Edinburgh Hacklab visit for new followspot mount prototyping.

[@brucemcpherson8832]

Clive, Was at the Tattoo last night and really enjoyed the show. The performers, the lighting and sound were all terrific. Great job by you and your fellow techies Thanks again

[@daledickey8400]

I was waiting for Clive to break something down to bits and draw a schematic. So many gagets so little time. Loved the video none the less.

[@NivagSwerdna]

@2:10 The smell of Laser cut MDF is very special. Cut some pieces once and left them in my rucsac for a bit... A joy forever.

[@NivagSwerdna]

I have probably done worse

[@dsloop3907]

HE'S GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!

[@Alexander_l322]

Try cutting wood with an angle grinder!

[@draketungsten74]

Worth it for the party Dalek alone.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Fantastic work, Clive! I never knew they used holographic reflex sights for followspots. It's a perfect application. These sights are adapted from the firearms industry. "Holo" sights are very popular among competition pistol shooters.

[@SkuldChan42]

Those guys are very lucky to have you working for them :).

[@chrislee7392]

Can we have more from your work and the show?

[@Thomas-ob5fe]

Which stadium/arena were you mounting those follow-spots? The layout doesn't ring any bell....hmmm or is that something multipurpose?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's a temporary structure for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. In a few weeks it will be completely gone.

[@wimwiddershins]

Do not look into laser with remaining eye.

[@maicod]

people supporting BigClive through Patreon get early access through the Patreon page.

[@maicod]

you're welcome :)

[@owencrawford8416]

ununpentium 115 he uploads early for patreon

[@MalleusSemperVictor]

What? I can't see what you said.

[@HappyQuailsLC]

Wim Widdershins Remaining eye!!! The thing I like best about YT are the unanticipated laughs! :)

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

That talk of color changing via laser cutting reminded me of one of the first makers of titanium spectacles demonstrating the ability to customize the color in shop by varying a current/time sent through the frame to permanently change the surface colors.

[@xenonram]

John Francis Doe That's how knife makers color their Ti scales.

[@CTCTraining1]

Fascinating insight and love the hackspace concept. Have a great season!

[@vk3hau]

Sorry Clive, not going be able to make the meet up, had to return the rental car. The tattoo was a great show. Thank you.

[@SammysHP]

I always wondered how they are able aim the correct spot before turning on the light. And it's so simple… Thumbs up for the dedicated IRC monitor (#edinhacklab on freenode)!

[@isettech]

My simple solution was to mount a cheap video camera on the spot and mark the beam on the monitor at various zoom levels. Positioning does not require accurate head position to see the aim in the monitor. Originally built for moving heads on a truss where the operator is in the booth.

[@Elodea]

My first theater job was running a follow spot in the late 1960's. This is magical witchcraft!

[@shaunburns3332]

Thank you big Clive for letting me know there’s a hacker space in Edinburgh wish I wasn’t working or would’ve gone to meet up

[@vicmiller7191]

That was actually very fascinating, thanks for bringing us along...

[@MichaelMacGyver]

Yes a gun sight aiming down into a crowd from on high isn't kind of ominous.....

[@ExtraFungus]

Michael MacGyver to the wicked, all things are wicked.

[@operator8014]

I'm pretty sure that's an airsoft sight. About as ominous as them having the "ammo" for a squirt-gun.

[@knifekitty_ls]

not rly as this doesnt take place in US

[@ExtraFungus]

@@knifekitty_ls um, if you're in Europe, you'll be seeing more attacks, your countries have gone past the point of no return. If you have the means, you should be getting out before it hits the fan.

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

Well, this is not like the laser sights that put a dot on the target, so no one would actually notice. I have used similar sights for some of my firearms, but for long distance shooting, magnified optics (i.e. a scope) would be what you would want to use. For my old eyes though, an aperture site seems to work best in the non-magnified optics type of sights. Whether he is using a higher end reflex sight that is for firearms or a cheap $7 one that is for airsoft, given his type of use for it, even the airsoft one would work acceptably.

[@q12x]

that is awesome ! loved the laser cutter. Is a neat idea for you to explain the principle of that scope !!! in one of your future videos.

[@k1ngjulien_]

Is the whole unit still water proof? Did you add some o-rings around the outside?

[@twocvbloke]

Nice job there, it's amazing to think that you guys come up with all these ideas behind the scenes, all the while the crowd below is none-the-wiser... :D

[@xenonram]

twocvbloke it'll never work. They're not nearly rigid enough. Not even for a little router. You could maybe clamp a Dremel into it.

[@TheSoundmanPete]

Awesome shop ! Would love to have access to that here. Great video.

[@foxtrotkilomike]

What an amazing place to work for

[@nraynaud]

Funny, I used a "red dot" sight for an industrial application in the past too. Bought some cheap stuff from a paintball store on Amazon.

[@williamroden8495]

🌞 That's how far over my head this video went. Lol Fortunate that you still the "let's take this thing apart and have a look inside" videos that I can understand! Best of greeting to you.

[@antonykahil]

Interesting. I recently got the chance to play with both the ground control unit from PRG and robospot unit from Robe, both seem to just use the camera as the sight. The robospot unit that was configured like this particular bad boy didn’t have a sight at all (from what I can remember) and so it was hard to align the fixture to a point.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I saw this thing called an intelliplug that seems to be only UK market did you ever take one of those to bits. I thought the circuitry in that would be very interesting to see reverse engineered.

[@oscarmuffin4322]

CLIVEEEEE. I have a completely off-topic question. Where do I get un-armoured 16mm² three core cable. The only stuff I can find is the flat twin and earth and the armored round stuff. Armoured cable is a bit excessive to be running 5 meters from a breaker box to the kitchen.

[@shana_dmr]

Get flat twin and earth and mark ends of yellow-green with right colour insulation tape - at least that's the usual practice in Poland when you have to run cable with non-compliant colourings - insulation tape/sleeve has to be long enough so it's obvious even after shortening the wire a bit .

[@oscarmuffin4322]

I'm not looking to run flat cable though. Non- compliant colours isn't an issue, that's easily enough solved. I'm looking for the round 3 core stuff. I can only find it with steel armouring around the cable and apart from making it far to stiff for my needs it's also too expensive.

[@darkdelta]

Is the surface supporting the laser cutter work sacrificial?

[@userPrehistoricman]

No. It's a metal honeycomb that does get a bit abused but will last a long time anyway.

[@xenonram]

Dark Delta it depends on your definition of sacrificial.

[@oldmanhuppiedos]

Beautiful LASER cutter, you can not go wrong like with a saw. Then you get a big finger. But a wonderful playground for neurds.

[@BurpleRX7]

I would have killed for one of them on my old spot days with my “spot dot” gaffa taped to a gladiator and the tape melting half way through the show, usually the most critical point, cue much fumbling and ghosting a rafter in the roof to get back in line

[@BurpleRX7]

Oh and how are you guys getting on with the ground control system? I would have thought that would have been ideal at the castle

[@bigclivedotcom]

All our spots are in an easily accessible gantry position.

[@mxslick50]

+The RX7 Roadie Years ago I worked at Knott's Berry Farm in California, one of my shows was the fireworks show on Reflection Lake..had a Xenon Super Trooper with the hideous Kniesley power supply (on which the power switch exploded with annoying regularity). This was on an 8x8 foot platform, 15 feet above a roof behind the facade facing the lake. Start of show was playing the spot over the crowd while "Hooray for Hollywood" played, then had to find and ghost on a mirror ball in a tree for the exit music. (Through the dense smoke from the finale.) On one show, the opening got interesting as the Trooper decided to try to roll off the edge of the platform....almost taking me with it. The boss radioed asking why I was shooting at the sky. Next day I took some 4x4 and framed in the base so it couldn't roll again (bad wheel locks caused the near miss.)

[@BenFreminis]

What type of sight is that? I've only ever seen telrads being used.

[@nigelwright1610]

Surprised you haven't folded the mount over at right angles so the optic mounts in the same plane as the spot. It could then be bolted through two of the brackets holes and be a bit more secure, as well as being in the correct orientation.

[@james42519]

why do you have a laser cutter? is there a 3d printer too?

[@alexmarshall4331]

boy..! do you get to mess with some amazing kit!!

[@anthonygunby1319]

Hi Clive awesome piece of kit. How much is one of those Laser Etchers?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Just about 2-3 grand now.

[@avejst]

Thanks for sharing 😀👍 Nice project 👍

[@kissingfrogs]

Interesting. What are followspot controllers. Do they track cameras or lights. Couldnt really see what it was bolted to. Finally thought of a question for colleagues. Does vertigo every pop up as an issue. Most days I am ok, and others

[@tin2001]

It's bolted to a big, manually moved spotlight. The controller is to adjust the intensity and such. The little sight is so the operator can see where it's aiming without having to guess (since, as Clive mentioned, they have 12 of them). Much fancier than the last followspot I operated... Which had mechanical focus and zoom knobs (that got hotter than the sun during operation) and a lever to open and close the iris to change the intensity. Aiming was done by looking across the top, and hoping it was mostly aligned. None of this Inspector Gadget stuff.

[@totherarf]

So you want to know if Virtigo goes? .... I'll get me coat ;0)

[@morph-]

Mmm mmm love a bit of cad design in the morning

[@VjMavdog]

Makes me miss being a tattoo steward seeing that view of the stands.

[@tonysansom]

5:30 "I know! Let's put the camera inside the laser cutter..." Nice 'cut'!

[@RDJim]

lots of parallax error with that sight?

[@anlumo1]

Very nice! Just keep in mind that acrylic is extremely brittle, I've had laser cut sheets like this break in two from the mere touch of a screwdriver, so be careful with handling it!

[@imajeenyus42]

Ditto - I'd have used some Delrin here. Laser cuts nicely, and very impact-resistant.

[@Will24Edin]

Double up the thickness of the bracket above the box and it should be fine. Couple of pound land nuts and bolts will do nicely for fixing the doubler plate on

[@MalleusSemperVictor]

anlumo1 I wonder if glass filled PEEK would work.

[@imajeenyus42]

Uh....apart from the fact that glass-filled PEEK (e.g. Ketron GF30) is nearly 40x more expensive than delrin!

[@MalleusSemperVictor]

Lindsay Wilson But, will it last 40x as long?

[@zx8401ztv]

I bet you wanted one of those lazer cutting machines after seeing it work :-D

[@mortoopz]

Interesting use of 'red dot' style optics.... that would've never occurred to me.

[@etjason1]

Did you buy the spots from eBay or poundland.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Should have tested that the light goes where the sight points! It's a brand new prototype, might easily be off by half the spot diameter or worse.

[@glenngoodale1709]

Great job at explaining. keep up the good work man

[@magomat6756]

Cool that lab i wish there was one nearby where i live

[@ricklane9135]

Looks like a very cool day job:)

[@phonotical]

How will you adjust angle?

[@tobyaman7644]

Didn't ABBA once sing about a follow spot or did I imagine that?

[@bigclivedotcom]

They did. The Super Trooper by Strong.

[@brianjrichman]

I use one of those "red/green" dot sights on a pistol. $20 (US) on eBay. How much in the UK?

[@nigelwright1610]

Brian Richman About the same here in the UK

[@MalcolmReynolds14]

What concert were you setting up for ?

[@jamesrowe5431]

read the description

[@aries_9130]

I wouldv'e never guessed that you actually use a RDS for aiming spots, lol.

[@alexsorin9346]

Loving the Dr. Teeth shirt.

[@cleaner10399]

I would like to send you some pictures of a poorly mains powered usb charger. It has pathetic output and tends to cut out when anything is connected to it.

[@Mr.T4LLY-0]

Make a multibracket for all your various cameras for the home lab Clive?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I have a universal mounting system made from PCB laminate and also a 3D printed tripod mount optimised for the devices I use.

[@Mr.T4LLY-0]

I just thought whilst you were there. But nice kit all the same.

[@Alexander_l322]

I bet laser cut MDF smells similar to MDF cut with an angle grinder :)

[@dr666demento]

Now all that's needed is how to figure out how to hack that into a proper death ray ;)

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Cool video

[@tomsmadthings1865]

The laser on the right hand side that’s what I’ve got and I’ve used it to make part of what I’ve made for you

[@drteeth7054]

Very interesting video, especially seeing the skills of the people involved.

[@Nexfero]

I like the Dalek PARTY button

[@tiernanlmorgan]

It must seem a trifle odd to walk into a place and hear your own voice coming out of their control system.

[@maxximumb]

I'm guessing red dot laser sights aren't a good idea in this situation?

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Maxx B Especially considering the sponsoring organization uses those with live ammunition and presumably has a fully armed security detail just off camera, never to be mentioned by those with clearance to know for sure. Also some participants may have PTSD and/or heightened alertness from being at the wrong end of such weapons.

[@xenonram]

Red dot laser sights don't project a laser onto the target. You can only see the red dot when looking through the sight. It's projected onto the sight itself.) They work much the same as this holographic sight in this video.

[@perolozac01]

So I take it what comes next is the laser gets to Clive's workshop and we get to see what's inside.

[@ljmike1204]

Its a shame we cant see you at work playing with blinky lights

[@paulmartin42]

My local Hacklab is usually empty or closed

[@AlexLaw_Qld]

Such centres usually need more members, support and participation.

[@ThePrimaFacie]

Thumbs up for the finger reveal.

[@God-CDXX]

Will that laser cut a mirror

[@alliefdxproductionservices5856]

Unfortunately no - Our laser actually uses mirrors to direct the beam to the cutting head: if the laser was cutting through the mirrors then we'd have a problem indeed! As I understand it, the best way to cut flat mirrors is using a waterjet cutter, which is a lot messier but works very well. In order for the laser to cut a material, it needs to absorb the laser light. Ordinary glass is transparent to the wavelengths our laser uses, and ordinary silver mirrors reflect that light; if you put a mirror in our laser bed, there's actually a risk you'd reflect light back through the optical system and cause damage. For a similar reason, this kind of laser can't cut metal or stone. Instead, you want a fibre optic laser for that; fibre optic lasers can be a lot more powerful than mirror-based systems, and a lot more dangerous :D

[@inductorbackemf7204]

Thanks for the insight! Alex.

[@askjacob]

Huh? CO2 lasers can engrave glass no problem - Cutting is an issue due to micro fractures as it literally detonates away tiny amounts material... and acrylic mirrors are something I cut all the time. The beam steering mirrors MUST have a surface designed to reflect the correct wavelength otherwise it may as well be just another object to cut...

[@scwfan08]

That temperature in Kelvin 😂

[@Nexfero]

Its Scotland so it should be in Rankine

[@Pyromonkey360]

i got a notification after i watched this video

[@Xanthopteryx]

How do I get in contact with you? Email, chat etc.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Lmfao at the green dot site for a pistol

[@elitearbor]

Aren't holographic sights fun? Neat little project!

[@joinedupjon]

6:55 well who would want to risk offending visiting gay daleks?

[@trcostan]

Surprised that site isn’t contraband in the UK!

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Tyler Costantini *Military Tattoo*. Last years show included a mock-up demonstration of the F-35 fighter aircraft, and fireworks attached to actual cannons. A precision sight is nothing.

[@DJMishaGrin]

Nice

[@HappyQuailsLC]

May I request a recommendation from you of a professional for a paid online opinion involving outdoor camera optics? Is there somewhere I can send you a message privately? By online I simply mean that the opinion would be delivered this way.

[@PV2Omni]

Wait! You cannot own weapons, but can buy Picatinny railed, holographic sights?

[@Blackhawkso]

We can own rifles with the correct licencing. Plus most of the people who buy those sights here are airsoft players tbh.

[@alliefdxproductionservices5856]

Sights are useful for all kinds of things! They're used for follow spots, for one thing, as well as astronomy for telescope alignment, and... well, anything that requires pointing things in the right direction.

[@IanDarley]

Yes *general* handgun ownership (under license) was removed in 97 after a psycho went berserk and killed a bunch of people with......... with a rifle. Rifle ownership is still available (under license). Pistol ownership is still permitted for certain defined reasons (hunters for humane dispatch, personal protection for certain defined categories). Gun ownership was never a 'right' like in the US, it was always defined as a 'privilege' in the UK, so therefore trivial for the government to revoke at any time they choose.

[@imajeenyus42]

Not sure why you're referring to an incident with a rifle - handguns in the UK were banned as a result of the Dunblane school shooting in 1996, where the perpetrator carried four handguns, not a rifle.

[@IanDarley]

Sorry I wasn't trying to cause drama, this was a long time ago and I didn't google for info (I have now). The previous mass shooting was with a rifle at Hungerford. I guess the Dunblain incident was the final straw. I am a law abiding and level headed person that happened to enjoy pistol shooting, I owned a couple of pistols at the time and had my sport unceremoniously taken away by this.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

Not suitable for American television. I saw that naughty finger! 😂

[@hannahjackson5832]

BIG CLIVE. I have bought a METAL mini photography e27 lamp on Amazon, and it is not earthed (2 core flat flex cable), and there is NO DOUBLE INSULATION either! There are a ton of large (large enough for a childs finger!!) air circulation holes in the back and I can see BARE BROWN WIRE with no plastic on it as it enters the light fitting! Amazon were amazing and refunded me, but they haven't pulled it from sale. The seller is still claiming it is UK safe, despite another review stating it is dangerous. I'd hate somebody to get hurt. The plug has a protective earth symbol on it, but I can't see an earth wire anywhere! Hoping it isn't a fake symbol. My dad always joked he could remember which wire was live, because if you touch the live wire, you sh*t yourself, hence brown wire haha. Can I send you it, and you do a video on how unsafe it is please? Its a shame as I really love the lights, i'd love to see a video on how to fit an earth wire myself, however it has an inline switch and I have no idea what i'm doing haha. Guessing i'd need a new plug and 3 core flex?

[@shana_dmr]

Well, if the wire is brown, then it's not bare;) And in all fairness it's not that easy to get a Charlie in a chocolate factory 230V encounter - if air is dry, floor is dry, you're not barefooted, skin on your hand is intact and you aren't touching something conductive with other part of your body you could not even feel that you're touching a live wire. Most accidents working on live mains are due to accidentally closing the circuit to something grounded when working in hard to reach places or falling from the ladder because you shorted something;)

[@ColinJonesPonder]

6:28 - irssi ;)

[@maicod]

there is the parrrrrrtyyyyyy

[@djemergency512]

Every room needs party button...

[@maicod]

vince was teasing you by rocking about :)

[@CodeLeeCarter]

I'm thinking of turning an old 3D Printer into a CNC machine, Just have to save for the laser, first, so I can make it interchangeable heads.

[@PatrickOTreat]

Don’t let PRG know you are taking apart their rental gear.

[@bigclivedotcom]

We work for PRG.

[@PatrickOTreat]

Ah, you’re probably good to go then. Carry on.

[@zindi1138]

avoiding a second Bad Vilbel

[@ExtraFungus]

Tell those bums to use lightburn software with those ruida controlled lasers.

[@CrownJewelzMusicGroup]

Big Clive i need a decent battery bank to charge my fone.,do you kno of any decent cheap ones that will charge my fone 4 times? Dont trust the ones on ebay

[@DonaldSleightholme]

😯

[@redoverdrivetheunstoppable4637]

well.. let's see if i find a hacklab near my place... googlemapping in 3.. 2.. 1...... ok now i see the earth curvature

[@weesee7178]

Tweak the hole

[@Bodragon]

(6:23) - Haha! Hacklab can't spell buses.

[@BillyNoMates1974]

BigClive, could you pimp up a Burqa with flashing led lights ? maybe even a night rider moving led. ha ha

[@herrpez]

What are you aiming at here, buddy? DIY cylons?

[@BillyNoMates1974]

I just think there is an untapped market for fashion burqa's. maybe even add a head torch and a solar cell as well. love the DIY cylons. ha ha

[@userPrehistoricman]

Some people would find that highly objectionable! Pimp my oppression...

[@thehappylittlefoxakabenji8154]

anjelgiofu ha ha ha ha I was just thinking the same !

[@MarkTillotson]

Very cheap jossticks!