Laser Reliability Info requested from all users

[greenalien]

Looking through the various posts on this forum, there are a number of reports of different solid-state devices that have given up the ghost prematurely. It might be interesting to put together a single source for this info, so if a laser has ever died on you unexpectedly, could you please post the following to this thread:

1) Manufacturer
2) Type / Designation / Model
3) Wavelength
4) Power (advertised)
5) Power (actual, if available)
6) Date purchased
7) Date failed
8) Hours at failure
9) Warranty / Service from supplier
10) Cause of failure - if known
11) Initial price / Repair cost (if applicable)

[nanoWatt]

I don't know the year, but it is a Spectra Physics Argon Ion laser we have at the lab. It's probably about 10 years old. Someone turned the frequency adjustment knob a bit too much and the laser then would no longer put out it's 4W. It did about 1W for about 7 more years, and has recently died. They are sending in for a repair, and new components, which will be around $6k or so.

considering it was a lab laser, it had at least weekly usage. When on, and water cooled, we sometimes would run it 15-30 mins at a stretch to do research.

[Laserman532]

I don't know the year, but it is a Spectra Physics Argon Ion laser we have at the lab. It's probably about 10 years old. Someone turned the frequency adjustment knob a bit too much and the laser then would no longer put out it's 4W. It did about 1W for about 7 more years, and has recently died. They are sending in for a repair, and new components, which will be around $6k or so.

considering it was a lab laser, it had at least weekly usage. When on, and water cooled, we sometimes would run it 15-30 mins at a stretch to do research.

With all due respect nano - there is no such thing as a "frequency Adjustment Knob" on ANY Spectra Physics argon laser. Sounds like it went low power due to "pilot error" Probably just needed a clean and align.

[mixedgas]

With all due respect nano - there is no such thing as a "frequency Adjustment Knob" on ANY Spectra Physics argon laser. Sounds like it went low power due to "pilot error" Probably just needed a clean and align.

ah the joys of mistrained operators, what 532 means is that somebody turning the vertical too far to change the prism angle would NOT fubar a normally maintained SP head, low power means you scratched a brewster.

Steve

[neutrino]

my thoughts exactly

Rich

[nanoWatt]

What I meant with the frequency adjustment, is that it has several lines, including 514 and 473 among others. About 5 lines in all. As you turned the alan wrench the light would dim, and then get brighter on another frequency, dim, and then get brighter on another frequency. It might have been some sort of grading.

It may have gotten out of alignment or something like that.

[greenalien]

Since when has an Argon Ion laser been solid state?

[mliptack]

Since when has an Argon Ion laser been solid state?

1) Manufacturer: Lasever
2) Lab 150mw (UL Series I believe it is called)
3) 532nm
4) Power advertised - 150mw
5) Power actual - now 11mw
6) Dec '05
7) Sometime late '06 early '07
8) <50hrs @ time of failure
9) 1yr Warranty / Service from supplier - not pursued
10) Cause of failure - unknown
11) Initial price=$650ish / Repair cost (N/A)

[greenalien]

Thanks to mliptack for replying on-topic - this is exactly the sort of info that I was hoping to see posted here - more please!

[nanoWatt]

Doh

T'was the only laser I've seen break.

Since when has an Argon Ion laser been solid state?