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Argon laser - how to run it?

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c4r0

Fri Jun 12 2009, 10:24AM

Registered Member #151 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 02:53PM
Location: Poland
Posts: 153

Hello! I just received a used argon laser that I've bought on ebay

According to the 'danger' stickers, max power is (was) 160mW CW @ 450-515nm. Running time counter says 45kh, but the laser was remanufactured at 31kh. I paid for it 70GBP so I'll be happy if it lase at all

This is how it looks like.

Looks like there is some beam splitter with a power sensor on the last photo. And is that black box with white 'danger: laser radiation' sticker (on the same photo) an ignition circuit? There are three wires going to this box: two thick, one of them goes to the anode and the other to the plug, and one thin black wire that is probably a ground.

Do you guys have any idea how to run it? I know that it takes a few amps (at least it should start lasing at this current) on the tube and voltage drop is around 100V. But I have absolutely no idea what is the filament current :/ Member kilovolt, I think you will have something to tell since you have successfully made a PSU by yourself :) I have a JDSU argon laser PSU and if possible I would like to use it with this laser:

c4r0

Fri Jun 12 2009, 02:32PM

Registered Member #151 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 02:53PM
Location: Poland
Posts: 153

It works!!!

Filament seems to run OK at 3,5V 28A. The laser lights quite nice at almost 4A. I dont know why current regulation in my power supply doesn't work. I was checking it with 2kW electric kettle as a load, the power supply gives 7A no matter what current is set by a pot. Any idea what's going on? I don't know if the PSU is broken or I just don't know how to use it properly. There is always 0V at the current monitor output of the PSU, so I think that current measure circuit inside the PSU may be broken. But anyway, I connected the laser tube in series with that kettle and it works, so I'm happy :D

Proud Mary

Fri Jun 12 2009, 02:36PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

That's brilliant! I'm really pleased for you! You must tell us all about how you get on with it, what experiments you perform...

Harry.

Wolfram

Sat Jun 13 2009, 01:41PM

Registered Member #33 Joined: Sat Feb 04 2006, 01:31PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 971

The JDSU supplies usually have a constant optical power mode and a constant current mode, selected by a pin on the control connector. If it is in constant optical power mode, without the output power sensor in the laser head connected, I bet the power control would act strange.

Anders M.

c4r0

Sat Jun 13 2009, 04:26PM

Registered Member #151 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 02:53PM
Location: Poland
Posts: 153

Thanks for your replies

The problem is solved! I took the PSU apart and then put it back together, now it works good. Sometimes such things happens with old equipment that has not been used for a long time

If you are interesterd, this is what it has inside:

Proud Mary

Sat Jun 13 2009, 08:34PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

That's interesting - what do the two boards at the top of the picture do?

twist2b

Sun Jun 14 2009, 02:24AM

Registered Member #2086 Joined: Tue Apr 21 2009, 02:33AM
Location:
Posts: 117

It's pretty neat, what kind of projects are you hoping to use this with? I would love one..... or two :P

Congrats.

c4r0

Sun Jun 14 2009, 02:30PM

Registered Member #151 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 02:53PM
Location: Poland
Posts: 153

Well, I have no idea what to do with it, just another toy in my collection

Harry wrote ...

what do the two boards at the top of the picture do?

I don't know. These PSUs have a lot of functions, i.e. current ans optical power stabilization just like Anders M. wrote, so there's a lot of analog signal electronics. Theres also a control panel (actually the real control panel should be connected to that DB25 but I don't have it) that I forgot to place with other boards when taking a photo:

OK, I guess that you would like to see some beams :D So here are some photos:

Here with 100mW DPSS module:

Video on YT:

Proud Mary

Sun Jun 14 2009, 02:32PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Cool!

lpfthings

Mon Jul 06 2009, 08:43AM

Registered Member #1361 Joined: Thu Feb 28 2008, 10:57AM
Location: Cairns, Australia
Posts: 305

The boards at the top are most likely control boards. Most argon lasers have an adjustable output, along with many interlocks and warmup features, and it's best to have that insulated from the rest of the circuitry, as the startup pulse for argon lasers are in the kV's.

I am thinking about buying a little NEC GLG3030 ArIon laser, does about 30mw @ 488nm.

I saw your vids on youtube, pretty nice "little" laser :)

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