NWLEM III - November 20th-22nd, 2015 - Portland, Oregon

[sugeek]

Thanks Jonathan for getting the LEM together and finding a new venue with 3-phase and heating . I was very happy to be able to share many of the treasures that Photonbeam (Steve Janders) passed on to me to hold when he moved. The TI YAG project build from 1968 is now with Casey Stack on the way to the Bob Hess Laser Museum now. It was great to meet everybody new and old and hope to see everybody again.

Thank you to Dr. Lava and Discothefunkyhippo (Sal) for your presentations I enjoyed them. I didn't do my warped wheel presentation as hooking up 3-phase for Nate's purelight was a higher priority that evening big thanks to Boom, Casey and Kyle. It was great to work with and meet Kyle and see him in action I learned a lot. Watching pat working on a large frame ion is always a treat, sorry about the slow power meter!

I was also very glad to see that the front table with the breadboard and mirrors got put to use. I hope somebody got a better shot of it than me! Next round hopefully we have the fiber coupled light sabers back in action (Thanks Pat)!

I will try and post some pictures soon but if you missed Jeff's (nwfreefly) thread: http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ics-and-thanks there are some really nice pictures.

Hot linked from that thread with no shame!!!

Nate and Casey - Photo Credit


Nate and Pat (Laserman532) - Photo Credit

[Vidal Wolf]

Where to start, how to start.
I have to start with Jonathan. - hats off to you for making a great event possible, the venue was fantastic & the setting was very fitting. I still owe you 75 bucks!
Pat- thank you so much for working on my Spectra Physics 165. Watching you work your magic in aligning the optics, aligning the tube, making the light happen. Thank you for teaching me how to do all the steps necessary for future alignments and work. And thanks for the autograph! I look forwards to seeing you again in the future. I also left the PSU for the 473 blue with Jonathan to give to you when you see him next weekend.
Kyle / Poncho- Thanks you for wrangling the three phase and helping make the connection for the buck boost transformer to the power box. I had not used that buck boost board yet. Glad as all get out that there was a ding at the end instead of a bang!
Jeff / Boom- Thank you for bringing the three phase cable and water hoses, running and troubleshooting the water and power ( boy that water supply issue at first was fun to figure out). Thanks for hanging out at your place later on Sunday, The weekend ended with a real *blast*!
Sugeek- thanks for the help on the ions & thank you for the Lexel 75 system. Im allready working on a solution to get it running.
I got to spend a bit of time with Casey Stack this weekend as well. Bit of backstory. In 1988 I was working in Bellevue wa with the local youth haunted house volunteering in the workshop making the sets and effects. My boss told me to look outside. I did and I saw a bright argon laser beam going across the parking lot with Casey at the controls. I ran over and introduced myself and asked him a ton of questions. Over the next year I stopped by the Laser fantasy shop and watched how things were done, learned alot about lasers and asked Casey a million more questions-and he answered every one patiently and in a very understandable manner.
Fast forwards to this weekend. I re connected with him and again, I had a million questions for him, and like Casey, he patiently answered every one of them. He also spent some time working on a Laser Physics ion that he designed. Thank you Casey, it was great seeing you again & thank you for your help.
It was great seeing Robyn, Rick, Phredy,10fenny, Sal, Brad & everyone else I met and crossed paths with.
Great time, great food & excellent tech on display.
See yah all next time for sure!
-Nate.

[lilsqueek]

http://imgur.com/a/yzTtU

photos from the weekend

[10Fenny]

Great pics mar in. Great to see you at rosebar. And jonathon and sal!

[hakzaw1]

..... Is it too soon to pay for NWLEM 2016??

+6 to the OP

[platinum]

http://imgur.com/a/yzTtU

photos from the weekend

Nice pics!

..... Is it too soon to pay for NWLEM 2016??

+6 to the OP

Maybe wait a little while. Still have to pick a date in September and finalize it all.

[platinum]

. . .Still have to pick a date in September and finalize it all.

Speaking of which, I've added a poll to this thread so we can pick a date for the next NWLEM. The building from 2015 will be sold in October so we have a chance to use it one more time, this September, so I figure we should get to planning now..

Let me know which date works best for you via the poll and I'll lock in a date soon so we can get all of the details ironed out a bit earlier this time around. I have a few dates blocked out for September already so I've listed the two I have left available.



- Jonathan

[Bradfo69]

I'm reasonably certain I'm going to be able to do nothing LEM related after SELEM for 2016. The bulk of our weddings and such are happening in the second half of the year including 11 just in September. Thanksgiving weekend is the only thing open at the moment but, that will likely change too. Meanwhile... I am completely free for the next two weekends. Even the AC DC concert I was going to go to on April 1st got cancelled. Humm.... I should probably use up my Disney passes or something.

[Bradfo69]

Hey.... you realize the 18-20th is a Sunday through Tuesday?

[platinum]

Hey.... you realize the 18-20th is a Sunday through Tuesday?

Must have pulled up the Windows calendar a second time without switching the month to September again. Thanks!