My New Cyonics Argon Laser

[300EVIL]

Hi Everyone,
As some of you may already know. I purchased a Cyonics/Uniphase laser head and power supply at BMI while on the "CVL Quest" with Jonathan. I bought the laser untested and figured it would be fun to mess arround with.

I have a little experiance with argons since I owned many 60X heads and power supplies over the years and have be aching to get back into them again. I don't know, Somthing about gas lasers still intrigues me.

Anyway, I bought this sucker for a good price and got it working at James' house. At that time I just had enough info from Sam's Laser FAQ to get the interlock jumpered and not out of standby. While I was there we got it to make around 3mw of single line 488nm.

Steve was able to give me some info on it and based on the model number on the head,,, 2201-20SL, It's a 20mw @ 488nm, single line, TEM00 head. Not bad!

So, I get the laser head home. From there I took the power supply and laser head apart and gave it a good cleaning. Both the PS and head had minimal dust buildup but I opted to clean it up anyway. I washed all the covers and the tube as well as blew out the PS with compressed air.

To my amazment, the Curtis meter inside the head indicates no use. The head indicates a munufacture date of 11/88 but I suspect the tube has either been replaced or not used since then.

After reassembling the laser I figured out how to get the laser out of standby by jumpering pins 12 and 13 therefore putting the laser into light mode and using the pot on the PS to control output power.

When I first had the laser at max output, It would only produce 22mw or so. After a good hard burn in at full power (on the pot) ror 4 hours or so, the laser is doing over 30mw! Not bad for this little argon.

I also noticed a sticker inside the head indicating this series of numbers 5222 100SL. Going off the part number on the head, "20SL" indicates a 20mW single line head. Does this part number possibly mean I have a 100mW single line head??

Now that I have the laser all cleaned up and making good power I'd like to get the AMP connector for the remote so I can build a control panel for it. If anyone has a spare 38 pin AMP connector thae want to sell,,, let me know!

Also, I would like to learn more about this power supply. If anyone has a copy of the repair manual for the Cyonics 2101, I'd love to get my hands on a copy.

Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

[Laser Ben]

That's a great little laser! Looks new!

[allthatwhichis]

I have that same power supply for my Lasos head. I got nothing for it though...

[GooeyGus]

Just thought I would chime in and let you know that those amphenol connectors for the remotes are still readily available... let me find the link

EDIT:

Here is a link to the pins:

http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?N=4051860&Keyword=66103-3&Ns=P_ SField|0&FS=True

And to the connector:

http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?N=4051860&Keyword=206150-1&Ns=P _SField|0&FS=True

[300EVIL]

Just thought I would chime in and let you know that those amphenol connectors for the remotes are still readily available... let me find the link

EDIT:

Here is a link to the pins:

http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?N=4051860&Keyword=66103-3&Ns=P_ SField|0&FS=True

And to the connector:

http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?N=4051860&Keyword=206150-1&Ns=P _SField|0&FS=True

OH WOW! Thanks! Those prices I can work with. Digikey wanted $55 for just the connector. I'm ordering this one from mouser now.
Thanks Again!
Adam

[GooeyGus]

I think I have the user manual for that laser somewhere around here as well... let me know if you need it

It has all the pinout info for the remote and that sorta stuff.

Also, depending on what head it is or how old it is, I think the older cyonics single lines actually used an external line filter to single out the 488 line, at least that is what this user manual says (actually it says when you remove the 'light sensor' assembly on a single line model, you will see a large increase in power because there is a line filter, it also says there will be little to no increase in power for the multiline models, so your chances may be good!) So I would assume this line filter is removable, it if is indeed there.

[300EVIL]

I think I have the user manual for that laser somewhere around here as well... let me know if you need it

It has all the pinout info for the remote and that sorta stuff.

Also, depending on what head it is or how old it is, I think the older cyonics single lines actually used an external line filter to single out the 488 line, at least that is what this user manual says (actually it says when you remove the 'light sensor' assembly on a single line model, you will see a large increase in power because there is a line filter, it also says there will be little to no increase in power for the multiline models, so your chances may be good!) So I would assume this line filter is removable, it if is indeed there.

The manual I currently have is the one on Sam's Laser FAQ which is a pretty rough copy. If you have a better copy in PDF, I'd be very interested.

There is definitely a light sensor pickoff window. Only negative side to removing it is that the laser will no longer work in light mode, only current control. If the output power gain is that substantial, it may be worth removing. What do you mean by "line filter"? Are you saying I may get additional lines by removing the sensor pickoff? That would be a plus.

Their are no other optics I can see other than the sealed cavity mirrors and the pickoff window.
Thanks!
Adam

[GooeyGus]

The line filter singles out the 488 line. Removing it should give you all lines. The filter may be separate from the clear piece of glass that samples the beam for light mode. I'm not totally sure of how it maywork since the only single line I have is a newer model. The optic that samples the beam should be clear, if it isn't, then its a filter. Again, I'm just basing this on that small excerpt from the manual (I think I have the same manual as you, see of you can find that same paragraph

[Lasernerd]

What a cute little laser!
It does look brand new!
I would let that unit cook in for awhile (hrs)
Than check the power output,
what do those Lasers cost?

[buffo]

Hmmm... The tube in that head looks a lot like a Spectra-Physics S-092...

As for it being multi-line, I doubt it. Tubes that size normally have sealed optics, and my guess is that you've got 488 nm mirrors. If there was a prism installed to select a given wavelength, you'd be able to see the adjustment knob for the prism mount.

Still, it's a nice 120V air-cooled argon. 30 mw of blue is about all you get out of those units, so it's probably brand new. (I've had 4 different Spectra Physics 161 / 163 units, and the best I ever saw was around 30 mw.)

Adam