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FrozenGate by Avery

HeNe Troubles :( HALP ME!!!!

Sounds like your mirrors are out of Alignment. Ultimate kaiser may know what to do.
 





IsaacT said:
BTW the microwave trick didn't work for me.
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It depends on the tube pressure. Some tubes you have to do on high. And for longer. I just hate doing it. It's hard on the tube. Larger tubes are easier than small ones. Try doing it max power for about 20 seconds non stop. But I take no responsibility for a cracked tube from it getting hot.
 
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I had a nightlight HeNe I ran 24/7 for a couple years. No duty cycle. :)

Hope you get it stable.
 
I've got a 7" 632 running 24/7 for over five years now, tubes die from coming up to air (leak) or going high pressure from disuse. (unless they're soft seal, that's different).

Sounds like your mirrors are out of alignment. I'd ask Bloompyle or UK (or Sam Goldwasser) for assistance. I've never realigned a HeNe that didn't have adjustable mirror mounts.

Oh, and microwaving HeNes is rather dangerous, both to your oven and the tube. Metal inside a microwave generates high voltages through induced charge, and high temperatures from eddy currents. The results can be catastrophic. The better idea is to buy a cheap plasma globe and use the driver from it which puts out high frequency AC to ignite the tube's plasma. Or go to someone with a solid state tesla coil. Oudin Coils can be used too, as well as flyback transformers.
 
Sigurthr said:
I've got a 7" 632 running 24/7 for over five years now, tubes die from coming up to air (leak) or going high pressure from disuse. (unless they're soft seal, that's different).

Sounds like your mirrors are out of alignment. I'd ask Bloompyle or UK (or Sam Goldwasser) for assistance. I've never realigned a HeNe that didn't have adjustable mirror mounts.

Oh, and microwaving HeNes is rather dangerous, both to your oven and the tube. Metal inside a microwave generates high voltages through induced charge, and high temperatures from eddy currents. The results can be catastrophic. The better idea is to buy a cheap plasma globe and use the driver from it which puts out high frequency AC to ignite the tube's plasma. Or go to someone with a solid state tesla coil. Oudin Coils can be used too, as well as flyback transformers.
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Sig pretty much just said it all. But they do die from use too but over hundreds of thousands of hours.

And the other possibility is that the bore is slightly out. If it's been banged around, sometimes it moves a bit. Poking at the HR may fix it since it's usually planar. But getting it to stay may be a challenge.
 
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in the pic didn't change, it still appears to be on the cathode homes, even on the pic with it lasing, unless that's shrink wrap, but the anode still looks naked. I know WE'VE been over it, but did matt make the necessary change?
photo-11_zps83bf2cea.jpg
 
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bdgreenb said:
in the pic didn't change, it still appears to be on the cathode homes, even on the pic with it lasing, unless that's shrink wrap
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The ballast is at both ends. It's been wired like when in the head. The main ballast is in the tail cap at the anode like it is supposed to be. Again... We went over it already.
 
The resistor that's visible is a stabilizing resistor, 10K ohms +/- 1%. The actual ballast resistor is potted inside that endcap. I know this setup works because that's how I've always ran my HeNe's prior to selling them off, the housing itself acted the same as the wire connecting the stabilizing resistor to the tab on the endcap

Glad to see you got it lasing... but as for your new problem, inspect the tube very carefully for cracks or fractures. It sounds like a misalignment to me too, but if you don't use the stabilizing resistor I know you may get 0 output due to too much current going through the tube. That doesn't seem to be the case here though. See if you have ghost beams when the tube does lase

Sorry for all the trouble! I hope nothing's wrong with your HeNe :(
 
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