DIY Blue Beam Dye Laser

[3zuli]

if you want DC output you can use that schematic, you should only use flyback, which has an internal diode.

you can test if your flyback has diode. just use multimeter with diode tester and test the seconday coil in both polarities. if there is diode inside, the diode test should ,,beep" only in 1 polarity -> that's DC output. when it beeps in both polarities, there's no diode and output is AC

btw... Robert Dvoracek looks like slovak or czech name

 

[brtaman]

Good god man, you are really over-complicating this to the max. :crackup:

Just go with the ZVS driver, simple in parts count, reliable and powerful. It will start melting the negative wire, but only when drawing arcs, not when being used to charge the capacitors for the TEA laser.

Simple, low parts count and definitely the best flyback driver...unless you want to go with a half-bridge/H-bridge config...but thats another story and the power will kill the flyback sooner rather than later.

 

[HIMNL9]

3zuli, i'm sorry, but this don't work.

Some flyback have a single HV diode, and testers usually can't test them (cause the ceramic ones have something like 30 or 40 V of dropout) ..... some others have a tripler, instead a single diode (i mean, diode-capacitor "ladder-style" voltage tripler network), and also in this case, the voltage that you need for test it is too high for a common tester.

But if the flyback assembly have a single cable that go directly to the clip that is connected at the rear of the tube, you can be sure that it's DC, cause there's no way for make work a tube with AC

 

[millirad]

I believe the ZVS will work, but I would like to be able to turn a pot like there is on the SG3525 circuit to adjust the pulsewidth driving the flyback.
Edit: apparently the pot adjusts the frequency. I would need to do something differently to adjust the primary side pulsewidth.

Brtaman- Just go with the ZVS driver, simple in parts count, reliable and powerful.

 

[HIMNL9]

You can try to adapt my PWM circuit for LDs, if you want

In this configuration, the pot change the pulse width, not the frequency (you need to change the 47nF capacitor for change the frequency) ..... just use a more powerful mosfet, with the primary of the flyback connected in place of the LD, and a fast diode in parallel with the primary (cathode at +V, anode at mosfet side)

I forgot to write it on the draw, the diodes connected to the pot are 1N4148.

 

[millirad]

I will compare my internal circuit of the SG3525 with the 555 timer and see what options there are. Thanks for the input!

 

[Fortyfive]

BTW I invited magx1 to join us here on LPF. I'm sure he would fit in just fine around here..

-Greg

 

[Benm]

You really dont need any complex circuitry to get it to work. A 555 timer followed by a couple of hefty transistors at ca 15 kHz will run it just fine. You can vary output power by varying the DC voltage you're driving the thing from at the primary side.

If you want full control over it, the best solution would probably be a H-bridge design where you can vary the pulse width according to your needs.

A PWM approach without the H bridge (like the 555 circuit just above this post) isn't ideal for these things. The problem is you have a DC component in your drive at any duty cycle other than 50% which just heats things up without any transfer to the HV end.

 

[jarrod694]

BTW I invited magx1 to join us here on LPF. I'm sure he would fit in just fine around here..

-Greg

Hi Greg. Hi all.

I'm here. I just joined last night. I finally took your advice, and I'm sorry I did not join a long time ago. This forum looks fantastic.

When I get time, I'll reply to some of the other comments in more detail, but I'm glad I joined. I'm really happy to see that this forum is teaming with so much activity. Thank you all.

Thank you Greg -
Jarrod

 

[jarrod694]

Yes, the nitrogen laser is the pump. Optical brightener in the detergent is the dye. The dye is concentrated enough to absorb most of the pump beam near its surface. This high concentration would be impractical if used with a flashlamp, but the high peak power of the N2 laser enables threshold to be reached. The high concentration also results in an extrodinarily high gain. With most lasers, the gain channel must be artificially lengthened using mirros. But the gain is so high with my device, that neither a physically or virtually long channel is required. However, with insanely high gain and no accomodation made for wavelength selection, the output is very broad in frequency when compared with most lasers (aside from the fact that dye lasers, as a group, have a broad frequency range compared with other types of lasers).

The nitrogen laser pump beam is focused into a thin line onto the dye surface, and optical gain through stimulated emmission is established along the length of this line. A cylinderical lens is used to accomplish this. Although short, the length of this line is long when compared to its width. The width of this line is very narrow due to the focus of the nitrogen laser beam, and due to the concentration of the dye which effectively absorbs most of the nitrogen laser beam within a very shallow channel. If the pump beam is not tightly focused into a thin line on the dye surface, then the dye laser output will either be poorly defined (higher divergence) or will not be possible because the energy density of the pump beam will be below its threshold.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

I am surprised nobody else has documented open-air nitrogen lasers on here. I made one when I was a teen. It had a huge transformer from a microwave, a normal 4-diode rectifyer, and miscellaneous hardware for the channel and a tin-foil capacitor. Not the best results, but it did lase, so I was happy.

Anyways, subscribed, so that I may learn to make one properly, if I am ever so inclined (I'm very cautious with HV now, and would rather not use it, but this is too interesting)

 

[wee40811]

wow dude!!
This is just so cool!!

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Please stop bumping old threads unless you have some technical info to add.

Thanks

 

[c4r0]

Hi guys, I just noticed this thread. Here are a few links to dye lasers from my bookmarks, if you're interested
- Jarrod Kinsey: My First Successful Organic Dye Lasers (it's your website jarrod694, isn't it?)
- Dye Laser by Leslie Wright
- Joss Research Institute: Lasers

I got a nitrogen TEA laser (link) and I wanted to use it for pumping a dye laser a few years ago, but finally I haven't try that Maybe I'll get back to it some day.