GLG3078 alignment?

[Things]

Hey guys, I've had this little argon laser for a while, and I've found I can squeeze a few more lines out of it if I push down lightly on the end bell.

So I was wondering, how do you go about aligning the mirrors on these things? I believe someone told me to put a screwdriver in this gap here:



And twist it gently to align it?

Is this correct? What about the front mirror, does it sound like that would need realignment too?



Dan

[mixedgas]

One would suggest making a two pronged fork that just clears the flexible "beam tube" in the middle. Second choice would be a three to five mm wide, flat tool made from, square iron stock.

Screwdrivers tend to apply uneven force and that messes up the flexure over time. Its also a PITA to get repeatability with a screwdriver.

You need to "overshoot" in force a bit, and then the mount "springs back" a little in the opposite direction, at least if NEC used a similar metal to every one else.

Your not going to be able to "walk" a sealed mirror argon well without the factory jig. I'd say do the minimum bending to get the extra lines and then quit.
The odds of both mirrors being off center are slim. Unlike a HENE you have to cool this thing when walking.

One other thing comes to mind, if you over bend, you may need to get at the "wire" side of the mount. Corrections are done on the opposite side if you over bend.

Don't kill yourself on the 90-100V DC from the power supply!



Steve

[Things]

Thanks Steve!

Was just talking to Dave(daguin) and he said maybe try the front mirror first as it's a bit more forgiving? How do you go about adjusting that one?

Dan