-----Original Message-----
From:   Robert Rolf [SMTP:Robert.Rolf@UALBERTA.CA]
Sent:   Monday, January 31, 2000 5:28 PM
To:     PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject:        Re: [OT] PIC Sound to Light?

Michael Rigby-Jones wrote:
> Wagner wrote:
> > Want to be filthy rich? find a way to change a laser beam direction
> > electronically, without using mirrors...

Been done. Well developed technology already exists for this. Not cheap.

> Tuneable laser and a prism.  Of course, this would have the side effect of
> changing the colour of the laser depending on position.  And tuneable lasers
> can't change wavelength particularly quickly.  And you don't get much tuning

Oh yes they can. AOD in the cavity gives dynamic tuning with MHz BW.
Look up 'Etalon'.

The company I work for invented the Etalon! It is used in a feedback loop to lock a laser to a precise wavelength.  It does not however adjust the wavelength of the laser directly, that is done by heating and cooling the laser chip, which isn't particularly quick.  This is in a realm of high speed communications lasers though, not light effects units.

Cheers

Mike