Hello everyone, I want to use the DLP3000 with a low power visible laser. Should I buy the lightcrafter development kit and remove the LED light source? Or should I just buy the DLP3000 and DLPC3000 controller? I am confused as how the development kit is advantageous over just the DMD and controller. I appreciate your help!
Mehul
Hi Mehul,
Thank you for posting this question in regards to the DLP3000. As you mentioned, you do have a few ways you can go about doing this. First, you could purchase the DLP3000 chipset, which would include the DLPC3000 (digital controller), Reset Driver, and the DMD. So you couldn't just purchase the DLPC3000 controller by itself, you would need to get the full chipset. One downfall with this method is that you would have to purchase the DLP3000 contoller board and all the other items you need to construct a full kit (such as power supply, flex cable, remote board, etc). That would be in addition to purchasing the chipset.
You would also need a light pipe adapter, which would allow you to connect to an external power source or low power visible laser in your case (that is coming from an external source, correct?) via a Fiber Optic cable. Once you have all the necessary items, you would then need to construct and deploy the kit all yourself. So if you add up the time it takes to build the kit and the cost of purchasing everything separate, I believe this would be a less efficient method. If you are working with existing infrastructure and already have some DLP3000 parts, this might be an option you want to consider, but it looks like you are starting from scratch in regards to the DLP3000. Can you please tell me a bit more about your application?
Your other option is to go with the full development kit. Based on your inquiry, I would recommend this method. If so, you would receive a fully constructed kit, including the chipset, power supply, controller board, DMD, etc. ready to be deployed in your environment/application. You would save the time and money it takes to purchase all the necessary items and to build the kit. Also, if you want to integrate a low power visible laser into this system, you could purchase the full kit and then make the modification from there. I will have to briefly review my knowledge on the DLP3000 to review the LED based illumination, but it should be pretty simple to switch out the LED with fiber optic. How does your visible laser light source integrate to the system? via Fiber Optic cable light your standard external light source?
I hope this helps Mehul. I will also dig up some helpful links in regards to the DLP3000 from TI and send it over your way shortly.
Regards,
Justin Lemon
Dear Justin, thanks for your detailed response! I am planning to go ahead with purchasing the full development kit. Currently, my light source is a low power free-space HeNe laser (633 nm). We want to preserve the spatial mode information before hitting the DMD so we cannot couple our light to a fiber. I have found one thread on mounting the DMD externally: http://e2e.ti.com/support/dlp__mems_micro-electro-mechanical_systems/f/850/t/159950.aspx. Does this sound right? If you have any other documentation on this, I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks,
Mehul,
Yes. that post shows how to remove the light engine on LightCrafter and place the DMD so other optics and illumination can be used. We have seen many customers do this and place the LightCrafter on a light table. Many flip the thermal plate so as to have the DMD hanging on the side of the board. Then the thermal plate extends to the back of the LightCrafter board where the USB connector is located.