SAFETY Systems
FOREWORD
From the end of 2013, all the Laser Embedded Laser Harp we craft, are classified as Class IV Laser devices.
This means that they follow safety standard, which we applied also in the old Class 3b products in the past. Even if it was not required for 3b classes.
On top of all, they must be used only from specialized person and/or the musician that has to play with, must be very careful and read out, understand, all the Safety recommendations are written also on the Manual given with the devices.
Her/his behavior is expected to be very strict to what the Manual declares and even more severe than it, but certainly not lighter than that.
Taking into consideration that our Laser Harps are Musical Instruments and not devices that should be used for other purposes than this or in dangerous environment (e.g. with explosive gases etc), the safety systems installed, should be able to protect the personnel, and at the same time permit the use tf the Laser Harp in the goal they are designed for.
LASER HARPS by KROMALASER are PROFESSIONAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
The laser Harps we craft, are intended to be used as Musical Instrument and the Musician/DJ plays them, should have read the Manual with all the instructions and warnings
From the moment you receive the Laser Harp, you are the person that's aware about all what concerns the instrument and the way in which you handle it, because clearly reported into the documentation we release together with the Instrument
SIGNALIZATION
All the parts of the laser Harps which are hazardous, are clearly signaled by conventional/standard labeling placed just aside that zones.
Please take care to these signalization/labeling and respect them carefully.
Those labels and the danger notes are also reported into the manual.
FORBIDDEN TO OPEN THE DEVICE
In all the nations of Europe (EU), there is the application of what is called "Common Sense".
To enforce this, we seriously declare here that's strongly forbidden for any user, to open the device for any reason.
The opening of the device, is admitted only by Laser technical Specialist personnel.
We strongly encourage you to send your Laser Harp, in case you need any reparation's intervention, directly to our Laboratories.
We are not responsible about any damage against persons/animals/things, if you violate any of the requirements expressed above, hereby, and into the manual.
REFLECTIONS
Laser beams must never be pointed toward any reflective surfaces, that can point them toward the eyes/body of any living being.
In case of white Ceiling, we always suggest to put a black tape or not reflective surface, in the ceiling's zone where the lasers are pointed.
We are selling the tape in our Accessories section.
On stage, take care that laser are going directly into sky or they are not reflected by any surface like the scaffold or else.
If you use the SkyCeil to create the spectacular Laser Ceiling, you are responsible to prevent that the deflected Laser Beams, are hitting any living being/reflective object.
MIRRORING for UPRIGHT LASERS
The use any not-Kromalaser Laser Projector with ILDA Controller to have the Laser Harp, implies the installation of external 45 degrees mirrors to deflect the laser beams, so that they become vertical
This manner to use the projector, suggested or indicated by other companies, is very dangerous. Indeed a simple misalignment of the mirror, due small accidental movements on the Stage or else, can hazard the eyes of the public.
To avoid this, we have designed and built special projectors, that have the mirror system internally installed and carefully set up. So that our projectors are really safe
With our projectors, you have the warranty that lasers beams are always emitted upright, and you don't need any external mirror, hence you have not to worry about vibrations or movements when you are on Stage
KEYLOCK
Each Laser Harp, with laser projector embedded, have a Keylock system, that interdicts the device in case the key is not inserted and turned.
Who has the key, is the formal responsible of the use of the harp.
When the key is out, or is placed in but not turned, there's no way to activate the Laser Harp
INTERLOCK CONNECTOR
The remote interlock connector Class 4 lasers should be connected to an emergency master disconnect interlock or to room, door or fixture interlocks.
We provide this connector as it's required on any Laser 4 device ( IEC 60825 )
KEYLOCK ENFORCEMENT and INTERLOCK ENFORCEMENT
FOOTSWITCH LOCKING SYSTEM (the enforcement)
Safety norms are just describing the requirement to have a keylock. We did more.
Since the beginning, we have enforced this requirement, applying the necessity to press contemporaneously the pedals 1 and 4, to activate the lasers.
This, together with the keylock, avoids accidental turns on, by personnel which is not supposed to have access to the Laser Harp, nor to it's use and handling.
TILT SENSOR
Reasons:
Light weight instruments, can by tilted down/flipped by rough use (by a strong kick for instance).
While the heaviest ones, due an not attentive use during the setup of the stage.
It means that there is the risk that the laser beams are reaching the eyes of any the people and this must be avoided.
Norms are prescribing the interlock system, which deactivates the lasers by disconnecting a plug or pushing an emergency button.
What the TILT SENSOR does as INTERLOCK ENFORCEMENT:
The interlock foreseen by norms has a dangerous drawback: it takes too long to be activated, and lasers are damaging eyes in milliseconds.
To be more effective than what norms are suggesting, our Interlock system is a tilt sensor.
Indeed our laser harps must be used with lasers coming out upright, in vertical!
Or at an angle determined by the laser Fan itself, which we established during manufacturing process, which has not any risk for accidental laser hit (anyhow you should always take care for!)
For the reasons above, if ever the Laser Harp is bumped, with risk of tilt, and/or tilted the laser system and the whole circuitry goes immediately off, avoiding any accidental possible contact with the eyes of any body surrounding it.
At the same time an acoustic alarm turns on and the only one way to reset the Laser Harp restarting the lasers, is to put the laser harp in its working position, as foreseen by its Manual, to unplug and re-plug the power by the mechanical switch.
This solution is much more effective and quick than any pushbutton in the world, and it's meant to protect you much more.
We placed the Tilt Sensor also in the projectors we are crafting and selling, for Laser Harp as Musical Instrument Purposes
COVER LOCK
In certain cases, especially when the Laser Harp is more portable, thus subjected to be easily handled by not so expert personnel, there is a cover with 2 locks.
Closing it when the instrument is not used, as recommended, with the keys we give when we ship the laser harp, prevent access to the harp itself.
Who owns the keys of the laser harp is formally responsible of any damaged caused by any imprudence
GOGGLES
Goggles are special protective glasses. they are NOT Sunglasses, thus please do not make any confusion amount the two types of glasses!
The following items are the feedback of the major certified goggles manufacturers
Goggles are made with special lenses that are attenuating only a specific wavelength.
Moreover they are not meant to protect you against long direct contact between your (or third parties) eyes and the lasers.
They are meant only to protect against brilliant reflections of the lasers (accidental hits) which can accidentally reach your or third parties eyes.
moreover, goggles are generally made to protect against one specific wavelength, thus only one color.
There are goggles protecting against two colors, which are very expensive and very difficult to find and to order. But if you ask for, we can order them
Multicolor goggles, made for three or more wavelengths at the same time, are not existing in the world, because they are very difficult (almost impossible) to be built. So far goggles are not employable for this application, because whenever thy are built, the y are so dark that are not usable for these application. Indeed, because the human visible spectrum lies between 380-780 nm, to protect from all the radiations, you need a totally non-transparent material. black. Thus on rainbow effects etc, you are using the whole visible radiations and you need to see the lasers in order to use them. Thus it's physically impossible to build such kind of goggles: which protects you, but permits you to watch the lasers
With CLASS IV to protect your eyes is MANDATORY But the current norms are not specifying the degree of protection and/or the wavelength on which the glasses should protect your eyes
To protect your eyes, be attentive, careful and applying your common sense.
- Is the Laser Harp generating the Sound by braking the Laser or changes it the Sound by moving the hand up and down?
- HHMC™: What's that and how does it work?
- With what default accessories is a Laser Harp delivered?
- I live in U.S. and I'm wondering if I can use the power we have here.
- Do you give a Power Cable together with the Laser Harps?
- What type of laser would you suggest?
- I didn't understand what is amplitude and how it is programmable.
- Do I need to use it only in darkness?
- What happens when light from the stage like moving head comes to the sensor?
- Where do I need to put the sensor?
- What is the Anti-Tilt system?
- What is a Laser Harp with an Embedded Laser Projector?
- What is ad ILDA Controller?
- With an ILDA Controller, do I need a Laser Projector?
- Do I need mirrors and special set up to install your ILDA Controller Laser Harp Generator?
- May a Laser Harp be used also by my kids?
1. Q: Is the Laser Harp generating the Sound by braking the Laser or changes it the Sound by moving the hand up and down?
A: The Laser Harp follows the Harp principle. A string of an acoustic harp sounds when it's plucked by a finger, then it starts to vibrate and consequently it generates sound. So that when in a Laser Harp you brake the laser beam that corresponds to a note, it will generates that note.
By our exclusive system HHMC™ when you move your hands up and down on the laser beams, you change Pitch, Volume, Wheel and Octaves
2. Q: HHMC™: What's that and how does it work?
HHMC™ means Height Hand Modulation Configuration, and it's a trademark of Kromalaser
When you touch the laser beam, if you move vertically your hand over that laser beam, you can modulate the sound generated by the Laser Harp
You can modulate the pitch of the sound obtaining a bending as well as the intensity of the vibrato, which is called Wheel modulation
The unique feature of the Laser Harp you buy from us, is that you can even have more than one octave at the same time, playing vertically!
it means that if you touch the Laser Beam at certain height, you get a note and if you touch the same laser beam lower or higher than the initial position, you will gate the same not but an octave lower or higher
See the video here below
More videos over HHMC™ HERE
3. Q: With what default accessories is a Laser Harp delivered?
A: Each model of Laser Harp, is delivered with:
- A pedal Board
- Power Cable
- UltraSENSOR™
- .PDF Manual
- A Sample of Sound (.WAV format) that reproduces with high accuracy the Jean Michel Jarre's sound (Elka Synthex) and you can use it in a Sampler like Kontakt by Native Instruments
- The music score of "Kromalaser-1" by Maurizio Carelli
- The backingtrack of the piece "Kromalaser-1" so that you can play the melody over
- Warranty documentation. To activate the warranty just CLICK HERE and fill in the form.
- CE and RoHS Certifications
4. Q: I live in U.S. and I'm wondering if I can use the power we have here.
A: The Laser Harp works with a power range from: 100V to 240V so that in all World it's possible to use it without any problem
5. Q: Do you give a Power Cable together with the Laser Harps?
A: In the past we had problems with Power Cables due the different types of plugs used Worldwide. Recently our management, after a very attentive evaluation, decided to deliver also a Power Cable standardized with Shucko Plug. It's the most reliable plug type in the World
6. Q: What type of laser would you suggest?
A: It depends in what environment you will use it and what is the effect you would like to have.
- If it is you living room or a Pub/Theater, or a little Stage (in open space as well), we suggest the KL-3D 1000;
- If it is in Big Stage and/or you would like to have a more powerful effect, we suggest the KL-3D PRO;
- If you would like to use the Laser Harp and you have already an ILDA Projector, we suggest the KL-3D KONTROL
- PAY ATTENTIONif you want to play in living rooms, Pub Theater and occasionally also in Big Stages etc, we suggest the KL-3D 1000 to which you can connect also an external and very powerful laser projector
7. Q: I didn't understand what is amplitude and how it is programmable.
A: The amplitude is the span of the Laser's fan, and it's measured considering the distance between the external beams of the fan. It's more proper to talk about Fan-Width. It's possible to adjust it electronically, just simply using the commands on all the Laser Harps. Please have a look of the picture here below, with the example of little amplitude (left side) and Big amplitude (right side). Click over it please, a new window will be open with the big detailed picture on it.
8. Q: Do I need to use it only in darkness?
A: You don't need full darkness and you can work with all the Lights you want, Indeed all the laser Harp have the UltraSENSOR™
9. Q: What happens when light from the stage like moving head comes to the sensor?
A: Nothing happens, if the Laser Harp is using the UltraSENSOR™. With the KL-450 BASIC: if it is not retrofitted: it's better to avoid this condition, Just do not point the lights over the sensor.if they are retrofitted: nothing happens.Please: watch the video on our website. As you can notice, people are not working in full darkness. Several clients are using the Laser Harp since months in Theater/Musical Spectacle. Their harps are not retrofitted but they still working without issues. Just they ideally adapt the conditions.
10. Q: Where do I need to put the sensor?
A: With the Embedded Projectors Lasr Harps, you don't need to put the sensor anywhere because it's integrated in the Laser Harp itself. Just plug the Harp into the 230V, connect the keyboard/synth/PC and the pedal board and play and enjoy. With the ILDA Controllers, just connect the sensor by its plug, direct it toward yourself, connect your keyboard/Synth/PC/whatever, and play enjoying yourself
11. Q: What is the Anti-Tilt system?
A: It is a system that protects the eyes of the public from accidental direct contact with the laser beams. In case the Laser Harp is accidentally or on purpose tilted too much toward the public, the system switches the Laser Harp off. Laser beams (from any source of any Brand!!!) should NEVER be pointed toward any eye, of anybody!! We hope that's quite clear, but we wanted to protect from incidents.
12. Q: What is a Laser Harp with an Embedded Laser Projector?
A: It is a Laser Harp which doesn't require any external projector to work with. Everything is built in. Included the scanner and the optical system. You don't need anything more than the Laser Harp itself to play your music.
13. Q: What is ad ILDA Controller?
A: It is a device which use an image transfer format, ILDA Protocol, for interchanging information between laser controllers and laser fixtures. Thus an ILDA Controller is a machine that uses ILDA Protocol in order to properly drive a Laser Projector
14. Q: With an ILDA Controller, do I need a Laser Projector?
A: If you have not yet one: yes. We have some in our catalog to propose you. And if you have an ILDA Laser Projector you can use it with our Controllers.
15. Q: Do I need mirrors and special set up to install your ILDA Controller Laser Harp Generator?
A: With our laser projectors: no. We provide you laser projectors built for the laser harp purpose. Thus you don't need mirrors or set-up or placements or other. just connect the cables, switch our Laser Harp on and play.
16. Q: May a Laser Harp be used also by my kids?
A: NO! Laser Harps are not toys. At least not the ones we craft! Laser Beams are dangerous and they must be threaten with care. Thus no kids, not pets/animals in general, not handicap carrier persons, around your Harp! (for these last ones, please evaluate the type of handicap, obviously!) Whatever you read in internet, if somebody is telling you the opposite, he's only an irresponsible without the necessary required degree of maturity.
HAZER vs SMOKE MACHINE
Laser beams, due their physical nature, are not visible whatever the power used.
To make them clearly visible, as you see in our pictures or in the very known pictures/video of Jean Michel Jarre, it’s necessary to have something that spreads the coherent light in all directions.
In order to have this effects, people is using a Smoke Machine. That’s good solution for very cheap occasions. The advantage of a smoke machine is its price: quite low, for home purposes.
A smoke machine, warms up a mixture of distilled water and glycerin, till the boiling point. Then an electromagnet opens a valve and a puff of smoke is spread in the surrounded atmosphere.
This mechanism is not the ideal with laser beams because, the puff of smoke is several times so intense, that for a while hides the lasers. This occurs independently from their power.
Moreover, the starting-point of the electromagnet can cause several problems if a device is shortly connected to the same power line.
In order to avoid this phenomena, a Hazer is much more indicated for that use. The Hazer is based on a different fluid that stays longer in the air. The principle of working of a Hazer is also different from the one of a smoke machine.
The liquid of a Hazer, is generally warmed by ultrasounds up. The smoke generated, is continuously released in atmosphere, without the intervention of an electromagnet, in minor quantity rather than the normal smoke, consuming less liquid and less energy, and avoiding hiding puffs.
The particles of a Hazer’s smoke are 100 times littler than the ones of the normal smoke. That’s why is called “Haze”. As results, it lies a longer time in the air, it means that it doesn’t collapse to the ground so rapidly as the smoke does.
The particles of Haze are so tiny that the necessary quantity to reveal the laser beams, is almost no visible by human eyes.
In conclusion, the greatest effect is obtained by a Hazer. The cost is slightly higher than a smoke machine, but the effect is 100 times greater than the one generated by a smoke machine. That’s why Kromalaser suggests you Hazers rather than Smoke Machines.
With two colors, to learn is faster
KROMALASER Laser harp, combines two lasers of different colors: RED and GREEN! Diatonic and chromatic notes are laid out vertically as you would normally found them on a piano keyboard. Isn’t that easy?
With KROMALASER Laser harp you can also choose the classic Jean Michel Jarre’s monochromatic style Laser Harp. (all green Laser Beams) by simply pressing a pedal on the included footswitch-board.
- GREEN laser beams play diatonic notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B,or Do through Si)
- RED beams are for chromatic notes (C#, D#, F#, G#, A# or Do# through La#).
With all GREEN or all RED colored Laser Beams: you can! It’s just a setting you can easily activate in all the Laser Harps models pressing a footswitch*
In this picture, amazing dual-color beams from a laser harp KROMALASER KL-KONTROL. Light beams span is wide enough to let you play one clear note with your hand and touch no other light strings when operating in the 1.5-2 m range from ground (approx. 5-6’7″).
Poly Color Laser Harps
A dream come true! Introducing the laser harps based on color ILDA controllers family that add the power of polychrome light to your music.
KL-KONTROL and KL-DEE JAY are members of this powerful family born in July 2010 with the old model KL-ILDA now remake and renamed: KL-KONTROL
now they leave the space to KL-KONTROLITE, 3D "EXTREME" and all of our branch of ILDA Controllers
DJ set or musician in a gig, change settings during your performance, and add the warmth of changing light while playing your laser harp. No need to say, diatonic and chromatic notes will always be there!
The lightweight yet rugged of the ILDA Controllers box makes it an outstanding professional device for concerts.
A great variety of effects is now possible, not only using the three fundamental colors, but also mixing them together, obtaining all the color of the visible spectrum.
Using this instrument, your concert will be enhanced in a real laser Show, something unexpected from your public, something that will add a plus value in your performances.
After this great Experience, we decided to discontinue all the old products above and to create the IV Generation of Laser Harps: EVO (it stands for "e;Evolution"e; and from 2013 on not only 3D
Also HHMC (Height Hand Modulation Configuration™ ) which enables you to modulate the sound by moving your hands up and down on the laser beams and you can even change Octaves just positioning your hands at different heights!! Unique in the World and moreover: First in the World!!
Watch all our videos here CLICK HERE
Plug a ILDA Laser Controller in your ILDA Laser Projector, and Play. Enjoy!