought of making laser poi myself!! Putting some diodes on the ends of poi would be easy. =D

PSYTEKNOLOGYSILVER Member
Member
12 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
 Written by: OvertlyFlirtatiousSpork


I'm trying it with both green and red lasers in the same staff. The problem I'm having at the moment is finding some way to manually switch between them (think the aerotech tap change thingy). Anyone got any ideas?



Would a DPST Center off switch work ? If the switch is to the left the red are on, if it's to the right the green are on, if it's in the middle it's off ?

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