OK thank you all for your replies... I have been racking my brain for some sort of design that would not allow for dust to settle in dead zones. I am now considering water tank sort of solution but I don't like the idea of underwater fans and pumps etc. I'm not much of a theorist on kinetic dynamics so I'll just order some perspex and the laser and see what effects I can come up with. ( won't be long before you see some nice shots ) I'll get the parts in a few days time and i'll let you know how it goes Meanwhile here are more idea for a fanbased solution. Thx for the replies. esp chambochae who pointed out some air physics for me. Could anyone reccomend me a illuminable liquid which is about the same weight as water for my water design. REMEMBER it must be insoluable with the water otherwise I would end up with a boring foggy liquid rather than 2 seperate ones.
aren't those green laser pens visable? use one of those and still use the rapidly oscillating mirror to direct the lightinto the edge of the plexi but envelop every other edge of the plexi (apart from where the light enters) in foil or similar...alll sorts of weird crazy patterns n shizz *n
Only if you're looking towards the pointer and are within about a 30 degree cone of the beam in a dark room... and it's still not the kind of visible that you want/get from a bit of fog. Rob.
chalk dust? really really fine... not sure about it being insoluable but i would have thought so else the white cliffs of dover would have melted away by now right? Also easy to get hold of... buy some chalk... grind it up. /Edit. chalk just?, dont you mean Chalk Dust? -ZapWizard
Lian-li have bought out a fishtank window, with those plastic magnetic fish in it. u could get one and fill it full of mineral oil and dye - like those dripping things from gadget shop, put a pump and pipes in it and spray upwards to shine laser through from side. I was thinking ot doing this myself but using mirrors inside case and a motorised mirrorball made from an Xmas decoration, but changed main PC to SFF so it wouldnt fit.
hmm, wouldn't there be some problems with static electricity and the plexi? causing the dust (if you end up using dust...) to stick to the sides? my vote is on cloudy water :-\
is it possible for you to 'make' your particles like finely grounded up anything would work as long as its not too heavy, like sawdust, or aluminIum, or even plastic?
If it's made using glass then the particles won't stick to the sides, therefore I would suggest glass. Could it be easier to light it up with Ultra Bright LEDs? I personally would use a smoke generator. (freak out visitors, "Aaagh, it's on fire!!") But chalk is good too. Most particles will become finely diluted, and look solid. (Smoke, fog, dust, Ect.)
leds would be easier, but he wants the laser effect u get in discos and stuff. the light has to be in phase so it doesnt spread out like the light from an led. That way it cuts through the fog/mist and highlights just that plane it goes through, making the cool effect. If u used leds, youd just get a box of lit up cloudy stuff... If it works right, u could wire the laser diode up to a strobing circuit and get all sorts of crazy effects! even further, you could have the speed of the motor that spins the mirror oscilating... that would be something worth seeing! d00d if u pull this off it'd rock!
This was discussed a long time ago in a thread I created, there were some good idea's you can sort through. ZapWizards' INSANE ideas, and ORIGINAL idea's you don't have the money/knowledge for. CoolJoe posted the idea about the laser here: - Have a laser or LED controlled by the PC No one has done it yet though
as soon as you turn off the fans the dust will settle below the fan and would clog. Believe me, i know about keeping "particles" suspended. Take a look at our Krimbo window display, the "Snow" is a bitch to perfect. and keep suspended. /Edit your quotes please Phat... -ZapWizard
By the looks of it your snow display (rocks ) is a lot deeper (as in width/height/depth) than ¥¥¥'s design. I think the thinness will make it a lot easier to keep the particles in the air, as it will probably not be much wider than the width of the fans.
Very impressive window display I should get the laser soon, I have a clear glass bowl I can fill up with water and chalk dust or whatever. I'll post pics of the effects I get with the laser when I get it
www.thinkgeek.com sells a visible green laser. its about 120 bucks though. prolly a lot more than you wanted, though i im not you.... so go ahead if its what you want.
