- Joined
- Aug 22, 2009
- Messages
- 404
- Points
- 0
I've had this laser for a long time (~2 years). However a few months after I got it, it took a ~3-4 foot drop straight on to it's OC. The laser was completely misaligned and I had put off repairing it until recently.
SSY-1s are notoriously difficult to realign because instead of an adjustable mount they have a piece of bent sheet metal.
My first step was to find an adjustable optics mount. I chose a newport kinematic mount because it was the cheapest I could find on ebay.
When I got the mount i realized i had ordered a mount that excepted 1" diameter optics where the diameter of the OC was 1/2". My solution was to laser cut a ring that would hold the OC and fit in the mount.
Next I 3d printed a mount that could hold the laser and optic mount.
Finally, I was ready for the fun part, alignment. I used a red laserpointer pointed down the cavity for the alignment. Getting it lasing was a matter of lining up two dots, getting the laser running like it used to took more effort.
After a long night of firing and tweaking I got a nice round spot. (bottom right corner)
Now it runs like the day I got it! It blasts the rust off metal, marks most metal, and takes the paint off just about anything.
I'll upload the video I promised 2 years ago when I get the time to move it from my phone to my computer.
SSY-1s are notoriously difficult to realign because instead of an adjustable mount they have a piece of bent sheet metal.
My first step was to find an adjustable optics mount. I chose a newport kinematic mount because it was the cheapest I could find on ebay.
When I got the mount i realized i had ordered a mount that excepted 1" diameter optics where the diameter of the OC was 1/2". My solution was to laser cut a ring that would hold the OC and fit in the mount.
Next I 3d printed a mount that could hold the laser and optic mount.
Finally, I was ready for the fun part, alignment. I used a red laserpointer pointed down the cavity for the alignment. Getting it lasing was a matter of lining up two dots, getting the laser running like it used to took more effort.
After a long night of firing and tweaking I got a nice round spot. (bottom right corner)
Now it runs like the day I got it! It blasts the rust off metal, marks most metal, and takes the paint off just about anything.
I'll upload the video I promised 2 years ago when I get the time to move it from my phone to my computer.
