My name is Lennart and this is my first post here. I live in the south of Sweden.
1979 I bought a Coherent He-Ne laser modell CR80-45 and build a projector.
After many years in rest I tried to start the laser but no light came out of the tube, fuse is ok, and also the source I think.
Just for curiosity, I have tried to disassemble the tube but cant figure out how to do it.
I have googled tube disassemble and checked the Sam's Laser FAQ site without any luck.
Does any of you experts have any disassemble advice before I throw the laser in the garbage?
Well.. I don't know much about the CR80-45 and search did not turn up much. Is it one of those He-Ne's in a metal tube or is it in a rectangle box? Is the power supply separate? Did you check the voltage output to make sure the power supply is working? Is there any glow in the tube when the power is on (you will need to look down the bore.. maybe not the safest thing..) ? If there is what color is it?
If it is one of the ones in a metal tube I don't think there is much to do there... If it is in a box then maybe you can get to the glass tube and the ballast resistor. I would think maybe the tube is bad or the power supply is bad.
Here are two pictures, one showing the unit before I "disassembled" the tube, and another picture after.
The back end cover was glued and could be removed without to much force.
The front end cover was glued as well but I had to brake the tube to take it appart.
I Bought this 4mw used He-Ne laser 1979 for 2500 Swedish kronor, in today's money nearly 12000 Swedish kronor.
Expensive hobby even at that time.
Hmm.. From the looks of that I think you are not going to get it back together. I can't see it perfectly but I think the tube is not complete... there should be another end with a mirror or window on it with an electrode attached. I might be wrong but it looks like that. Either it cracked before you took it out or it during the disassembly.
I agree with Chris, that HeNe tube is hopelessly broken.
However, as a general rule, HeNe Power Supplies are fairly robust, so if you can find another HeNe tube of a similar size for a reasonable price, you should be good to go.
I'm quite surprised at the high cost of HeNe heads these days. I can remember when a 5mw surplus HeNe tube could be found on Ebay for $50. Now they are 3-4 times that price! Sigh.
Disassemble a He-Ne tube
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