Hello and inherited laser help

[ElektroFreak]

TBH, smoking the chair would only be a very rough estimate of power that is dependent on the distance from the laser, beam divergence and the material that the chair is made of.. I have a 1W here that smokes white painted wood from 2.5-3m away. Based on what I'm seeing I'd say that there isn't much divergence by the time it hits the chair, which seems to be varnished wood. The distance I'm guessing to be 3-3.5m. It should be smoking IMO, but without actually putting it on a meter there's no way to be 100% sure.

[SamV]

Distance was closer to 10m

[Stoney3K]

TBH, smoking the chair would only be a very rough estimate of power that is dependent on the distance from the laser, beam divergence and the material that the chair is made of.. I have a 1W here that smokes white painted wood from 2.5-3m away. Based on what I'm seeing I'd say that there isn't much divergence by the time it hits the chair, which seems to be varnished wood. The distance I'm guessing to be 3-3.5m. It should be smoking IMO, but without actually putting it on a meter there's no way to be 100% sure.

Other than the fact that this lady definitely could do with a fresh paint job, the DB25 connectors look like somebody tried to MacGyver it to run off ILDA with nothing more than a Leatherman and a few plastic terminal blocks.

There is a good chance the interlock is screwed up (which would be either one of the connectors on the bottom box), since there seem to be quite a few components ripped out of that thing. The power could be dialed down on the PSU, but there's no way to be sure of that.

In any case, it seems to be quite a good laser, and the case has more then enough space left to put a scan-kit (back) in. The piece of glass looks to be at the spot where the original scanner assembly used to situate, as the laser is exiting through the unit's side!

[ElektroFreak]

Distance was closer to 10m

You might be all good, then. Like I said before, for being in a fully lit room with no smoke, that beam looks quite bright.

[SamV]

So what's my first step on the road to repair? Find another case? Build onto a piece of mdf and see how I get on before looking at another case?

What's an interlock?

If the PSU is dialled down, what do I need to make it happy again?

[ElektroFreak]

Were I you, my first step would be to design and build a new case. You can find many examples of various people's systems throughout the forum that should help you get an idea of what that entails.

[Stoney3K]

What's an interlock?

An interlock circuit is a piece of electronics designed to switch off the laser in case of any emergency condition, to prevent unsuspecting people from being exposed to the beam.

Remember, the beam is quite dangerous to your eyes, so, most lasers have a set of circuits that shut off the laser (or prevent it from getting out of the case) in the unfortunate event that someone opens the case, the controller is disconnected, or the scan-set fails (resulting in a potentially dangerous static beam).

All of these interlocks are mandatory in the United States, but it's good practice to build them and most, if not all, European laserists build similar circuits into their lasers. Check the Modifications and Advanced Technical Discussion boards for schematics, people here are more than willing to give you some help to build one.

If the PSU is dialled down, what do I need to make it happy again?

I don't think that will be your first issue, since the beam looks good and you can probably run some very nice shows with it ... As ElektroFreak stated above, there is enough chance that this is not the case anyway.

If you need a case, you can design one from scratch (using a CAD programme such as Google Sketchup, AutoCAD, Inventor or Solidworks) or, if you are lucky, you can scavenge an outer case from discarded hardware. Any metal case which has enough floor space is good, PC desktop casings are popular. 19" rack mounted cases or old AV amplifier cases are also good candidates, most of these are a little more sturdy.

When you're starting your build, the first thing you need is a good material for a base plate. A good, thick plate of Aluminium (>6mm) is a good bet, since it's easy to machine with ordinary tools and is not prone to flexing. MDF is not a very good choice since it's sensitive to moisture and is more flexible than Aluminum. Acrylic (Plexiglas) is not recommended for the same reason.

The next thing you might find useful is the laser module's manual and the pin-out for the cables going to the PSU. You will probably find more information on the laser's capabilities (and the interlock circuit, if it's on the PSU) there. If you're ready to start your build, try to get a scan-set from one of the suppliers here (most of them have e-Bay stores) and you're in business!

[ElektroFreak]

Also, regarding the power output, whatever that piece of glass is could be reflecting some power backwards since based on the overall construction I'd say there's a very strong likelihood it's not AR coated. I don't believe that quantum entertainers require additional optics after the aperture.. Is the glass clear or does it have a hue to it?

[SamV]

The glass is tinted slightly blue, I'm not sure what kind it is. Anyways, I'll do a bit of reading up and designing

[ElektroFreak]

If it's tinted slightly blue it's an IR filter, but that should be unnecessary with that laser. I'd remove it ASAP since it's just costing you power and if it's not AR coated it could actually be damaging the unit.