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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Hi from a crazy guy from the Netherlands

Joined
Aug 15, 2009
Messages
1,443
Points
48
I used to be on lasercommunity, but I left because there were very few people with knowledge or DIY project going. So, today I decided to join here. I hope to find some laser enthousiasts here, not just the "OMG I have teh pointer!1!" people. I barely have any pointers. Just to sum up what lasers I have:

I do have about 25 red bullet-style pointer laying around, got them cheap and there just to point. I have 1 green 1mw el-cheapo pointer from china. Lays somewhere waiting for the button to be fixed and the IR filter to be inserted. I still want to measure the IR power output though.

Now for the real lasers:
- a cute very small (15cm) Uniphase 1mw laser tube with brick power supply. I want to build it in a decent box and add a regulating circuit to make it frequency stabilized, and maybe even power-stabilized at the same time, a little challenge for me.
- A unknown laser of about 2~3mw in a nice enclosure, not sure what brand, it's my first HeNe laser, but the output beam isn't that nice in shape on longer distances.
- A 2 mw Melles Griot laser head (25cm long) probably from a laser printer (Xerox) . The brick power supply is noisy, not sure why, but it still works. I just don't use it because of the noise.
- A 5 mw Melles Griot laser head, also probably from a laser printer (Xerox). Also brick power supply.This one I use the most. I do have safety glasses on with the though, around 5mw actual output is a lot.

- Now just for the red fun, a 70mw red diode laser. Nice module, powersupply is still the pcb laying next to it. I don't have proper safety glasses for the one (what I have is OD 1 and 1.5), so I don't use it yet, and I still have the HeNe laser with better beam quality and high enough output.
- A 55mw green DPSS from Aixiz, I put the powersupply in a box and show off with it, for usable green light I have a much sweeter toy:

- A very nice, 2mw, GREEN HeNe laser from REO! Green HeNe's are rare, but I have one. After missing a yellow one and a possibly tunable one on ebay, I bought this one close to home. 2mw is nice and safe, and being a HeNe is a high quality beam.

- Now, we arrive at the wicked stuff: a Q-switched nd:YAG laser from a tank rangefinder. Not the famous one regularly on ebay, but a sweeter one. A very solid aluminum enclosure, nice cavity, about 60~80mm yag rod and active Q-switch. Too bad the electronic are still a mistery to me, but I want to get this one working someday.
- And to finish it of: a 6W Spectra Physics Stabilite 2017 argon laser. It needs 3x208V, 42amps/phase, so I haven't used it, but I got it from my university, and it's only used for 436 hours, so there's enough life on the tube left.

Now, I'm also the DIY type. Getting the YAG laser to work, stabilizing a HeNe, things like that. I also build a two channel laser diode driver with analog modulation in a 1U 19" housing with two panel meters for the current readback. Build with my own circuit design. I learned a lot from it, I'm going to rebuild a lot of it because of a few design flaws. And I'll add PD feedback, maybe even a TEC driver.
My next projects are based around two 2x2x12 YAG bars. I'm planning on making one normal YAG laser and one doubled green YAG laser. With the first I hope to reach a few watts, with the latter I hope to reach 1 watt of green. That means diode bars, tec's things like that.

Expensive hobby, but in the past 4 weeks I've had a nice vacation job, helping with research in intergrated optics at my university. Did I mention I'm just a second year physics student, still in my bachelor?
That's me, if you want to see pics of anything or any laser, just ask. I'll probably be around in the DIY section, building a optical power meter, an OSA, things like that. I already have the high voltage power supply laying around for a scratch build N2 laser.
 





Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
5,443
Points
113
Welcome to the forum have fun and read read read this place is a store house of knowledge !

Peace All Pyro... :eg:
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
17,622
Points
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welcome.gif
to the Forum...

Contrary to what some members may say... using the [Search] button
will allow you to access the tons of Laser related information on the
Forum....:cool:

Jerry
 




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