Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Interesting Lab YAG laser (Disassembly)

Mattronium

Mattronium

0
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
854
Points
63
At SELEM I bought this 1987 YAG laser from Alex. I don't think he tested it at all, so really nothing was known about it.

It has hose connectors for water cooling and indicates that it should not be run without water flowing. One place selling an almost identical laser lists it as 600mW @ 1320nm.

So naturally, after I powered it up and nothing happened, I opened up the laser. You can see in the first attached picture. I was surprised to see that the pumping source in an 500W halogen incandescent lamp:confused:. I didn't know you could pump a YAG this way. The water cooling only cools the YAG rod.

I believe that this laser is missing the HR mirror, though aside from that everything looks to be there (the reason it didn't run at first was because the interlock doesn't have the right pins shorted).

Just thought I'd share an interesting laser. I was quite surprised to find a halogen bulb in a laser:D.


EDIT: Upon further research it looks like it may be possible for me to use a aluminum FS mirror for the HR. As best as I can tell the OC is planer and from Sam's FAQ it seams it indicate that most lasers like this have a planer-planer mirror configuration. It looks like aluminum has a reflective of around 95% at 1.3 um range and since this is a CW laser I won't have to worry about ablating the mirror coating. I guess the question would be whether the laser could reach lasing threshold with the additional 5%+ losses?
 

Attachments

  • 20170904_103156 (800x450).jpg
    20170904_103156 (800x450).jpg
    109.8 KB · Views: 86
  • 20170902_170145 (800x450).jpg
    20170902_170145 (800x450).jpg
    144 KB · Views: 113
  • 20170904_103205 (800x450).jpg
    20170904_103205 (800x450).jpg
    109.9 KB · Views: 92
  • 20170902_171142 (800x450).jpg
    20170902_171142 (800x450).jpg
    132.8 KB · Views: 90
  • 20170902_170358 (800x450).jpg
    20170902_170358 (800x450).jpg
    121 KB · Views: 79
Last edited:





Alaskan

Alaskan

0
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
12,031
Points
113
Yow, I like the looks of that thing, very nice. I hope you get it running, if 1320 maybe make some 589 nm with it? If you can find the right crystal and the missing mirror.
 
CurtisOliver

CurtisOliver

0
LPF Site Supporter
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
7,609
Points
113
Yes, quite a number of high power Nd:YAG's are pumped by flashlamp. Its nothing surprising at all. In fact, the first ever laser was a solid state (ruby) and was pumped by a flashlamp. You either side pump by flashlamps or side/end pump using 808 LD's.
I believe they are either krypton or xenon filled for YAG's.

ssy1_diagram.png


p173-001.jpg


rubylaser_components.jpg
 
Last edited:
Mattronium

Mattronium

0
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
854
Points
63
CurtisOliver said:
Yes, quite a number of high power Nd:YAG's are pumped by flashlamp. Its nothing surprising at all. In fact, the first ever laser was a solid state (ruby) and was pumped by a flashlamp. You either side pump by flashlamps or side/end pump using 808 LD's.
I believe they are either krypton or xenon filled for YAG's.
Click to expand...


That's the thing. It is NOT pump by either a flash lamp or a diode.

If you look at the last attached image you can see the pumping source. What looks to be a common incandescent halogen light bulb. Although I would say that this bulb has had quite a bit of use.

I didn't find very much information about Halogen pumped YAG lasers, though there are a few times that they are mentioned in Sam's FAQ:
https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/laserssl.htm#sslops
Another YAG that uses halogen lamp pumping: https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/laserpic/cviypics.htm

A quote from Sam's site "A very few commercial SS lasers have used common halogen lamps (and lots of cooling!) for pumping and even the Sun and chemical reactions which produce light have been used in the laboratory but these are extremely inefficient."

A post here: http://laserpointerforums.com/f44/technical-doubt-nd-yag-laser-pumped-halogen-55183.html



Alaskan said:
Yow, I like the looks of that thing, very nice. I hope you get it running, if 1320 maybe make some 589 nm with it? If you can find the right crystal and the missing mirror.
Click to expand...

It sure would be nice to get it running simply from a historical perspective. Although I don't know how easy it will be to find the proper HR mirror for 1320nm. Assuming it is 1320nm at all! There really is almost no information on this that I can find. I highly doubt making 589nm would even be possible, even doubling it to 660nm might be impossible. Not that I would try it, just getting it working will be fine for me:D.
 
Last edited:
CurtisOliver

CurtisOliver

0
LPF Site Supporter
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
7,609
Points
113
Well, it is still a flashlamp. :p Although it doesn't look too healthy. Does anyone know if the pump source is ok?
If it is indeed halogen then it is an odd one I admit.
Thanks for sharing with us.
 
Last edited:
paul1598419

paul1598419

0
Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
17,408
Points
113
That lamp looks like it has quite a bit of solarization. Seems to have had a hard life.
 
Alaskan

Alaskan

0
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
12,031
Points
113
600 mw of CW sure doesn't impress, but if that's all you need, that's all you need. What is the rod diameter and length?
 
Mattronium

Mattronium

0
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
854
Points
63
Without looking at it now, (packed it away for now), I would have to say it is about 2mm x 50mm. It is hard to say without opening up the cavity, which I probably should do sometime just to check the rod and make sure everything looks good.
 
Last edited:
Alaskan

Alaskan

0
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
12,031
Points
113
That's about the size of a "SSY-1" rod which is Q-switched. I can understand why the CW power would be 600 mw, especially if pumped by a Halogen lamp. At that power level, you don't need an arc lamp, nor would you want to use one if a Halogen could be used to produce the power needed.
 
Mattronium

Mattronium

0
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
854
Points
63
So I'm curious as to how much one of these lasers might be worth if working? (for considering how much $ it is worth to spend on repairs)
So my question to everybody is, What would you pay for a laser like this that is working? (assuming it is 1320nm and 600mW).

EDIT: So I opened the reflecting up and everything did indeed look good. Also, the YAG rod is actually closer to 35mm long.
 
Last edited:
Seoul_lasers

Seoul_lasers

0
Joined
Jul 4, 2008
Messages
2,499
Points
113
Mattronium said:
At SELEM I bought this 1987 YAG laser from Alex. I don't think he tested it at all, so really nothing was known about it.

It has hose connectors for water cooling and indicates that it should not be run without water flowing. One place selling an almost identical laser lists it as 600mW @ 1320nm.

So naturally, after I powered it up and nothing happened, I opened up the laser. You can see in the first attached picture. I was surprised to see that the pumping source in an 500W halogen incandescent lamp:confused:. I didn't know you could pump a YAG this way. The water cooling only cools the YAG rod.

I believe that this laser is missing the HR mirror, though aside from that everything looks to be there (the reason it didn't run at first was because the interlock doesn't have the right pins shorted).

Just thought I'd share an interesting laser. I was quite surprised to find a halogen bulb in a laser:D.


EDIT: Upon further research it looks like it may be possible for me to use a aluminum FS mirror for the HR. As best as I can tell the OC is planer and from Sam's FAQ it seams it indicate that most lasers like this have a planer-planer mirror configuration. It looks like aluminum has a reflective of around 95% at 1.3 um range and since this is a CW laser I won't have to worry about ablating the mirror coating. I guess the question would be whether the laser could reach lasing threshold with the additional 5%+ losses?
Click to expand...

Actually, your eyes don't deceive you. The Yag 2 lasers from the 1980s are CW and do in fact use a special high temperature quartz lamp as the pumping source. We had 2 or 3 at Uvic that are now long gone.
So, yes that's indeed what it is.... btw, There are several retrofits that can be done to make this laser more efficient. :san:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.




Top