H20-pumped Lexel 88 laser
I finally got around to checking out a laser I've had sitting here for a while (2 or 3 years).
It's an old Lexel 88 that a friend of mine bought a while back. It never worked for him and ended up sitting in my basement shop until now.
I decided that it was about time I actually got in there and figured out what was wrong:
[HERE is a quick video pan, if you're inclined - 41.1MB]
Here are some pictures of the unit before I got into it:
The inside:
Cathode end of the tube - (notice the snapped off cathode line):
The laser tube/magnet and reservoir:
Brewster Stem - (I first realized there was water in the tube when I saw some junk floating in here...):
Inside the tube/magnet
Everything here is looking good, now all I need is a new tube!
So my theory is that the laser was running at nominal power when water was cut off to the unit and it didn't have a chance to shut down properly thereby dying a watery death. (Tube cracked; and water ensued.) In the process of poking around initially, I snapped one of the cathode leads off, effortlessly. I'm pretty sure it should've put up more of a fight but it was corroded from the water that it had been exposed to for 3 or 4 years.
I plan on getting a new tube and reanimating this laser eventually. I thought I'd post up some pictures for fun. Let this be a lesson, think twice before cooling a water-cooled laser with water straight from a hose with no reservoir/pump!
-Jonathan
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Originally Posted by sugeek
You should get a hold of the 110 lexell that one is groovy too. Also be careful with that PSU make sure the buck boost is on the right voltage, and don't move the wire that needs to stay or POOF!
