Pulsed Lasers AT Selem 2014

[Laser Wizardry]

" 15 characters"

[Laser Wizardry]

" 15 characters"

[dsli_jon]

..do you have the "actual specs" for the OEM filters? ..

Not sure who 'John' is, but I can answer for him.. IIRC, the carts I always 'used to' get (..like, 2 yrs-back, and previous..) were always a GE (General Electric.. go figure..) Product, and had a sticker with (again, iirc.. I'll have to check in my 'bible' in the shop, later..) 18M Ω on it.. close to the 'max-possible'.. The 'new' ones they're putting in these-days (Again, my 'kit-source' out here is an LS-tech, so, I know this new-Brand (no-longer GE..) work / are 'recommended'..) don't have the rating-specs on the Label, but I can get the Brand / Model # off it, and do some 'googlewerk', later, and let ya know..

..Those people need proper training, and proper help. ...provided you've got a head on your shoulders. Admitting you don't know what you are doing is the biggest step towards knowing what you are doing.

Again, I'm not-against helping those that don't have the 'years of high-power (30W+ Class..) experience' (see the Parag right-after the one you Quoted-me on.. I'm against just 'putting it all out there, un-Qualified', whether that's a 'wholesale-dispensation' at a LEM, or teh Interwebz, or whatever.. Honestly, there is 'enough information' out there, to indeed, "get one going", but.. is all of it 'ideal'? No.. And, I'm not personally-inclined to feel those that can't / won't help themselves (ie: asking for info that is *in* the service manual, right out there...) should be 'spoonfed'.. Or, even helped, at-all.. If people can't / won't READ what's already there, how can I feel comfy that they'll READ the safety-considerations / bioeffects info, I'd point them to as the 'critical-homework'? Much-less put it into practice? That's where just 'putting it all out there' falls-apart..

..One-on-One training, for those that either have HP-class experience, or, have SOME decent amount of Class IV experience, and can at least demonstrate the capacity / aptitude to learn further, that's where I'm willing to help.. If someone comes to me and says 'Ya know, I read *every single page* of that Manual, and I still have a question on Page XX..', I'm far-more inclined to 'listen / help', than someone who comes to me and says 'Yeeo, daaawg, what are dem pin-outs to make these run, 'gain?'.. Yeah, sorry, later Taco.. Worse, just having it 'all out there' in the public-domain / dispensed, unqualified.. Sorry, can't abide..

..Gotta run.. I'll be email ya shortly, too..
cheers..
j

[flecom]

I have a labmaster with a 10w, 50w and 100w head I can bring

also steve can you please bring that power meter I bought from you several years ago? Coherent 210 with the Lexel movement

[MarioMaster]

Is anyone interested in chipping in for a parts unit? One just popped up on fleabay for $200 and it would be a trivial detour to snag it on the way down.

[mixedgas]

Is anyone interested in chipping in for a parts unit? One just popped up on fleabay for $200 and it would be a trivial detour to snag it on the way down.

When I started the pulsed lasers thread, I was more or less thinking along the lines of single pulse ruby or SSY-1 being brought to SELEM, not KTPs.

Mario, you'd need a lift gate truck to pick up the unit, or a forklift.

A parts unit is not always a great idea. It takes intense work to get one of these working, and adding unknown dead/damaged parts to the mix is not always a good idea. There are quite a few variations, and if you don't buy an exact match to what you have, only a few parts will be in common.

Guys, don't expect much about these to be disclosed at SELEM. They are huge, dangerous, dirty, and running them is a mix of art and serious engineering. I cant see a safe way to display this to the group in the confined spaces of SELEM.

Factoid, most PLers do not have the resources and training to sustain one of these, nor the use for it. I like the fact that there is a barrier to entry on utilizing these, they are NOT toys.



The thought of some one running these in a hackerspace or in public space makes me shudder. The beam comes off the table at a foot above waist height. The scattering from a wall is intense enough to be a eye hazard at low power. Having multiple people in the room while working on one requires a level of professional teamwork that is beyond most people's experience. These truly need physical controls to entry on the space they are in. If we run it, the beam is going into a beam trap at 1.375" center height and that's IT.

Everybody wants to experience this, because it is "So Cool". Well the fact of the matter is you can't have a beer in one hand, and play with one of these. And with the goggles on, you see very little. In fact your a bit scared and being very careful, or you have the wrong attitude towards the unit. The PSU alone can sustain a 40 amp two inch long arc in air before it quickly melts.

I don't want to shame the person who experienced this, but I know someone, whom I love as a friend, who got his hand ruined by one wrong move on one of these. The PSU arced "THROUGH" his hand, leaving a hole, its taken him years to recover. He had a cover off something that should not have been uncovered.

If Buffo brings his unit, he and I have a intense training and testing session, behind closed/guarded doors. This is not going to set in the hall with the lid off. THATS it. I trust Adam implicitly, but there is a reason he has not fired this up yet, he knows he needs special training.

The only reason I have a renewed interest in these, is that one of my good friends needs to expand his company to very large clients. In reality there are only a few times a year he can use his unit.

Two months ago with three of us in the room, we rehearsed every move before we turned the power on and used a checklist at each event.
Two people checked the fiber position in the mount before we turned on the laser We each verified the fiber throughput with a power meter at low power. Then we ramped the power up on CW. Then after we all concurred, we ramped the power in Q-switch. Failure to do so results in a 375$ fiber being destroyed. This is not a toy.

The multiple errors in the published on line schematic actually help me sleep at night.

Steve

[buffo]

In fact you're a bit scared and being very careful, or you have the wrong attitude towards the unit.

This is the key right here ^^^^^^^^^.

I've owned my laserscope for nearly 3 years. In that time, I've never fired it - not even once. And remember, my unit has already been converted for light show use. (And done quite nicely, with the PSU in a separate flight case with custom controls at the front, the water system in a second enclosure, and the head completely stripped of extra junk and mounted in a crate for easy shipping.)

So why haven't I fired it if all the hard work has already been done? Simple: This thing scares me. And that's coming from a certified LSO who has worked on 3 phase ion lasers at commercial gigs off and on for a good 5 years now.

Adam

[JohnYayas]

This is the key right here ^^^^^^^^^.

I've owned my laserscope for nearly 3 years. In that time, I've never fired it - not even once. And remember, my unit has already been converted for light show use. (And done quite nicely, with the PSU in a separate flight case with custom controls at the front, the water system in a second enclosure, and the head completely stripped of extra junk and mounted in a crate for easy shipping.)

So why haven't I fired it if all the hard work has already been done? Simple: This thing scares me. And that's coming from a certified LSO who has worked on 3 phase ion lasers at commercial gigs off and on for a good 5 years now.

Adam

Sounds like a waste of equipment. Maybe you could at least mount it on your house similar to this to deter intruders:

[MarioMaster]

To be honest, I was very surprised that there was a thread for pulsed lasers at SELEM at all, let alone the idea of KTPs being run (even if it's behind closed doors). I mentioned the parts unit as $200 is cheaper than just about any part had you needed to buy one, and it would be a small detour on the way in.

[Photonbeam]

$200? Amazing. The first surplus one I bought was $5K and I thought it was a good deal. Later I would routinely pick them up for $500-$1500. Soon someone will be paying you to come and get it. They are 625lbs. I used to load and haul them in a GMC Safari van, by myself. It necessitated removing the laser's hood and having a ramp (Harbor Freight folding one). Ratchet strap it down especially restraining forward motion. I used wheel chocks too. If you wreck you will probably die from being crushed by the loose laser. I have never laid one down. I guess it wouldn't hurt it except for maybe the optical deck's shock mounts.
Not all PL forum members are light-show people. There are members who like to dabble in scientific or industrial lasers.