Awesome homemade YAG laser!!

[Branson33]

Hey guys I haven’t been on in a few days, but I’ve been getting everything setup for my homemade yag laser. I’ll add a link to see all the cool pictures and tell me what you guys think, you can swipe to the bottom and see the other pictures in the album too on the website link. But anyway it is pumped with about 500 joules, and the YAG rod actually has integrated mirrors, I received the rod from a very nice person. I have another for sale if any body wants one with mirrors already made into it so no mounts or anything external is needed. Just PM me. Also I know it’s not the safest setup and the capacitor is giant and could kill me dead, especially charged to 1500 volts (400 more than specified because it’s not electrolytic) but tell me your thoughts! It also pokes holes in metal and PCB.

The link to see the pics is https://ibb.co/mgTp8m

 

[paul1598419]

I'm surprised to see twisted wires with no solder or insulation, clip leads, and the whole thing laid out on the floor. I guess you are lucky not to have charged that cap to its full capacity or you could be dead on the floor next to it. If you are going to play with dangerous electronics, you should learn good techniques in how they should be put together. It should have been put into a project box and the wiring should be able to withstand more than 1500 volts. It should have an interlock with a capacitor drain if opened and the laser head should be in a cavity and isolated from flashes that could damage your sight. Other than that, it looks great!

 

[Branson33]

Thank you! But also I do not put it all in a project box or solder leads because I use the same exact setup for all my other lamp pumped laser, all I do is change inductance on them, I don’t have the money to buy all those parts over again times like 5. So I decided to go “temporary” with the setup. I have charged the capacitor to 1500 which is actually 400 past it’s rating, and got it to fire with nothing bad happening, I stand about 5 feet away, flip the switch close my eyes and record it slow motion with my phone for some pretty cool looking sparks

 

[diachi]

Thank you! But also I do not put it all in a project box or solder leads because I use the same exact setup for all my other lamp pumped laser, all I do is change inductance on them, I don’t have the money to buy all those parts over again times like 5. So I decided to go “temporary” with the setup. I have charged the capacitor to 1500 which is actually 400 past it’s rating, and got it to fire with nothing bad happening, I stand about 5 feet away, flip the switch close my eyes and record it slow motion with my phone for some pretty cool looking sparks

 

[Branson33]

Hey at least I’m having a bit of fun right ? that’s the most important thing especially with my CTH:YAG laser with a very long fluorescent lifetime of 8.5ms is a kind of cool effect. It’s odd that it almost lasts a whole second!

 

[diachi]

Hey at least I’m having a bit of fun right ?

Let's see.

• Overcharged capacitor on carpet.
• Bare/unsoldered wires carrying 1500V with more than enough energy to kill.
• No discharge resistor on the capacitor.
• High power YAG laser, no interlocks, no laser safety equipment (eyewear specifically).

You're setting a bad example for the other kids.

Have fun, sure, but try to do it safely and pick up good practices and habits in the process. Easier to learn them while you're young.

 

[Cyparagon]

I looked it up, and the capacitor is actually okay at that voltage, just not for more than "1 minute per day" says the datasheet.

You've rounded up several times to come to that 500 Joules figure. Firstly, it's only 472 joules with the numbers you've provided. Secondly, that's if the discharge takes the cap all the way down to 0V, which is unlikely. Lastly, those are about 26awg leads, with clips everywhere, each is wasting a lot of energy because of the comparatively high resistance connection. I'd be surprised if the lamp was getting much over 150 joules with this setup.