m+a report April 1997

What started small with discotheque equipment and electronic accessories for lasers in 1982 has now reached considerable dimensions.
Lothar Bopp, founder of the company LOBO electronic, quickly noticed “that most laser controllers had significant deficiencies in operating comfort and fabrication and did not meet the quality standards expected by our clients.” Hence, the development of a proprietary laser system was started with considerable efforts, culminating in the presentation of the high-performance laser system LACON-2 at the end of 1986. By now, LACON-3 is on the market.
In order to get the laser technology on the road, the company has developed a Laser Truck, “ready for use”. It is based on two watertight and highly durable 16 tons standard containers, equipped with state-of-the-art laser and media technology. “We can claim to have built the largest mobile laser system in the world.”
Accordingly, the trucks have a wide range of applications: “You can often see them at gigantic open-airs or at fairs. But more exotic uses, such as the creation of stage sets made from light in an open-air theater or the projection of a laser beam triangle with an edge length of 14 km above a city’s night sky, can also be found on the long list of applications.”
In general, the laser beam comes directly out of four projectors permanently installed in the container. In order to account for even the most complex spatial conditions, compact external projectors may be used alternatively, to which the laser light is supplied via fiber optic cables. This way, even laser shows at smaller fair booths or several hundred meters away from the truck are no problem.
As there is often no direct line of sight between the control room and the actual event location when external projectors are used, the truck offers various communication systems, including a wireless intercom systems and a video surveillance system. In short: It was important to the Lobo engineers that the laser truck would form a closed, completely self-sufficient system.