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The beam angle is wrong, you are having to angle the laser to centre it on the mirror, this gives an alignment error which is proportional to the distance moved from the point where it is centred.
Rather than thinking of getting the laser pointing at a target think getting the laser running parallel to the movement of the target, it should be relatively simple geometry to work out,
- Nick
what I don't understand is, what are you trying to align the beam coming out of the tube with?also don't use any form of plastic printed mirror mounts, you may as well make them from bluetac
You align it with the travel of the X and Y axes.
Provided the operating temperature adjacent to printed mounts is within limits they should be OK, what's wrong with ABS mounts?Quote:
Originally Posted by andy_con
cos they aren't stable, ask anyone who works with lasers.Quote:
Originally Posted by magicniner
...and cheap Chinese mirror supports are? :hysterical:
I think it's a case of "horses for courses", you wouldn't use plastic mounts in most laboratory experiments or in most applications in industry but you'd likely have access to a machine shop and/or an enviable project budget ;-)
It's very easy to be sniffy about things that actually work but are to a lower engineering standard than you'd like if you've never had to work without the financial and technical means you are used to.
Why not make a set of mounts in good old fashioned Meccano?
Now there's a serious engineering material ;-)
- Nick