Argon JDSU 2214 ML help

[Silvershot]

So i have everything wired up correctly, but when I power up the laser, the only thing happening is that the plasma tube glows, followed by a weak purple light coming off the aperture. I tried to adjust the power with a pot as well, no difference. I was told that the laser is misaligned. I paid oveer $550 for the whole setup, so I would really do whatever I can to get this laser working. It's my first gas laser and was like my dream to see the colours, especially of a multiline tube. I hope you guys can help. Thanks in advance.

[daguin]

If the plasma is igniting, but it is not lasing, I can only think of a couple of possibilities. Either the tube is worn out or the mirrors got knocked out of alignment.

If it was working before it was shipped, then I believe it could only be the mirrors. IMNHO it takes a pretty hefty smack to knock the mirrors out on these tubes. This is even more true if the laser is padded and packaged well.

The bad news is that re-aligning the mirrors on these tubes is not an easy task. The even worse news, I have never been successful at realigning the mirrors on one of those tubes. I don't even try any more.

We would have to see the packaging to know if that was a contributing factor.

Peace,
dave

[mixedgas]

Lets find out if the current is below lasing threshold, shall we?

I have aligned tubes like this before, and so have others here. It does require experience gained working on larger lasers with adjustable mirrors.

Steve

[Silvershot]

Lets find out if the current is below lasing threshold, shall we?

I have aligned tubes like this before, and so have others here. It does require experience gained working on larger lasers with adjustable mirrors.

Steve

Each time I plug the psu cord in the wall socket, there is a spark. The electric circuit in the house I rent is old, thus, the psu might not even get the current it needs. I am using an extension cord with the psu, because if i directly plug the psu, the fuse on the breaker panel "falls" ( turn off ). The electric circuit im using is separate. It is used for the washing machine only.

[daguin]

Each time I plug the psu cord in the wall socket, there is a spark. The electric circuit in the house I rent is old, thus, the psu might not even get the current it needs. I am using an extension cord with the psu, because if i directly plug the psu, the fuse on the breaker panel "falls" ( turn off ). The electric circuit im using is separate. It is used for the washing machine only.

LORDY! Pretty lights are NOT worth burning your house down

I have heard of others having this problem with not getting enough current through extension cords. I didn't hear about this potential problem before with yours. Mixedgas will get you measuring correctly to see if it is getting what it needs. You are in good hands

Peace,
dave

[Silvershot]

LORDY! Pretty lights are NOT worth burning your house down

I have heard of others having this problem with not getting enough current through extension cords. I didn't hear about this potential problem before with yours. Mixedgas will get you measuring correctly to see if it is getting what it needs. You are in good hands

Peace,
dave

is there a chance the laser is not getting enough current in my case?

[csshih]

I am using an extension cord with the psu, because if i directly plug the psu, the fuse on the breaker panel "falls" ( turn off ).

well there's a thought!
if the circuit breaker is tripping when you plug it in directly, and NOT tripping when you use the extension cord, the cord is not letting the same amount of current through, otherwise the circuit breaker would still trip...

[LaNeK779]

or maybe this extension cord does not have the ground terminal connected??
so the laser has leakage to ground somewhere? or some other fault in the psu?

[daguin]

is there a chance the laser is not getting enough current in my case?

Yes. I remember that, I believe it was, Jason (GooeyGus) had this problem when using a multi-plug strip. He plugged the unit directly into the wall and it worked.

I am a speech professor. Mixedgas is a laser expert. He can help you more with this question. He knows what the voltage and current need to be. Csshih's statement shows that there is a definite difference in current draw when using the cords.

Peace,
dave

**EDIT** -- I just realized that this is not exactly an "advanced technical discussion." Keep your eyes open for it to be moved

[mixedgas]

quote:
**EDIT** -- I just realized that this is not exactly an "advanced technical discussion." Keep your eyes open for it to be moved[/QUOTE]

Admin does not move/merge/delete threads unless it is the end of the world, or exigent circumstances of Biblical proportions, or one of the participants is mentally ill or is endangering others . Even then only one guy can do it, and he prefers not to. He starts with censure and then time-outs. Heck,maybe in the history of the board less then what, six or seven people have been "clue-by-foured".

If the extension cord or its connections has a resistance of as little as two ohms,it can really mess up the power supply control loop if the line voltage is low. Usually supplies recover from that if transferred to clean power.

Which model PSU do you have? Do you have a battery digital powered voltmeter?

We need to access the on board diagnostics if we can get at them, some models you can, others you can't.

Steve

[Silvershot]

Lets find out if the current is below lasing threshold, shall we?

I have aligned tubes like this before, and so have others here. It does require experience gained working on larger lasers with adjustable mirrors.

Steve

Ok so I need to move somewhere else where there is strong socket able to handle a lot of amps to make sure if its low current the problem?
I still dont want to admit its alignment.. The packaging could not be better. A lot of bubble wrap and foam around..

@ mixedgas, The extensions is pretty long i can tell. Yes. i have a DDM with battery( 9V ). The psu has serial number 8325 and Model. 2214B-40MLA.

[MarioMaster]

Hi Steve, this laser was in great shape before shipping, made 3-5mW even at idle.

His circuit breakers can't handle the inrush current of the PSU, which is why I suggested the extension cord to try and keep his breaker from tripping. It worked, but now all he's got is plasma glow.

At home I had used an extension cord to get 240v into my garage and it worked fine there. Wish I could be there to troubleshoot it myself.

[HD58PHD]

Just a thought,if the seller was running it fine with 240v in his garage and buyer is running it (trying) from 120v,could this be a possible problem?
Assuming his washing machine outlet is 120v.
Mike
Is the PSU set for his input?
Mike

[Silvershot]

Just a thought,if the seller was running it fine with 240v in his garage and buyer is running it (trying) from 120v,could this be a possible problem?
Assuming his washing machine outlet is 120v.
Mike
Is the PSU set for his input?
Mike

The mains in Greece are <240 V, maybe 220-240 dont remember, so i set the psu to HI. However, before plugging the laser i did test the psu and forgot to turn it to HI. Should I worry about the psu about this? Maybe I should try at LO?

[HD58PHD]

Hi,not understanding your reply,here is my suggestion,anyone correct me if wrong,,,
1. check outlet wiring for proper voltage,polarity,ground
2. check for same results at end of ext. cord
3. VERIFY correct PSU input setting
4. correctly construct an interface to control the PSU via the port on the front of PSU
5. try again?
I'll go look again at your jumpers but I think something is missing.I have a 2213 system with a crude but working interface control that was replaced with the digital control,I'll see if I can find it to see if it matches your connections.
Mike

[Silvershot]

If this helps, the main i am plugging the psu reads 223-225 Volts.. and the psu is rated 200 V max at LO and 230 V min at HI

[HD58PHD]

I would think it to be a problem as the MIN. hi input is not reached with no load.
Curious as to what the measured line voltage is when trying to run?
Sounds like the PSU is maybe starving? Probably not good for the PSU.
I would find a place with proper line voltage and current to test,thus ruling out any guesswork on the issue.

Mike

[Silvershot]

at the end of the extension cord, the voltage measures ~228 V
I mean, the ratings are right between the LO and HI modes

[TTerbo]

Go to a friends house with your argon and see if they get >230v from their wall socket, Plug it in and see if that input voltage is your problem

[Diachi]

Hi,not understanding your reply,here is my suggestion,anyone correct me if wrong,,,
1. check outlet wiring for proper voltage,polarity,ground
2. check for same results at end of ext. cord
3. VERIFY correct PSU input setting
4. correctly construct an interface to control the PSU via the port on the front of PSU
5. try again?
I'll go look again at your jumpers but I think something is missing.I have a 2213 system with a crude but working interface control that was replaced with the digital control,I'll see if I can find it to see if it matches your connections.
Mike

The pinouts are the same for 211x models. What differs is the calibration and output voltage of the low current PSU. If your controller only consists of pots and switches it will still work.

Silvershot, if you can't source enough voltage at your own home then I'd go with TTerbo's suggestion and try it at a friends house.

My shutter suggestion over at LPF is probably not the problem!

[Silvershot]

Hey again. After quite a serious thought, I started to believe that the laser is not misaligned. When I opened the package there TONS of bubble wrap and on top of that a lot of foam. The psu protection( bubble wrap ) was only opened by customs. As I said, the input voltage to the psu is ~225 V, so theoritically, the psu would not work properly in either LO or HI ?? I dunno but I would say the laser is alright. The protection in the packaging was super! Plus the previous owner( MarioMaster ) mentioned that the packaging was worse when he bought it. And it survived the shipping at his side.

Edit: I also am trying to adjust current with a pot,( pins 6, 11, 13 and the wiper to pin 6 ). I used my DMM across pins 9 and 22 to check the current while adjusting the pot, but the reading was 0.39-0.40 at voltage setting, which means 3.9-4 A. Something is wrong with the current. the tube doesnt seem to be getting enough amps. What can I try next? I really want to give up, but then again, I might be even close to get it working :/

EDIT no2: Well, i forgot to short pins 5 and 11 to enable current control. So I measured the current to be max ~10 A while turning the pot around, but there was only plasma light still...

I guess then the problem seems to be misalignment of the laser?

[Stoney3K]

Don't forget the laser was shipped from the USA to Europe.

I would expect the HI setting on the PSU to work with 240V two-phase AC from the American line grid, which is over 240V at 60 Hertz.

In the EU, the power grid is standardized at 220-240V~/50Hz. So there may be some trouble there, since the PSU is not getting enough voltage to work.

I don't know how the electrical code in Greece works, but in the Netherlands, fuses are a maximum of 16A at 230V for a single-phase connection, giving about 3500W of power headroom (or 4kW if you have the luck of a slow breaker).

Steve: What's the power drain on these total? What should be the proper tube voltage/current for it to lase? Setting it to HI *may* bypass some kind of internal step-up and use the line voltage directly, if that's too low the tube won't lase because the tube voltage won't be enough.

Don't attempt the LO setting in Europe, though, that's designed for 120V/60Hz and will only give a lot of fireworks.

[Silvershot]

Steve: What's the power drain on these total? What should be the proper tube voltage/current for it to lase? Setting it to HI *may* bypass some kind of internal step-up and use the line voltage directly, if that's too low the tube won't lase because the tube voltage won't be enough.

Don't attempt the LO setting in Europe, though, that's designed for 120V/60Hz and will only give a lot of firework.

Voltage here is not stable within the day. A friend of mine finds that voltage in the mains can be up to 240 V in the morning, while in the evening it may drop even at 210 V. This friend of mine is an electrician and says that it should not matter which setting, LO or HI you choose. But it may be different with gas lasers, I dunno

I thought the LO was for 200-220 V. That's at least what the sticker on my psu shows.

I really need to know if this voltage problem could cause the laser not to lase? Just to let you know, the plasma light can be easily seen if I turn the pot. Isn't it obvious that the laser is getting enough current?

[MarioMaster]

These power supplies are switchmode, it will have no problems obtaining the discharge current from varying mains voltages.

All the HI/LO switch does is change the voltage tap on the filament transformer for optimal cathode temperature. His line voltage also will sag under load so it would probably be better to run it on LO since it would be better to have the cathode a bit too warm rather than too cold to avoid sagging the cathode.

[LesioQ]

Hi,

A picture of Your setup would be welcome.
Does Your PS have two separate switches for voltage selection ? (HI/LO, 115/230)
Do both red and green LED lite upon power-up and interlock close ? (the keylock)
Do plasma discharge ignite after ca 40 second delay from power-up ?
Does voltage on pin 8 (current monitor) follow the pot from 4 to 10Amps ?
Is it a rectangular or round laser head ? (fan atop or via air duct)
How many starter ticks does the plasma start require ?

Piotr.K