Hey everyone...
Finally got my new toy. Yep - an HGM 5 medical laser. It's a photo-coagulator, or rather it was a photo-coagulator in it's previous life! I'm planning to modify it for CW operation.
Background: The HGM 5 is a multi-line Argon laser that runs of single phase 220 Volt AC power and is air-cooled. The tube is similar to the ALC-68B, but with shorter brewster stems. In CW configuration, with a good tube and adequate cooling, you can get almost 1 watt (all lines) of output. In it's original configuration (pulsed operation) it will do 3.1 watts for up to 30 seconds, but then you have to let it cool down for 3-5 minutes... Thus part of the modification for CW operation includes adding lots of extra airflow around the tube.
Unfortunately, after I unboxed the thing and hooked iut up to my dryer outlet, I discovered that the damn thing won't lase! It won't even light the plasma in the tube. I'm pretty sure it's an interlock problem though, because everything else is working OK and the guy that sold me this laser agreed to a 30 day warranty, so it SHOULD work...
Sigh... I've asked a few smart folks on alt.lasers for assistance; hopefully I can get this figured out soon.
Anyway, for some pics of this thing, have a look at the album I set up in the gallery...
Adam