Stage lighting teardown
Anatomy of an RGB stage laser
A stage laser is a colour engine. Three diode banks are collimated, combined on dichroics, steered by a scanner and projected as a graphic; every loss between the diode and the output window is paid for in white-point budget. Pick a subsystem from the reference bill of materials and drop it on the cutaway to see the parameters and the catalogue parts behind it.
- 1Pick a part from the bill of materials.
- 2Drop it on the module, or just click the card.
- 3Read its job, its parameters and the part numbers behind them.
Bill of materials
Every part, one optical budget. Drag a card onto the photo, or click it - the panel beside it fills in with that part's parameters.
Drag a part here or click a card in the bill of materials
A teaching cutaway, not an assembly drawing. The laser banks are on the left, the combining dichroics at the centre, the scanner and projection optics on the right, and the driver and PSU below.
Component positions are a teaching diagram, not an assembly drawing: the placement and the exploded view are indicative. Parameter values are those of the linked specification.
Every part, parameter by parameter
The same numbers the interactive view shows, in tables you can read, search and quote.
450 nm blue laser Colour source
Sets the blue end of the colour gamut and the alignment reference for the first dichroic. In a white-light mix the blue channel usually carries the least visually efficient light, so its beam quality and stability matter more than its headline wattage.
| Wavelength range | 430 - 463 nm |
|---|---|
| Rated output | CW 5 - 5.5 W per emitter |
| Power offered on this line | 5 - 5.5 W collimated | 3 W fibre | 30 mW reference |
| Package | TO9 / LD bank (8 x LD + collimation) |
| Fibre delivery | 400 um multimode, SMA (3 W version) |
| Alignment source | 30 mW single-mode, FC/PC |
| Stage-fixture power class | Collimated emitter | fibre module |
520 nm green laser bank Colour source
Carries most of the perceived brightness, so a small loss here is a visible loss in the projected image. The combining dichroic passes or reflects the whole 510 - 532 nm band, and the emitter spread inside that band is what the white-point trim has to absorb.
| Wavelength range | 510 - 532 nm |
|---|---|
| Rated output | CW 1 - 1.5 W per emitter / 13.5 W bank |
| Operating mode | CW |
| Package | TO9 / TO90 / LD bank |
| Beam | Collimated; square or line spot after shaping |
| Operating case temperature | 0 to +60 |
| Qualified sources | 3 - Sharp, HiLaser, Nichia |
| Spread across sources | Peak wavelength 510 - 532 nm across sources; threshold 0.10 - 0.32 A; operating current 1.4 - 2.0 A at the rated output. |
638 nm red laser bank Colour source
Supplies the red primary and, in a white mix, the colour that is easiest to clip without the eye noticing. That makes it tempting to under-power; the better trade is usually a larger red emitter and a colder heatsink, because the combining edge and the scanner aperture are fixed by the other two lines anyway.
| Wavelength range | 632 - 644 nm |
|---|---|
| Rated output | CW 500 mW - 1 W |
| Operating mode | CW |
| Package | TO56 |
| Beam | Collimated; square or line spot after shaping |
| Operating case temperature | -10 to +40 |
| Qualified sources | 3 - Sharp, Mitsubishi Electric, HiLaser |
| Spread across sources | Peak wavelength 632 - 644 nm across sources; threshold 90 - 180 mA; operating current 660 - 1200 mA at the rated output. |
Fast-axis compression and collimation Beam shaping
Sets the beam height and divergence that every downstream optic sees. If the three channels leave this stage with different heights, the combiner can be aligned for one colour only; if their divergences differ, the spot grows at different rates across the scan field and the white point shifts with angle.
| Channels shaped here | 450 nm | 520 nm | 638 nm |
|---|---|
| Function | Fast-axis compression, collimation and pointing |
| Lens configuration | FAC + collimator, one set per colour Set by your design |
| Coating band | Visible broadband: to be specified Set by your design |
| Output divergence | To be measured after assembly Set by your design |
| Output beam size | To be measured after assembly Set by your design |
| Mounting | Adjustable kinematic mounts Set by your design |
RGB dichroic combiner Colour combining
Turns three separate colour budgets into one white-point budget. Every reflection and transmission loss here is wavelength-dependent, so a coating that is 2 % low at 638 nm changes the colour balance even when the red laser is still at full power.
| Combiner type | Dichroic mirror set on a common axis Set by your design |
|---|---|
| Channels combined | 450 nm | 520 nm | 638 nm |
| Coating edges | To be specified from measured source bands Set by your design |
| Transmission / reflection loss | To be measured per channel Set by your design |
| Clear aperture | To be specified with the beam size Set by your design |
| Alignment tolerance | To be specified with the scanner aperture Set by your design |
| Function | Combine three colours onto one axis |
Scanning galvo and output optics Beam steering
Defines the scan field, the spot size across that field and the maximum angular speed. A beam that fits the combiner but overfills the galvo mirror loses power at the edges of the scan and clips the graphic; a beam that is too small makes the spot diverge faster than the projection lens can correct.
| Scanner type | Two-axis galvanometer Set by your design |
|---|---|
| Scan angle | To be specified with the projection lens Set by your design |
| Scan speed | To be specified with the graphic and ILDA signal Set by your design |
| Input aperture | To be specified from the combined beam Set by your design |
| Mirror coating | Visible broadband: to be specified Set by your design |
| Output optics | Relay / expander and output window Set by your design |
| Safety shutter | Required by the final laser class Set by your design |
Laser driver and modulation board Drive electronics
Sets the operating point of every emitter. A driver that is stable at full power but noisy at 5 % will make the low end of the dimming curve look dirty; one without a hard current limit can destroy a laser during a scan fault. Protection is part of the colour performance, not a separate safety feature.
| Colour channels | 3: 450 nm | 520 nm | 638 nm |
|---|---|
| Modulation | Analog or PWM: to be specified Set by your design |
| Control interface | DMX / ILDA / custom: to be specified Set by your design |
| Current stability | To be measured over case temperature Set by your design |
| Protection | Over-current, over-temperature, interlock Set by your design |
| Blanking | To be specified with the scan speed Set by your design |
| Function | Drive, modulate and protect the three colour channels |
Power supply and thermal system Power and thermal
Holds the emitters at a stable case temperature. Wavelength drift and output power both move with temperature, and the three colours do not move equally; a thermal design that lets the red bank run hotter than the green will change the white point over a show even if every driver current is constant.
| Input power | To be specified from the fixture rating Set by your design |
|---|---|
| DC rails | Driver and scanner rails: to be specified Set by your design |
| Cooling | Heatsink with fan or ducted air Set by your design |
| Thermal control | TEC optional; case sensors required Set by your design |
| Operating temperature | To be specified for the complete fixture Set by your design |
| Acoustic noise | To be measured at the audience position Set by your design |
| Function | Supply, cool and hold the colour channels at their operating point |
Housing, vents and mounting yoke Mechanical
Turns the optical bench into a product. Vibration from the fan, flex in the yoke and thermal expansion of the case all reach the alignment; a housing that is stiff enough for shipping but transmits fan vibration to the galvo will show up as jitter in the projected graphic.
| Material and finish | Sheet metal: to be specified Set by your design |
|---|---|
| Output window | 450 - 660 nm AR coated: to be specified Set by your design |
| Aperture | To be specified from the maximum scan angle Set by your design |
| Mounting | U-shaped yoke with locking tilt Set by your design |
| Cooling path | Intake and exhaust separated from the beam Set by your design |
| Dimensions and weight | To be specified with the optical bench Set by your design |
| Ingress protection | To be specified and tested Set by your design |
Every parameter value on this page is pulled from the catalogue record that renders the linked product page, so the two cannot disagree.
Parts behind these parameters
Every figure below is read from the same catalogue record that renders the product page. Nothing on this page is retyped.
450 nm blue
The 450 nm line covers the blue channel end to end: a collimated 5 - 5.5 W emitter for the main path, a 3 W fibre-coupled module for remote delivery, and a 30 mW single-mode reference for alignment. This is the same blue used by RGB stage engines, not a blue-violet pointer wavelength.
520 nm green
Green is where the catalogue has a genuine stage-class part: the collimated 520 nm emitter at 1 - 1.5 W per emitter, or 13.5 W in a bank. The 50 mW single-mode module below it is the alignment source, not a substitute for the bank.
638 nm red
Red has the widest choice: a 0.5 - 1 W collimated TO56 for the stage output, and 70 or 100 mW single-mode modules for alignment. The collimated part is the one that belongs in a full-colour head; the fibre modules are references.
From three diodes to one white beam
The blue line is the 450 nm used by RGB stage engines: a collimated 5 - 5.5 W emitter for the main channel, a 3 W module with 400 um fibre for fibre delivery, and a 30 mW single-mode reference for alignment. The 520 nm group adds a collimated 1 - 1.5 W emitter (13.5 W in a bank) and a 50 mW fibre module; 638 nm covers 0.5 - 1 W collimated and 70 / 100 mW fibre-coupled parts. This is a colour engine, so the three channels are budgeted together rather than treated as interchangeable power classes.
Send the colour budget, not just a wavelength
Tell us the output power per colour, the white point, the scan angle and the aperture, and we will work back to the emitters, the combining edges and the thermal design the fixture needs.
