Hello and welcome to the Pangolin Laser Systems Safety instructional video for beginners to
laser safety.
This video will cover the basics you need to know and understand to set up your first
lasershow safely and within the laws.
And speaking of the laws, this video is based mainly off of the laws in the united states,
however the United States of America has the some of the most strict laws in the world,
and if you follow these instructions you are sue to be safe and legal in almost all countries.
It is very important for you to check local laws however and know what paperwork, may
be required, we only cover the actual on site safety elements you should be concerned with
in this video.
If you have questions and are a Pangolin customer you can email compliance@Pangolin.com and
we can assist.
Now in the USA the regulatorily authority for lasers of all types including the laser
show industry is the FDA, specifically the CDRH which stands for The Center for Devices
and Radiological Health which is a department of the FDA.
This is who you get your variance from in the USA to operate lasers.
Since lasers are technically a device that radiates, in our case light, they are the
ones who manage it.
Now that we have gotten that bit of legal stuff out of the way, let’s take a look
at our laser projector and go over the safety features included in our projector.
Here we have a Kvant Clubmax 3000 for demonstration, all safety features on this projector are
the same on all kvant laser systems and this one has every piece of safety that exist in
the industry.
The first and most important thing to note is the Estop system.
Here we have a mushroom switch which is a contact closure stop for your projector systems.
This is run over a 3 pin XLR cable which is easy to source and locks.
This goes from your projector to your Estop.
This can also be chained to other projectors this way, and you can even chain estops together
this way.
At the end of the line is your terminator usually labeled “users interlock” put
this at the end of your estop chain to complete the system.
On the Estop switch you also have an insert for your key, which needs to be put in and
turned to enable.
Lastly on the estop is the Manual reset switch, lasers in the USA are required to have a manual
reset where if the projectors loose power they will not start up automatically without
instruction from the operator.
This is a serious requirement in the USA and if your projector does not have this is not
compliant.
Now that our estop system is ready lets plug it into the projector and go over the safety
features on the projector.
First we have our key, put it in the projector and turn to enable output.
This is so only the proper operator can turn on the projector.
You can input your estop system here, and output to chain.
On the front we have our masking plate over the aperture glass, This can be used as a
beam mask in basic scenarios but it is a good idea to carry something like cinefoil in your
workbox in case you need to mask the aperture in more complex ways.
Especially if you ever side mount your projector.
On the inside of the projector past the glass is a shutter right before the projector, this
moves into place if you press your estop switch, power off your projector, or even stop output
in software like beyond.
This is a physical on off switch to ensure that laser can only emit when you intend for
it to.
This is also an active switch, when power is lost or data is lost, it defaults back
to closed.
Something that is important to your projector which doesn’t directly relate to safety
but is something to look out for is the safety labels.
First on the front we will see the aperture label, this should be on or next to the laser
aperture to show where lasers actually emit from the projector.
Next on the top of this projector we see the Laser Logo Type Label, which explains all
the output levels inside the projector and at what wavelengths.
Our last warning label on the side here explains that inside class 4 laser radiation is possible
on the inside and when the interlocks are defeated on the inside, we will look at those
in a second.
Also you should see information about the projector variance, and manufacturer information,
as well as the date of manufacture.
Now what about those case interlocks?
Well if we have to open the projector for any reason to align or maintain, there will
be these interlocks here which will cause the projector to power off when you remove
the top, once you are safe and ready, you can turn these over to reclose those interlocks.
Be sure to take them off when you are finished before putting the top of the case back on.
Now lets discuss a couple extra features you may want to use, or you may have added as
an addon to your projector.
First is the Pangolin PASS hardware, this is a required piece of hardware for any crowd
scanning laser in the USA.
What it does is monitor the position of the laser scanners and make automatic decisions
about what is safe or not.
A very easy way to see this in action is showing how PASS reacts to a fan of 20 beams vs 2,
since the power density if the two points PASS can tell that this is very likely unsafe
and turns off the laser power for those points.
This can be tuned to your exact specification as well and is a big part of a safe crowd
scanning show.
There is a whole lot more to PASS and crowd scanning and we will discuss that later in
the video.
The last extra safety feature on the projector is called “Scan Guard” on the FB4, this
is a digital version of PASS which can act as a very similar to pass, but is more of
a convenience tool, as it doesn’t replace the need for PASS in crowd scanning setups.
Now that we have covered all the safety functions of our projector lets rig the projector for
your show.
As for actual rigging, we follow the standard lighting protocells, one clamp is necessary,
two doesn’t hurt, and a safety cable through the eye hook.
It’s important to ensure that your truss is properly rigged, whether has the right
hang points, or is sandbagged to the floor properly.
All the clamps and safety cables in the world won’t stop the truss from coming down if
it is rigged incorrectly.
If you are going to sit a projector on top of a surface like truss, or on a platform,
be sure to strap the projector down like so, and use a safety cable through the eye hook.
Now where can we actually mount the projector?
The standard rules are 3 meters off of the floor where the public can access, and 2.5
meters to the side where the public can access.
In most places performers and staff are exempt from this rule given proper safety protocolls,
but there are a few exceptions, check with local governments or local Laser Safety officers
for those exceptions.
As well be sure your rough beam path stays within those 3m and 2.5m ranges.
And where will our path end?
Well lets cover that now.
Similarly, to the standard rules for where your projector can be, zones also need to
be 3m from the floor, and 2.5 meters from the sides of where people can access.
As well the operator must be able to see all termination points from where they operate
and where the Estop is.
Obviously, there are a couple exceptions to these rules, but let’s take a quick look
at a few examples.
In this club we have fairly low ceilings, so we can for sure go into the ceiling all
the way to the back, but we want to make sure we don’t go to low where we break the 3m
rule, an easy way to guess if you don’t have measurements is to be above exist signs,
these are usually around 9 feet from the floor depending and usually safe bet.
In this theatre, we have some more options, we can do all of the ceiling, we can do These
areas of the walls, and here is one of those exceptions, we can actually do the balcony
edges.
While Its best to use as little as you can, balconies already have barriers this restricts
access and you can use them for zoning.
Be sure that you can see all those balcony edges from where you operate and will have
your Estop.
Lastly lets look at an arena stage, here we have lots of space, and thus we have lots
of options.
Again the ceiling, just be aware of catwalks, Back walls, sides and balcony edges.
Note in big rooms like this, any small movement on your projector can make your zones move
exponentially at long distances, so be sure to ratchet your projectors down and monitor
output during the show.
One extra thing we can do with all this space is comfortably do a zone on the downstage
edge.
This highlights an exemption we discussed before, which is where performers are allowed
to be scanned in these areas, As long as they are informed about the scanning and are aware
of the potential hazard, and no local laws prohibit this type of scanning.
One last thing we should we need to keep in mind before we zone, is lasers are high intensity
light and can potentially set fire to flammable materials.
Make sure all of your termination points are able to handle the energy without ignition.
For example, don’t terminate against drape.
Now we can actually set our zones up in software, in this case we will do an overhead zone and
a down stage zone we will do this briefly as there is separate setup videos that came
with your projector or are available online.
In Quickshow (same in beyond) you will connect your lasers and they should pop up as so,
Make sure you see all the ones you connected.
Then we can go to zones, I like to make a brand new zone file each show I do, so we
will remove all the zones and add what I would like.
Left Up, Right Up, and Left Down, Right Down.
From there we can bring the brightness all the way down and do a geometric correction
we guess is correct.
For the overhead ones I will make them small like so, and bring them up high, for the down
sones I will do the size similar but bring it all the way down.
From there we enable a zone and slowly bring the brightness up until we just barely see
the laser output from one of the projectors.
This will let us know if we are using the correct projector, you can swap which projector
this zone goes to here and find which you would like to use.
We will do the same for each zone to each projector.
Once projectors are assigned correctly to zones we can start to zone, enable only the
zone you are currently working on and bring the brightness up just enough so you can see
the grid.
From there we will geometrically put the zone into place, do this for all of your projectors.
Once we are happy we can check that the zones satisfy the rules and save our setup.
Once zoning is done we should mask off the projectors within those zones.
Run your zones at a low brightness and you can mask off your zones using either the plates
on the projector or using cinefoil like so.
What if your projector is up in the air 40 feet?
In this case, the rules are mask if physically possible, we don’t want to make the zone
unsafe trying to mask.
Now is a great time to go through your safety checklist, if you got a variance through Pangolin
we included this safety checklist, you are required to go through this each show and
sign of to be sure of safe operation.
Fill out name, venue or show, and go down the list here.
Once you complete you can sign off below.
It’s a good idea to get a second pair of eyes on the checklist to be sure everything
is completed properly.
Once all of that is complete, your setup is done!
And you are ready to operate your show.
Some things to keep in mind as you run your show.
First, as an operator it is your responsibility to make sure you can see all laser termination
points from where you are operating, usually this is not a problem if you are at Front
of House operating a show.
Second you need to make sure you know where your content is going, if you are running
your show from beyond your content needs to be told where to go, and if you have some
extra special zone you don’t want to have content going to dangerous areas.
If you are from a console you are usually selecting zones first before content so you
should be okay in this case.
Third, a safe operator is always at the ready to press the estop in case of a mechanical
failure.
Follow these steps and you are certain to have a safe and compliant show!
Lets talk about a few extra things to round this all out.
Now what if you want to do an outdoor show?
Well setup is very similar, same rules about distances and zones.
But there are two things you need to consider.
First being that you must not shoot lasers into the sky, your show must be terminated.
That means all laser output must be terminated on buildings, trees, or mountainsides, And
no laser radiation must enter airspace above 400 feet in the air.
Second being that you must not operate within 5 miles of an airport for obvious reasons.
It is important to note both rules can be overcome for specific shows, however there
is a process with the FAA to do this legally and requires a bit of extra paperwork and
a few months’ notice.
Finally let’s talk about the elephant in the room, crowd scanning.
Despite common beliefs, it is possible to become legally allowed to crowd scan in the
USA.
Obviously however it takes several steps, including PASS integration in your projectors,
Lenses to control laser divergence, Measuring output onsite for your shows.
As well as getting a special variance with the FDA, getting yourself trained as a laser
safety operator and more.
Basically, if this video is your first introduction to laser safety, you are not going to have
the skills and certifications needed to do crowd scanning safely and legally, however
there is hope!
If you go through the proper training and take care of your paperwork and get the right
equipment it is completely possible to crowd scan legally and safely in the united states.
Now let us do a quick review.
The projector has many safety systems, including: The estop system with key, interlock and manual
reset.
On the projector it has a key, beam block, and shutter.
We must mount our projectors securely and use safety cables.
We must make sure our zones are in safe areas, mainly 3M from the floor and 2.5M from the
sides of all accessible areas.
We need to mask as much of the projector as we can for areas we don’t zone.
And finally, while operating we must keep watch, monitor and be ready to press the e-stop
if a problem arises.
If you follow these steps, you are well on your way to creating safe and beautiful laser
displays, and we want to greatly thank you for making it through this video, by doing
so you are improving the quality and safety of the industry we love so much and helping
it grow in a great way.
If you would like to test your knowledge we have a test you can take by going to pangotest.com.
And if you are getting a variance from Pangolin because you purchased a laser system from
us, you are required to take this test so we can process your variance.
As well, all the recourses and citations we used in creating this video will be credited
in the description.