ND:YAG Laser Head

[mliptack]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nd-YAG-LASER-HEA...QQcmdZViewItem

Is this a good price... I've been wanting to start playing around with pulsed lasers, but don't know a good place to start. Any information you can give to me that would help would be awesome!

Thanks everyone,
Max

[Laser Ben]

An SSY1 is probably the best pulsed YAG laser out there! There is a ton of info about it on the LaserFAQ and they are low power so not as much of a fire hazard. best of all, they are cheap and very small!

[mliptack]

I started to read about it on LaserFAQs but I didn't get far...

How low of a power are we talking about here?

[Laser Ben]

40mJ IIRC. It's still a class 4, but a low power yag laser as far as pulses go. You WILL need glasses. The great part is that it won't put a hole in your skin.

[mliptack]

Yeah the 532nm goggles I just bought also have an optical density of 3 I think for 808nm...

[stanwax]

you would need other goggles than them as YAGs output at 1064nm.
These SSY1s are great fun. You can blow ink off paper - leaving it clean - they will take thin layers of paint off stuff - you can very inacurately stick a KTP infront of one and get a bright green frequency doubled flash - but you do need care. I was dicking around with a lens on the front of mine and was trying to mark some galvanised steel. I had the steel before the focal point - though I didnt realise it - and when I fired it the beam reflected back with the focal point inside the lens and put a brown blob inside the lens.

Scary stuff but great fun - and thats only the high volts you need to shoot them

Rob

[mliptack]

you would need other goggles than them as YAGs output at 1064nm.
These SSY1s are great fun. You can blow ink off paper - leaving it clean - they will take thin layers of paint off stuff - you can very inacurately stick a KTP infront of one and get a bright green frequency doubled flash - but you do need care. I was dicking around with a lens on the front of mine and was trying to mark some galvanised steel. I had the steel before the focal point - though I didnt realise it - and when I fired it the beam reflected back with the focal point inside the lens and put a brown blob inside the lens.

Scary stuff but great fun - and thats only the high volts you need to shoot them

Rob

Ooops! Thanks Rob, luckily the goggles I have also cover 1064nm

I think I might buy one of them... I take it that for the price its a decent toy to own?

How much $ worth of electronics would I need to get it up and running?

I really dont need another laser toy, but like everyone else here... would love to have one.

-Max

[stanwax]

They will be better than nothing but are most likeley designed for cw dpss if they cover that range and so may not be strong enough for the high power pulses of the SSY1.

As for drive - you just need a PFN - a Cap and a choke something to charge it with normally a voltage multiplier of some sort as you will need several hundred volts and finally you will need a way of firing it.
I have heard people say they have used small photo flash units to drive them but have never tried myself.
When I got mine i used a mini strobe circuit (not too mini though) to which i added more capacitance I think i had about 200-300uF (as you may gather i did not approach this in a scientific manner ) I then pumped these up using the strobe divers inverter/multiplier and triggered it using the onboard trigger. However this trigger was a bit lame and very unreliable so I then connected the piezo igniter from a cigarette lighter wired between the cathode and the trigger wire (white). This was much more relaible but more awkward to fire as it had to be in close proximity to the head.
Ultimately you will probably get it to work easily but to do controled firings you may need a better PFN than me and a proper trigger. One day I will get round to making something more suitable.

One word of warning - the energy stored oin the caps to fire this will kill you. Always put a switch & resistor across the caps to discharge them and dont operate it open frame or you will be looking for trouble.

Have fun - I know I did.

Rob

[mliptack]

Just continuing on with my searches and I found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ruby-laser-rod-6...QQcmdZViewItem

Looks pretty!

[mliptack]

They will be better than nothing but are most likeley designed for cw dpss if they cover that range and so may not be strong enough for the high power pulses of the SSY1.

I was thinking the same thing actually, I went back and checked the specs, and I think I will buy a separate pair of IR goggles.

As for drive - you just need a PFN - a Cap and a choke something to charge it with normally a voltage multiplier of some sort as you will need several hundred volts and finally you will need a way of firing it.
I have heard people say they have used small photo flash units to drive them but have never tried myself.

I read the same about using the 330v cap in a disposable camera, and I figured I would start experimenting with that first.

When I got mine i used a mini strobe circuit (not too mini though) to which i added more capacitance I think i had about 200-300uF (as you may gather i did not approach this in a scientific manner ) I then pumped these up using the strobe divers inverter/multiplier and triggered it using the onboard trigger. However this trigger was a bit lame and very unreliable so I then connected the piezo igniter from a cigarette lighter wired between the cathode and the trigger wire (white). This was much more relaible but more awkward to fire as it had to be in close proximity to the head.

Haha, seems very scientific, and similar to the way I tend to go about projects like this. I saw a video of one on youtube and the guy used a grill igniter (Same thing basically) and it seemed reliable... hmmm maybe just because he used a higher voltage cap 421v was his firing voltage.

Found it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJGxT2E1Bhk
and it was made by our newer member Frothy Chimp!

Ultimately you will probably get it to work easily but to do controled firings you may need a better PFN than me and a proper trigger. One day I will get round to making something more suitable.

One word of warning - the energy stored oin the caps to fire this will kill you. Always put a switch & resistor across the caps to discharge them and dont operate it open frame or you will be looking for trouble.

Thanks for the warning, I know a reminder never hurt. When we get too comfortable with dangerous things accidents will happen. Hopefully I will never let myself become too comfortable!

I'll try my best to have fun with it, I'll probably post some pictures too... assuming of course that I actually buy one!

-Max