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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Argon laser - Is this worth of buying?!?! Help

9A3DAA

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I need help!
found argon laser naked head (only tube) for 70$!!!
seller say it's working, on 3.5A (idle) 0.3 mW, and 6 mW on 6.5A
it have 8000 hours!!! It is worth of buying?!?!
I don't have schematic for power supply and how to power tube on!
Please give me advice!

Thanks
 

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diachi

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I mean it works, but you'll need to invest more money getting it running and with that many hours on the tube (and the low output) it's probably not worth it.

I've wanted one of those tubes for a display piece for ages though! :(
 

9A3DAA

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So it's too many hours and low output? :cryyy:
I wish to find complete small argon laser with power supply so bad, but is too expensive
 

diachi

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So it's too many hours and low output? :cryyy:
I wish to find complete small argon laser with power supply so bad, but is too expensive


It's a low output, high hours tube. May not be worth spending the time/money to get it going. Such is life in the hunt for argon lasers these days. Really it depends on how much you want to invest into it. Some of us (given the money) would buy it up just to tinker with it because we enjoying tinkering with such things.

That said, those tubes are gorgeous when they're running...

Keep an eye on eBay...
 
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If you are patient, one will pop up on eBay eventually complete with working tube and power supply. There aren't as frequent as they used to be, but they do come up at decent prices now and then. You just need to keep looking daily and you will be rewarded in time.
 
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I need help!
found argon laser naked head (only tube) for 70$!!!
seller say it's working, on 3.5A (idle) 0.3 mW, and 6 mW on 6.5A
it have 8000 hours!!! It is worth of buying?!?!
I don't have schematic for power supply and how to power tube on!
Please give me advice!

Thanks

Agree with above. Just a couple extra notes I didn't see

Looks like a lasos which aren't really common, finding another glass bell gas laser is hard or expensive - also they are a little touchy about heat.
And running without fan and case cover is bad idea. You would NEED that.

as far as power for them, you can use a cyonics head to power them, which are one of the most common ones out there.

maybe 40-60 mw is what I would expect from one.

If you aren't picky, you can find an air cooled argon for a decent price. Getting it to where you are may be expensive either way :)
a Lasos is another story. They are probably the coolest looking air cooled argon out there. I love mine.
 
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All good points, icecruncher. I just hope it hasn't logged so many hours it has little life left. It would be a nice acquisition, though.
 
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no umbellical cord? normally afaik that is a part of the 'head' NOT w/ the PS. So you would need to find one, which might be the hardest part to find.
You can't make a good deal appear at greedbay-- set up a search that keeps you current w/ what is out here...or be like (young) Ben-- contact Hospitals-universities etc in search of a free or cheap retired 'device' w/ an Argon inside- it will have all the parts ands if ALL still work you only harvest the goodies. IT take a lot of help loading one up.
DNA sequencers-confocal microscopes and some super high speed printers and others.
Being located where you are will not help you much... good luck len
 

vk2fro

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If what you see in the pictures is all you get, I'd give it a miss. Although its a pretty tube (I love the glass bell ones - they look cool when ionised), its missing the head cover, and cooling fan.

You're also going to need the umbilical and power supply, and being high hours, the thing doesn't sound like its going to present much enjoyment for long.

Keep looking on ebay. Ask questions to the seller like "how many hours on that hour meter", "does it make any rattling sounds when you gently shake it (please do not drop it" and if you buy tell them "This laser has an extremely fragile plasma tube inside. Please pack it well as we all know what courier/delivery companies are like, and this will not survive a 3 foot drop onto a hard surface if not packed well".

Buying a laser "AS IS, Not tested" off ebay is a gamble. Only gamble what you would not cry over loosing - I've just put my gamble in for $150 on an omnichrome 543, but I spotted the hour meter. It looks to be 339 or 39 hours so practically brand new. Its highly unlikely that I will get a broken laser, but I am prepared for that to eventuate. I did ask the seller to pack it well, quoting the packing instructions above.

Edit: and sadly they didn't seem to read my instructions and I ended up with a broken tube. Fortunately I had the go pro rolling, as I opened the package, and took off the head cover to show the damage after I discovered bits of broken glass falling out. Sadly my hearing isn't the best, and I couldn't hear it rattling inside the box. Luckily I got an honest seller who apologised, and refunded my money, and didn't ask me to send the laser back. I think because in the video once I heard the rattles, I said "yep - this laser is junk. You didn't pack it properly!". Check the sellers feedback, especially the negs - this is where you find people whinging about poor packaging, or the seller simply offloading stuff thats obviously non functional.

This is why you ALWAYS have a video camera rolling, even if its a friend holding an iphone - the quality will be enough from a phone camera these days to prove you didn't damage the goods.

My second entry in the "ebay laser lottery" is an ILT and I gave the seller packing instructions and after a few days they said "I've packed it as you discribed, double boxed and in the squishy foam. Its ready to go as soon as you have paid.", at which point I thought "Oh I'd better pay for that auction", promptly sent an apologetic email to the seller about being slack at paying, and did the paypal thing :)

Of course one cannot tell if the laser has leaked its gas just by looking at it, unless the filament has been run after the laser has gone up to air; but there are ways to test for this without shelling out for a power supply. One of those mini 15 watt tesla coils off ebay will work - just disconnect all the sensitive electronics first (such as the ignite card, which usually has the light pickup op amp on there, which the tesla will break pretty quick smart. The mini tesla coil is an easy electronics kit to built, and should take even the lesser experienced with a soldering iron half an hour to build. Watch the business end though, even though its small, it can give you quite a zap. You will know its working if you bring a fluoroescent tube nearby - it'll light the tube just like magic. Also the angry sparks coming off the fine wire is another dead giveaway. They state these are musical, but I'd be more than hesitant to hook up your $1000 iphone/samsung to a project that generates 1000's of volts :p I wasn't interested in this functionality - I just wanted something to test gas tubes with.

Once confirmed gas intact, you can start hunting for a power supply. Look for units that either state "Working, tested to power on" or are shown plugged in and the interlock / power leds lit. These are usually the good ones. Don't buy the ones stating "not tested as is" etc as they may have blown output devices, or simply be non functional.

Cheers
Ben
 
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VK2FRO, do you know if PPal would even take the time to look at such a video? Any knowledge of such being accepted evidence in the past?
 

vk2fro

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I'm not sure, however it wouldn't hurt in order to have evidence handy that shows you didn't cause the damage and it was damaged in transit, or from the outset. Of course if you get screwed by PayPal, theres also the option of credit card chargeback - but this will screw you with PayPal - you will not be able to use your PayPal account (well the one you charged back on, unless you pay back the balance. So only use this method if you paid a lot of money. Like I mentioned, its like playing a slot machine or lottery. Tubes on eBay come in all different states of repair, from fully working sets that pump out enough power to set fire to your curtains, to those that are so damaged, you can tell the seller was lying through his teeth with his description. Remember pictures in an eBay auction form part of the description, so look at them closely. Thats how I noticed the 339/39 hour meter on my tube!

Also its really no trouble to plop a camera on a tripod or chair, and push the record button. I use my GoPro for this purpose all the time. Unfortunately the latest purchase (a tablet) I was just too slow to lodge the dispute, and lost my $300 odd - I was furious. You have to stay on top of the timeframes!

Having my gopro rolling when I unboxed the omni got me my money back as I'm sure the seller watched it. I didn't mention them by name nor did I curse them - they're just a reseller of government surplus. I'm sure it was easy enough being a fairly busy business for them to miss my instructions for packing. Sure I was upset, and a bit mad, but then I thought "well they refunded me (including shipping) and didn't ask for the laser back - so I've got some nice fans, optics and other bits".
 
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9A3DAA

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Argon LASER cathode filament is 3VAC and old MOT (microwave oven transformer) high voltage secondary removed, and
manually wound 6mm2 (10 AWG) cable. I got 1.3VAC with 1 turn and 1.7VAC with 1.5 turn. I need extract center tap,
but I can't get 1.5V between the windings.

Question is: Can filament work with 2.5V?
 

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vk2fro

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Add another turn. The load will pull the voltage down. The switchers in the ILT's still use a cathode transformer and they do exactly the same thing - 3.2v on heating, and once the laser strikes, the voltage drops to 2.8V. Undervolting a filament is bad, it makes the tungsten buttery and can lead to sagging. Better to over-volt it a little than undervolt it.
 
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9A3DAA

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If I add another turn, total voltage will be 3.4VAC. That is little too much?
 
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No. Once the tube starts conducting the filament voltage will drop and be fine. What vk2fro was saying is it is worse to apply too little filament voltage than a little bit more.
 

9A3DAA

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I wind 1.5 turn (1.7VAC) and another 1.5 turn. Total voltage without load is 3.4VAC
and you can see on the pictures on load voltage drop to perfectly nearly 3 volts.
Ammeter show 22A @ 3.15VAC that is 70W power consuption as expected. And everything now see to be perfect, but don't.
My MOT is overheating like hell! Even without load!:wtf:
I don't know why, maybe because I damage shunt? But little...
And now my experiment must stop.:banghead:
 

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