Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: Looking for diagrams or photos of water cooled Coherent ion tubes

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Cambridgeshire, England
    Posts
    478

    Default Looking for diagrams or photos of water cooled Coherent ion tubes

    I've been running through the checks for the Novus Omni laser after a water leak stopped play at DutchLEM; I have found that water is escaping from the tube assembly through the locking ring at the upper end of the tube. It's leaking at a very fast rate, so it appears there is a missing seal. Looking for photos or diagrams of the parts in this area. I know this is basically an Innova tube, but not sure if the cooling arrangement is the same, but any info would be appreciated.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    1,478

    Default

    ... maybe here are some related images - https://www.google.com/search?biw=15....0.iQK2n8-AfO4

    Viktor

  3. #3
    mixedgas's Avatar
    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
    Infinitus Excellentia Ion Laser Dominatus
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    A lab with some dripping water on the floor.
    Posts
    9,890

    Default

    BTW, Which Novus Omni, the big ophthalmic monster or the compact console?
    I'm supposed to pick up some Coherent parts end of next week.. I need pictures in order to help you.

    Steve
    Last edited by mixedgas; 03-26-2018 at 18:34.
    Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
    I should have rented the space under my name for advertising.
    When I still could have...

  4. #4
    mixedgas's Avatar
    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
    Infinitus Excellentia Ion Laser Dominatus
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    A lab with some dripping water on the floor.
    Posts
    9,890

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mixedgas View Post
    BTW, Which Novus Omni, the big ophthalmic monster or the compact console?
    I'm supposed to pick up some Coherent parts end of next week.. I need pictures in order to help you.

    Steve
    I SUSPECT your missing the O-ring or the cup shaped brass wedge that drives the O-ring home as the flange is tightened.

    I'll scan in a drawing in the morning. I need a large format scanner to do it.

    Steve
    Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
    I should have rented the space under my name for advertising.
    When I still could have...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Cambridgeshire, England
    Posts
    478

    Default

    Cheers Steve. Yes, it's the great opthalmic big unit with the near vertical tube.
    Can't for the life of me work out how the parts would have gone missing as the resonator is still fully assembled and mounted in the system; it's going to have to come out now though!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Cambridgeshire, England
    Posts
    478

    Default

    OK, problem located; the clamp nut at the anode end of the tube has seperated into 2 parts, so I now have a nut and a big washer. No idea how that happened.
    Does anyone know if the parts are the same on the Novus argon tube assy? I can get hold of one cheap just up the road from me to use as a donor.

  7. #7
    mixedgas's Avatar
    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
    Infinitus Excellentia Ion Laser Dominatus
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    A lab with some dripping water on the floor.
    Posts
    9,890

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by NobleGas View Post
    OK, problem located; the clamp nut at the anode end of the tube has seperated into 2 parts, so I now have a nut and a big washer. No idea how that happened.
    Does anyone know if the parts are the same on the Novus argon tube assy? I can get hold of one cheap just up the road from me to use as a donor.
    ~

    That's a freeze.... classical brass popping out in a very neat ring driven by ice rather then the tube cracking. Check and see if the tube is gas intact before proceeding. I've seen it three times in 20 years... Three times the tube lived thanks to people who own Lathes. . Alumina is, as I said, tough in compression. Most Innova medical tube end parts are interchangeable. Medical magnets are all in the same small outer diameter family. Scientific magnets are almost always larger diameter (A few I70 can be the exception) as they need to have a switchable extra high field mode coil to do UV. However the alumina tube diameter is the same, so the end rings should be about the same size and thread. At least the ones I've used and or hacked for parts used were interchangeable.
    ~
    One of the smaller Novus family magnets has no outer magnet cooling jacket, just water around the tube. Basically a bare coil wound around the tube cooling jacket. Its a very low duty cycle magnet, only on when lasing and a few milliseconds before and after, like yours. Even then, that set of rings should be damn close to what you need... I'm going to Bruce's laser warehouse next weekend, 1500 mile round trip, I'll look for parts for you.
    ~
    Check the pump, passbank, and heat exchangers too, although if they leaked I'd assume you saw it.

    Steve
    Last edited by mixedgas; 03-30-2018 at 06:54.
    Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
    I should have rented the space under my name for advertising.
    When I still could have...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Cambridgeshire, England
    Posts
    478

    Default

    Thanks Steve. This laser uses a switching supply which doesn't have any water cooling; I haven't seen any leaks anywhere else - yet, but it's difficult to tell when all the water is exiting via the water jacket!
    Going to try a HeNe supply on the tube to see if it's gas intact, will report back later.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Cambridgeshire, England
    Posts
    478

    Default

    It's not looking promising, when I put my big HeNe supply across the tube, instead of a nice glow inside, I get corona between the ceramic and the water jacket in line with the anode seal. Going to pull the tube so I can see if it is cracked or see if it will light when it's not got the water jacket around it.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Cambridgeshire, England
    Posts
    478

    Default

    Having pulled the tube and put it on the bench, putting my current limited 4500V AC supply on it doesn't produce a glow, but it is pulling current as evident if I hold the wire near the anode instead of connecting it. Should 4500V RMS be enough to get a glow out of this tube? I have a big HeNe PSU I can try, but it's rather dangerous due to the charge it retains and it's also the only supply I have for my SP107.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •