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LASER FX * (1988) 'From the Sound Stages of Hollywood to your home'

For thirty years I’ve wondered what this ‘80s laser music visualiser looked like in action. Now I finally get to find out - and also discover the surprising secrets of the ingenious internals.
The music used in this video was Bok Choi by Slynk & Heart Break by Vibe Tracks - both from the KZread audio library. / audiolibrary
FAQs
Q) Can this show Oscilloscope music?
A) No
More answer - Oscilloscope music relies on extremely precise positioning of an image on the X & Y axis.
This device has a mirror attached to rubber bands so can draw random squiggles.
Precise and Random aren’t bedfellows.
In addition this only uses one channel. You can’t even draw 'scope music on an oscilloscope with just the one channel.
Q) We wanted to see the bulb
A) Here’s the bulb imgur.com/a/jb...
*Laser FX does not contain a laser
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---------Outro Music----------
Over Time - Vibe Tracks • Over Time - Vibe Track...
-----Outro Sound Effect-----
ThatSFXGuy - • Six Million Dollar man...

Пікірлер: 1 900

  • @Techmoan
    @Techmoan4 жыл бұрын

    *HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE BULB* *imgur.com/a/jbtFcOa*

  • @Cautionary_Tale_Harris

    @Cautionary_Tale_Harris

    4 жыл бұрын

    Finally! Now I can rest easy.

  • @sacredcz

    @sacredcz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, i was really wondering how it looks.

  • @beware_the_moose

    @beware_the_moose

    4 жыл бұрын

    just a halogen isn't it? I thought it might have at least a projector bulb, but I guess they're more than $20 a pair

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    4 жыл бұрын

    Techmoan - Thank you.

  • @DripDripDrip69

    @DripDripDrip69

    4 жыл бұрын

    Replace it with an LED so it can be left on 24/7

  • @tompayne36
    @tompayne363 жыл бұрын

    I don't know if I should admit this or not, but I am one of the guys responsible for bringing this to market. It was a tremendous experience and wonderful to hear that so many people enjoyed it back in the day!

  • @DisneyMarkUK

    @DisneyMarkUK

    10 ай бұрын

    It was amazing in its day. I bought one many many years ago thinking it was an actual laser. Thanks for introducing it to us.

  • @DisneyMarkUK

    @DisneyMarkUK

    9 ай бұрын

    @@Jonnybravo6742I’d keep it as a fun memory, in reality it shows it’s age but back in the day they were amazing.

  • @holowizardnails5083

    @holowizardnails5083

    8 ай бұрын

    I had this and the second gen one it was fun

  • @scottishzombie

    @scottishzombie

    5 ай бұрын

    A buddy of mine had two of these setup back in the day, and we'd do laser shows on his ceiling. Really wish I could find something like it nowadays, since it was more "organic" then the digital, pre-programmed lasers of today.

  • @annihilatorg
    @annihilatorg4 жыл бұрын

    "The perfect gift meaning never buy it for yourself buy it for someone else ". God if that doesn't round up the entire Sharper Image catalog in one statement.

  • @theunknownandunsolved6963

    @theunknownandunsolved6963

    4 жыл бұрын

    Lol, well said

  • @busog97641

    @busog97641

    4 жыл бұрын

    With that said, I bet that is what this one was, a gift. Because if someone had actually bought it, they would have at least opened it, unlike this one.

  • @Rutherford_Inchworm_III

    @Rutherford_Inchworm_III

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sharper Image, Brookstone, the Flight Mall catalog... the kind of gifts that scream "I barely know you and don't really care if you enjoy this thing or not, but I'm giving it to you anyway so everybody will be forced to acknowledge me as a rich, generous hipster with money to throw away on shiny gadgets."

  • @glipk

    @glipk

    4 жыл бұрын

    Very true

  • @BoyProdigyX

    @BoyProdigyX

    Жыл бұрын

    Hey, if you were a gadget minded kid in the 90's you would have LOVED almost anything from those catalogs! Hell even this thing!

  • @chriswesney
    @chriswesney4 жыл бұрын

    That is actually a WAY better effect than I expected from a light bulb based machine from the 80's.

  • @stuartpocklington7107
    @stuartpocklington71074 жыл бұрын

    Back in the late 80’s I’d have been really impressed by that. I would have been about 8 though

  • @Roberob1189

    @Roberob1189

    2 жыл бұрын

    Haha same. Remember the screen savers from windows 95/98 that was similar. Lol great times. Better times actually.

  • @SuperFinGuy
    @SuperFinGuy4 жыл бұрын

    The patterns have a nice 80's aesthetic to them.

  • @MoraFermi

    @MoraFermi

    4 жыл бұрын

    I'm pretty sure I saw that type of pattern in multiple video clips in early mTV...

  • @FreazyTek

    @FreazyTek

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@MoraFermi The intro of saved by the bell might spring to mind,i think it had squigly lines in that intro haha :D

  • @SuperFinGuy

    @SuperFinGuy

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@MoraFermi 80's interior decoration comes to mind too.

  • @ObsoleteVodka

    @ObsoleteVodka

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@MoraFermi Yep, lightpainting was big then

  • @TheGremgrem

    @TheGremgrem

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yeah I love it.

  • @cargo_vroom9729
    @cargo_vroom97294 жыл бұрын

    LASER SHOW WITH LASERS* *Not a laser

  • @bombtwenty3867

    @bombtwenty3867

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sounds like a Krusty the Clown product

  • @Elvenheim
    @Elvenheim4 жыл бұрын

    Those patterns really give you the 80's feeling. And to be honest, I love the simplicity in it, creating a chaotic pattern with essentially a light, a coloured disc, a simple coil and a mirror. But I would not have paid 200$ for it...

  • @AtariWow

    @AtariWow

    2 жыл бұрын

    yeah, maybe like $25 - $30 max.

  • @gtoger
    @gtoger4 жыл бұрын

    This is the sort of thing that would get snapped up if they started making them again, albeit maybe a bit smaller with a built-in mic and an LED. For $29.99.

  • @cyclops8238

    @cyclops8238

    2 жыл бұрын

    With LED lights being a big thing right now especially LED strips I think it would fit perfectly and it would sell like hotcakes.

  • @soviut
    @soviut4 жыл бұрын

    The final result is actually pretty cool looking. It'd be neat to see several of these going at once.

  • @Linkale_

    @Linkale_

    4 жыл бұрын

    Surprisingly effective taking into consideration how poorly made it is on the inside xD

  • @sixstringedthing

    @sixstringedthing

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Linkale_ The use of a speaker voice coil/motor assembly to move the mirror is actually low-key genius though. No need for any kind of digital electronics, it's an all-analogue signal path. Just filter the incoming signal appropriately and pump it into the voice coil... instant squiggles! In terms of being able to build the thing down to a cheap price, it's pretty clever.

  • @trailersic

    @trailersic

    4 жыл бұрын

    I'm sure a chinese company could knock a new version of this out for $2

  • @fordtechchris

    @fordtechchris

    4 жыл бұрын

    At least one each for the left/right channel.

  • @jerricabenton842

    @jerricabenton842

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@trailersic checking wish.com right now, lol

  • @rich_edwards79
    @rich_edwards794 жыл бұрын

    Ah, the 80s, when writing 'Laser' (or 'Turbo') on something made it instantly cooler by a factor of 10. Actually, given the simplicity of this thing, the effect is quite impressive. The price on the other hand... If this was sold in gadget shops for under a tenner, I could imagine there still being a market for it. If nothing else, cats would love them!

  • @bouwmr

    @bouwmr

    4 жыл бұрын

    Don't forget "2000" and "mega"

  • @WizardOfOss

    @WizardOfOss

    4 жыл бұрын

    ​@@bouwmr Ah 2000, the future already seems so far in the past nowadays....

  • @MrUlski

    @MrUlski

    4 жыл бұрын

    SNUIF searching using these words I found the “Fransen Mega Turbo 2000 Hairdryer”. Unfortunately it doesn’t have laser in its name.

  • @imarcus1973

    @imarcus1973

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@bouwmr ..and a neon coloured logo with pinstripes

  • @warmstrong5612

    @warmstrong5612

    4 жыл бұрын

    With Chrysler doubling down with their Turbo Lazer sports coupe.

  • @agoogleuser7784
    @agoogleuser77844 жыл бұрын

    In middle school our science teacher used to do an activity he called the “poor man’s laser show” where he had glued a small mirror to the speaker cone of a large speaker across the room and would aim a laser at it while playing music. It had almost the same exact effect as this device for obvious reasons, just much cheaper lol.

  • @RingingResonance

    @RingingResonance

    4 жыл бұрын

    My dad did this with two speakers so that one axes would be for left and the other for the right. He used an old HeNe laser from a xerox copier. I still have that laser and it still works although the tube does have a slight leak and the gitter is turning white.

  • @glidershower

    @glidershower

    4 жыл бұрын

    And unlike this thing, it actually had a legit laser involved, lol.

  • @christianmonturanoii6539

    @christianmonturanoii6539

    Жыл бұрын

    My parents had this I think

  • @TheProsnurfer

    @TheProsnurfer

    Жыл бұрын

    when i was younger and first getting in to lasers i had mounted a blue, red and green Solidstate diode lasers to my computer desk and aimed them at wine glass's sitting on my subwoofer and home living room speakers. the sound would vibrate the water in the glasses and make crazy patterns all over the room not just on the celling if you got the beam angle just so it hits the edge of the water. i also had a 405nm laser shining through the glasses with florescent die in the water so they would glow pink and you could see the beam path. i wish i had a video of it. i should recreate the project!. that was my first "laser projector" was too poor to buy glavo scanners when i was 19 and just getting started in life, spent all my money on weed and music festivals haha.

  • @ZyrxRR
    @ZyrxRR4 жыл бұрын

    So, I gotta say, I was groovin' to the music selection and got my dance on, AND I honestly enjoyed the visual effect..... But for $199 US 1980s DOLLARS, I thought to myself, " I'd rather just go to the local rollerskate park and get the same light show FX while getting some fun in, for a measly $3.50 US 1980s DOLLARS." Oh, and get a hot dog and a Coke for another $1.75 US 1980s DOLLARS. But hey, THESE products are why I subscribe @Techmoan. Thank you for showing this piece of.. Well... Basic 1980s tech for us to enjoy!

  • @Owyn_Merrilin

    @Owyn_Merrilin

    4 жыл бұрын

    The design is really brilliant. It does its job pretty well, the only really expensive part of it would have been the light engine, and even that shouldn't have been too much. The transducer hooked up to the mirror is a stroke of genius. It *really is* reacting to the music, on a purely analog circuit that must have cost pennies to put together. Seriously, maybe a couple of bucks in parts for everything but the bulb and the optics on the focusing tube, which I'd imagine were still more on the order of tens than hundreds of dollars. The markup on it is nuts, but I'm impressed by how cheaply put together it is while still doing the job.

  • @alangriffin8146

    @alangriffin8146

    3 жыл бұрын

    I miss the skating tink

  • @alangriffin8146

    @alangriffin8146

    3 жыл бұрын

    Or rink

  • @SierraSierraFoxtrot
    @SierraSierraFoxtrot4 жыл бұрын

    Even the colour filters have a very distinct pleasing 80's vibe.

  • @kaitlyn__L

    @kaitlyn__L

    4 жыл бұрын

    I absolutely agree. Putting that black body light through a colour gel gets nicer colours than RGB, I feel. And (maybe ironically) I feel that's good everything to do with not being monochromatic, like actual laser light. I haven't looked this up but I've got to imagine there is instead a Gaussian distribution centred around the target wavelength instead. Blue isn't such a dark blue yet still registers as "pure blue" to us, and it's really hard to get that kind of yellow out of RGB lights. Screens show it reasonably well, but in terms of getting an LED to to it, it will often look washed out. Philips Hue bulbs are a little better at it (and amber) but still not quite there, and they also engineered their coloured elements to have a slightly wider emission spectrum - and mix in the warm white diode a little bit for those colours. Also retro French cars from back when they had to have yellow gels on their headlamps by regulation. The same applies with older fairy lights, as much as colour changing fairy lights are fun I do miss those incandescents showing through coloured glass. Specifically a set from my very early childhood where the glass envelope was actually coloured glass (not a gel lining them) and in the shape of flowers. I seem to remember a Christmas box incident breaking half of the coloured glass flowers, but I suppose there's a chance they're actually in a box somewhere halfway across the country. They weren't just four-colour strings either, there was pink and purple and orange and stuff, too. Just the glass-making on that must've been pretty intense, I wonder how much they cost initially. Anyway, ramble over..

  • @JHMBB2
    @JHMBB24 жыл бұрын

    It's actually pretty ingenious, and effective.

  • @oldtiedyeman
    @oldtiedyeman4 жыл бұрын

    When they came out with the improved version I bought one of these at half price (99.99). To this day I love it. Put on some wild music and move it away from the wall and it will put on a wall size show. I also had a lot fun running a synth keyboard through it. After an hour everyone is ready for something else and the bulb cools down then. The improved one had TWO lasers going at the same time.

  • @caryhetzel2809

    @caryhetzel2809

    2 жыл бұрын

    The improved one was called Laser FX2

  • @NathanBLawrence
    @NathanBLawrence4 жыл бұрын

    I would NEVER pay full retail for something like this, but I have to say, I am actually pretty impressed with the cleverness of the engineering at play here. Yeah, it's ridiculously simple on the inside, but that's all it takes to have the desired effect, and creating the illusion of a laser light show, but without a ton of expensive and potentially unreliable stepper motors and controller boards is a fantastic little feat. For the the 1980s, this is a great solution - with A LOT of markup.

  • @covingtonrace1
    @covingtonrace14 жыл бұрын

    At first I was like "what a pile of 80s plastic junk" then I see it working "it's sooooo 80s, I want one"

  • @Mr371312

    @Mr371312

    4 жыл бұрын

    If you have a little experience doing diy projects, you can make something similar yourself using mirrors and cheap speakers and real lasers. Look on instructables

  • @rich1051414

    @rich1051414

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Mr371312 Really easy diy project, no electronics knowledge needed, just an old speaker and a couple laser pointers, and a bit of arts and crafts.

  • @desmo750f1

    @desmo750f1

    4 жыл бұрын

    Steve Mould shows a simple version. kzread.info/dash/bejne/dWGKk9eRldytnco.html

  • @freepress8451

    @freepress8451

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@desmo750f1 Great share

  • @Mr371312

    @Mr371312

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@rich1051414 I have seen a slightly better version Instead of pointing a mirror glued to a speaker covered in a rubber glove (which I have made, and it's impressive for how simple it is) , it uses amplifier output to drive small dc motors with mirrors attached to the shaft that are re-centered by a rubber band.

  • @re-agent9364
    @re-agent93644 жыл бұрын

    You know the great thing about time machines is that when you're done you can go back in time and return for a full refund.

  • @Xoferif

    @Xoferif

    4 жыл бұрын

    Is it really worth it after you factor in 2 x 1.21GW loads of plutonium, though?

  • @thewhizard

    @thewhizard

    4 жыл бұрын

    New in box - Might be worth a lot wight now :-)

  • @sfmc98

    @sfmc98

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@tarstarkusz "Why all the bitching?" About a time machine? Sorry man, that's gonna be a wooosh.

  • @sfmc98

    @sfmc98

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@tarstarkusz I gotchu fam but the comment you replied to was about a time machine.

  • @Euroflounder

    @Euroflounder

    4 жыл бұрын

    Well done my friend.

  • @musicnerd72
    @musicnerd724 жыл бұрын

    I wasn't expecting much, but it actually surprised me. I was 16 in 1988, and my nerdy self probably would've loved this back then!

  • @Markusewitz
    @Markusewitz4 жыл бұрын

    Aahhh, the good ol' days when you just had to remove some screws on the back and the device was open :-) !

  • @judgebigmansion3492
    @judgebigmansion34924 жыл бұрын

    Me and my dad were out thrifting a couple years ago and we happened upon one of these out of its box for $6 or so. We almost didn't get it cause at first I thought it was a VHS rewinder, but we got it and tried it out at home. For $6 it was a good bit of fun, but I couldn't imagine paying $200 for something so spastic, especially in 80s dollars

  • @Christopher-N

    @Christopher-N

    4 жыл бұрын

    Every time I see/hear the word "thrifting" I can't help but to think of Clint Basinger of *LGR.*

  • @judgebigmansion3492

    @judgebigmansion3492

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Christopher-N of course, LGR is the man

  • @JohnWatkinsUK
    @JohnWatkinsUK4 жыл бұрын

    I used to have one of these, it was my first ever 'projector' type light for the discos that a mate and I used to do at school. We would project it at the crowd, because with a tiny bit of smoke, the beam effect was very good.

  • @ChristopherSobieniak

    @ChristopherSobieniak

    4 жыл бұрын

    That sounds pretty cool!

  • @lazerdave466

    @lazerdave466

    4 жыл бұрын

    I had one too!

  • @MrDuncl

    @MrDuncl

    4 жыл бұрын

    That wouldn't have been a good idea with a real laser, which could be one of the reasons it didn't use one.

  • @jeffdacey1255

    @jeffdacey1255

    4 жыл бұрын

    Here's a simple work-around using more modern and less expensive gear. Paint the dome of a bass speaker with shiny nail polish. Then play some music through it while pointing a laser pointer at the dome. Endless fun!

  • @iroll

    @iroll

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@MrDuncl Solid state lasers weren't as good or cheap back then either.

  • @draggonhedd
    @draggonhedd4 жыл бұрын

    I actually went into this with very low expectations, but it looks rather more effective than I was expecting.

  • @jimmytvfclassic
    @jimmytvfclassic4 жыл бұрын

    This LASER FX (FX) has pretty good light effects (FX) on it, reminds me some kind of laser effects (FX) despite that being a mirror attached to a speaker to produce that effects (FX)

  • @juweinert
    @juweinert4 жыл бұрын

    The effect is actually way nicer than I expected! I mean if it would be brighter, I'd even say it's more beautiful than real laser... The light, color and color change are really soft, which is pretty pleasing

  • @JaseTheAussie
    @JaseTheAussie4 жыл бұрын

    I think I still want one

  • @randomuser2461

    @randomuser2461

    4 жыл бұрын

    And you are who it was advertised too. If you can find the info you could probably build one yourself.

  • @cutthroatnin3833
    @cutthroatnin38334 жыл бұрын

    This could be a decent little gadget for the right price.

  • @deanwinchester7179

    @deanwinchester7179

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, for $15-20 it would be pretty cool

  • @MrJest2

    @MrJest2

    4 жыл бұрын

    Kind of my first thought, too, when it first started up. "Huh. Not a laser of course, but not terrible either..." Of course, knowing it was a Sharper Image product, I immediately knew it would be massively overpriced for what it was, and even thought $200 at first guess, then said, "Nah... even they wouldn't do that... maybe $50 - $60..." Shows what your teacher always told you about taking tests was right: Always go with your first answer. :-)

  • @DeadKoby

    @DeadKoby

    4 жыл бұрын

    Right!.......if it was cheap enough, it'd be a fun thing to have on a small stage.

  • @markpitt5248
    @markpitt52484 жыл бұрын

    I was thinking I actually quite like this effect, then I heard it the original cost of it and winced!

  • @Stoney3K
    @Stoney3K4 жыл бұрын

    *Matt sends off registration card back to 1988* *Chap at customer service reads about eBay, gets the idea to start the eBay company back in 1988*

  • @kanteannightmare

    @kanteannightmare

    4 жыл бұрын

    That's how it happened…

  • @chrismarshall4523
    @chrismarshall45234 жыл бұрын

    Omg. I had this. Loved it. Smoke in the room and you can see the beam shoot through the air. You have to remember if you wanted a laser projector it would have cost you upwards of 2000$ in 1988. This gave my 14 year old self a reason to have a lot of girls over in a dark room. I was a stud back then. Ugh I miss those days.....

  • @2dexandsumplastik

    @2dexandsumplastik

    4 жыл бұрын

    Chris Marshall I was also about to suggest that Matt did the same thing with the smoke

  • @mgabrysSF

    @mgabrysSF

    4 жыл бұрын

    So all those stud finders at the hardware store were essentially a way for people to contact you I'm guessing?

  • @QlueDuPlessis

    @QlueDuPlessis

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@mgabrysSF lol. I presume that's a joke. But just in case you're genuinely confused, our generation used the word "stud" for what this generation calls a "chad"

  • @chrismarshall4523

    @chrismarshall4523

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@mgabrysSF I would walk by them in the store and they would beep so hard the batteries would run out. Now.... I'm just telling lots of dad jokes... Sigh....

  • @SpeakerFreak95
    @SpeakerFreak954 жыл бұрын

    I genuinely appreciate the way you said (FX) when reading that intro on the box. That alone made my day. 😆😆😆

  • @cowboyfrankspersonalvideos8869
    @cowboyfrankspersonalvideos88694 жыл бұрын

    That price and quality is right in line with most of Sharper Image's stuff.

  • @tech34756
    @tech347564 жыл бұрын

    Don’t know why, but those colours just kept reminding me of the Google logo. I was half expecting it to start morphing into the “G” logo like something you might see in an advert.

  • @andrewgibson8794
    @andrewgibson87944 жыл бұрын

    Oh so that's how they did starwars

  • @namewarvergeben

    @namewarvergeben

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@ChaunceyGardener It was a huge blow to local orchestras when the imperial march could finally be played from recordings on the film itself.

  • @OnnieKoski

    @OnnieKoski

    4 жыл бұрын

    So now I’m laughing like a moron in the bathroom...

  • @bombtwenty3867

    @bombtwenty3867

    4 жыл бұрын

    And Chewie was a man in a bathroom rug

  • @chriswilson4614
    @chriswilson46143 жыл бұрын

    I had one of those in the early 80s and I was absolutely over the moon with it.

  • @LiamE69
    @LiamE694 жыл бұрын

    Not seen one of them since a rather good house party in '91.

  • @tonyfoster61
    @tonyfoster614 жыл бұрын

    "I'm sorry Matthew, I'm afraid I can't do that"

  • @ddrse

    @ddrse

    4 жыл бұрын

    He should have used the audio from the movie

  • @Fuzy2K

    @Fuzy2K

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@ddrse "Yes, please do... hehehehe" -- Someone at MGM, probably

  • @ddrse

    @ddrse

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Fuzy2K good point he should use his own voice and make it even better. MGM is holding onto worthless assets

  • @johnfrancisdoe1563

    @johnfrancisdoe1563

    4 жыл бұрын

    Tony Foster Anyone who actually saw the movie know there's very little resemblance between this and HAL9000 . If it was thinner with less texture, it might look like a small version of the monolith, which was originally supposed to be 1x4x9 scaled to any size from a few meters to miles.

  • @tonyfoster61

    @tonyfoster61

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@johnfrancisdoe1563 Techmoan referred to HAL9000 so, so did I.... I've seen the movie - don't take things so serious

  • @thegreekgeek7252
    @thegreekgeek72524 жыл бұрын

    It’s totally worth it to stay up at 3 am as an American to watch techmoan

  • @bigclivedotcom
    @bigclivedotcom4 жыл бұрын

    They did sell them in the UK. I got swept up in the hype and bought one.... Ultra disappointment. I actually showed it recently (but didn't plug it in) on my live stream called "The shrimps and bananas live stream." at 18:54 in. It really was hugely expensive for what was inside.

  • @olafdirhelt9599

    @olafdirhelt9599

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Big Clive. Love your channel!

  • @marctronixx

    @marctronixx

    2 жыл бұрын

    different strokes for different folks. everyone who saw this when i got it back in 1988 was amazed at it. i even used it in a talent show.

  • @marctronixx

    @marctronixx

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@craigjensen6853 pics or it didn't happen !! :p

  • @mattelectro78
    @mattelectro784 жыл бұрын

    "Allow half an hour of non-use, after every hour of use" That could be annoying to have to do, during an all night party!

  • @randomuser2461

    @randomuser2461

    4 жыл бұрын

    That just means they want you to buy 3 or 4 of them and hook them up for down time. Great deal!! 8D

  • @michaelluke5878

    @michaelluke5878

    4 жыл бұрын

    Maybe put a small fan aimed at the bulb?

  • @akeminakajima449

    @akeminakajima449

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@tactileslut Actually it's there for a reason probably

  • @glidershower

    @glidershower

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@tactileslut I'm betting it was also because the color wheel would melt off with the heat of the bulb. Funny enough, this could've been a sturdy product if they had used quality materials, like glass instead of celluloid or actual glue instead of earwax.

  • @ZGryphon

    @ZGryphon

    4 жыл бұрын

    Always remember to rave responsibly.

  • @macktheinterloper
    @macktheinterloper4 жыл бұрын

    FWIW my cat was mesmerised. She's still blocking my view waiting for it to start again.

  • @josuelservin2409

    @josuelservin2409

    4 жыл бұрын

    Give your car some catnip so he can enjoy the show to the next level 😂

  • @nicholas_scott
    @nicholas_scott4 жыл бұрын

    I remember seeing those set up at parties and such. It was a very cool thing back around 90. I used to think it had some sort of logic inside, not just a rubber band, but know I know

  • @GglSux
    @GglSux4 жыл бұрын

    @Techmoan Thanks FINALLY I can put my misgivings to bed over "missing out" on buying one of these 30 years ago.... not knowing has been eating me up inside.. ;) And as always thanks for another interesting and enjoyable video. Brgds

  • @soulchorea
    @soulchorea4 жыл бұрын

    This is the prototypical content that I originally subscribed for 😁 I love this kind of stuff! Thank you

  • @ZeroG84
    @ZeroG844 жыл бұрын

    50$ for a pair, and that would have been a hit.

  • @virginiahansen320
    @virginiahansen3204 жыл бұрын

    Man. I was looking forward to seeing a skit at the end where the puppets were getting down to the funky 80's beat.

  • @ShogoBogo
    @ShogoBogo4 жыл бұрын

    I had, and still have, this. Pretty awesome back then, and we spent many a night watching this to Pink Floyd. Simple concept, but with the right music, it's incredible.

  • @WolfCoder
    @WolfCoder4 жыл бұрын

    We were supposed to put on a laser light show for a class project when I was in middle school and one of us actually did just tape a mirror to one of the bass speakers and let it bounce off the center while a laser was pointed at it.

  • @AfferbeckBeats
    @AfferbeckBeats4 жыл бұрын

    Imagine being a kid begging for this for Christmas, then the Sega comes out ten bucks less and there's no way you're getting one.

  • @santiagoqr1

    @santiagoqr1

    4 жыл бұрын

    danehb89 LOL this made me crack up, is the type of thing that I would have done but my mom being smart enough wouldn’t have bought it anyways, and then would have been like “aren’t you glad we didn’t get you the laser, the sega is $10 less” and then never get me the Sega either and tell me to go play in the park. No regrets though, I had an amazing childhood at the park.

  • @Fake_Blood
    @Fake_Blood4 жыл бұрын

    That kind of looks alright actually, for something that doesn’t have a real laser in it. Put some Vangelis or Jean-Michel Jarre on!

  • @300DBenz

    @300DBenz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Fake_Blood or give the elastic bands a serious workout and play GOST or Perturbator.

  • @808v1

    @808v1

    4 жыл бұрын

    I thought so too...if it was like 49.99 it would have been well worth it back then...like the other comment a couple of them running at once with other visual effects would have been passable.

  • @absalomdraconis

    @absalomdraconis

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@808v1 : Sad thing is, it's price was cheaper than what a lot of light-show galvos cost today.

  • @scoadly

    @scoadly

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yes jean-Michel jarre. No one I know has a clue about him. Rendezvous is one of my all time favorites.

  • @softy8088

    @softy8088

    4 жыл бұрын

    It's s decent enough idea, but the price is totally unreasonable. This is "$29.95 + S&H, buy NOW and we'll include a second one at no charge" TV infomercial grade product..

  • @marctronixx
    @marctronixx2 жыл бұрын

    im 2 years too late but leaving this here for the time capsule. i bought this from spencer gifts. i think it was 99 dollars in 1988! i used it at a talent show with the music group i was in. people were amazed at what they saw projected behind us! i STILL have mine to this day and it STILL HAS THE SAME BULB in it from 1988! it still works! i even bought a spare bulb form the company and its still in the packaging unopened form 1988 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EDIT -- im at 13 minutes into the video and im still certain i spent 99 dollars for it there. its possible it was on a sale or discontinued. later they did come out with a model that had two smaller units on one base - it was not as nice as this one. i will also say that when people came over they were impressed at this and it was really mesmerizing to watch in a darken room . i just fired mine up after all this time and its still working.

  • @vendetter7276
    @vendetter72764 жыл бұрын

    I remember seeing these in Innovations magazine from back in the day when I was a kid, always wanted one out of my budget. 👍

  • @thedungeondelver
    @thedungeondelver4 жыл бұрын

    Ha! I had a friend who was a mobile DJ in the late 80s, used one as part of his setup.

  • @RyanMartinez
    @RyanMartinez4 жыл бұрын

    Basically "Laser" was the "HD" of its day. LOL

  • @AfferbeckBeats

    @AfferbeckBeats

    4 жыл бұрын

    "Turbo Laser" was "Ultra HD"

  • @1312_PV

    @1312_PV

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@AfferbeckBeats Turbo was definitely it.

  • @filanfyretracker

    @filanfyretracker

    4 жыл бұрын

    ​@@vwestlife the perfect marketing ploy to dupe the average customer. "This new CD Digital Audio must need new speakers that can handle digital sound" I wonder how many people junked excellent old speakers for some department store digital ready trash. When their old ones would have worked just fine.

  • @GoTeamScotch

    @GoTeamScotch

    4 жыл бұрын

    Back when standard definition (480) was the norm, 720p and 1080p were actually "high", so calling something HD was actually a selling point over other devices that weren't HD. These days, HD is basically the new standard def.

  • @ronsmith4325

    @ronsmith4325

    4 жыл бұрын

    Lmao, just like when HD first came out and stores were trying to convince people that they needed a $199 HDMI cord to watch 1080p.

  • @RichTeaChannel
    @RichTeaChannel4 жыл бұрын

    As a concept i actually really like the idea of the transducer/mirror combo. No chance of delay, missed or late beat so it gives a very accurate visualization of the music in a way. Kind of want to make my own little army of them but using RGB LEDs instead of the color wheel!

  • @randynovick7972
    @randynovick79724 жыл бұрын

    This is the kind of thing that keeps me coming back! Great stuff -- delightful to see a jaundiced eye on some of these old things. Many thanks!

  • @Celcius1
    @Celcius14 жыл бұрын

    this would've been a good episode to have the puppets on after it

  • @piperxy
    @piperxy4 жыл бұрын

    I agree, that was suprisingly effective. But that markup though!

  • @spetsnaz1014
    @spetsnaz10144 жыл бұрын

    'PATENT PENDING' - It means 'keep at arms length'.

  • @mickeythompson9537
    @mickeythompson95374 жыл бұрын

    Yes - surprisingly effective for 1988. I'm not sure there were even red led laser pens available back then, let alone other colours. I like it.

  • @phillipev
    @phillipev4 жыл бұрын

    A drinking game using this video and the trigger words "laser" and "fx" would not end well

  • @gamesessions
    @gamesessions4 жыл бұрын

    That was actually really good - would love to have seen you run some test tones through it too!

  • @cunnyfunt30
    @cunnyfunt303 жыл бұрын

    I ordered one from my mums catalogue, used it for about 3 minutes and the mirror fell off so I sent it back. Never really got to see it in its full glory so thank you for the video. It was great to see it again.

  • @Prizm44
    @Prizm444 жыл бұрын

    It's actually cooler than I expected. As a kid in the 80s, I would've loved this! 😎

  • @terminal2004
    @terminal20044 жыл бұрын

    Feeling much more comfortable knowing it's not laser.

  • @davidjgomm
    @davidjgomm4 жыл бұрын

    "No", I thought. "Not interested". "Oh, I'll give it a go". Here I am 15 minutes later watching the credits.

  • @mishmashmedley
    @mishmashmedley4 жыл бұрын

    Awesome. I can always count on an interesting and informative video from you, Mat. Thank you so much.

  • @MarcusTDM
    @MarcusTDM4 жыл бұрын

    Great video. I always remember seeing these in the little catalogues that fell out the Sunday paper. Not sure if they still do those catalogues. For a very simple and pardon the language, slightly crappy design, it looks really good. Not sure how long I’d want to watch one for though before I got bored. The box looks like the couple have sat down for the evening to watch it! Thanks answering our curiosity!

  • @MeltedMask
    @MeltedMask4 жыл бұрын

    I was hoping to see what was that 'special' light bulb.

  • @Max27653

    @Max27653

    4 жыл бұрын

    Bigclive is coming

  • @SeanBZA

    @SeanBZA

    4 жыл бұрын

    Probably a standard 8/16mm projector lamp, around 50W in output Smooth reflective surface designed to collimate the light output into a beam with only a single condenser lens in front of the light. Easy enough to replace with a more modern LED single die 5/10W star LED, and with a big block of finned aluminium ( probably an older Intel Pentium processor heatsink, as those are rectangular) to cool it, and an appropriate driver block, and then use the stock Intel cooler fan to keep the LED cool. Just have to buy a stock 12V input 5/10W single chip driver, and upgrade the board bridge rectifier with new diodes, to replace the wimpy 1N4001 diodes there. Best would be a 5A package one with appropriate lead bending, to fit the board spacing. Easy enough to do, most expensive part will be the Cree LED on the star board.

  • @Techmoan

    @Techmoan

    4 жыл бұрын

    I’m normally all for curiosity - but this interest has me stumped. Why would you want to see the projector bulb? It’s just going to look like a bulb.

  • @3rdalbum

    @3rdalbum

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Techmoan Yeah, but what sort of bulb will it look like? They say it's some sort of special bulb so understandably people are interested in seeing how special it it :-)

  • @Techmoan

    @Techmoan

    4 жыл бұрын

    @3rdalbum After using the word LASER for something that doesn't have a LASER in it - and all the other made up Hollywood FX hype - who would believe their 'Special Bulb' claims... Looks like a normal Halogen bulb to me. imgur.com/a/jbtFcOa

  • @deboshadow
    @deboshadow4 жыл бұрын

    Sharper Image: We separate fools from their money

  • @alptigin5438

    @alptigin5438

    4 жыл бұрын

    You best not be talking smack about the Ionic Breeze Air Purifier or the Acoustic Wave Radio.

  • @FluffyFerretFarm

    @FluffyFerretFarm

    4 жыл бұрын

    Radio Shack sold it.. not Sharper Image .

  • @Rutherford_Inchworm_III

    @Rutherford_Inchworm_III

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@alptigin5438 Radios use "acoustic waves" now???? That sounds fancy, shut up and take my money!

  • @Exowave1
    @Exowave14 жыл бұрын

    I like how funny the last handful of videos have been, with all the wise cracks and banter thrown out throughout, it feels like you're getting a lot more comfortable with what you're doing. I mean, you've had the muppets at the end of the videos for ages now and you've always been slightly playful with the audience but I can definitely feel you loosening up

  • @MrChadsimoneaux
    @MrChadsimoneaux4 жыл бұрын

    With those specific colors it kind of looks like a Google advert.

  • @nogosnoqt
    @nogosnoqt4 жыл бұрын

    Well, for something that probably had a manufacturing cost of about the price of a meal at a decent restaurant, it's not that bad. It's grossly over-priced, of course, but it works pretty well.

  • @BrienMalone

    @BrienMalone

    4 жыл бұрын

    You just defined the entire product offering of Brookstone, Sharper Image and Skymall

  • @xaverlustig3581

    @xaverlustig3581

    4 жыл бұрын

    But advertising as "LASER" all over the place when it's not is fraudulent, and if people knew that they probably wouldn't have accepted the inflated price. As a cheap gimmick at say 19.95 it would have been OK.

  • @zorinlynx

    @zorinlynx

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@xaverlustig3581 To be fair, at the time even a boring red laser pointer would have been about $300, so I doubt ANYONE would have expected an actual laser in there at even that price.

  • @RockHudrock

    @RockHudrock

    4 жыл бұрын

    nogosnoqt Yeah, you could take your family to Sizzler, or get them a LaserFX! 😂🤣

  • @harveybrooks2597

    @harveybrooks2597

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@xaverlustig3581 For one it tells you there's no laser only a bulb and it gives off a laser effect hence the 'Laser FX' name. There's nothing fraudulent about it.

  • @SlowPCGaming1
    @SlowPCGaming12 жыл бұрын

    Sharper Image was a pricey catalog / store. I remember these things. Super cool FX with laser-like patterns. I could totally see this being popular at parties, outside, laying in bed, kicked back in your recliner or sofa to chill while watching your favorite tunes. A nice way to unwind after working.

  • @ImmortalInflames
    @ImmortalInflames4 жыл бұрын

    I'm a big fan of oddities that are related to listening to music!! This video really did it for me, thank you!

  • @chiilthenkt6680
    @chiilthenkt66804 жыл бұрын

    Wanna see how this stuff react to sine wave and pink noise

  • @TheBodgybrothers

    @TheBodgybrothers

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sine wave would just produce a vertical line.

  • @lwilton

    @lwilton

    4 жыл бұрын

    You could well be right, but I'd bet more on a figure 8. The time constant on those two mirror supports will be different, since one has two pegs supporting it and the other has one.

  • @fordtechchris

    @fordtechchris

    4 жыл бұрын

    I think techmoan can get a few more episodes out of this gem.

  • @1kreature

    @1kreature

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@TheBodgybrothers Sine wave would not just produce a vertical line. Due to the off axis driving with only one hookup to the rubber band the x axis motion is driven by the phase delay vs the y axis. This would be dependent on the mirrors inertia as well as it's moment at any time so the music that made it move would affect the way it veers off to one side. This would all make it tend to run around in a circle in the same direction though and frequency of the sine wave would have a huge impact on the y to x ratio. Thus... It would be a very interesting thing to see.

  • @unvergebeneid

    @unvergebeneid

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@TheBodgybrothers if that were true, any sound would produce a vertical line.

  • @video99couk
    @video99couk4 жыл бұрын

    Might have been a handy gadget for a mobile DJ to use.

  • @Glynallaway
    @Glynallaway4 жыл бұрын

    I had 1 of these given to me back in the mid 90’s & being a raver I absolutely loved it! This is the first time I’ve seen 1 in over 20 years mind! The effect was always a bit of fun listening to happy hardcore but best in a smoke filled room, smoke machine obviously! I would actually love 1 of these today as it is a little trip back to a mad time of my life! I don’t think the person that give it to me realised they where so expensive though! Mine was a UK spec 1 with UK power & plug. So many happy memories!😂 The sound you demonstrates at the end was always part of the fun of the thing for me also.😁👍🏻

  • @mrnmrn1
    @mrnmrn14 жыл бұрын

    THAT's incredible. I've just bought one this afternoon... Without knowing what the hell is it. It was 6.6USD in a local online auction site. I think it's $6.6 well spent. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you just made a video about the same exact thing. What a coincidence!

  • @bensebastianraymond
    @bensebastianraymond4 жыл бұрын

    The colours make it look like Google designed it.

  • @TechnicolorDojo
    @TechnicolorDojo4 жыл бұрын

    Techmoan: Surprisingly Effective.

  • @Keziapurrs
    @Keziapurrs4 жыл бұрын

    This is actually more impressive than i thought it would be from the thumbnail. Pretty cool for '88 (the year i graduated from high school)!

  • @Planetary13
    @Planetary134 жыл бұрын

    My brother bought the second generation of this. We used it allot! I had a pretty cool light and sound show in the basement. I quite like that device, my parents probably still have it haha. Thanks for the nostalgia!

  • @thomasstrickland0
    @thomasstrickland04 жыл бұрын

    I have the double version of this. Mine has two “laser” panels. Mine also had rca inputs and outputs.

  • @dudleyblokerave
    @dudleyblokerave4 жыл бұрын

    Used to lust after this in the Innovations catalogue.

  • @Franksey180
    @Franksey1804 жыл бұрын

    Very 1980s style packaging and even the effect from the unit reminded me of some graphical TV effects of that era. Nice video!

  • @chinito77
    @chinito774 жыл бұрын

    I loved sitting in the dark and listening to music and watching this as a kid. The TMNT Movie soundtrack and Micheal Jackson were my favorite tunes as a child.

  • @lnpxw20
    @lnpxw204 жыл бұрын

    I remember being a kid seeing an advert for this 😂 I remember thinking this was something from the future and really wanted one..... oh we have come a long way

  • @TJMack-
    @TJMack-4 жыл бұрын

    "Ooooh, pretty!" 5 mins later back in cupboard never to be used again.

  • @ZGryphon

    @ZGryphon

    4 жыл бұрын

    That was The Sharper Image experience across the board.

  • @MrSpc4
    @MrSpc44 жыл бұрын

    I wanted one of these when I was younger, I went with the Sonic and the Genesis. lol Keep up the awesome work.

  • @irides46
    @irides463 жыл бұрын

    Yeah that looks really amazing for how simple it is

  • @slvr_l7732
    @slvr_l77324 жыл бұрын

    13:20 No way its too late!, Everything that works perfectly and quite entertaining people will never gets too old or late

  • @kirkbrotherton4322
    @kirkbrotherton43224 жыл бұрын

    Kinda wanna make one to be honest. I actually like the whole rubber band with a mirror idea 😂

  • @fordtechchris

    @fordtechchris

    4 жыл бұрын

    Would make a great diy project with 3d printer, etc. You could even use real lasers these days

  • @dankoga2

    @dankoga2

    4 жыл бұрын

    There's a lot of DIY science fair demonstrations that use rubber balloons, small mirrors or foil and laser pointers to do this. It's really simple!

  • @absalomdraconis

    @absalomdraconis

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@fordtechchris : Actually, I think an RGB led would be better. Use each color for a frequency range, and run the signal through an automatic gain control circuit.

  • @Jimbaloidatron

    @Jimbaloidatron

    4 жыл бұрын

    I actually liked that it was multicoloured, it somehow even looked more 80's as a result!

  • @Cornz38

    @Cornz38

    4 жыл бұрын

    Stick a dental mirror onto a speaker, shine a small 5mw laser at it as it plays music. There is your laser FX with real lasers!!!

  • @davidchristensen6908
    @davidchristensen69084 жыл бұрын

    As always a wonderful video about a product I always wanted back then. As always a video about something I knew about and wanted or sometimes about product i didn’t know about and would have wanted. You always manage to find better and better items.

  • @TracyMarkGorgas
    @TracyMarkGorgas4 жыл бұрын

    In 1992-ish I picked up two of them on clearance at the Post Exchange on Ft. Hood for $25 each. They were a hit for parties we had in the barracks. We found songs with strong bass produced the biggest effects, Led Zeppelin's "No Body's Fault But Mine" making some of the coolest. I still have them, but they have been sitting in the garage forever. Looks like when I get them out I might have to do a little maintenance on them if the glue on my mirrors is the same.

  • @DeanjAust
    @DeanjAust4 жыл бұрын

    Should make someone's day and send the warranty card anyways 😂😂😂

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    4 жыл бұрын

    Dean J - I’m going to google that address.

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    4 жыл бұрын

    CambridgeMart - Oh ok. Thanks.

  • @Adam-xc4qs
    @Adam-xc4qs4 жыл бұрын

    These definitely were sold in the UK! I can clearly remember lusting after one, might have been in the Innovations catalogue...

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    4 жыл бұрын

    Adam Smith - innovations catalogue! I’d forgotten those until you mentioned it.

  • @StuartVallantine

    @StuartVallantine

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yes, me too and in the Innovations catalogue at that (circa 1988-89).

  • @redtails
    @redtails4 жыл бұрын

    the fact it's a speakercone doing the visual effects, makes it a lot better than modern visualizers which always have a delay thus making them feel unresponsive to the music

  • @kimmy_future4265
    @kimmy_future42654 жыл бұрын

    It's pretty clever really. It gets around the issue of high laser production costs at the time and it eliminates any worry about accidentally blinding people and the associated settlements.