Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Classy Old Perkin-Elmer He-Ne

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Posts
    1,277

    Default Classy Old Perkin-Elmer He-Ne

    Here's one I've been looking for since first seeing an ad for it in a July 1967 issue of Laser Focus. It's the Perkin-Elmer Coleman model 75 He-Ne, made for general applications. This one has a tube that's marked 1974, but the tubes only lasted 1000 hours so the laser itself may be much older. The head is held on the back of the power supply by a single thumbscrew, and has an output of 1mW. This classy little system cost $295 when introduced in the Summer of Love. But look at how it was sent to me via USPS, after specifically asking for plenty of insulation to keep the head especially from contacting the box. No apparent cracks in the tube, the filament glows but nothing happens when I hit the start button.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	PE 75.jpg 
Views:	21 
Size:	291.1 KB 
ID:	47714Click image for larger version. 

Name:	PE 75 Open.jpg 
Views:	27 
Size:	365.1 KB 
ID:	47715Click image for larger version. 

Name:	PE 75 Boxed.jpg 
Views:	27 
Size:	395.7 KB 
ID:	47716Click image for larger version. 

Name:	LFJul67Coleman75.jpg 
Views:	21 
Size:	375.6 KB 
ID:	47717
    Last edited by Eidetic; 07-09-2015 at 19:33.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    1 hr from everything in SoCal
    Posts
    2,753

    Default

    I love that the advert uses Angstroms instead of NM. Awesome find. When you open that there museum of yours to the public, let me know. I am only about 300 miles from you.
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Posts
    1,277

    Default

    Anyone interested is certainly welcome to visit them if in the Phoenix area. There are currently >290 on display. If the connection in Chicago works out, about a third will go there for a while but that's a long shot right now.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Sacramento, California
    Posts
    608

    Default

    Nice piece of history!
    Will there be three phase!!!!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Costa Rica
    Posts
    523

    Default

    Full 1 milliwatt output! Maybe you can test the tube with a tesla coil?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Tampa Florida
    Posts
    502

    Default

    I bet if yiou had paid more than $50 the seller would have listened about the packing. However it was probably already dead...did the seller claim it lased or "powered on"? Darn, I was hoping for a picture of it working. Send to Evergreen..... Best, Phil
    Phil Bergeron( AKA 142laser)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Posts
    1,277

    Default

    I wouldn't send any laser to Evergreen! Just sayin'.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Tampa Florida
    Posts
    502

    Default

    Bob Phil at Evergreen does honest work. Their specialty is Argon not HeNe but he re-gassed an old SP 130B for me and that was over 5 years ago, it had dropped from 0.52 mW to 0.45 mW (ran it today) but I have not touched the windows or mirrors! He has also done HP tubes for Sam and they hold up OK. He did an SP 2020 for us and it came back at 7.5W and lasted a few years. For HeNe El Don is the best but expensive.
    Phil Bergeron( AKA 142laser)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Posts
    1,277

    Default

    My experience with their ion laser work in two separate instances was quite different, and there will never be a third.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Tampa Florida
    Posts
    502

    Default

    I think many tubes sent for rebuild are too far gone to do a proper job on (without really high costs) and sometimes this can cause premature failure after rebuild. The ones we sent were low hours and were only bad because of storage without use; they were clean and the cathodes were in good condition. So our results were probably about the best you could expect.

    When you take your car to a mechanic for repairs they seldom tell you it is not worth fixing or they would go out of business.....
    Phil Bergeron( AKA 142laser)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •