Rebuilding my old analog console

[Kevint]

Newark it is. Save $4 per chip. Buy 4 get one free - sounds good to me.

[Kevint]

Here is what I got for the 1st part. I found a tutorial on shift registers using the arduino. I built a shift register circuit like the one in the tutorial and separately purchased an 8 channel solid state relay board. I can now program the arduino to select any number and any combination of relay switches with corresponding pushbuttons. I was thinking this could be my main signal control system. Here is a video doing various chases.

Please check out the video and comment if you think this would work or any issues I should be concerned about.

[laserist]

That's a start. I'd like to interrupt this thread for an introduction. Kevin, I'd like to introduce Greg. Greg, Kevin...

So, Kevin, Greg has been traveling down the road you've just found. If you haven't read his CYGN-B thread you should. He's done what you're thinking about - with a microcontroller family called bela. I'll let Greg explain his choice, but whatever micro you choose, Greg would be an amazing mentor to have on your side.

I told Greg a while ago that I'm in favor of a Constitutional Amendment that says before you can introduce yourself you have to prove you're interesting..Kevin, if I may be so bold, this is where you get to introduce yourself...

[Kevint]

Got it.

My name is Kevin and my interest in laser started in 1984. While attending collage at Cal State LA for a degree in chemistry, a long time friend of mine decided she wanted to take a laser class at Pasadena City Collage. The class for what ever reason was offered on Saturdays. I told her I would take the Introduction to Lasers class with her. Well, she dropped out after 4 weeks, but I was hooked in a big way. I would typically finish my assignment early and there was a selection of Laserworld magazines in the classroom. So I'm thinking that it would be great if I could find a job working with lasers. I went through the adds and found a company called Omnichrome located in Chino Ca. I boldly decided I should just drop-in and fill out application. Well, I'm in my early 20's and I arrived at Omnichrome in torn jeans and a weird armadillo tee-shirt. I went to the front desk and asked for an application and that I was taking laser classes at PCC. Then, I hear a voice in the background say we are really not hiring but if you would like a tour of the production floor I'll give you one. I said that would be great. Out comes an older German man Fred Otto. This all occurs on a Friday, he gave me a tour. We talk HeNe laser stuff, HeNe laser line transitions, beam propagation and such, and my tour ends with a thank you. I left my contact info and I was on my way.

Monday morning, 3 days later, the phone rings at 6am. I'm dead asleep, it's Fred Otto and he says "Do you want to come to work?" I am so excited and I say yes and that is how I got into lasers.

I finished the laser program at PCC and moved on to La Verne University where the program continued with a degree in optical engineering.

While at PCC one of my friends introduced me to his friend who was an electronic wiz and his name was Jeff. We hug out for several years, did all kinds of cool stuff, and went to Laserium shows. Jeff built his own laser console that was awesome, and shared parts of his design with me and that is how I got my first laser console. It was an awesome time. I used that laser console and for my final project at PCC I made a 3D projector by simply using cross polarized red and green laser images and cross polarized glassed and the image on the screen would float in space. It got a lot of attention at the laser open house and I even got my picture and project in the LA tribune paper.

My laser career has continued for my whole life. I worked at Omnichrome for 14 years, then we got bought by Melles Griot and my family and I moved to Carlsbad ca, and was with company for 33 years before getting let go during one of the many buyout. But my laser career did not stop there. I currently work with IR lasers at a different company.

I have been a tinkerer all my life and love to learn and build things.

[Kevint]

I should add. I had the most fun at Omnichrome. There I learned how to design optical cavities and optimize M2 (M squared) values, developed an air cooled Kr/Ar laser, optimized optical coatings to improve laser output, developed an argon ion laser that produced the 529nm laser transition line which was popular in confocal microscopy, developed a permanent magnet system that increased the output of an Ar laser by 20%, work with optimizing HeCd laser performance, and many many other things. The good old days.

[mixedgas]

I have a few 543s and 643s. I used to repump large Coherents for mixed gas. Hence the name.

Steve

[Kevint]

Re-pumping/re-processing was a thing and one we did at Omnichrome for Xerox. Re-processing ALC 60X lasers for their printers.

The 643 KrAr was my baby. It was an awesome but temperamental laser.

[Greg]

If you'll never use it - sure send it back - it'll be fun to finish it. Retirement is just 55 weeks away... I should have some free time?!

I was thinking a couple of weeks ago that somebody created a not for profit "Friends of the McDonnell Planetarium" organization more than a half century ago, and maybe it's time to create a for purpose "Geeks of the McDonnell Planetarium" organization. Or something...

Count me in for that. Sure, I'll return the prototype. The beautiful lifetime supply wire wrap kit you sent was great for building the multabela ilda prototype, but is unlikely to see use again. I impulsively bought some bottles of bifurcated and trifurcated wrap terminals. Can I send you back all that too?

[Greg]

Hi Kevin. We have spoken previously, but here allow me to extend a public welcome to the rarified and exhilaratingly helpful PL comunity.

[lasermaster1977]

Lasermaster1977: thank you for reaching out to your machinist.

Mixedgas: 3 mirror mounts.

No problem. I sent him a dimensioned drawing and we talked on the phone. He's out of town at the moment but when he gets back he will let me know. In exchange I'm going to try to help him breath life back into his Nardini Fast Trace Fanuc 20T lathe . I'll let you know.