I got the lasershark to work! This is really cool. I'm noticing the chips that power the galvos are getting really hot. Is it possible I should be using a fan with them? They have heat sinks / metal blocks at the ends of them too.
Congrats!
It is normal for the galvo amplifiers to become hot but there is a limit which should be present in the datasheet that came with your galvos/amplifier/power supply combo.
The heatsinks should always be attached. If you are still encountering issues you should use fans. You should also check to make sure you are not over-driving the galvos. For example the Lasershark should be able to run galvos up to 64kpps... but you wouldn't want to do that if only had 10kpps rated galvos.
Alright, thank you! It's really cool!