Photo courtesy of SparkFun Electronics.

We recently got a batch of these neat little TTL-controlled laser modules in stock.  Needless to say, we did what what we always do when we get a new toy.  We played with it and took some pictures!  It was super easy to wire up, and it can be switched on and off with any TTL logic signal.  It draws a miniscule amount of current (26 mA on our meter).  It has a pretty good output, too.  Don’t expect to see it a mile away, but when we shined it at a white wall in direct sunlight at a distance of about 12 feet, it projected a bright, sharp dot.

American Twenty-five cent piece shown for size comparison.

The thing is freaking tiny, too.  Slim and sleek.

It’s as thick as a nickel!  Would have used the quarter from the last picture, but we couldn’t get one to stand on its edge.  Yep.  So far this post has cost me thirty cents.

As we’ve mentioned, wiring it up and controlling it is a cinch.  To use it with the Phidgets 8/8/8, we used the power and ground connections on one of the analog connectors and one digital output to switch it on and off.

Three wires are all you need.  Power, ground, and digital control.

Here’s our test setup.  Laser module is connected to the 8/8/8 with jumper wires from SparkFun.

Here it is.  The stuff.

 

Buy stuff from us!!!

TTL-Controlled Laser Module
F/F Jumper Wires
Phidgets 8/8/8

Let’s get right to the heart of this thing.  Project CONDOR is a high-tech immersive multimedia sensory experience.  An array of eight robotically controlled helium-filled blimps, each with a speaker hanging from it, dynamically repositioning sound sources, with audio streaming to each blimp via Bluetooth, playing a separate part of an electronic musical composition, floating around inside a large indoor space, accompanied by a light show and video projections…  I’m on the verge of a flashback just from writing that sentence, so I can only imagine how trippy the actual performance is going to be.  Tonight and tomorrow night (That’s June 29 and 30, 2007), starting at 8 pm, Project CONDOR will take flight in Chicago’s Broadway Armory.  Admission is only 10 bucks, and I have no idea how many people they’re letting in, so get there early if you want to check it out.

Thanks to Chicago Public Radio for covering this story while I was on my way to work this morning.  Their pledge drive is still going on, so head over to WBEZ.org and give them some money.

Story at news.big.net

Project CONDOR event posting at Metromix

I couldn’t find any Project CONDOR pictures, so I ran a Google image search for “psychedelic blimps” and this is what I got.

Building a remote presence robot? These glasses might help you to get the job done. Full list after the jump.

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