Hard-drive Laser Projector

Inspiration

Lasers are awesome. Hacking is awesome. Combining the two was a no brainer.

How it works

A typical laser projector uses 2 high speed galvanometers to control the x and y position of a laser. We used the read/write arm of a hard-drive the accomplish the same effect, controlling each one with a channel of audio.

Challenges I ran into

Converting an audio waveform into a visible laser drawn image. Staying away past 4am.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Projecting across campus onto Howe and the water tower.

What I learned

How many different ways there are to amplify an audio signal. And which ways actually work.

What's next for Hard-drive Laser Projector

Developing a program to translate text into audio output to project

Built With

• hard-drive
• laser
• max
• teensy