LGI-101 Copper Vapour Laser System

Before I had made my "homebuilt CVL system" I had a chance to play with the commercial russian CVL called LGI-101. I had found it in the University laser lab NOS in unpacked factory crates. The lab didn't use it for anything since buying it in 1989. It is a first-generation CVL with only 3W of rated power on both 510 and 578 nm lines, despite the large size of the laser head and tube. The laser tube and the head were in separate wooden crates, the power unit stood nearby. After putiing it all together I got very bright laser beam, which burns wood slowly even in unfocused condition, because its diameter is relatively small -- 12 mm. Unlike the UL-102 tube, the LGI-101 one is in full glass envelope, much smaller in diameter but nearly twice longer than UL102. Thermal insulation is worse than in UL102, so it requires much more input electric power for the same output as UL102, electrical efficiency is lower.

The power unit is a big cabinet made of metal and devided in four sections, containing HVDC source with the 3-phase HV transformer, variac voltage regulator, which consists of 3 variacs сoupled with plastic gears, master oscillator and trigger circuit for the thyratron, and main thyratron pulse circuit. The thyratron in it is the biggest I've ever seen in person -- 25 cm tall and 15 cm in diameter, with water cooling. Some our local Tesla coilers would just drool when seeing this cabinet full of high voltage, which weighs nearly a half of ton. :drool:

Anyway, despite some drowbacks this laser works great!

Unfortunately I was not allowed to move it to my laser collection at my home:yabbmad::yabbmad:

All pictures won't fit one post, so I'll make a couple of them.

More photos of thyratron triggering section, voltage regulator and lasing:gun:

Some closeups of the tube running. And video on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9ed-QQmAFA

I always had a softspot for CVLs, despite actually being a horridly inefficient lasing medium.

ultimatekaiser said:

I always had a softspot for CVLs, despite actually being a horridly inefficient lasing medium.

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Still better than Argon or Krypton!

Nowadays, a normal commercial CVL has at least 1% efficiency. On lab laser setups 3% was achieved, but it is very tricky as from the point of making the laser tube and electrically. As far as I know, argon is never more efficient than 0.1% for big units.

ultimatekaiser said:

I always had a softspot for CVLs, despite actually being a horridly inefficient lasing medium.

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>Horridly efficient
>Output coupler isn't even mirrored

Regardless of efficiency concerns, the sheer volume of light production regardless of its efficiency, is massive.

Very, very, very soon, I will actually have a decent lab area for 2, perhaps 4 years. I am using this as my inspiration to finally build a CuBrVL.

Again, well done mate. :beer: :beer:

Crazy amount of work to do but nicel clean build and great results--nice to see you were successful.

An interesting type not often seen operational.

Great photos--thanks for sharing them

Very cool pictures. That power supply looks like something out of a mad scientist's lab XD.

I love the 510nm line of the copper vapor laser, that unit is a monster!!!!

that unit is a monster!!!!

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Only by appearance. It should have at least 100W of output power, in order to be a monster

Not only can you get parts for CVL's in your neck of the woods, you can also buy them as self assembly kits. I wonder if they ship to australia, and if customs would sieze it (shipping would be brutal)

Well done mate

tried to +rep you but need to "spread the rep" as I already +rep'ed you on the 5W CVL build

you can also buy them as self assembly kits.

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Hmmm, have you got a prooflink? I'm very interested.

It was a joke Laserbuilder - the laser you put together at the university was in several parts. Thats what I would call a self assembly kit

jokes aside thanks for sharing.


+rep when alowed


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