Another Old He-Ne

[Eidetical]

New old laser in the house! This Spectra-Physics model 131 He-Ne laser head looks like an OEM model to me. I think it comes from 1966 as that's the only year I see the model mentioned in the Laser Focus Buyers' Guide. Earliest could be 1964. Small, intact, and unique but missing its power supply and feet.

This one's cool because of the weird little jog the tube makes to clear the tube mount (on the right side above). The company soon replaced all that with a much better and cheaper way to mount the tube, but compare this one to the complex tube in the other model 131 I have.

This head was sold along with a 1990 Laser Photonics model CL-55 CO2 laser system with the guy having no idea that what he had was so old because Spectra-Physics never put dates on their lasers. Now it's headed toward a museum instead of a dumpster.

 

[paul1598419]

Nice find. Too bad it seems to no longer work. I have a specrta-physics HeNe that does still work. Good luck with your new acquisition.

 

[Gryphon]

She's a beauty, I'll bet that curving channel would have looked amazing filled with glowing plasma.

 

[Eidetical]

It'll add to a nice display in a museum timeline eventually, showing development of commercial He-Ne lasers for the applications taken for granted today. I'm at Photonics West tomorrow to "stimulate" such a museum. Some seriously heavy hitters are already on board. It really is waaaay overdue.

 

[LtKernelPanic]

Very cool. I really need to get my lasers out again and give them a run but I just don't have the room right now. The bad thing is I can't remember what voltages the one PSU is. You'd think I'd remember to label it as it's not the first time this has happened to me.