Head arrived - now up and lasing!

[LtKernelPanic]

I've got two quick questions for owners of a JDSU cylindrical head.

I picked up a 2212-10MLMA cylindrical head for cheap and am wondering what the diameter of the head is so I can get the appropriate ducting and a exhaust fan/blower to match it. I looked at just about every argon thread here any the only mention I saw about ducting size was 4 inches (10cm) which seems about right. When I looked up the specs on the head I was surprised to see they listed just about every measurement of the head *except* for its diameter. I was just going to wait and measure the head myself when it gets here tomorrow but I see the couple fans I've narrowed my search down to I could get delivered free on Saturday thanks to Amazon prime if I order one today.

My other quick question is I see that 185CFM seems to be the ideal CFM rating from JSDU but the couple blowers I'm looking at are slightly more at 190 and 195 CFM. I assume a little more CFM wouldn't be a problem since those tubes gets insanely hot.

Thanks!

edit: looked at the diagrams on the spec sheet again and noticed an an arrow pointing to the outside of the head saying 3.12 OD so a 4 inch duct and blower should do the job. Time to order the blower fan from Amazon and swing by Lowes on my way home from work tomorrow. Of course not firing up the tube tomorrow is going to be torture...

 

[ultimatekaiser]

Re: Two quick questions about JDSU cylindrical argon heads

It's a few inches I'll look when I get home

 

[pschlosser]

Re: Two quick questions about JDSU cylindrical argon heads

your are correct. The diameter (or radius) is hard to spot in the docs, but it's there. 3 point something diameter, 4-inch ducting into the input port of a squirrel cage fan.

I have a spare PSU and spare fan that run on 220VAC if you're looking. Send me a PM and we can discuss.

But the specs you've identified are about right.

 

[ultimatekaiser]

Re: Two quick questions about JDSU cylindrical argon heads

well mine i measured at 3.1 inches across. 2 and 7/8 of an inch wall to wall for the duct diameter. so probably a 3.5-4 inch duct is fine at about 200 cfm.

 

[LtKernelPanic]

Re: Two quick questions about JDSU cylindrical argon heads

Thanks for the info guys. It confirms my research was on the right track. Unfortunately I don't have easy access to 220/240v (only in the laundry room) so it'll have to be 120v supplies only. I'm going to test the head on my box style argon's PSU and if everything works okay I found a place that sells the same supply for pretty cheap.

 

[pschlosser]

Re: Two quick questions about JDSU cylindrical argon heads

The PSUs are easier to find in 120V than the fans. I know where to get fans, the exact one mentioned in the docs, but they're pricey, over $200 each.

The hardest thing to do elegantly, in my opinion, is finding a clean reducer mating the ducting to the head.

 

[LtKernelPanic]

Re: Two quick questions about JDSU cylindrical argon heads

Got my head today. I was very impressed with how well it was packed. I rigged up a quick makeshift cooling system to blow air down and out the front of the tube which while not ideal for longterm use was plenty for a short 5 second test. After hooking it up to my other Argon's PSU and firing it up for a second i got a nice cyan beam so I shut it down. Being curious how many lines it had at idle I turned it back on but this time instead of starting up like normal it started rapidly clicking. I could see it was lasing when I put my hand in front of it (I could see the faint dots of the split beam). Any idea why it would do this? I let it click for a couple seconds to see if it would ignite but without the proper cooling I didn't want to let it go too long. I;ll have my fan that can pull the proper CFM out of the head tomorrow so I can test it more throughly then.

if it helps the head is model 2212-10MLMA the PSU I'm testing it with now is a 2114P-40MLA and I have a 2111P-25MLHCH on order for it.

 

[bloompyle]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

Here is an operating manual for the 2212 series.

The 2114 series PSU is designed to work with the 2211, 2214, 2218, and 2219 series heads.

You may need another PSU as the clicking is the sound of the ignitor trying to light the tube on the cathode end, and failing.

 

[ultimatekaiser]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

Bloom is right. And starting is the hardest thing on these tubes. Each time the filament fires it takes damage. So it's best I do it as little as possible. Idle is your friend...your tube is designed for 10mW it seems, so running it at high current will kill it fast.

 

[hwang21]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

Well, I wouldn't be overly concerned with ticking unless it doesn't start up for 30 seconds or so... in which case something is clearly WRONG so shut it down and figure out what is going on. I left my ALC 60X on for two days straight ticking before it finally managed to fire up

 

[LtKernelPanic]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

Well Murphy gave me the finger again. After posting here I tried firing it up again and it fired on the second or third tick. (seriously why is it after I post here I either figure out the issue or it resolves itself?) I wonder if this tube sat idle for a long time and is suffering from high tube pressure? I think to be safe once I have a proper cooling setup for it I'm going to give it several hour plus burns at idle just in case.

Thanks for the PDF too bloom. I think that's the same one daguin sent me when I bought my first argon from him but I'll be darned if I can find it. The PSU I had "ordered" ended up falling through since the auction ended before they responded to my offer. I'm going to read up on what PSU I need and if that will work I'll snag one when they get relisted.

 

[ultimatekaiser]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

Good luck!

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

I took a different approach to cooling my JDSU 488 head ----

This is a PVC floor drain fitting with the fan on the rear. My laser housing
at the rear measures 3.13".

HMike

 

[Spooky]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

My other quick question is I see that 185CFM seems to be the ideal CFM rating from JSDU but the couple blowers I'm looking at are slightly more at 190 and 195 CFM. I assume a little more CFM wouldn't be a problem since those tubes gets insanely hot

Remember LT flow characteristics change by quite a bit when you reduce tube sizes.

cheers

Dave

 

[ultimatekaiser]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

Well the optimal cfm rating is for its standard output level. (What the tube is rated) if you run it at a higher current then you'll need more nominal airflow or you'll stress the tube. Running it at low current us recommended anyway though to increase the tube life

 

[LtKernelPanic]

Re: Head arrived - new question (problem?)

Yea it's up and running! My fan came while I was at work today so I stopped and picked up some flex ducting on my way home from work and it fired on the first click. I'm thinking my hunch about the tube having not been run in awhile may be correct because after tweaking my makeshift cooling setup last night so it could run for up to a minute or so at idle it clicked less and less each time I started the tube until finally it fired on the first pulse on the fourth or fifth cycle. I have noticed one kinda cool thing at idle unlike my other argon that produces four lines this low power tube only produces 488 and a second line doesn't appear until you up the juice a bit. I'll eventually ramp it up to full power once just for grins to see how many lines it produces.