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Blackcurrant

Tue Jul 15 2014, 09:57PM

Registered Member #2989 Joined: Sun Jul 11 2010, 12:01AM
Location: UK
Posts: 94

Hi
I am looking for data on a laser flash lamp
FL8800 Convergent Aurora P50 flashlamp, HPR #0543-188-00 (Perk-N-Elmer)
so far i have
arc 140mm id 9mm od 11mm

I intend to built a ruby laser. I have two of these lamps but would like to workout a safe amount of energy to use.
does anybody know what the V and A refer to? the V reads 454 on one box and 451 on the other, is this some type of test voltage?
I have tried to get datasheets from companies but these things are old and I have not had any luck yet.
any help much appreciated

thanks
Angus

Sulaiman

Wed Jul 16 2014, 02:53AM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3141

I know only bits that I've read, isn't 140 mm a large/expensive Ruby Rod?
From a tiny bit of experience, the flash energy isn't usually the problem, repeated shots at high energy need good cooling. start here

Sigurthr

Wed Jul 16 2014, 04:04AM

Registered Member #4463 Joined: Wed Apr 18 2012, 08:08AM
Location: MI's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 597

Flash lamps are rated with an explosion energy level. This is the level of energy needed to cause an explosive failure. Typically the closer you run the tube to the explosion energy the shorter the lifespan of the tube is.

Also, pertinent to your end goal; you'll need a proper pulse formation network. Lasers don't tend to like the gaussian discharge curve of dumped capacitors, they like a more flat current plot, so you'll need to correct the discharge pulse to get the most out of each shot.

Daedronus

Wed Jul 16 2014, 08:04AM

Registered Member #2329 Joined: Tue Sept 01 2009, 08:25AM
Location:
Posts: 370

This:

And the first part of this:

Blackcurrant

Wed Jul 16 2014, 08:20PM

Registered Member #2989 Joined: Sun Jul 11 2010, 12:01AM
Location: UK
Posts: 94

Thanks all
Daedronus, that's a really good document, it will take me a while to read over. I've seen the Fenix tech web page before and put there calculated values in to a circuit simulator, and it does look like a good 1ms pulse but the current is so large I can't help think this thing will melt or explode.

Sulaiman, I have the laser rod already it has 120mm active part (it's from Russia and wasn't too expensive) and I think one shot per day might be too much so cooling shouldn't be a problem.
I think i will be in the next room and view it via a cheep webcam.

As far as I can tell these flash lamps were used to pump a Nd:YAG laser system I'm hoping they are xenon @450torr.
I will try lighting them up maybe high voltage AC and look at the light coming out, see if I can figure out whats in them.
Still have not a clue to the V and A figures on the box though.

Steve Conner

Thu Jul 17 2014, 08:58AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

I'm guessing "V" is simply the voltage drop when tested with a pulse of current "A"? The figures are in the ballpark for a large flashlamp.

Shrad

Mon Sept 15 2014, 09:25AM

Registered Member #3215 Joined: Sun Sept 19 2010, 08:42PM
Location:
Posts: 780

contact Sam Goldwasser

He is a goldmine of information and is really a nice man!

Just be sure to research by yourself before you ask him anything, as he is a very busy man...

Signification

Sat Jan 31 2015, 02:07AM

Registered Member #54278 Joined: Sat Jan 17 2015, 04:42AM
Location: Amite, La.
Posts: 367

I am currently working on a very similar ruby laser. I don't really feel that those V and A are Volts and Amps. With a bit more information, I may be able to help you. Do you have any idea what pulse-width you want from the flashlamp. That would seem to be the starting point for your situation...

For the flashlamp dimensions you give, the explosion energy (Ex) at 1ms pulse-width is Ex=90*(140/25.4)*9 = 4464 Joules. The value Ex decreases with decreasing pulse-width and vice-versa. For a ruby, I would not have the pulse-width exceed the "fluorescence time" of the crystal of 3ms. Also, Ex = 7732 joules @ 3ms pulse-width.

The "LIFE" equation says that if you drove this flashlamp at a pulse-width of 3ms with 1500 joules per shot, you can expect about 1,000,000 flashes lifetime.

Blackcurrant

Sun Feb 01 2015, 12:37PM

Registered Member #2989 Joined: Sun Jul 11 2010, 12:01AM
Location: UK
Posts: 94

I now think the V&I refers to a manufacturers test on every lamp. You can work out the Lamp Impedance by length,bore size, gas or you can run a test on it.
so for my lamp (from V&I on box)
Ko=V/i^0.5 22.55
or
Ko=1.28(P/450)^0.2 l/d 19.91

I plan to use a 1ms 1200A 800V pulse in to them
It should give a bang of about 20% of what the lamp is rated for and a current density of about 2000A/cm2
I have knocked up a mock flash lamp with the same dimensions and am currently trying to get a simmer operation running
I found a good spreadsheet by Douglas Little that has most of the calculation from Perkin Elmer Flashlamp catalog/Sam's laser etc

Bored Chemist

Sun Feb 01 2015, 01:40PM

Registered Member #193 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 07:04AM
Location: sheffield
Posts: 1022

"I plan to use a 1ms 1200A 800V pulse in to them"
Somewhere at the upper end of a pistol shot's energy.
if this is right

so I hope you have some sort of screening in place.

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