Mirror Set-Up For Monitoring Laser

[Ed Maloney]

I am trying to figure out the best way to install some type of mirror so I can more easily keep an eye on things from my desk. I'm about 2 feet away, but my desk is lower than the laser so I have to stand up to take a look.

Anyone have photos of examples of how you set it up?

Ed

[Scott Shepherd]

Two things, the one's I've seen for different type machines are hung from the ceiling over top of the machine, at a 45 degree angle.

At one point, I had a web cam that I used and it was the type that could be hung on top of a LCD panel, so it had a rubberish bendable bracket on it. I'd just open the webcam up, lay the camera on the lid, make the screen small enough I could keep it in the corner of my monitor and still get work done. It worked really well. I know that's not what you asked for but it did work great, and if I needed to work 10 feet away, I'd just maximize the screen so I could see the screen while working.

[Ed Maloney]

Thanks Scott. Do you still use the webcam set-up and do you have the details of it, like how it's connected, mounted, etc? Sure seems like a great alternative.

Ed

[Scott Shepherd]

I don't use it any longer. At the time, I had a blower sitting next to me, so I put up a partition to block the noise. Now we have all our blowers in the ceiling so I'm not sitting next to the noise and I don't use the partitions, so I can just look over and see it. You don't need anything fancy, just get a cheaper name brand one and you'll be set. If it doesn't mount right, you can make something that holds it like you need it. I just sat mine on the lid in the bottom corner and pointed it across the table. If I had something more detailed, I'd just move it up to that area.

[Don Corbeil]

If you have a wireless router in your home/office they can be run completely wirelessly, with the exception of the power cord. Trendnet is one cam I used. From any PC I could connect to the webcam and even have pan, tilt and zoom functions.