What is this?

[beauregaardhooligan]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Ah, now I got it. I wonder if the first dichroic mirror is different from the second, or if red does indeed get twice the light of the other two colors?

That is beyond my fathoming, xoB. I don't think the light is broken down by the R/G/B colors, but I dunno.
I *do* know that there are some polarized/tinted pieces between 2 of the LCDs and the cube, but most of the refracting/color separation occurs before the LCDs.
It's quite the wonder.
Now they're displaying projectors at the CES the size of an iPod!
DickTracy is right around the corner, folks.
Hold on to your data, it's gonna be a wild ride!

[beauregaardhooligan]

Originally Posted by glatt

I think there have to be two seams, otherwise one of the 3 colors won't make it onto the screen. One is very clear in the nekkid cube pictures, but there is a faint hint of another. Maybe I'm just imagining that I see it, but I'm 99% certain it has to be there, so I think it is.

I'm guessing that is an internal reflection of the seam within the prism?
I'll look more closely when I get home.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I thought a dichroic mirror passed, and reflected, half the light... but not so.

A dichroic filter or thin-film filter is a very accurate color filter used to selectively pass light of a small range of colors while reflecting other colors. By comparison, Dichroic mirrors and dichroic reflectors tend to be characterized by the color(s) of light that they reflect, rather than the color(s) they pass.

Thanks for the edumacation, Beau.

[beauregaardhooligan]

Thanks, xoB!
I got a chance to ask our service tech, and he said that it *does* break the light down into RGB for the LCDs, and the prisms put it back together.

glatt, you were right, there *are* two seams.
The cube is made from 4 prisms.
Then I got to thinking about the dichroic coating and if it's just on the internal faces or all sides of the prisms.
{I think it's just internal}
...then I wondered which faces are tinted for which colors.
...then I tried to imagine assembling one and keeping the colors straight
,,,then I boggled at the tolerances required to make such a seam optically perfect.
...then my brain turned into a torus.

[Pie]

(oh a torus, not taurus.)

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by beauregaardhooligan

Thanks, xoB!
I got a chance to ask our service tech, and he said that it *does* break the light down into RGB for the LCDs, and the prisms put it back together.

glatt, you were right, there *are* two seams.
The cube is made from 4 prisms.
Then I got to thinking about the dichroic coating and if it's just on the internal faces or all sides of the prisms.
{I think it's just internal}
...then I wondered which faces are tinted for which colors.
...then I tried to imagine assembling one and keeping the colors straight
,,,then I boggled at the tolerances required to make such a seam optically perfect.
...then my brain turned into a torus.

I doubt the prisms have a Dichroic coating. They are recombining the three colors

But anyway, that's the coolest paperweight ever.

[ZenGum]

mmmmmmmm toruuuuusssssss.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

But anyway, that's the coolest paperweight ever.

Absolutely! If I had one, I'd play around with it using a laser pointer. I think the laser would bounce through in some directions but not in others. Fun to try it out.

[Pie]

Laser pointer and a crystal chandelier.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Beauregaardhooligan's cube is the new mirror ball.

[beauregaardhooligan]

glatt, I've got a laser pointer so I'm gonna try that!
I'll see if I can get a good .avi with my camera and try to post it.
ZenGum, keep your distance, you zombie.

[HungLikeJesus]

You might want to wear sunglasses when experimenting with a laser pointer.

[beauregaardhooligan]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

You might want to wear sunglasses when experimenting with a laser pointer.

Good point, HLJ, Thanks!
Maybe some welding glasses?

[HungLikeJesus]

You might just do a test first. Hold the glasses in one hand and point the laser at them to see how much of the beam goes through. I think different colors of lasers require different types of glasses.

[beauregaardhooligan]

OOooo... xoB, nice signature!
I'm honored.
HLJ, I appreciate the input, that hadn't occurred to me.
I don't expect the light to come out through the top or bottom,
so I'm going to try to rig something up from pieces/parts to make it turn on a flat plane/turntable type of gizatchmo.
Then I'll stand above it with my shades to minimize exposure.