Technical ExplanationsTechnical Explanations

Technical Explanation: RSL laser modules

RTI Semiconductor Laser - new semiconductor module technology

The new laser module technology of Ray Technologies changes the way professional laser systems are built. The compact form factor and the great visibility combined with the quality of the beam profile enable higher laser power in a smaller housing compared to previous show laser systems. The beam quality has also been improved greatly, as can be seen in the picture below.

Competing products use the currently common module setup that results in rectangular or ellipsoidal shaped beam spots with different divergence values for x- and y-axis. This leads to significant color shades the longer the projection distance is, which negatively influences on the quality of the projection. The new RTI modules are designed in a way to keep spot size as well as divergence equal on both x- and y-axis. This is significantly advantageous over solutions used by competitors.

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Beam Comparison: RTI Semiconductor Laser - Basic Diode Module

The modules are built in a way that there is no need for realignment anymore. Each module is built encapsulated and sealed, so the modules are completely maintenance free. The form factor of the new modules is standardized, like with the well-known Coherent OPSL heads, and thus can easily be combined and fit into slot-type housings. They fit into OPSL head sized slots.

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One RSL module (on the right) is just as small as one OPSL head (one the left)

In general the new modules add a lot of additional performance to the new generation of RTI & tarm laser systems but prices stay the same.

Example: RTI PIKO RGB 28

The beam specifications of the new RTI PIKO RGB 28 are given with only 4.5 mm diameter and less than 0.9 mrad divergence - which applies to both axis, so it’s an actual value and provides higher quality results than specifications with mixed calculations. The extremely small beam diameter allows for the use of very small 4 mm mirrors, which results in reduced inertia and thus very good scanning performance.

Technical Explanation ShowNET



ShowNet is a multi-feature mainboard for laser systems. It can act as DAC / interface, but also makes laser systems intelligent lighting devices.

Directly jump to the very features:

  1. Use ShowNET for ArtNET laser control
  2. Use ShowNET for DMX laser control
  3. Use ShowNET for Stand-Alone laser operation
  4. Use ShowNET for Sound-to-Light / music triggered laser operation
  5. Use ShowNET as DAC / laser interface for direct software laser control via Showcontroller
  6. Use ShowNET as DAC / laser interface for direct software laser control via Showeditor
  7. Use ShowNET for ILDA Streaming
  8. Use ShowNET for Master-Slave laser operation




Features ShowNET internal chart

Control options of the internal ShowNET board:

  • ArtNET control
  • Sound-to-Light operation (only available with integrated boards, if microphone board is connected)
  • Demo-Mode - with automatic animation of the patterns on teh SD-card
  • Automatic- / Stand-Alone-Mode, manual file triggering is possible
  • ILDA Streaming over LAN (ILDA Transceiver feature)
  • Compatible to various laser control software, like Showeditor or Showcontroller

 

Hardware features of the internal ShowNET board: 

  • X/Y scanner outputs with 12 bit resolution (4096 different positions on each axis)
  • Color outputs with 8 bit resolution (256 different intensity values per color channel): red, green, blue, intensity linked to green
  • MicroSD card for ILDA file playback (ILDA format code 4/5 RGB)
  • DMX512 input and output (non-isolated)
  • 100 Mbit Ethernet port
  • Flexible IP address setting: static address, DHCP or AutoIP
  • Maximum scan speed ~100.000 points per second
  • Up to 16 devices can be used in parallel for multiprojector laser shows
  • Built-in ArtNet-to-DMX converter

 

The technical features of the ShowNET interface also significantly depend on the firmware: The latest firmware releases bring many new features to the ShowNET interfaces, like different DMX profiles (depending on the type of use) with new features like safety zones, color balancing or RGB color picker support over DMX/ArtNET.




1. Use ShowNET for ArtNET laser control

ShowNET can easily be used with ArtNET for convenient laser control via conventional lighting desks or lighting software.
Custom ILDA files can be stored to the ShowNET's internal SD card and can then be triggered via ArtNET. Even though the ShowNET already comes with a preset of Frames and animations, it is possible to completely customize all these contents. This is comparable to using "Gobos", like in conventional lighting, but these "Gobos" in lasers can not only be static, but be animated, colorful and easily customizable.
ShowNET comes with a free software that allows for creation of custom content, which then can be loaded to the ShowNET's SD card.

ShowNET has an integrated ArtNET node, so lasers with integrated ShowNET as mainboard can simply be connected via LAN cable. Wiring and handling is similar to the use of ArtNET with conventional intelligent lighting, like moving lights.
As standard, ShowNET is set to DMX-operation. To switch it to ArtNET mode, use the ShowNET Admin Tool and change the settings (see manual for instructions). 

You can use any lighting desk for ArtNET controlling the ShowNET, as long as it supports ArtNET - it can be a Grand MA, Avolites desk, any other lighting desk or control software.

Feature ShowNET ArtNET control chart

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2. Use ShowNET for DMX laser control

ShowNET can easily be used with DMX512 for convenient laser control via conventional lighting desks or lighting software.
Custom ILDA files can be stored to the ShowNET's internal SD card and can then be triggered via DMX. Even though the ShowNET already comes with a preset of frames and animations, it is possible to completely customize all these contents. This is comparable to using "Gobos", like in conventional lighting, but these "Gobos" in lasers can not only be static, but be animated, colorful and easily customizable.
ShowNET comes with a free software that allows for creation of custom content, which then can be loaded to the ShowNET's SD card. 

Devices with integrated ShowNET as mainboard usually have DMX connectors. External ShowNET interfaces may require an additional DMX adapter to get the DMX signal in and out of the ILDA line. ShowNET PRO interfaces have DMX connectors as standard. Wiring and handling is the same as with other DMX devices.
As standard, ShowNET is set to DMX-operation (see manual for instructions). 

You can use any lighting desk for DMX controlling the ShowNET, as long as it supports DMX - it can be a Grand MA, Avolites desk, any other lighting desk or control software.

Feature ShowNET DMX control chart

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3. Use ShowNET for Stand-Alone laser operation

ShowNET comes with two different modes for stand-alone operation:
The Automatic-/Stand-alone mode just plays the ILDA files on the SD card. It loops through the whole set of files. With activating an additional Dip switch it is possible to only have one single file play back. The files can be selected individually - see the ShowNET user manual for details.
The Demo mode not only just plays the files on the SD card and loops through the whole set, it also applies automatic effects to these files. This makes the whole display more vivid. It is especially designed for the use by mobile DJs, entertainers or in smaller nightclubs. 

The stand-alone operation in automatic mode is especially suitable for logo projections, advertisement, architecture projectione, etc., where unattended, automated laser display is required.

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4. Use ShowNET for Sound-to-Light / music triggered laser operation

ShowNET can also run in Sound-to-Light mode. This, however, only applies to integrated ShowNET boards that have the additional Sound-to-Light board attached. External ShowNET devices and those without the Sound-to-Light board do not have this feature.
In Sound-to-Light mode ShowNET plays back the ILDA files on the SD card based on the beat of the music. It also applies animation effects to these frames, to make them look more dynamic. The devices with Sound-to-Light board have a trim pot for adjusting the microphone sensitivity.

Feature ShowNET Sound to Light control chart

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5. Use ShowNET as DAC / laser interface for direct software laser control via Showcontroller

ShowNET can act as direct output DAC for the professional laser show control software SHOWCONTROLLER as well: Simply connect the lasers and the computer with a standard Network / Ethernet infrastructure and use Showcontroller with the ShowNET as DAC. Showcontroller license dongles can be obtained from your preferred AVL retailer.
Find more details on the Showcontroller software and how easy it is to use on the website https://www.showcontroller.com

You can download the Demo Version of the Showcontroller software here:  https://www.showcontroller.com/en/downloads/showcontroller-software

Feature ShowNET Software Showcontroller control chart

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6. Use ShowNET as DAC / laser interface for direct software laser control via Showeditor

ShowNET interfaces come with a full software license for Showeditor. To use the Showeditor software with any ShowNET device (internal or external), download the software from https://www.showeditor.com and follow the instructions.
Showeditor is a versatile laser control software, that already comes woith 250 free laser shows. It has a timeline-programming part as well as a live laser show user interface. 

You can use Showeditor to create custom ILDA files for the use with the SD card of the ShowNET. 

Easily create own logos, texts, graphics or animations with Showeditor and save them as ILDA (*.ild) file in the appropriate ILDA standard 5 file format.

Feature ShowNET Software Showeditor control chart

Showeditor uses a normal Ethernet / LAN infrastructure, so it can easily be used with any ShowNET device. Learn more about the features of Showeditor here: https://www.showeditor.com/en

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7. Use ShowNET for ILDA Streaming

ILDA Streaming is the real-time signal transmission of an ILDA signal via a combination of sender and receiver over network (LAN).
It is possible to use the ShowNET interfaces as senders or receivers for ILDA Streaming. Whereas the external ShowNET devices can act both as sender and receiver, the internal ShowNET boards focus on the receiver functionality.

This is how ILDA Streaming works:

The ILDA signal comes from a random DAC (e.g. FB3, Phoenix USB, etc.) and is feeded with a short ILDA cable to the sender. The sender transforms the signal to a digital network protocol and streams it to the network. The receiver gets the signal that was specified for it and transforms it back to the analog ILDA signal.
The advantage is, that the possible transmission distances of network signals is very long and network cables are easily available all over the world. ILDA cables are rather limited in their maximum possible length, so the physical limits are quickly reached at large scale productions. ILDA streaming is a good and stable option to easily extend the signal transmission distances. This method has been explicitly developed for show laser light applications, so it is superior to USB->LAN converters if it comes to laser applications.

Feature ShowNET ILDA Streaming chart

ILDA Streaming with systems with more than 3 color channels:

If an ILDA signal with more than three color channels is to be transmitted (which is only the case with top professional laser systems, usually with OPSL sources), both sender and receiver need to be capable of handling a six color channel signal.

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8. Use ShowNET for Master-Slave laser operation

ShowNET - external and internal - can be used for controlling laser systems in master-slave operation. This means, that one ShowNET acts as "master" and the others as "slaves" They are linked with standard DMX cables.
The master ShowNETsends the control signal and thus triggers the slave ShowNET to do the same. All ShowNETs in a master-slave chain should have the same ILDA files on their SD cards, otherwise the result would be different.
The master-slave operation principle is, that the master ShowNET sends out DMX control signals and the slave ShowNETs act according to these signals. These signals are just trigger signals, so no intelligence is transmitted - this already resides in the slave ShowNETs.
Master-slave operation is possible in Sound-to-Light mode or Demo-Mode (see ShowNET manual). Only the master ShowNET is relevant, the Slaves just act to the trigger of the master.

Feature ShowNET Master Slave control chart

Green laser diodes
Up to now, all white light laser projectors (RGB) have been equipped with DPSS laser modules (Diode Pumped Solid State), these laser sources are based on the “NLO” conversion (non-linear-optic) of an infrared laser diode through two specific laser crystals. Infrared (808nm) is converted to 1064nm by the first crystal; the second crystal doubles the frequency and thereby cuts the wavelength in half (Frequency doubling) therefore 532nm Green is generated.

The conversion is not that easy and depends on pump diodes and laser crystals which are heated or cooled. Efficiency and performance of a DPSS module highly depends on temperature, which also affects the beam quality.

Differences between DPSS laser sources and laser diodes


A disadvantage of DPSS laser sources are their sensitivity and the modulation behavior (due to the assembly of the crystal). There are high-end DPSS laser sources, which allow a very good beam profile and modulation thanks to several temperature control loops and perfect optics. This however is not the case with many cheaper DPSS laser sources; the internal temperature of the DPSS module influences the beam profile and modulation behavior resulting in bad beam profiles and power drops in modulation.

The DPSS laser sources do have some advantages which are low price, compact and can have high output power. Another advantage up until now is that there were no alternatives to Green DPSS laser sources (apart from Coherent OPSL laser sources, which are not suitable for smaller projectors and lower cost options).

A couple of years ago there had been a similar revolution with the change from blue DPSS laser sources to blue Diodes. The former blue DPSS laser sources had another disadvantage: their efficiency was only half as good as the efficiency of green DPSS laser sources.

Advantages of Blue laser diodes:

-    Laser Diodes are much smaller and more compact than a DPSS module - a diameter of 5 to 9mm for a blue laser diode, which has an output power of approximately 1W compared to a blue DPSS module with an output power of 0.5W at a wavelength of 473nm, measures 155 x 77 x 60mm! Last but not least, the corresponding PSU (also known as a driver) measures 238 x 146 x 94mm!

-    Laser diodes don’t require such a complex stabilisation of temperature compared to the DPSS crystals, DPSS laser sources need to be cooled or slightly heated (if the projector is too cold). Inside DPSS laser sources up to three temperature control circuits apply: the first one for the pump diode (the variation of the normal operating temperature negatively influences the wavelength), the second one stabilises the laser crystal (mainly Nd:YAG) and the third one stabilizes the “doubler” (KTP or LBO, depending on the construction). If one of these temperature loops isn’t correctly adjusted, it results in deviations, flickering and power drops.

-    Laser Diodes have no movable parts, such as the output mirrors in a DPSS module. The structure of the laser diode (construction as a semiconductor) also acts as the laser cavity. This is why they can’t be disassembled as DPSS laser sources. Vibrations and hard shocks often lead to drops in output power and in worst cases to a complete blackout of the laser source which results re-adjustments being required.

-    Laser diodes are easier to modulate than DPSS laser sources, as the laser diode current is lower than on a DPSS source. Due to their build-up, Laser diodes are much more efficient than DPSS laser sources and therefore produce less heat waste and simultaneously less power consumption.

-    There is one disadvantage of Laser diodes: the low power output. Currently, laser diodes are limited to an output power of 120mW to 1.5W, depending on the wavelength. This leads us to ask: “How to get more power?”

-    By simply coupling laser diodes it is possible to achieve more power, which on the other hand is limited by the beam profile of the single diodes as you can’t stack as many diodes as you wish (diameter and Divergence; FAQ: Knife Edge)
Similar to the arrival of the Blue laser diode, the development of the green laser diode changed the laser market. Many laser projectors have been re-built and even re-designed at Laserworld, to maximize and use their full potential.

What advantages does the pure diode projector have in comparison to the “Diode-DPSS” projector?


Due to the extremely compact laser diodes, it is possible to have high power in extremely small housings, the best example: our PM-3800RGB Pure Diode. Even better – the new RTI ATTO RGB 2.5.

-    Divergence is another important aspect of the show laser industry, the lower the divergence the sharper the laser beam will be. Low Divergence is essential for high quality graphic projections, through sharp and accurate projection lines.

-    Power consumption and heat generation can also be drastically reduced, thanks to the diode technology – on Pure Micro projectors the power consumption has been divided by half.

-    Modulation-behavior: This aspect is the most important one for laser show programmers and designers. Thanks to linear modulation, the starting colours can easily be adjusted; flickering and power fluctuations belong in the past.

-    The semiconductor technology also increases the life span of a laser source, as there are no movable parts integrated. The problem of the cold-sensitivity does not apply, because there are no laser crystals used in the construction (Nd:YAG/KTP): Laser Diodes can be used also with lower temperatures – this is not the case with the temperature dependent DPSS laser sources:

  • Wavelength of the pump diodes drifts with temperature -> if the DPSS module is too cold, the pump diode only outputs 804-802nm, not the full 808nm.

 

  • The Nd:YAG crystal (Neodym Yattrium Aluminium Granated) reaches its full efficiency at 808nm pump wavelength. If this changes, the efficiency collapses which results in much less power at 1064nm.

 

  • The temperature of the frequency doubled crystal needs to be stabilised, because otherwise its efficiency collapses.


The past developments within the show laser industry have shown that semiconductor technology has become an important integral part.



Glossary:

NLO:        non-linear optics
Knife Edge:     technology to couple many laser diodes to one bundled beam
Divergence:    “Broadening” of the laser beam
DPSS:     Diode Pumped Solid State
Nd:YAG:  Neodym Yattrium Aluminium granated: turns 808nm -> 1064nm
KTP:        Frequency Doubling Crystal. Turns 1064nm -> 532nm (Green)
OPSL:     Optically Pumped Semiconductor Laser
Half angle divergence explained
Laserworld always specifies their show laser products with full angle divergence values. We do so as we know that only the whole beam is relevant - not parts of it.
The difference between Half Angle Divergence and Full Angle Divergence is:
Half Angle Divergence: Only respects the brightest inner part of the beam. It does not respect the blur around. In fact, the value given at "half angle" is half of the full angle value.
Full Angle Divergence: Specifies the beam including the blur around it. This is the standard specification, and Laserworld respects that.

However, some companies specify their products with Half Angle Divergence without mentioning it. We therefore kindly ask you to only compare similar values.

Please see the chart showing the differences between half and full angle:



divergence laserworld

 
Advantages of RTI laser modules
Comparing a well-shaped, well divergent RTI vs. a competing diode array module

(see our explanation of good and bad diode array modules here!)


Below are two units that are to be compared:

The left unit
is a competing product with 34W RGB and CT-6215 scanners. It uses diode array solutions for red and blue color and a green OPSL.

The right unit
is a RTI NANO RGB system (up to 30W) with only OPSL sources and CT-6210HP SE scanners. 


shootout small


When initially projecting a test picture (testing distance: 12m), some deviances are visible:

Red laser source:
The red laser source of the competing product seems to be bigger and has a not-so-nice blur.
When looking at the NANO system, this problem is not visible: The results with RTI diode modules is very good (see below)
You can already see some scanner issues of the competing product on this picture, but this is discussed further below.


rgb-testpicture-closeup small
IMGP5164 <-- NANO System with RTI red and blue
IMGP5166 <-- Sharp and precise red beam at same size as all other colors: RTI diode array module


As it can be seen at the competing product, the red diode module seems to be fatter than the green source. So let's see the front window of the competing diode array module:
fat-red small
It's obvious that the array outlet window shows three layers of diodes that are combined by knife edge combination. If compared to the size of the screws around the outlet window it becomes clear that the general beam size is quite large. This is also due to the fact that there is a lot of space between the single diodes - it can even be seen very clearly. By the way: The combination in RTI diode modules works differently and thus achieves much closer rays of the single diodes.

See details on diode array modules here - and why RTI diode array modules look much more precise than this one .

Here we have a look at the RTI Diode Array Module results:
IMGP5158

Extremely precise and very narrow aligned, they fit on the very small mirrors.






So let's have a look at the red-only test picture:

red-testpicture-closeup small

Projection size is rather small for 12m distance, but the text/numbers can still be read in the NANO projection, whereas the competing product shows more of a general blur.





This is the result with the RTI red diode array module:

red testpicture2 swisslas
Very precise and accurate

What does it mean if the beam is as blurry as the one in the competing unit?

The testing is done on a 12m projection distance. If the distance is increased - for such strong units it is normally 100m and more - it is obvious what happens to the beam: It widens up even more and thus looses power much quicker than if the beam was more accurate. This results in less power at the projection area.

Please check our calculator to compare different beam specifications: >> Divergence calculator >>
 
Does this also apply for the second diode module in the system, the blue one?
blue-beamsize small
Picture 1

It is slightly different, as not so many single diodes need to be combined, but it's similar:




Picture 1 shows the dichroic filter that deflects the blue diode source to the scanner block of the competing laser system.


See details on diode array modules here - and why RTI diode array modules look much more precise than this one .
By the way: Can you imagine how large the scanner mirrors need to be to handle such fat beams?

See picture 2:

The beam is even bigger than the scanner mirrors so quite some power gets lost at the scanning optics.


See details on diode array modules here - and why RTI diode array modules look much more precise than this one .
red-not-on-scanner small
                                                                                                                     Picture 2

How does this affect the scanning quality?

Scanners - CT-6215 vs CT-6210HP SE
Another quite obvious thing is, that the scanning results of the compared unit with the CT-6215 is much worse than the results of the NANO unit - even though the general technology of the CT-6215 is superior to the CT-6210.

Two factors mainly influence the scanning quality:
The scanner driver:
The difference is the driver used: Whereas the competing product relies on own, basic standard drivers, RTI uses special advanced driver solutions that were explicitly designed for the CT-6210HP SE.
The size and weight of the scanner mirrors:
The larger the scanner mirrors that are used, the higher the inertia. This heavily affects the actual scanner accuracy and the scan speed, as higher inertia delays the actual scanner movement. That's why RTI relies on small mirros - which they can use due to the great beam quality of the laser modules.



blue-testpicture-shootout small

This is how RTI solves the scanning with the very small CT-6210HP SE scanner mirrors in their NANO devices:

rti nano scanning small

See details on diode array modules here- and why RTI diode array modules are so precise.
Diode array modules - principle and differences

What is a diode array module?

There are different technologies used for creating laser light in showlaser industry. Common ones nowadays are

  • DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State Lasers), that use the resonator principle for creating laser light
  • The diode technology, which uses high performance semiconductor technology (LEDs) together with some optics
  • OPSL (Optically Pumped Semiconductor Laser), which more or less combines the resonator principle with semiconductor technology

Laser diodes are special amongst the other solutions, as they have special characteristics:
Whereas it is possible to create rather high powers of several Watts with one laser head of DPSS or OPSL, laser diodes are rather limited in power per single diode. To get higher powers, several diodes need to be combined.
Another limitation is the light color created with diodes: The colors of a laser depend on the active laser material, in the case of a diode laser this is the semiconductor. That's why only red (ca. 637nm) and blue (445nm) are common colors for diode lasers at the moment, as the semiconductors used for those colors are stable and can be produced at reasonable price quality ratio. Diode laser sources in green color have been developed by OSRAM at a wavelength of 515nm in 2013.

As mentioned above, the power per single diode laser source is limited. Those are the limits at the moment:

  • red 637nm: max. ca. 170mW per single diode (single mode)
  • blue 445nm: max. ca. 1500mW per single diode
  • green 515nm: max ca. 150mW per single diode

To generate higher powers it is necessary to combine those low powered diodes to a module with higher powers.


Two principles are used for doing that:

Combination over polarization cube

A polarization cube is used for combining two diode modules of different polarization. Every diode can have be used in two different polarizations (let's call the A and B). With the polarization cube it is possible to combine one diode with polarization A with one diode polarization B.

polarization-cube-combination - schematics

It is not possible to combine one A with two B or similar. It is also not possible to combine an already combined beam with another one (AB with A) with the polarization cube principle.
The advantage of the polarization cube combination is, that two diodes are combined to be one point after the combination.

If more than two diodes need to be combined, the common solution is the ...


Combination by Knife Edge Combination

The principle of Knife Edge Combination combines several laser diodes by laying the very beams very close to each other with the use of small mirrors. This of course leads to physically not having one beam coming out of the module, but several small beams very close to each other. Human eye receives that as one beam.

knife-edge-combination - schematics

Usually the Knife Edge Combination is done in two layers, one layer with polarization A and the other one with polarization B, so after having combined the very layer by Knife Edge Combination, the two layers can be combined over a polarization cube. This has the advantage that the number of single dots generated through the knife edge combination can be reduced by half - this is a huge advantage für visibility and beam quality.


Quality differences of diode array modules

Depending on the materials used and the precision in manufacturing, there are huge differences between the diode array modules available in the market.
RTI (Ray Technologies) ins an expert ihn high end high precision manufacturing of laser diode array modules. The very precise alignment of the single diodes and the resulting very small laser beam with great beam specifications result from

  • extremely precise aluminim milling
  • the right choice of materials (temperature stability is extremely important)
  • the use of advanced electronics components developed and Made in Germany
  • the use of professional TEC modules that are adapted to every single module to provide optimal performance
  • fine-adjustable Knife Edge Combination mirrors
  • the use of optical components with very low loss
  • an advanced thermal management

 

Why is it so important to have the laser beam as precise as possible?

It's obvious: The thinner and more precise the beam, the longer it reaches, as it doesn't lose so much power on the way.
But there are several other cases why it is so important to get quality diode array modules: If a larger beam (consitsion of several single-diode beams) needs to be handled together with a scanning system,  it is very important to be able to use small scanner mirrors, because inertia increases dramatically with the size of the mirrors. And obviously this leads to dramatically reduced scan speed and scanning accuracy.
RTI diode modules have an extremely precise beam and can even be used with the very small CT-6210 scanner mirrors - a huge advantage for scanning quality.


knife-edge-combination - beam profile



Example of a non-precise Knife Edge Combination (bad):
It is even possible to count the single diodes on the front glass of the diode array module. There is a lot of space between the beams. Huge scanner mirrors are necessary to handle the fat beam, which results in reduced scan speed, especially if it comes to larger scan angles.
fat-red smallred-not-on-scanner small






Very good solution: RTI Diode Array Modules
One single point, single diodes cannot be counted. All colors match in one point without any blur.
Please see the small mirrors that can be used! Higher scan speeds and large scan angles are possible due to the reduced inertia of the mirrors:

rti nano scanning small

See our high precision products with RTI diode Array Modules:

Laser divergence calculator
The beam divergence describes the widening of the beam over the distance. It is defined in milli-radiant (mrad), which usually describes a part of the circumcircle.

Generally spoken, it is best to have a divergence as small as possible.

The beam divergence is in direct relation to the beam size at aperture: By increasing the beam size at the aperture it is possible to reduce the divergence - and vice versa. This is possible to a certain extent, depending on the technology.

To see the importance of the beam divergence, please make some example calculations with our divergence calculator - you can clearly see the importance if the distance is increased:

Please fill in all values, at least for Laser 1


Distance [m]:


Laser 1:
Laser 2:
Power [mW]:
Power [mW]:
Divergence [mrad]:
Divergence [mrad]:
Diameter at aperture [mm]:
Diameter at aperture [mm]:

Thousands separator: ,
Decimal separator: .

Value definition:Laser 1:Laser 2:
Beam diametre after m: mm mm
Area of laser point after m: mm2 mm2
Laser intensity after m: mW/mm2 mW/mm2


More information on divergence

Buy Show Laser Light Systems

Laserworld is a world leader in the field of manufacturing and distribution of show laser light systems. The product portfolio ranges from small, entry level laser light systems (effect lasers, club lasers, party lasers) up to high end professional lasers. Every product and product series targets a certain customer group, so the laser systems in the Laserworld product portfolio complement each other, which results in heterogeneous customer groups: musical equipment retail stores, music stores as well as nightclubs, amusement parks, rental and production companies are just a small extract of them.
Laserworld runs an online store for show laser light systems on sale. It is possible to buy laser light systems directly there or purchase them at one of our countless distribution partners. Commercial customers are encouraged to register as dealer.

Rent Laser Systems

It does not always make sense to buy, but to rent laser show systems. Laserworld holds a large stock of laser systems for rent.. The rental laser systems are available for worldwide shipping and can also be rented together with professional laser operators. We only rent out high professional laser show equipment, mainly built by RTI. So products of the PIKO, NANO and NEO Series are available. And of course we offer Showcontroller, Pangolin and Lasergraph DSP laser show control systems for rent as well.
Laserworld holds larger stock of RGB white light laser systems with 10W and more. The online rental price list helps in selecting the right laser for rental and helps to calculate the rental price. It is also possible to select laser accessories for rent, such as haze machines, smoke machines or MIDI controllers.

Laser Show Production

Long year experience of show partners and many references from past laser show and multimedia show projects where lasers manufactured by the Laserworld Group came into action, make us the right partner for any type of laser show production or laser show project. No matter if it’s a fixed installation of laser systems or multi-media projections, or if it’s a temporary show: Our experts help in laser show planning, design, on-site implementation and laser show production. We offer turn-key multimedia show solutions as well as Laser Show productions in part or embedded to other show productions, like it happens at big stage shows, festivals or concerts. Time-coded, pre-synchronized shows can be done as well as live laser shows: We have experts for both types, they can handle even extremely complex synchronization scenarios.
It is also possible to do small-scale laser shows for little money: Just tell us about your plans for your laser show and we help you in specifying a show that meets the show budget.

Laser Show References

Many references of laser shows and multi-media shows where laser systems manufactured by the Laserworld group came into action accumulated over the past years, so we documented them in pictures and videos in our portfolio section. Of course, these references only show a small part of the laser shows and multi-media shows our partners have done throughout the years, as many of our customers did not want us to show their project in our references – mainly as these were commercial laser applications or corporate laser shows, which were not meant to be publicly shown. Nevertheless we prepared a good number of references, and we keep on adding more.
The partners of the Laserworld Group did laser shows and multi-media projects at many different occasions and for many different applications. Most common places laser shows are displayed at nightclubs, festivals, amusement parks and at corporate shows. Also many famous artists and musicians rely on laser show and multimedia support for their stage shows. Besides that, lasers were used at weddings, for product presentations or for architecture and mapping.

Distributed brands:

Distributed Brand LaserworldDistributed Brand tarmdistributed brand Ray Technologies
Distributed Brand Laserworld ShoweditorDistributed Brand ShowcontrollerDistributed Brand PangolinDistributed Brand coherent