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FrozenGate by Avery

Experimentonomen´s first argon

The transformer puts out 75VAC which is 103.5VDC after the rectifier, but thats noload, it´ll prolly shrink to some 85-95VDC @ 4A and up.

I can add more fets if it get too much for just four, i´ll drill and tap the heatsink for six fets just in case.
 





The tube have now found a home it likes, and is moving in:

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I´m gonna make some flaps outta some thin sheet metal to direct the air through the fins instead of mostly around the whole tube, and drill some holes in the bottom and in the sides for it to intake air.

And of course im gonna clean that box and make it look nice, gonna repaint it black.
 
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looks like it was almost made for that laser :)

Now off to bed for me - watched my documentary, killed another spider in the bathroom... ;)
 
Metal flaps are a good call. This is the case SP came up with in their 163 model that uses that tube if you want to model yours after it:

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Are there any holes in the bottom underneath the tube too or are there just the holes in the sides ?

You can bet your ass that im gonna copy those flaps ;p
 
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Hi Experimentonomen,
The bottom of the head has no holes as it is a thick aluminium plate. Air flow is directed from the sides and through the heatsinks, then out through the fan. I have one of these heads also and I fired up the laser without the fan running. WELL!....the thing got so hot so quickly that the thermister shut off the power to the tube a few seconds laser.

A side note...I heard that the beryllia ceramic that argon laser tubes contain is a serious and nasty health hazard when in powdered form. Inhalation causes the stuff to leach the calcium out of your bones.....and then you die. In solid form as in an undamaged tube it remains safe and harmless.
Looking forward to seeing your power supply.
Take care,
Rob.
 
The air flow is something like this:

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Nice work!
Just be careful though because if your housing is made of metal and those flaps you have made that go down touch any part of the tube, you have a potentially serious electrical hazard on your hands. The original SP housing, apart from the base plate, was made entirely of plastic. Just something to think about.
Nice to see someone's creative work though.
 
timelablasers said:
The original SP housing, apart from the base plate, was made entirely of plastic.
Click to expand...

I have the original 163 housing, and I can assure you it is metal. The flaps, however, are plastic (polycarbonate maybe?). I'm not sure about the 161.

It's a little difficult to see in my photo because they are clear, but there are also flaps at the front and back over top of the heat sink:

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So i´ve gotten some more work done on this box now:
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Notice the plastic flaps:
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From above with the fan in place:
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All that remains now is drilling the hole in the back for the umbilical and repaint the box flat black, then its on to the psu.
 
I don't see a thermal switch in any of your pictures, I'd highly suggest getting one before firing the laser - a meltdown could be a major fire hazard plus the fact that the laser wouldn't work anymore ;)
 
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