Recent content by HDF49

I looked up dry ice suppliers in the uk, about £30 for 2.5kg! Strikes me as pricey, but I'll definitely think about improving the gas system. I might put some balloons on the top of all the homebrew I have bubbling away! I think I'm going to find somewhere to buy a 1m length of 10mm pyrex tube...

Ok thanks for the advice, would passing the gas mixture through something like silica gel be suitable? I'll look at sourcing some dry ice. I'm contemplating rebuilding the laser with a 1m laser tube. I imagine that would give much better results.

That image was when there was just air in the tube. What colour should I be going for? My gas mix is 1:2:7 of co2 from baking soda and vinegar, air and helium from a party tank. I have a high relfector optic retrieved from the end of the 80 watt tube spooky gave me, the dielectric coating has...

A day of tinkering in the shed and I haven't mustered any output as far as I can tell. I started off by aligning my HeNe laser down the centre of the bore, then putting on the rear optic with a glass window over the aperture, pulling a vacuum in the tube and then aligning the reflected beam to...

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I was over the moon when I saw the discharge tube light up for the first time, and after all this work it blood well better pop a balloon. Unfortunately some absolute numpty (me) left the pump plumbed into the laser overnight, and the whole tube filled with oil...

Good news! The whole laser has been glued down to a length of aluminium channel, pictures below.... I then hooked up the cooling (bucket of distilled water and a fishtank pump), my gast vacuum pump and the PSU kindly donated by spooky, turned it on, and nothing! I came to the conclusion...

Great, thanks for that, looks like I have a linearly polarised 632.8nm laser then.

I recently picked up a 10mw hughes hene laser on ebay, but I don't know its wavelength and would like to know it so I can get some goggles. All it says on the tube is model no:3224h-pc and serial number 3110169 and made in march 1983, I've googled but to no avail. Can anyone help?

I'd be wary about PVC being exposed to the high voltage discharge, I can't imagine it would hold up particularly well! Maybe see if you can modify something like this http://www.scientificglass.co.uk/contents/media/l_sgl_bends_with_socket_connection.jpg ? I was very lucky to pick up 5 znse...

Ahh I see, yes I'm sure that would work very well to prevent sputter, how will you fix the sidekick to the laser tube? Can you blow glass? I've got a cylinder of He for party balloons, and I'll use CO2 from baking soda and vinegar or a welding tank and nitrogen from the air or a welding tank...

I don't quite understand what you mean about the 'sidekick tube'? After my initial trouble with the tube cracking I'm working on very solid mounting, so I have milled some little acrylic V blocks, and I'm going to buy a length of aluminium channel which the v blocks are going to be bolted to...

Good to see it's not just me, regarding the cathode sputtering I hear that aluminium has low sputter, because its outer layer oxidises quickly. And with the vacuum lines it's a matter of long thin tubing, and making sure all the controls are well insulated! I'm worried the pin valve I have...

I can't imagine it has! What college and what did you read if you don't mind me asking?

Progress really slowed down with this project after getting back to school, I started my last year of sixth form and got swept away with applying for a physics degree. On the plus side I wrote about this project in my personal statement, which clearly grabbed attention because I got invited to...

Re: Need help fixing Spectra-Physics 50W 532nm Good lord that's a big laser.... The size of the crystals in that must be ridiculous! Any idea as to why it doesn't work?