Lexel 88 q's

[FourDee]

Hi guys

I have a chance to buy a working lexel 88 with included water cooling for 500 euros with about 40 hours on it.

How much power can i expect from this thing?

(please someone give me a reason not to buy this )

[DZ]

I was getting about 2.2W out of the one I had.

please someone give me a reason not to buy this

Can't really think of one. The 88 is just a very well made ion in my opinion. The nicest thing is that it runs great on single phase!

[Lasernerd]

It is a very good laser!
2+ watts multi-line great Blue lines

[mixedgas]

It is a very good laser!
2+ watts multi-line great Blue lines

It is a very good laser!
2+ watts multi-line great Blue lines

Hum, the factory rates them for 3.5- 4 watts pulsed for up to 30 seconds, followed by a cool down for a 60 seconds . 5-6 lasing lines including a violet that rocks. More like 750-1000 mW CW if you want it to last a while. 88D, 88P is rated by the factory at 1 watt CW. 22o single phase operation. runs off a stove plug nearly anywhere in the world.
I have one that is 20+ years old and still making spec because I only run it at 500-750 mW. Nicely polarized at about 750 to 1 or better. Simple power supply if you have the analog one, much simpler then aircooleds.

long life raw power.

Zeiss Switching Power supply or Lexel Analog supply? There is difference.

You wanted Downsides:

A Zeiss psu would make me think twice as they can be hard to service and are often poorly packaged.

Fat beam. Big divergence. No where near as fat as solid state, but still fat. Needs external shutter and color control. Wives hate them, and you need storage space and bench space to run them. Eats up 4-7 kilowatts of electricity. needs cooling water.

Generally, most people who own healthy 88s and use them professionally wont sell them, unless they have something newer and solid state or are leaving the business. Everybody loves a 88, even low power ones.

A lot depends on the optics and if you have a OEM or Scientifc tube:
The factory fill pressure and differences in the internal gas returns determines what you get,
160-165-170V is usually acceptable. Lower voltages mean less gas in the tube, = more hours on the tube. The target is 165, but if a tube met spec at less voltage, it could have been shipped that way. Higher is better, to a point. remember to correctly set the cathode voltage switch and the transformer taps when setting up a LEXEL psu, the chart is in Sam's Laser FAQ.

When I say test, I mean test, these tubes are not set up to do TEST POWER for more then 15-30 seconds without a cooldown. the 4.5 watt spec approaches boiling the cooling water. Data from factory test book revision X0. There are other variations.

The real part number is on the magnet:

tube specs, 88P running CW with tem-00 optics cathode, 2.65 volts TEST CURRENT 25 amps, at
25 amps, tube V should be 165-170V and do 2.2 watts TEM00 mode. Note that is TEST POWER, it is designed for 1 watt CW.
that is with the 61-490-043-80 OC and 61-490-000-00 HR


Tube Specs, medical service, M-88-OEM (nidek or zeiss medical head) PULSED SPECIFICATIONS cathode volts 2.65 , tube current TEST POWER ONLY EXTREME MUTIMODE
35A for a FEW SECONDS 4.3 watts multimode using optics 61-510-030-12 OC and 61-510-000-12 HR. Tube voltage closer to 170 when new.


Tube specs 85SVG or 85S often sold as a 88 in Europe. TEM00
All lines 1.4 watts CW 165V at 20 Amps
2.65 V cathode and 61-490-27-30 OC and 61-490-000-00 HR
Less violet , designed for 50/50 blue green power split.

You buy a 88, you run at 15-18 amps and they last FOREVER. More current then that and you start to loose lifetime. keep in mid those specs are for cleaned and well aligned optics, something that is often neglicted by owners.
Awesome laser!

Steve

[FourDee]

Its the switching psu i think (i just got pictures i still have to check it out in person)

[mixedgas]

Its the switching psu i think (i just got pictures i still have to check it out in person)

thats the zeiss switcher, make sure it comes with a cathode transformer, some of them don't when ripped out of medical gear. The guys at laserfreak.de have made a art of getting those supplies going, I have seen them, seen schematics, but have not worked on them. That one is well packaged.

I cant see the part numbers, but that LOOKS like a medical head, not a SVG.

Steve