Just bought an Argon, but it has no cooling

I just received my argon in the mail today, it's about 36 pounds total.... Plugged it in, turned it all on and the laser worked great! I estimate about 30mW. Its a 2201 20-SLE model.

And with every victory, there is a slight issue.....
There's no cooling fan or anything.

What kind of fan should I put into it? (pics can be taken if needed, I planned to but the camera is dead, currently charging)
Thanks!

Pick whichever you want, Motors, Fans, Blowers

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll order one ASAP

ZRaffleticket said:

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll order one ASAP

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Just mind that they are for 240V mains.

Don't run it without cooling for any time. The tube heats up to extraordinary temperature quickly.

I have seen people hook up a vacuum cleaner for a short period of time, but i'm not sure how well that really works....I guess it does pull the hot air away...

Enjoy your new new laser! looking forward to some pictures. I love the 488nm color:beer:

^^I'll second that. Don't let the tube run for more than 10 seconds if you're not somehow forcing air through the tube!

I first ran it for about 30 seconds, then noticed the temp... Never once before have i dove to shut a laser off. For other runs (hours later) I let it go for no more than 10 seconds. I managed to get a picture of the spot, sadly my camera picks up this color exactly the same as it picks up my 473... once I hook this up to a powerful fan (until the good one arrives) I'll have time to find a camera that picks it up well. Right now, to cool it I have a window fan aimed at the intake hole :crackup:
I also believe this is running multi-line and not single line, as I see the beam and spot are a different color than the small reflection around the aperture. I'll get a prism off one of my buddies and test that.

Edit: You mentioned those need to be 240V 60hz, I know US outlets are 60hz and 120V, I assume I would need a power adapter as well correct?

ZRaffleticket said:

I first ran it for about 30 seconds, then noticed the temp... Never once before have i dove to shut a laser off. For other runs (hours later) I let it go for no more than 10 seconds. I managed to get a picture of the spot, sadly my camera picks up this color exactly the same as it picks up my 473... once I hook this up to a powerful fan (until the good one arrives) I'll have time to find a camera that picks it up well. Right now, to cool it I have a window fan aimed at the intake hole :crackup:
I also believe this is running multi-line and not single line, as I see the beam and spot are a different color than the small reflection around the aperture. I'll get a prism off one of my buddies and test that.

Edit: You mentioned those need to be 240V 60hz, I know US outlets are 60hz and 120V, I assume I would need a power adapter as well correct?

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I guess. I can't tell you what exactly you need though.
Use any CD and shoot the beam to the back of it. That will tell you if your argon is miltiline or single line. However you say that you have a 2201 20-SLE model. AFAIK "SL" stands for single line.

I recommend one of them fans that say tarzan on them, one of these fans are easy to mount and will keep your AC Ion head in a low profile also.

I have so many fans... do you live where its 230vac or 110vac?, I may be able to sell you one, A few months ago our flue fan for the heater to the house went out and I happen to still have a few boxes of fans scattered on the floor in need of reboxing.

Put up a pic of your laser and its airhole, AND stop using a box fan!!!

How many amps were you running it at?

How much did it cost you?

Be extremely careful letting them run hot. If they are the smaller tubes with the end mirror mount attached right to the back of the tube, sometimes the heat is enough to knock the whole thing out of alignment permanently.

Meatball said:

^^I'll second that. Don't let the tube run for more than 10 seconds if you're not somehow forcing air through the tube!

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^^ he means 'pulling' air through the tube .

you cant really have too much CFS of air, but too little means too hot.
I hold my hand to air coming out and if it gets real hot you may need more. Hot is normal and dont forget to keep your fan running for a while after shutting down the laser. (unplug it as it will stay warm without being on if not unplugged on some argons, just turning the key off is not enough)
You need the right cooling.
Especially if you want to up the Amps.

If the laser shuts down on you while running, hopefully that is its own over-heat protection and not a dead argon laser-- let it cool completely and try again.

Then shut it down until you get a better blower.
SL means 488nm - a dvd reflection will show all the same color but some of the dots will be brighter.
For ML you can clearly see the different colors of the lines.

If you find the right squirrel cage fan you will either need to box it to achieve suction or attach an adapter to the intake side that your Al dryer hose can attach to. A plastic hose may fail.

9 Ka5io fans in a square may work. they take 12 vdc each. Its been done with 4 fans (by cypragon IIRC)but IMO 9 would be mo betta.

GL

hak

do you live where its 230vac or 110vac?

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United states, so 110-120 I believe

AND stop using a box fan!!!

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It's temporary, I'm not really letting it run for any more than 10 seconds on low power anyway. (theres a pot on the outside)

How many amps were you running it at?

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in all honesty I have no idea how to check that on this laser.

How much did it cost you?

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about $199 plus shipping.



I also tried using a DVD to refract the beam, you're right it's a single-line. I just find it odd that there is a ring around the spot that is a darker shade of blue (somewhere between a 445 and a 473 in my comparison)

also a note, as I am awaiting a decent fan my buddy is coming (next friday) with about 6 computer fans from some of his projects. Hopefully its enough until I have enough cash and decision on what the "good" fan for this will be.

A shop vac would be WAY better than a box fan. But you stand a chance of killing your shop vac. Thats what happened to Greenmechanic and the wife is still not happy about that-- afaik.

and somehow I think 6 fans from a PC will fail. Metal small squirrel cage fans pop up on eekbay from time to time. Seal it in a box with in and out ports the size of that flange on the side of your Argon hook an aluminum dryer hose to the intake and you are good to go. IIRC you will need ~140 CFM. I need to check that. It is sometimes on the label of the fan.

I tried to use the fan from a kids airhockey table but it did not pull enough air from my ML to run much more than idle. After a 2 min HP run with that fan it shutdown


The time it all shut down I freaked thinking I had killed my argon- thankfully I was saved by the overheat protection.

In the devices that use Argons , like high speed photocopiers, confocal microscopes, DNA sequencers, etc the temp of the argon dictates how long the fan runs after the laser is powered down. So if you add your own fan wehich is powered indedendantly YOU must be the one who runs the fan for a while.

I run mine until the air coming out is room temp. by then the sides of the head are not so hot. Then its Okay to turn off the fan. I left everything on except the key once, waited for things to cool after turning the key off, than stopped the fan. The head was barely warm, just happened to feel it a while later and it was noticably WARMER than it was when I turned my fan off..

Apparently when powered but key off , the laser stays in a sort of 'standby' kept warm enough to be used again without any time needed to get warmed up.. This is why I always unplug my Argons after use and run the fan till cool. I imagine that leaving it warm/plugged in is not harmful but surely it is a waste of power unless you plan to use again right away.

A few of our resident Argon experts doubted this until they tried it on thiers. This may be my only legit contributation to argon laser info.. that and dont count on an airhockey fan to do the job at 10 A. :crackup:lamo

hak:yh:
Hope I have been helpful and please correct me if I have made any errors.