QM32 pinouts

  QuadMod32 board
   
  

  QM32 board -- click for an enlarged view.

  LASERSHOW DESIGNER
  Using multimedia in Showtime 2000
  Combining two shows into one
  Running two projectors from one board
  Pinouts and info for Pangolin boards:
       • QM2000 (new, PCI bus)
 
  GENERAL INFO
  Scan angle tables
  About the ILDA Test Pattern
  About DMX512 (lighting control)
  Making 3D, floating images
  Laser Show Resource Guide
 
  TROUBLESHOOTING
  Troubleshooting LD and LD2000
  Troubleshooting DMX
  Returning hardware to Pangolin

The QM32 board has one 50-pin male IDC connector. This connects to a ribbon cable adapter which is included with your LD system. The adapter cable has a 50-pin connector at one end, and two DB-25 connectors at the other. Your equipment will plug into one or both of the DB-25 connectors.

DB-25 connectors

The "D"-shaped DB-25 connector is very common. For example, the parallel port on most computers uses a DB-25F female connector. Because DB-25 connectors, cables and switch boxes are so common, Pangolin chose to use these for the QM32. You can buy these parts at computer and electronics stores, including Radio Shack.
        Pangolin's ribbon cable adapter has a DB-25F female (sockets) and a DB-25M male (pins sticking out). The DB-25F is for the laser projector -- it carries the X, Y, Z and color signals. The DB-25M is for input/output devices -- it carries TTL level signals that can switch various devices on or off.

DB-25F (laser projector) pinouts

The chart below lists pins for the DB-25F female connector on the QM32 ribbon cable adapter. You will need to make an adapter cable to go from these pins to your scanner amp and your color control device.
        If you have Cambridge amps and/or a NEOS PCAOM color crystal, click here to go directly to the quick setup for a Cambridge/NEOS system.
        The most important lines are shown in blue.

     
DB25-M (TTL output) pinouts

These 16 lines are for working with external devices. They are TTL level: either off (nominally 0 volts) or on (nominally 5 volts). Because of this, you cannot do cross-fades.
        The lines can be configured deep inside LD as inputs or outputs. They are shown here as 16 outputs, the default usage in Showtime. In Showtime, actions called "Port" let you set or clear lines. You can either set/clear an individual line, or set/clear all lines in a port simultaneously.
        Although there are just 16 lines, you can decode these into more combinations. With an external circuit, you could differentiate 2¹⁶ or 65,536 different codes.
        The most important lines are shown in blue.
     
        IMPORTANT: These lines are sensitive to static and over-voltage. We strongly recommend you use an optoisolator circuit, such as the Holo-Spectra Tomcat. You should NOT connect the 16 lines directly to control other devices. If optoisolators are not used, you risk damaging the TTL output chips on the QM32. Pangolin can repair this but you will be charged for the repair. 

     
Color channels on the DB-25F

Lasershow Designer controls up to six color signals. Instead of simple three-color RGB output, you can use an additional three colors to extend the color range. This gives dark blues and violets that no RGB laser projector can match.
        Pangolin strongly recommends that your projector be wired to match these color channel assignments:

• Color channel 1: Any red lines (or the sole color in a single-color projector)

• Color channel 2: Any green lines

• Color channel 3: Primary (brightest) blue line such as the argon 488 nm line

• Color channel 4: Any yellow lines

• Color channel 5: Secondary (darker) blue lines such as the argon 476 nm line

• Color channel 6: Any violet lines

These colors have been selected for the most common light show laser lines. They assume that there will be one set of closely matched reds, one set of closely matched greens, a possible yellow, a number of blues, and one violet. For example, the green lines in an argon or mixed-gas laser are so similar that there is little point to controlling them separately. However, the blue lines in an argon or mixed-gas laser are very different, so you get better colors by controlling them separately.
        For any given projector, it really does not matter what color channels go to what laser line. However, if all Pangolin users wire their projectors according to the above plan, then it becomes much easier to connect to different projectors. This allows easy interchange between 3-color (RGB) and 6- or 8-color (PCAOM) projectors.
     Here are three of the most common color set-ups:

Single color

Use color channel 1 (pin 12). This provides a 0 to 5 volt analog signal where 0 is off (blanked) and 5 volts is full on. All other color channel pins are not connected.

Channel	"Color"	DB-25F pin
C1	Intensity level	12

3-channel RGB color

Use color channels 1-3 (pins 12-10) as shown. These provide 0 to 5 volt analog signals where 0 means no red (or green, or blue) and 5 volts means full red (or green, or blue).

Channel	"Color"	DB-25F pin
C1	Red	12
C2	Green	11
C3	Blue	10

6- or 8-channel PCAOM color

Use all six color channels as shown. The first three color channels are red, green and the strongest blue (cyan). With this arrangement, you can easily connect to any 3-channel (RGB) projector that follows Pangolin wiring recommendations.

Channel	"Color"	DB-25F pin
C1	Any reds (e.g., 676, 647, 633 nm)	12
C2	Any greens (e.g., 514 and 496 nm)	11
C3	Primary blue (e.g., 488 nm)	10
C4	Yellow (e.g., 568 nm)	20
C5	Blue #2 (e.g., 476 nm)	19
C6	Violet (e.g., 458 nm)	18

     
Quick setup for Cambridge scanners and NEOS PCAOM

This chart shows how to connect the QM32 DB-25F female connector to a system that uses Cambridge Technology 6800 scanner amps and a NEOS Technology PCAOM color device.
        The chart assumes you are not using special features such as stereo 3D or Beam Brush, or Showtime's auxiliary signal. It also assumes the NEOS PCAOM is an 8-channel device with each NEOS channel set to the following colors:

        The wavelengths above are what Pangolin recommends, especially if you will use different laser inputs to the same projector. These are the eight most common wavelengths for mixed gas (argon/krypton) lasers.
        Setting up the NEOS channels in this way gives you the flexibility to connect to different lasers. For example, you may use a HeNe in the studio as a monitor, and a mixed gas in the field for shows. Or, you may use a laser with no yellow at one show, and another laser that has yellow on a different show.
        Of course, you need to set up a palette in Lasershow Designer each time you use a different laser. That's because even two lasers with the same wavelengths may have a different color balance -- one might be stronger in red, the other stronger in green. Thus, by setting up a palette you can set the best color balance for each laser. See the LD for Windows Help file for more information on palettes.
   

NC = No connection