IsaacT
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In Depth Review of My First Argon!
Introduction!!!
Hello everybody, today I would like to share my newest Laser with you all. On July 28th, n2stuff shared a very low hours Argon Laser head he saw on ebay for a reasonable price. I have really wanted an Argon since I joined this forum three years ago, and finally having the disposable income and the presence of mind to go for it, I did! With a very excited mouse finger I bought it on that same day! I did NOT want to lose out on a chance at such a sweet deal
Now, all that came with it was the laser head, so I knew I was going to need to buy a power supply. Maybe there is some common knowledge that I missed out on, but for all my reading I couldn’t seem to find any info on how to choose the power supply. What is more, I had no idea what keywords to really use to find such a tutorial. After doing thorough reading on Sam’s Laser FAQ, I contacted both Dr. Sam and Daguin with a plea for help. I had found a power supply that I thought *might* work based on the voltage and the current. While Dr. Sam responded in a VERY timely manner, so did Daguin....with an immediate link to an appropriate PSU on ebay which would match my Laser. The PSU was $90 plus $40 for shipping, but I offered the seller $75 and he went for it! Which is great, because I didn’t want to spend more on my PSU than my Laser Head. :crackup:
*Side Note* - This is why I will ALWAYS do my best to give as much information as possible to people and try to always be quick to give help. The legendary folks here are always very helpful to me, and I want new people to feel as welcome as I do.
I also needed to find a good remote interface but n2stuff was a great help for that and directed me to Meredith Instrument’s ebay listing. They had the remote listed for $95 plus a $5 shipping cost, but I went to their website and lo and behold they had it on sale for that month for only $68 plus shipping, adding up to about 75 dollars!
So now I had the following parts:
$120 JDS Uniphase 2211D-25MLHCH Argon Laser Head - purchased 7/28
$115 JDS Uniphase 2111P-25MLHCH Power Supply - purchased 7/29
$75 JDS Uniphase Model 2500 Remote Interface - purchased 7/29
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$310 Total! Not bad for an Argon!
The best part? When I made the purchase of the laser head I didn’t even know it was an over 100mW multi-line yet. That was just icing on the cake!!! :bday:
Things you may want to know when buying your Argon:
1. Atleast with JDS Uniphase Argons, it seems that matching the last part of the Model number of the Argon with that of the PSU is a quick way to tell if they are compatible.
Example: In my case, the last part on both is 25MLHCH. Now, I think what that means is that it is rated for 25mW on idle and is a multi-line(ML) system. The HCH I am not sure about, although it might refer to the shape of the Argon in some way.
2. Stick with the same brand of item. It seems to be that the PSU’s from different manufacturers are not really meant for use with the other laser head.
Example: In my case, I have a JDSU Argon Head so I wouldn’t want to use a Cyonics, Coherent, Melles Griot, etc. Just stick with the same manufacturer so you don’t waste money on a product that will not work with your Laser Head.
3. A standard AC cable WILL work to plug your PSU into the wall.
Reason I know: The ebay seller didn’t include the cable in the picture(even though it said what you see is what you get....but whatever) so I had to cross my fingers and sure enough it works perfectly. I got a 10‘ AC Replacement Cord from Office Depot for 15 dollars. I gave the ebay seller angry eyes.
4. There MAY be a time delay from when you plug her in to when she starts. Companies put in time delays as part of meeting regulations, so when you see no light, don’t immediately give up. Wait a bit.
SPECIFICALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BUYING JDSU
The Remote Interface can be slightly confusing. When you turn your Argon on for the first time, you want to make sure of a few things.
If you have any other questions regarding my experience acquiring the parts and hooking it up then please toss me a PM. If all else fails and I do not know I will do research and try to figure out the issue.
Specs!!!
This laser is impressive! At idle(4A), this laser puts out roughly 40mW. At 6A, it puts out around 75-80mW. At 10A I am getting 140mW!!! The impressive amount of light this puts out makes enjoying this Laser much easier than say a 1mW 593 or a 1mW 633nm HeNe.
Output: 40-140mW depending on Amperage Setting.
Wavelength(s): 457nm, 476nm, 488nm, 496nm, 501nm, 514nm [This info is based on the most common 6 lines, which is how many mine puts out]
Transverse Mode: Appears to stay in TEM00, which is nice. Rarely do beautiful wavelengths and TEM00 go hand in hand due to most being DPSS.
Individual Outputs: Untested, awaiting the appropriate grating.
Another thing to note is the heat this laser puts out. I swear to all that is holy my room went up from 70 degrees Fahrenheit to at least 78 degrees. This puppy cooks my small room, and leaves me sweating. :eg:
Enough Talking, Picture Time!!!!
And a Video!!!!
This video was shot with an initial setting of 8A, however I put it on idle after my first pause in the video due to setting up the shot. Skip to around 3 minutes and watch from there if you just want to see it run at full power. I may shoot one in a lit room soon as I think the colors might show better.
Closing Remarks
This is the most impressive laser I own to date. Not from sheer power, but from the wavelengths present, the size, the elegance....it is just plain beautiful. Now that I finally have an Argon I know why people rave about them so much....they are just so damn cool!
A HUGE thank you to the following people for helping me on this journey to obtaining and getting it working:
1. n2stuff - Thank you for sharing the great deal on the low hours multiline argon head!
2. Daguin - Thank you for helping me find the right power supply to use for it.
3. Dr. Sam - Thank you for responding to my PSU query in a very timely manner and for all the info you have made available.
4. Trevor - Thank you for trouble shooting with me to figure out how to get it running when I couldn't figure the damn thing out
5. Bloompyle - Your gas threads have made me intrigued and spurred my interest in the Gaseous side of the Laser hobby. Thanks!
Thanks,
Isaac
Introduction!!!
Hello everybody, today I would like to share my newest Laser with you all. On July 28th, n2stuff shared a very low hours Argon Laser head he saw on ebay for a reasonable price. I have really wanted an Argon since I joined this forum three years ago, and finally having the disposable income and the presence of mind to go for it, I did! With a very excited mouse finger I bought it on that same day! I did NOT want to lose out on a chance at such a sweet deal
Now, all that came with it was the laser head, so I knew I was going to need to buy a power supply. Maybe there is some common knowledge that I missed out on, but for all my reading I couldn’t seem to find any info on how to choose the power supply. What is more, I had no idea what keywords to really use to find such a tutorial. After doing thorough reading on Sam’s Laser FAQ, I contacted both Dr. Sam and Daguin with a plea for help. I had found a power supply that I thought *might* work based on the voltage and the current. While Dr. Sam responded in a VERY timely manner, so did Daguin....with an immediate link to an appropriate PSU on ebay which would match my Laser. The PSU was $90 plus $40 for shipping, but I offered the seller $75 and he went for it! Which is great, because I didn’t want to spend more on my PSU than my Laser Head. :crackup:
*Side Note* - This is why I will ALWAYS do my best to give as much information as possible to people and try to always be quick to give help. The legendary folks here are always very helpful to me, and I want new people to feel as welcome as I do.
I also needed to find a good remote interface but n2stuff was a great help for that and directed me to Meredith Instrument’s ebay listing. They had the remote listed for $95 plus a $5 shipping cost, but I went to their website and lo and behold they had it on sale for that month for only $68 plus shipping, adding up to about 75 dollars!
So now I had the following parts:
$120 JDS Uniphase 2211D-25MLHCH Argon Laser Head - purchased 7/28
$115 JDS Uniphase 2111P-25MLHCH Power Supply - purchased 7/29
$75 JDS Uniphase Model 2500 Remote Interface - purchased 7/29
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
$310 Total! Not bad for an Argon!
The best part? When I made the purchase of the laser head I didn’t even know it was an over 100mW multi-line yet. That was just icing on the cake!!! :bday:
Things you may want to know when buying your Argon:
1. Atleast with JDS Uniphase Argons, it seems that matching the last part of the Model number of the Argon with that of the PSU is a quick way to tell if they are compatible.
Example: In my case, the last part on both is 25MLHCH. Now, I think what that means is that it is rated for 25mW on idle and is a multi-line(ML) system. The HCH I am not sure about, although it might refer to the shape of the Argon in some way.
2. Stick with the same brand of item. It seems to be that the PSU’s from different manufacturers are not really meant for use with the other laser head.
Example: In my case, I have a JDSU Argon Head so I wouldn’t want to use a Cyonics, Coherent, Melles Griot, etc. Just stick with the same manufacturer so you don’t waste money on a product that will not work with your Laser Head.
3. A standard AC cable WILL work to plug your PSU into the wall.
Reason I know: The ebay seller didn’t include the cable in the picture(even though it said what you see is what you get....but whatever) so I had to cross my fingers and sure enough it works perfectly. I got a 10‘ AC Replacement Cord from Office Depot for 15 dollars. I gave the ebay seller angry eyes.
4. There MAY be a time delay from when you plug her in to when she starts. Companies put in time delays as part of meeting regulations, so when you see no light, don’t immediately give up. Wait a bit.
SPECIFICALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BUYING JDSU
The Remote Interface can be slightly confusing. When you turn your Argon on for the first time, you want to make sure of a few things.
- Make sure that the switches at the bottom of your PSU is on the right setting for your voltage in your mains.
- Flip the switch on the remote to “INTERLOCK LOCAL ON”, NOT “REMOTE”. If you flip it to remote, it gives control to your “User System" which is something you would connect to the db25 port on the remote to remote control your remote. If you don’t have that then stick to “LOCAL ON”.
- Turn Tube Current to “ON”.
- Press Run. Keeping it on idle will allow it to lase, but the remote will not do anything.
- To adjust the current, press on the adjust arrows. NOTE: As per the manual, when at low currents such as 4A or high currents such as 10A, the adjust will not immediately respond. Hold the button down and it will begin to have an effect however. I thought my button was broken at first.
- If all of that doesn’t work, THEN come and make a thread. the remote was easy to use once I knew the procedure.
If you have any other questions regarding my experience acquiring the parts and hooking it up then please toss me a PM. If all else fails and I do not know I will do research and try to figure out the issue.
Specs!!!
This laser is impressive! At idle(4A), this laser puts out roughly 40mW. At 6A, it puts out around 75-80mW. At 10A I am getting 140mW!!! The impressive amount of light this puts out makes enjoying this Laser much easier than say a 1mW 593 or a 1mW 633nm HeNe.
Output: 40-140mW depending on Amperage Setting.
Wavelength(s): 457nm, 476nm, 488nm, 496nm, 501nm, 514nm [This info is based on the most common 6 lines, which is how many mine puts out]
Transverse Mode: Appears to stay in TEM00, which is nice. Rarely do beautiful wavelengths and TEM00 go hand in hand due to most being DPSS.
Individual Outputs: Untested, awaiting the appropriate grating.
Another thing to note is the heat this laser puts out. I swear to all that is holy my room went up from 70 degrees Fahrenheit to at least 78 degrees. This puppy cooks my small room, and leaves me sweating. :eg:
Enough Talking, Picture Time!!!!
And a Video!!!!
This video was shot with an initial setting of 8A, however I put it on idle after my first pause in the video due to setting up the shot. Skip to around 3 minutes and watch from there if you just want to see it run at full power. I may shoot one in a lit room soon as I think the colors might show better.
Closing Remarks
This is the most impressive laser I own to date. Not from sheer power, but from the wavelengths present, the size, the elegance....it is just plain beautiful. Now that I finally have an Argon I know why people rave about them so much....they are just so damn cool!
A HUGE thank you to the following people for helping me on this journey to obtaining and getting it working:
1. n2stuff - Thank you for sharing the great deal on the low hours multiline argon head!
2. Daguin - Thank you for helping me find the right power supply to use for it.
3. Dr. Sam - Thank you for responding to my PSU query in a very timely manner and for all the info you have made available.
4. Trevor - Thank you for trouble shooting with me to figure out how to get it running when I couldn't figure the damn thing out
5. Bloompyle - Your gas threads have made me intrigued and spurred my interest in the Gaseous side of the Laser hobby. Thanks!
Thanks,
Isaac
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