WTB: Mixed gas tube for Lexel 95 head; PCAOM

[absolom7691]

I was under the impression 'back in the day' that diode lasers hadn't quite made it to the point to be a true replacement for ion lasers, but was hoping that the intervening years had helped catch things up. You mentioned some problems I knew of, and a few I had not thought about..... Ion lasers have always just had an allure for me. Those new fangled diodes are something I just don't have any experience with....

Well, they really have come a long way. Diodes are certainly on par as far as power output. We have a few sellers on here that market 15W rgb projectors that could just about plug into the cigarette lighter in a car. Some even as bright as 30W rgb. The beam quality is not terrible. I guess I could say that the beam quality is passible but it is nothing like ion. dsli_jon has a 30W blue diode array to match one of their Laserscopr KTP lasers, seen here: http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...213#post302213 .

About the closest you'll get to ion, right now, are the single-mode diodes and even then, you're only looking at about .3W; .8W if you PBS them and overdrive them a little. Also, you can't beat the color from ions. The blues and greens from diodes are still lacking. Ions are just sexy!

[Lumia]

Hello Bradstockdale,

Don't post here often (I'm a lurker ) but saw this thread... maybe I'll start being more active... but I digress in wishful thinking !

I have two air cooled ILT's, one Ar+ and one Kr+, and a PCAOM from MVM or NEOS (need to go look and make sure). There were used in a test projector / project for Konica Minolta in the Twin Towers (World Trade Center NYC) years ago. I run it at Halloween but haven't since New Years 2010... basically the system has just sat around.

The ILT's run on 220VAC (have about 75' of cable) and (as mentioned air cooled) probably doing near 700mW or so combined - nice beams.

I am out most of this weekend (I live in Orlando, FL), but you can PM me and we can talk if you are interested, they need a good home... getting too old and have way too much laser stuff!

[bradstockdale]

Well, they really have come a long way. Diodes are certainly on par as far as power output. We have a few sellers on here that market 15W rgb projectors that could just about plug into the cigarette lighter in a car. Some even as bright as 30W rgb. The beam quality is not terrible. I guess I could say that the beam quality is passible but it is nothing like ion. dsli_jon has a 30W blue diode array to match one of their Laserscopr KTP lasers, seen here: http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...213#post302213 .

About the closest you'll get to ion, right now, are the single-mode diodes and even then, you're only looking at about .3W; .8W if you PBS them and overdrive them a little. Also, you can't beat the color from ions. The blues and greens from diodes are still lacking. Ions are just sexy!

That's generally the thought I have... I've just never been impressed with the output of diode lasers. I mean, I AM impressed that I don't have to lug around a chiller, or pumps/radiators/hoses, a variable frequency drive or rotary converter, etc... While I haven't had a ton of hands on experience with diodes, from what I've seen, the output just isn't the same.

And the life support equipment needed for an ion laser honestly is part of what has always made me interested in them... Getting the entire system to function properly. More of a challenge, I guess.

[bradstockdale]

you can PM me and we can talk if you are interested

*tries to sound like that AOL clip of days gone by* You have mail!

;-)