First Argon

[DZ]

Well hopefully all will be well with the laser. Either way, I think it was a good price he got for it. In my opinion, the 60X is the best of the small argon heads. They sure can take a beating! I've had several through the years and I am down to my last one, but just can't see parting with it. I haven't bothered to power it up in about a year though! Anyway, I looked around on ebay and found the coil that is perfect for firing up an old high pressure head: http://cgi.ebay.com/ELECTRO-TECHNIC-...QQcmdZViewItem
That auction is already over, but that is what you would need. These things work great, I've had two but both have since died and are not repairable. Gotta be careful with them though, somehow, after using one in my office on a 60X head, it fried my parallel port in my pc on the other side of the room! Oh, and if your using one to try and light an old Ionics tube, don't lean on the frame while hitting it with the tesla coil! (What a ride!)

David

[allthatwhichis]

Wow, did every one start out with an argon for blue? I guess that's why mine hasn't sold. ops: My Spectra Physics 161C lases nicly within about 15 to 30 seconds every time. I had no idea if that was good, but from the previous posts I guess it is... I think the seller told me he replaced the tube with a... National Laser??? tube... That is the company that makes the replacements correct?

Does everybody else's argon sound like a big ass vaccume cleaner when you turn it on?

[DZ]

Does everybody else's argon sound like a big ass vaccume cleaner when you turn it on?

Yep, unless you have a water cooled laser. My first water cooled laser was a Lexel88. It was nice not having to talk over the loud fan! Yet another great laser. The tube in my old 88 was about 12 years old at the time, had only 500 hours on it, and ran great, 1.8 watts when I got it and 2 watts after cleaning/walking/aligning the optics. I remember running it in my apartment at the time, ran it full power for a while just on the wall through a diffraction grating, then walked into the next room with the light on, and everything had a red color to it! Who needs healthy eyes?

David

[buffo]

I've had several through the years and I am down to my last one, but just can't see parting with it. I haven't bothered to power it up in about a year though!

Shame on you Dave! :twisted: You know you ought to be firing that thing up once a month... Still, you're right, the smaller argons can take a beating and still lase. I've got one head sitting here (SP-163A) that I haven't fired up in 2 years. (Got a cable/wiring problem that I just haven't had time to sort out yet.) I'm a bit concerned that it will be high pressure when I try it, but I didn't pay much for it so I'm not too worried. I do fire up my other Argons on a regular basis though.

Anyway, I looked around on ebay and found the coil that is perfect for firing up an old high pressure head: http://cgi.ebay.com/ELECTRO-TECHNIC-...QQcmdZViewItem
That auction is already over, but that is what you would need.

I've actually considered buying something like that unit before, to aid in the starting of older tubes. One question though: Do you think that telsa coil you linked to would have enough omph to help light a larger tube? Say, something in the range of a Lexel 88 or an ALC 68B? Reason I ask is that I've got an HGM 5 sitting here with a dead tube. So, on the one hand, it wouldn't hurt for me to try a few tricks on this tube to see if I can get it lit, and even if I do replace it, it's possible that I'll end up with another high-pressure tube and will thus have need for the telsa coil.

I don't want to get some huge monster that is going to throw sparks a foot long and interfere with everyone's TV set on the block, but I do want one with enough ass to fire one of the larger Argon tubes. Whatcha think?

Gotta be careful with them though, somehow, after using one in my office on a 60X head, it fried my parallel port in my pc on the other side of the room!

Strange... Did you have a cable hooked up to the port at the time? It might have acted as an antenna and captured enough RF from the coil to create a big voltage spike. I guess that would be enough to fry the port.

Oh, and if your using one to try and light an old Ionics tube, don't lean on the frame while hitting it with the tesla coil! (What a ride!)

OUCH! Like grabbing the spark plug on a running car! Nothing like "riding the lightning" to make you wake up and pay attention... (Of course, depending on the voltage it might also make you shit your pants!) :roll:

Adam

PS: Allthatwhichis: The Spectra-Physics 161-163 series units have a delay in the start up circuit. Basically it's to make sure the cathode heater (filament) is up to temperature before trying to start the tube. So you have the 5 second standard delay, plus the heater delay, plus the delay time for the starting capacitor to charge. Roughly 15-30 seconds is just fine. (You should notice that once you've sucessfully started the tube, if you switch the PSU to standby and back to lase, the delay is much shorter. This is because the cathode is already hot and the starting caps are already charged.)

And yeah, most people start out with Argons for blue. DPSS blue is fairly new, and still quite expensive. Argons represent a much older, more proven technology. Plus there are a lot of them on the market, so they're more affordable - especially for the hobbyist.

[DZ]

Do you think that telsa coil you linked to would have enough omph to help light a larger tube? Say, something in the range of a Lexel 88 or an ALC 68B?

It probably will. The largest thing I started with one was an Omni 643 AR/KR. Just rectified AC, charged a large cap and put it on the 643 through a very beefy heating coil and used the telsa coil to start it. It started it, but sadly the gas ionized down the gas return instead of the bore... There are a few other tricks to get a tube lit without the tesla coil. Do you know for sure it is gas intact? A test with a HeNe supply will let you know for sure. Though I've never been crazy enough to try, I've heard of people putting a car battery across the cathode terminals for a very short amount of time to "blow" off contaminates and making it easier to sustain discharge.

I don't want to get some huge monster that is going to throw sparks a foot long and interfere with everyone's TV set on the block, but I do want one with enough ass to fire one of the larger Argon tubes. Whatcha think?

The sparks coming off the tip of this coil are an inch and a half at most. But pretty potent due to its high frequency, its not your typical Van de Graf (spelling?).

Strange... Did you have a cable hooked up to the port at the time? It might have acted as an antenna and captured enough RF from the coil to create a big voltage spike. I guess that would be enough to fry the port.

Yes, my printer was attached at the time and strangley, the printer was fine!

David

[DjDevNull]

So it's in


Ok so isn't there suppose to be a current meter on the front of this laser? When I plug into the red and black Tube current Jacks I get nothing. So I have no idea what this thing is running at. As for power yeah it looks to be over 100mw. The guy lased in 30 or so sec. Ran it for 2 hrs no problems. Didn't even have to turn my house heat on when I got home.

So what is the over current led? It lights if I have the laser on. I tried adjusting the current but it's lit regardless.

How long should I wait between turning it on then off and then back on again? Should I make it so the fan runs while the laser is off for a few kinda like a lamp based projector does?

Nope this wasn't my first blue I have a 100mw dpss from Dave. So Pretty until I reversed the the polarity in the analog input going out for repair. I just wanted an argon to play with. Plus I love the color a multiline makes.

Thanks guys! Learned a lot in the past 24 hrs.
Myron

[DZ]

Ok so isn't there suppose to be a current meter on the front of this laser? When I plug into the red and black Tube current Jacks I get nothing. So I have no idea what this thing is running at. As for power yeah it looks to be over 100mw. The guy lased in 30 or so sec. Ran it for 2 hrs no problems. Didn't even have to turn my house heat on when I got home.

Yes, there is a way to measure the tube current. After you plug you meter into the red and black jacks on the head, you have to press the "test" button. Which is usually a white button, however on yours it looks like the white plastic may be gone. Press and hold the button down and it will give you a dc voltage reading on your meter. Some heads are different in how to determine actual tube current. It will either be .2VDC per amp or .1VDC per amp. It should say just below the jacks. So if you are .2VDC per amp and you measure 1VDC, then you are running at 5 amps tube current. Thats good to hear that it came up and running within 30 seconds, sounds like you may have a pretty good tube. These things do generate a good bit of heat! At one point, I actually put the fan in the attic and cut a 6" hole in the cieling and duct work to the laser head. It worked great and was much quieter! Wife didn't care much for it though!

So what is the over current led? It lights if I have the laser on. I tried adjusting the current but it's lit regardless.

Hmm, I was a bit concerned about this as well. That power supply is generally setup for light feedback and your 60x head does not have the light sensor attached. Is there a pot anywhere on the p/s? They are somewhat easy to convert to current mode instead of lightmode and hopefully that has been done. If not, the power supply may be ramping up to full power when it is started and there may be no way to adjust it without converting the p/s.

How long should I wait between turning it on then off and then back on again? Should I make it so the fan runs while the laser is off for a few kinda like a lamp based projector does?

You can turn it on and off as often as you like. Don't really have to wait since the delay timer will just reset when you turn it off. I do recommend leaving the fan on for about a minute after turning it off though.

David

[allthatwhichis]

WOW, that thisng is a BEAST... I know with mine I didn't need a heater in the room I used it in. You'll see is on your power bill. :roll:

No beam shots...

[buffo]

Allthat: Believe it or not, your Spectra-Physics laser probably consumes just as much power as the 60X that Myron got. The difference is that he's got multi-line optics on his laser, so his total output power will be higher. However, I'll be that if you use a prizm to separate just the 488nm line from Myron's laser, you'd see that the power of that line will be very close to what your laser makes. (Within 5-10 mw)

Fresh 60X tubes can do a lot more, but this one has a little age on it, so it's more in line with what the SP-092 tube will do.

I've actually got an SP-092 tube that has multi-line optics installed on it, but the tube pressure is out of spec and the tube is hard to start. (Not 100% sure if it's high or low pressure though.) I can get it to flash, but that's it. (I need to get a telsa coil and play with it some more!)

David: Excellent post on the 60 X's current jacks. I was hoping someone knew what the conversion factor would be.

Myron: Ok - now you need to post some beam pics! (Do you have any diffraction gratings? A CD will work in a pinch...)

Adam

[allthatwhichis]

Will the tube from a SP 163 fit a 161? I'm wondering If I can boost the value of my 161's auction by including the 163 head also. :roll: