If I am reading the information correctly, it looks like maybe I can use the PSU without the remote if I just jumper a couple of pins??
You'll need a potentiometer, the connector, and the pins. Dont try connecting without the proper pins, the supplies WILL glitch without solid connections, and glitches are bad. If you have to, the round pins on the control connector can be removed by sliding a piece of brass tubing over the pin to release the catch inside, but once you do that, you need to replace the pin. Square pins, ie the cathode connections, do NOT release once installed.
Also NEC/SHOWA glass tubes do NOT survive overdrive for ANY length of time, keep Itube below 8 amps.
A correctly heated cathode is orange hot, not white hot, but not dull red either. Too cold and they sag, too hot and you damage the electron emission layer and bury gas, and on NECs, also that cruds up the internal optics.
Digikey sells the connectors. Those are Amphenol CPC series 5 or Series 6
The jdsu supplies are/were matched to the tube with a internal card, known as a "personality board" data on which has never been released or reverse engineered, so if your tube characteristics are close enough, and the supply works, you have a chance, but generally JDSU supplies are too smart for their own good.
JDSU also controls the ignitor in the head with a optocoupler, where NEC/SHOWA does not. You may need to hold off ignition for the 30 second warmup delay.
I'd just find a old linear Spectra 261 or 262 power supply, much easier to convert. Ie you just change the head connector and add the SP required programming resistor. NEC and SP competed head to head for bio and printing applications of these lasers,and tended to make the stuff so customers did not need to exchange PSUs when they changed tubes. This drove sales down to price point, making it easy to "steal" a customer.
And yes, I know these beasts, guess who wrote most of the ion chapter at the FAQ...
NECs are not one of my favorites, they tend to die a quick death if operated even remotely outside of parameters. Its been 15 years since I've had my hands on one.
JDSU is the ONLY one I've never been able to reverse engineer or document or social engineer. But that might have something to do with not having a pile of working ones to compare.
PS, there is a bit of ART required when measuring ion laser power supplies with a voltmeter and the power on. My general advise is to NOT do it. Usually results in a smoked voltmeter, operator, or supply , or all three, if you do NOT know where to put the probes. Never place a meter probe to CASE or EARTH ground when working on a ion laser power supply. Never connect the control connector ground to any part of the tube circuit through a meter. These supplies are "hot chassis" sets that work directly off rectified AC line. Some parts inside are opto isolated or transformer isolated to protect the circuit from itself, and cross connecting any isolated part to B+ or Ground is VERY bad. And on these self controlling ignitors.. Well, you need to find a way to disable them if you want to keep your voltmeter alive when checking for anode voltage.
Be careful, you have unlimited (120 vac * 1.414) 169 Vdc minimum across a unlit tube, and often more then that... Omnis for example, have 600-800V boost.
Steve
Sounds like you may be familiar with this unit...
